Prattville is a city located within both Autauga and Elmore counties in the

State State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

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, but serves as the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

of Autauga County. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 37,781. Nicknamed "The Fountain City" due to the many artesian wells in the area, Prattville is part of the Montgomery Metropolitan Area. It was founded by Daniel Pratt.

History

Prattville was founded in 1839 by industrialist and architect Daniel Pratt. The area was largely inhabited by Native Americans and a few settlers when Pratt, a native of Temple, New Hampshire, first observed the Autauga Creek in the 1830s. He purchased approximately from Joseph May at $21.00 an acre, and set out to build his manufacturing facilities and the town along the banks of Autauga Creek. The location was chosen because the creek could supply power to the

cotton gin A cotton gin—meaning "cotton engine"—is a machine that quickly and easily separates cotton fibers from their seeds, enabling much greater productivity than manual cotton separation.. Reprinted by McGraw-Hill, New York and London, 1926 (); ...

manufacturing equipment. The town became an industrial center and rapidly grew. In 1868, it was named the county seat for Autauga County. Prattville contains several sites 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 ...

, including the Daniel Pratt Historic District, Bell House and Buena Vista.

Geography

Prattville is located at (32.462235, -86.461264). According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of of which is land and (3.09%) is water. The city is located northwest of Montgomery and along Interstate 65 and U.S. Route 82. I-65 runs north to south east of downtown, with access from exits 179 and 181, both in the Elmore County portion of the city. I-65 leads southeast to downtown Montgomery and north to

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...

. US 82 runs south with I-65 to downtown Montgomery, and northwest to Tuscaloosa.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 37,781 people, 14,069 households, and 9,658 families residing in the city.

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 33,960 people, 12,711 households, and 9,305 families residing in Prattville. The population density was . There were 13,541 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 78.5%

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 ...

, 16.7%

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 ...

, 0.4% Native American, 1.4% Asian, 0.1%

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 ...

, 1.1% from other races, and 1.8% from two or more races. 3.1% 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 12,711 households, out of which 35.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.1% were married couples living together, 4.1% had a male householder with no wife present, 14.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.8% were non-families. 22.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.64 and the average family size was 3.12. In the city, the age distribution of the population showed 27.1% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 27.9% from 25 to 44, 24.6% from 45 to 64, and 11.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36.3 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.6 males. In 2000, the median income for a household in the city was $45,728, and the median income for a family was $51,774. Males had a median income of $36,677 versus $22,978 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 city was $19,832. 8.3% of the population and 6.4% of families 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 ...

. Out of the total population, 9.3% of those under the age of 18 and 9.2% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

Climate

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 ...

, Prattville 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'').

Severe weather

On February 17, 2008, Prattville was hit by an EF3

tornado A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with the surface of Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. It is often referred to as a twister, whirlwind or cyclone, although the ...

which destroyed more than 45 homes and businesses and damaged over 700. Twenty-nine people were injured with no fatalities. Preliminary estimates put the damage at $85 million in insured and uninsured damages.

Education

Most of Prattville (the Autauga County portion) is part of the Autauga County School System, and has eight schools, including Prattville High School and the Autauga County Technology Center. The Elmore County portion is in the Elmore County Public School System.
Text list
/ref> Prattville Christian Academy and Autauga Academy are private schools based in the city. East Memorial Christian Academy was located in an

unincorporated area 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 ...

of Autauga County, near Prattville, until it was closed down.

Emergency services

Fire protection and Emergency Medical Services in Prattville are provided by the Prattville Fire Department. Law enforcement agency is the Prattville Police Department.

Media

Prattville is part of the Montgomery

television market A media market, broadcast market, media region, designated market area (DMA), television market area, or simply market is a region where the population can receive the same (or similar) television and radio station offerings, and may also incl ...

. WOW! (formerly Knology) and

Charter A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified. It is implicit that the granter retains superiority (or sovereignty), and that the ...

provide

cable television Cable television is a system of delivering television programming to consumers via radio frequency (RF) signals transmitted through coaxial cables, or in more recent systems, light pulses through fibre-optic cables. This contrasts with bro ...

service.

DirecTV DirecTV, LLC is an American Multichannel television in the United States, multichannel video programming distributor based in El Segundo, California. Originally launched on June 17, 1994, its primary service is a digital Satellite television, s ...

and

Dish Network DISH Network L.L.C., often referred to as DISH, an abbreviation for Digital Sky Highway, is an American provider of satellite television and IPTV services and wholly owned subsidiary of EchoStar Corporation. The company was originally establ ...

provide

direct broadcast satellite Satellite television is a service that delivers television programming to viewers by relaying it from a communications satellite orbiting the Earth directly to the viewer's location.ITU Radio Regulations, Section IV. Radio Stations and Systems ...

television including both local and national channels to area residents. Prattville is also served by the twice-weekly ''Prattville Progress'' newspaper.

Recreation

The city has become a popular

golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various Golf club, clubs to hit a Golf ball, ball into a series of holes on a golf course, course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standa ...

destination, featuring the Capitol Hill golf courses (part of the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail). Its Senator Course hosted the Navistar (now Yokohama Tire) LPGA Classic on the

LPGA Tour The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) is an American organization for female golfers. The organization is headquartered at LPGA International in Daytona Beach, Florida, and is best known for running the LPGA Tour, a series of weekly ...

from

2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...

through

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

when Navistar ended its sponsorship. There was no LPGA event at this course in 2013. The

2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...

event, now known as the Yokohama Tire LPGA Classic after its new sponsor, was scheduled for September 18–21. High Point Town Center is a large shopping center built in Prattville between 2007 and 2008. 10,000-capacity Stanley-Jensen Stadium is located in Prattville. It is mainly used for football and soccer.

Transportation

Major highways that pass through the city include: * * * * Prattville also has a small

airport An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial Aviation, air transport. They usually consist of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surf ...

about 3.5 miles from downtown. Autauga County Rural Transportation provides

dial-a-ride Demand-responsive transport (DRT), also known as demand-responsive transit, demand-responsive service,
US National Trans ...

transit service in the city and county.

Historical markers

Happy Hollow

Known for the signature hill that turns into a steep curve, located on present-day 6th Street, Happy Hollow was the center of African American life in Prattville in the 1950s. This marker was erected to honor the spirit of "equality" that resonated in Happy Hollow.

Notable people

Marlon Anderson Marlon Ordell Anderson (born January 6, 1974) is an American former professional baseball second baseman and outfielder who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for six teams, over 12 seasons. He was widely known for his clutch hits, and writers ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

player * Kaitlan Collins, journalist * Evan Crawford,

player *

John Coleman Darnell John Coleman Darnell (born August 1962) is an American Egyptologist. Biography Darnell attributes his interest in archaeology to his mother, who also had a lifelong interest in archaeology. He grew up in south Alabama and had a particular intere ...

Egyptologist Egyptology (from ''Egypt'' and Greek , ''-logia''; ) is the scientific study of ancient Egypt. The topics studied include ancient Egyptian history, language, literature, religion, architecture and art from the 5th millennium BC until the end ...

* Steve Gainer, Cinematographer * Bobby Greenwood, NFL

offensive tackle Offensive may refer to: * Offensive (military), type of military operation * Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative * Fighting words, spoken words which would have a tendency to cause acts of violence by the ...

* Roman Harper, NFL player. * C. M. Hazen, head coach for the University of Richmond football team from 1882 to 1888 * O. J. Howard, former Tight End for the

Alabama Crimson Tide The Alabama Crimson Tide refers to the college athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletic varsity teams that represent the University of Alabama, located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Tuscaloosa. The Crimson Tide teams compete in the Na ...

. He was drafted 1st Round 19th Overall to the

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (colloquially known as the Bucs) are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC S ...

* Randy Hunt, former

catcher Catcher is a position in baseball and softball. When a batter takes their turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the catc ...

* Charlie Lucas, sculptor * Nick Perry, NFL player and coach *

Wilson Pickett Wilson Pickett (March 18, 1941 – January 19, 2006) was an American singer and songwriter. A major figure in the development of soul music, Pickett recorded more than 50 songs that made the US R&B charts, many of which crossed over to the '' ...

, R&B and

soul The soul is the purported Mind–body dualism, immaterial aspect or essence of a Outline of life forms, living being. It is typically believed to be Immortality, immortal and to exist apart from the material world. The three main theories that ...

singer and songwriter "Rock and Roll Hall of Fame" *

Tommy Shaw Tommy Roland Shaw (born September 11, 1953) is an American singer and guitarist best known for his tenure in the rock band Styx (band), Styx as co-lead vocalist. In between his stints with Styx, he has played with other groups including Damn Yan ...

, member of the band Styx * Brandon Taylor, author * Daniel Holcombe Thomas, chief judge of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Alabama from 1966 to 1971 *

Trust Company A trust company is a corporation that acts as a fiduciary, trustee or agent of trusts and agencies. A professional trust company may be independently owned or owned by, for example, a bank or a law firm, and which specializes in being a trust ...

alternative rock Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...

post-grunge Post-grunge is an offshoot of grunge that has a less abrasive or intense tone than traditional grunge. Originally, the term was used almost pejoratively to label mid-1990s alternative rock bands such as Bush (British band), Bush, Candlebox, Colle ...

band * Kevin Turner, NFL player * Ernie Wingard,

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...

for the St. Louis Browns from 1924 to 1927 * Zac Woodfin, NFL player.

Popular culture

Gabriel García Marquez mentions Prattville in his well-known work '' One Hundred Years of Solitude''; Prattville is referred to as the original city of Jack Brown, the founder of the banana company.''One Hundred Years of Solitude'', page 124

Folklore

A popular ghost-story known as "The Black Lady," inspired by deaths caused by poor working conditions in the nearby factories of downtown Prattville, is a popular phenomenon described by most as a black, ghastly figure that goes across the nearby dam during the night hours of 1 am to 4 am and has been featured on the ghost hunting show, '' Deep South Paranormal''. This story, and additional Prattville ghost stories are cited by Digital Alabama.

Gallery

File:Autauga County Courthouse March 2010 02.jpg, Autauga County Courthouse File:Bell House Prattville March 2010 01.jpg, Bell House File:First Methodist Prattville March 2010.jpg, Prattville First Methodist Church

1938 flooding

File:Alabama - Prattville - NARA - 23936371 (cropped).jpg File:Alabama - Prattville - NARA - 23936369 (cropped).jpg File:Alabama - Prattville - NARA - 23936367 (cropped).jpg

References

External links

* {{Authority control Cities in Alabama Cities in Autauga County, Alabama Cities in Elmore County, Alabama Populated places established in 1839 County seats in Alabama Montgomery metropolitan area 1839 establishments in Alabama