Hazel Green is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...

and

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...

(CDP) in Madison County,

Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...

, United States, and is included in the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area. As of the 2020 census, the population of the community was 4,105, up from 3,630 at the 2010 census.

History

The origin of Hazel Green’s name is uncertain; however, a couple theories have been proposed, one being that the hazelnut bushes growing there were of a very vibrant green color in the springtime, and another is that the town was named for the wife of a store owner and postmaster in the early days of settlement in the area. In the early 1800s, the area now known as Hazel Green became a convenient stopping point for travelers coming from

Nashville Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

to the north,

Winchester Winchester (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs N ...

to the east, nearby

Huntsville Huntsville is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Alabama. The population of the city is estimated to be 241,114 in 2024, making it the 100th-most populous city in the U.S. The Huntsville metropolitan area had an estimated 525,465 ...

to the south, and

Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

to the west. These roads intersected at what is now the intersection of

U.S. Route 231 U.S. Route 231 (US 231) is a north–south United States Numbered Highway System, U.S highway that is a parallel route of U.S. Route 31, US 31. It runs for from St. John, Indiana, St. John, Indiana, at U.S. Route 41 in Indiana, US&nbs ...

/ 431, Joe Quick Road, and West Limestone Road. By around 1810, farmers from

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

, and the

Carolinas The Carolinas, also known simply as Carolina, are the U.S. states of North Carolina and South Carolina considered collectively. They are bordered by Virginia to the north, Tennessee to the west, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the southwes ...

began rapidly relocating to Hazel Green after it was discovered the area had some of the richest soil in the

Southeast The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, Radius, radially arrayed compass directions (or Azimuth#In navigation, azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A ''compass rose'' is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, ...

. The town quickly developed into a bustling local trade center with the construction of gins, mills, grocers, and 2 inns. A post office and schoolhouse were both established for Hazel Green in 1819, and the town was incorporated as an act of the state legislature on June 15, 1821, with a population of 400. The economy was dependent on cotton and textile farming, and several families of notable wealth and influence lived in and worked out of Hazel Green. By the mid 1800s, the growth of Hazel Green stagnated, large farms began breaking up, families moved elsewhere looking for work, and Hazel Green became unincorporated. The town would not show up on the U.S. Census again until 1980 as a

with a population of 1,503. While farming has remained an important backbone of Hazel Green’s economy throughout its history, job growth coming out of nearby Huntsville has brought with it new growth and development in recent years. Generational farmland has quickly been replaced with homes, multi-family complexes, fast-food restaurant chains, and various other retail chains. The topic of incorporation to accommodate this sudden explosion of growth has become a popular discussion amongst residents. Hazel Green, along with other communities in the same area, has been prone to tornado activity in its history. On April 3, 1974, Hazel Green was hit by an F5 tornado during the

1974 Super Outbreak The 1974 Super Outbreak was one of the most intense tornado outbreaks on record, occurring on April 3–4, 1974, across much of the United States. It was one of the deadliest tornado outbreaks in U.S. history. It was also the most violent t ...

, causing several deaths. On March 2, 2012, Hazel Green was hit again by 2 tornados a part of the

Tornado outbreak of March 2–3, 2012 On March 2 and 3, 2012, a large and deadly tornado outbreak occurred over a large section of the Southern United States into the Ohio Valley region. The storms resulted in 41 tornado-related fatalities, 22 of which occurred in Kentucky. Torn ...

, resulting in the leveling of homes and businesses and roof damage to several buildings. On April 1, 2023, Hazel Green was hit by an EF3 tornado a part of the

Tornado outbreak of March 31 – April 1, 2023 A widespread, deadly, and historic tornado outbreak affected large portions of the Midwestern United States, Midwestern, Southern United States, Southern and Eastern United States on March 31 and April 1, 2023, the result of an extratropical cy ...

, resulting in 1 death.

Geography

Hazel Green is located in northern Madison County at (34.923712, -86.567206). It is north of

and the same distance south of

Fayetteville, Tennessee Fayetteville is the county seat and the largest city in Lincoln County, Tennessee, United States. The city's population was 7,095 at the 2020 census. History Fayetteville is the largest city in Lincoln County. The city was established in 1809 ...

. Hazel Green is bordered to the south by Meridianville and to the southeast by Moores Mill. 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 Hazel Green CDP has a total area of , of which , or 0.13%, are water. The Flint River, a south-flowing tributary of the

Tennessee River The Tennessee River is a long river located in the Southern United States, southeastern United States in the Tennessee Valley. Flowing through the states of Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, and Kentucky, it begins at the confluence of Fren ...

, runs along the northeast edge of the community.

Major roads

U.S. Route 431 U.S. Route 431 (US 431) is a spur of U.S. Route 31. It currently travels for approximately from U.S. Route 231, US 231/Alabama State Route 210 and U.S. Route 231 Business (Dothan, Alabama), US 231 Business (US 231 Bus. ...

Demographics

2000 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 3,805 people, 1,340 households, and 1,080 families residing in the community. The population density was . There were 1,394 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the community was 93.56%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 2.65%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 1.31% Native American, 0.50% Asian, 0.03%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 0.32% from other races, and 1.63% from two or more races. 1.76% of the population were

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race. There were 1,340

households A household consists of one or more persons who live in the same dwelling. It may be of a single family or another type of person group. The household is the basic unit of analysis in many social, microeconomic and government models, and is impo ...

out of which 46.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.1% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 10.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.4% were non-families. 17.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.82 and the average family size was 3.18. In the community, the population was spread out, with 31.3% under the age of 18, 7.1% from 18 to 24, 35.3% from 25 to 44, 18.7% from 45 to 64, and 7.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.4 males. The median income for a household in the community was $40,263, and the median income for a family was $45,174. Males had a median income of $33,005 versus $23,929 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the community was $18,397. About 4.2% of families and 6.3% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 4.8% of those under age 18 and 12.5% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the

of 2010, there were 3,630 people, 1,338 households, and 1,017 families residing in the community. The population density was . There were 1,434 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the community was 88.9%

, 5.9%

, 1.5% Native American, 0.4% Asian, 0.1%

, 0.7% from other races, and 2.4% from two or more races. 2.3% of the population were

or Latino of any race. There were 1,338

out of which 34.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.5% were

living together, 10.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.0% were non-families. 20.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.69 and the average family size was 3.11. In the community, the population was spread out, with 26.2% under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 27.9% from 25 to 44, 27.5% from 45 to 64, and 10.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37.5 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.4 males. The median income for a household in the community was $48,822, and the median income for a family was $60,588. Males had a median income of $42,981 versus $30,990 for females. The

for the community was $23,693. About 10.8% of families and 13.6% of the population were below the

, including 16.4% of those under age 18 and 7.4% of those age 65 or over.

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 4,105 people, 1,516 households, and 1,155 families residing in the CDP.

Public services

The Madison County Sheriff's Department administers law and order in Hazel Green. The Hazel Green Fire/Rescue is a large volunteer fire department of approximately 40 members serving the residents of North Central Madison County. The fire department has 3 stations. The stations are located throughout the district in strategic locations. Station one, which houses the majority of all of the main rescue, EMS and firefighting equipment, is located at the intersection of Joe Quick Road and Highway 231-431N. Station two is located on Greenville Pike and Station three on Hill Chapel Road. Hazel Green Fire/Rescue outfits an apparatus of five engines, one attack truck (or "brush" truck), one rescue truck and two medical response vehicles. Hazel Green has a dedicated roster of individuals who hold credentials from firefighter I level, to FF 2, state licensed and nationally registered Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) and certified technical rescue personnel (vehicle, water and other special rescue missions).

Education

The local school district is Madison County Schools.
Text list
/ref> The Madison County School System currently runs three schools in Hazel Green. Kindergarten through third grade students attend Hazel Green Elementary School, Lynn Fanning Elementary, and Walnut Grove School. Fourth through sixth grade students attend Moores Mill Intermediate School. Seventh and eighth grade students in Hazel Green attend Meridianville Middle School located in Hazel Green. Hazel Green High School serves as a high school for ninth through twelfth grade students in Hazel Green, Meridianville, and parts of New Market and northern Huntsville. In September 2022, the Madison County School System announced the proposal of the construction of another school in Hazel Green by the 2024-2025 school years to accommodate new growth, and to prevent overcrowding in Hazel Green's existing schools. The size, location, and grades to be housed in the proposed school have yet to be announced. The Huntsville Madison County Public Library maintains a branch, the Tillman D. Hill Public Library, located on Knowledge Dr. behind

Advance Auto Parts Advance Auto Parts, Inc. is an American automotive aftermarket parts provider. Headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina, it serves professional installer and do it yourself (DIY) customers. Company History In April 1932, Arthur Taubman purch ...

. This branch library is part of a very well supported community library system in Madison County.

Notable people

* Jordan Beck, professional baseball player for the

Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. Th ...

Kira Lewis Jr. Kira Aundrea Lewis Jr. ( ; born April 6, 2001) is an American professional basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete ...

, professional basketball player for the

Utah Jazz The Utah Jazz are an American professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City. The Jazz compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference. Since the 1991–92 season, the ...

George Lindsey George Smith Lindsey (December 17, 1928 – May 6, 2012) was an American actor and stand-up comedian, best known for his role as Goober Pyle on ''The Andy Griffith Show'', '' Mayberry R.F.D.'' and his subsequent tenure on '' Hee-Haw''. Life a ...

, actor who portrayed

Goober Pyle Goober Pyle is a fictional character in the American TV sitcom ''The Andy Griffith Show'' and its sequel series '' Mayberry RFD''. He was played by George Lindsey. Lindsey first read for the part of Gomer Pyle, Goober's cousin, which went to act ...

on ''

The Andy Griffith Show ''The Andy Griffith Show '' is an American sitcom television series that was aired on CBS from October 3, 1960, to April 1, 1968, with a total of 249 half-hour episodes spanning eight seasons—159 in black and white and 90 in color. The series ...

'' and '' Hee-Haw'' *

Claire Lynch Claire Lynch (born February 20, 1954) is an American bluegrass musician, singer, songwriter, and producer. She is a three-time winner of the International Bluegrass Music Association's Female Vocalist of the Year honors. She is considered one of ...

, bluegrass singer

References

External links

Hazel Green unofficial website
{{authority control Unincorporated communities in Alabama Census-designated places in Madison County, Alabama Census-designated places in Alabama Huntsville-Decatur, AL Combined Statistical Area Unincorporated communities in Madison County, Alabama