Winfield is a city in
Marion and
Fayette counties in the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...
of
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 ...
. The population was 4,845 at the
2020 census,
the second largest city in Marion County.
History
Winfield is a small city situated in northwest Alabama, east of the
Mississippi
Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...
state line. It lies in the foothills of the
Appalachian Mountain range which stretches from the deep South all the way to
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
. Long before the earliest settlers arrived,
Native Americans hunted in the forest and fished in the streams of the region. This area was once the domain of the
Chickasaw
The Chickasaw ( ) are an Indigenous people of the Southeastern Woodlands, United States. Their traditional territory was in northern Mississippi, northwestern and northern Alabama, western Tennessee and southwestern Kentucky. Their language is ...
people. Although there were no known Native American settlements within the county, several sites were maintained as hunting camps.
The site was originally known simply as
Luxapallila, after the adjacent creek.
Later, when settlers began to arrive in greater force, they called their community "Needmore".
When it was incorporated in either 1887 or 1891, the name was changed to "Winfield" in honor of General
Winfield Scott
Winfield Scott (June 13, 1786May 29, 1866) was an American military commander and political candidate. He served as Commanding General of the United States Army from 1841 to 1861, and was a veteran of the War of 1812, American Indian Wars, Mexica ...
.
At the end of 2014, a secret meeting by the city council of Winfield, and by unanimous vote, symbolically declared
God
In monotheistic belief systems, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. In polytheistic belief systems, a god is "a spirit or being believed to have created, or for controlling some part of the un ...
the owner of the city of Winfield.
Geography and climate
Geography
Winfield is located in southern Marion County at (33.928258, -87.807990),
with a portion extending south into Fayette County.
U.S. Route 43 passes through the city, leading northwest to
Guin and south to
Fayette.
Hamilton
Hamilton may refer to:
* Alexander Hamilton (1755/1757–1804), first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States
* ''Hamilton'' (musical), a 2015 Broadway musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda
** ''Hamilton'' (al ...
, the Marion County seat, is northwest via US 43.
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 , or 0.27%, are water.
The East Branch of
Luxapallila Creek curves past the center of town, flowing southwest toward the
Tombigbee River
The Tombigbee River is a tributary of the Mobile River, approximately 200 mi (325 km) long, in the U.S. states of Mississippi and Alabama. Together with the Alabama, it merges to form the short Mobile River before the latter empties i ...
at
Columbus, Mississippi
Columbus is a city in and the county seat of Lowndes County, Mississippi, Lowndes County, on the eastern border of Mississippi, United States, located primarily east, but also north and northeast of the Tombigbee River, which is also part of the ...
.
Climate
Winfield has a
subtropical climate
The subtropical zones or subtropics are geographical and climate zones immediately to the north and south of the tropics. Geographically part of the temperate zones of both hemispheres, they cover the middle latitudes from to approximately 3 ...
characterized by hot, humid summers, mild winters, and abundant rainfall during the late winter and spring. January sees average daily high temperatures of and lows of . In July, the average daily high is , and the low is . Snowfall is infrequent in the area, with a yearly average of . The average yearly rainfall in Winfield is about , with March being the wettest month and October the driest.
The spring and fall months are pleasant but variable, but cold fronts frequently bring strong to severe
thunderstorm
A thunderstorm, also known as an electrical storm or a lightning storm, is a storm characterized by the presence of lightning and its acoustics, acoustic effect on the Earth's atmosphere, known as thunder. Relatively weak thunderstorm ...
s and occasional
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 ...
es to the region. The fall season features less rainfall and fewer storms, as well as lower humidity than the spring, but is also a secondary severe weather season.
December 2021 tornado
Late in the evening hours of December 29, 2021, a line of strong to severe storms entered Alabama from Mississippi. At 6:27 PM, a tornado warning was issued for an area that included Winfield,
Guin,
Brilliant,
Glen Allen,
Beaverton,
Gu-Win, Crews, Tucker,
Bazemore, and
Texas
Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...
. The storm caused damage on the outskirts of Winfield in the form of downed trees. At 6:46 PM, the tornado moved over downtown Winfield, causing a substantial amount of damage in the area. No injuries or fatalities were reported despite eight workers at a local pizza bar being trapped for about thirty minutes. The tornado was rated EF-1.
Demographics
2000 census
At the
2000 census there were 4,540 people. The population density was . There were 2,126 housing units at an average density of . The
racial makeup of the city was 94.56% White, 4.21% Black or African American, 0.20% Native American, 0.22% Asian, 0.20% from other races, and 0.62% from two or more races. 1.19% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
Of the 1,849 households 30.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.4% were married couples living together, 10.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.1% were non-families. 27.7% of households were one person and 15.0% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.89.
The age distribution was 23.3% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 26.7% from 25 to 44, 22.6% from 45 to 64, and 20.0% 65 or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.0 males.
The median household income was $31,317 and the median family income was $38,545. Males had a median income of $32,734 versus $21,184 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,814. About 11.1% of families and 14.1% 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 17.6% of those under age 18 and 11.5% of those age 65 or over.
2010 census
At the
2010 census there were 4,717 people. The population density was . There were 2,289 housing units at an average density of . The
racial makeup of the city was 92.9% White, 4.5% Black or African American, 0.3% Native American, 0.3% Asian, 0.9% from other races, and 1.0% from two or more races. 2.0% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
Of the 1,984 households 26.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.0% were married couples living together, 13.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.8% were non-families. 30.6% of households were one person and 15.1% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.86.
The age distribution was 21.3% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 23.2% from 25 to 44, 27.5% from 45 to 64, and 20.2% 65 or older. The median age was 43.2 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.5 males.
The median household income was $34,617 and the median family income was $43,692. Males had a median income of $38,250 versus $32,250 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,386. About 16.4% of families and 18.6% 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 21.1% of those under age 18 and 24.4% of those age 65 or over.
2020 census
As of the
2020 United States census, there were 4,845 people, 1,627 households, and 1,242 families residing in the city.
Culture
Festivals
Mule Day is hosted on the fourth Saturday in September each year, and has been termed "One of the top 20 events in the Southeast" by Travel and Tourism magazine. The keynote event is a horse parade through the downtown of the city, but there is also live entertainment, car shows and a diverse venue of homemade baked goods sold in a farmers market setting. One of the most popular events amongst most elementary and middle schoolers is the Mule Day carnival. The small carnival area is usually located along Kirkwood St. between
U.S. Route 43 and Midway Dr., a distance of about 460 ft.). Others are small shops and games where food is sold (Vendor booths and food stands are set up throughout the town and are not part of the "carnival"). Celebrated since 1975, Mule Day has grown into a major event not only for the City of Winfield but also for the State of Alabama.
The Pastime Theater
The
Pastime Theater is a historical theater built in 1937 and recently renovated for use as a performing arts center. This facility offers cultural events which benefit Winfield and outlying communities.
Organizations
The Traditional Confederate Knights are headquartered in Winfield. A division of the
Ku Klux Klan
The Ku Klux Klan (), commonly shortened to KKK or Klan, is an American Protestant-led Christian terrorism, Christian extremist, white supremacist, Right-wing terrorism, far-right hate group. It was founded in 1865 during Reconstruction era, ...
, the organization was listed as a hate group in a 2016 document by the
Southern Poverty Law Center
The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) is an American 501(c)(3) nonprofit legal advocacy organization specializing in civil rights and public interest litigation. Based in Montgomery, Alabama, it is known for its legal cases against white ...
.
Notable people
*
W. Eugene Davis, judge of the
United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit (in case citations, 5th Cir.) is one of the 13 United States courts of appeals. It has appellate jurisdiction over the U.S. district courts in the following federal judicial districts:
...
*
Jimmy Miles, award-winning country musician
*
Johnny Micheal Spann, an operative of the
Central Intelligence Agency
The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA; ) is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States tasked with advancing national security through collecting and analyzing intelligence from around the world and ...
(CIA) and the first American killed in combat after the
U.S. invasion of Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...
*
The Dirty Clergy,
a national garage rock/pop band
*
Trey Cunningham, hurdler
References
External links
*
Best Small Towns in Alabama
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Cities in Alabama
Cities in Marion County, Alabama
Cities in Fayette County, Alabama
1897 establishments in Alabama
Populated places established in 1897