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Cordova is a city in Walker County, Alabama, United States. It was formerly a
textile mill Textile manufacturing or textile engineering is a major industry. It is largely based on the conversion of fibre into yarn, then yarn into fabric. These are then dyed or printed, fabricated into cloth which is then converted into useful good ...
town. It was incorporated in 1897. At the 2010 census the population was 2,095, down from 2,423 in 2000.


History

Cordova was originally a settlement on the Mulberry Fork of the Black Warrior River called "Dent" or "Dent's Place." The city was dubbed "Cordova" by Captain Benjamin M. Long in 1859. He named the city after a city in Mexico where he was stationed during the
Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War (Spanish language, Spanish: ''guerra de Estados Unidos-México, guerra mexicano-estadounidense''), also known in the United States as the Mexican War, and in Mexico as the United States intervention in Mexico, ...
. Long himself opened a mercantile shop in the city and helped lure other industries into the city by providing the land necessary for their operations. The company that had the biggest impact on the city was Nashua Manufacturing Company out of
Nashua, New Hampshire Nashua () is a city in southern New Hampshire, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it had a population of 91,322, the second-largest in northern New England after nearby Manchester, New Hampshire, Manchester. It is on ...
, who brought in the Indian Head Textile Mills. The mill brought with it many jobs, and as was customary of the day, its own village. The company built over 100 houses in the city, many of which are still standing, and occupied today. The company even built the Indian Head school on the site of present-day "Cordova Health and Rehabilitation Center." The mill helped to bring two major railways to the city, which at the time helped connect the city to much of the surrounding area. The mill eventually became its own "town" and even had its own separate police force. Indian Head Mills was one of the most highly awarded
textile mill Textile manufacturing or textile engineering is a major industry. It is largely based on the conversion of fibre into yarn, then yarn into fabric. These are then dyed or printed, fabricated into cloth which is then converted into useful good ...
s during World War II. Their products were found to be above all standards set forth by the government by the War Department. The Mill was referred to by the residents as the Cordova Spinners. The same way the mill shaped the city around the turn of the 20th century, it also shaped it upon its closing in the middle of the century, after 1962. Over 800 workers lost jobs, the population declined, and industry slowed, while neighboring
Jasper Jasper, an aggregate of microgranular quartz and/or cryptocrystalline chalcedony and other mineral phases, is an opaque, impure variety of silica, usually red, yellow, brown or green in color; and rarely blue. The common red color is due to ...
took a strong hold on the county seat as the largest city in the county.


Present-day Cordova

With access to the
Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico () is an oceanic basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, mostly surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north, and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States; on the southw ...
via the Warrior and
Alabama River The Alabama River, in the U.S. state of Alabama, is formed by the Tallapoosa River, Tallapoosa and Coosa River, Coosa rivers, which unite about north of Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery, near the town of Wetumpka, Alabama, Wetumpka. Over a co ...
s, two major railways (
Burlington Northern Santa Fe BNSF Railway is the largest freight railroad in the United States. One of six North American Class I railroads, BNSF has 36,000 employees, of track in 28 states, and over 8,000 locomotives. It has three Transcontinental railroad, transcontine ...
and
Norfolk Southern The Norfolk Southern Railway is a Class I freight railroad operating in the Eastern United States. Headquartered in Atlanta, the company was formed in 1982 with the merger of the Norfolk and Western Railway and Southern Railway. The comp ...
),
Interstate 22 Interstate 22 (I-22) is a Interstate Highway in the US states of Mississippi and Alabama, connecting I-269 near Byhalia, Mississippi, to I-65 near Birmingham, Alabama. I-22 is also Corridor X of the Appalachian Development Highway ...
, and the recent addition of BAE Systems, the city is hoping for economic growth. Gilchrist House, located near Cordova, is listed on the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
.


2011 tornadoes

On April 27, 2011, an EF3 tornado tore through the city in the early hours of the morning, and the city was hit by an EF4 tornado in the afternoon near 5 pm. The afternoon tornado cut a swath through downtown. It destroyed the majority of the historic downtown district, including the city hall, police station, fire station, the old Tallulah Hotel, Piggly Wiggly grocer, People's Bank, and damaged the majority of the central business district beyond repair. The Long Memorial United Methodist Church was also heavily damaged, which had sheltered nearby residents in the basement during the tornado. The city has completed the following recovery projects since the 2011 tornadoes; $1.5 million Piggly Wiggly grocery store, $3.7 million city hall & police station, $2.4 million sewer treatment plant, $1.5 million utility line replacement, and are currently completing a $250,000 fire-station remodel.


2012 Cordova rock burst

On November 19, 2012, Cordova was hit by a minor rock burst that had a body wave magnitude of 2.6. The Mercalli intensity was estimated at II–III (''Weak'') in Cordova. It was felt throughout Alabama and the Southern United States, up to from the epicenter. By comparison, a magnitude 3.6 event on the West Coast would not be felt from the epicenter.


Geography

According to the
U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...
, the city has a total area of , of which is land and (0.84%) is water. Cordova is located in the rolling foothills of the
Appalachian Mountains The Appalachian Mountains, often called the Appalachians, are a mountain range in eastern to northeastern North America. The term "Appalachian" refers to several different regions associated with the mountain range, and its surrounding terrain ...
, near the banks of the Mulberry Fork of the Warrior River.


Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the
Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...
system, Cordova has a
humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...
, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps. Climate Summary for Cordova, Alabama
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Demographics


2000 census

At the 2000 census there were 2,423 people in 1,009 households, including 665 families, in the city. The population density was . There were 1,180 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 85.60% White, 13.25% Black or African American, 0.21% Native American, 0.04% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.29% from other races, and 0.58% from two or more races. 0.91% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 1,009 households, 28.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.3% were married couples living together, 18.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.0% were non-families. 31.4% of households were one person and 17.0% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.29, and the average family size was 2.84. The age distribution was 23.2% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 24.4% from 25 to 44, 22.0% from 45 to 64, and 23.1% 65 or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 79.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 74.2 males. The median household income was $17,389 and the median family income was $24,896. Males had a median income of $32,353 versus $19,549 for females. The per capita income for the city was $11,489. About 25.6% of families and 26.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 30.4% of those under age 18 and 14.9% of those age 65 or over.


2010 census

At the 2010 census there were 2,095 people in 842 households, including 665 families, in the city. The population density was . There were 1,023 housing units, at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 83.4% White, 14.5% Black or African American, 0.8% Native American, 0.1% Asian, 0% Pacific Islander, 0.3% from other races, and 1.0% from two or more races. 0.7% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 842 households, 26.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.2% were married couples living together, 21.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.3% were non-families. 33.0% of households were one person and 14.0% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.95. The age distribution was 22.1% under the age of 18, 9.1% from 18 to 24, 23.8% from 25 to 44, 25.0% from 45 to 64, and 20.0% 65 or older. The median age was 41.2 years. For every 100 females, there were 85.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.5 males. The median household income was $23,472 and the median family income was $39,185. Males had a median income of $40,868 versus $35,147 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,016. About 21.3% of families and 29.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 33.3% of those under age 18 and 20.2% of those age 65 or over.


2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 1,728 people, 789 households, and 506 families residing in the city.


Education

The city is served by three schools, all members of the Walker County Board of Education. Cordova Elementary School serves grades Kindergarten through fourth. Bankhead Middle School serves students in pre-k and grades five through eight. The school is named for Senator John H. Bankhead, who was also the namesake of the previous high school that was located in the Benchfield community of the city. Cordova High School was built by the
Works Progress Administration The Works Progress Administration (WPA; from 1935 to 1939, then known as the Work Projects Administration from 1939 to 1943) was an American New Deal agency that employed millions of jobseekers (mostly men who were not formally educated) to car ...
in 1938, and the building served the city through the 2007 school year. The current facility was an estimated $14 million project that offers the students of Cordova High a state-of-the-art education experience. The school serves students in grades nine through twelve, and is the proud home of a rich athletic tradition. The football program reached State Championships in 1963 (unofficially), 1995, and 2007. The softball team won three State titles in 1994, 1995, and 1997. The boys' basketball team won the Class 4A State championship in 2018, becoming the first team in Walker County ever to do so. In 2019, the cheerleaders won a state title, and in 2020 came in second place at the national competition. The marching band hit a steep decline until 2016, when under the direction of Sara Lipscomb (now under Ryan Perkins). The band has received numerous awards for their playing. The school has received honors in cheer leading, volleyball, golf, band, and most recently track and field/Cross Country where the team qualified for the state championship in 2022 and 2023. The city is within of the University of Alabama, University of Alabama Birmingham, and within of the
University of North Alabama The University of North Alabama (UNA) is a public university in Florence, Alabama, United States. It is the state's oldest university. Occupying a campus in a residential section of Florence, UNA is located within a four-city area that also ...
. The city is within close proximity of several junior colleges.


Notable people

* Doyle Alexander, born in Cordova, major league baseball player * Jim O'Rear, actor, screenwriter, and director. * P. W. Underwood, professional football player and coach. * James S. Voss, astronaut who flew in space five times on board the Space Shuttle and International Space Station.


References

{{Authority control Cities in Alabama Cities in Walker County, Alabama Birmingham metropolitan area, Alabama