Anniston

Anniston is the county seat of Calhoun County in Alabama. It is one of two urban centers/principal cities of and included in the Anniston-Oxford Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 census, the population of the city was 23,106. According to 2019 Census estimates, the city had a population of 21,287. Anniston was the center of national controversy in 1961 when a mob bombed a bus filled with civilian Freedom Riders during the American Civil Rights Movement. The Freedom Riders were riding an integrated bus to protest Alabama's Jim Crow segregation laws that denied African Americans their civil rights. The city was named "The Model City" by Atlanta newspaperman Henry W. Grady for its careful planning in the late 19th century. In 1872, the Woodstock Iron Company, organized by Samuel Noble and Union Gen. Daniel Tyler, rebuilt the furnace on a much larger scale, and started a planned community named Woodstock. In 1917, at the start of World War I, the United States Army established a training camp at Fort McClellan. The Anniston Army Depot opened during World War II as a major weapons storage and maintenance site, a role it continues to serve as munitions-incineration progresses. In January 2017, President Barack Obama designated the Freedom Riders National Monument in Anniston as a memorial to the Civil Rights Riders. The site is located about 202 about 8 km west of downtown Anniston, along Alabama Highway 202. The one-time site of a historic grocery is now home to a historic site.

History

Anniston is the primary city name, but also Fort Mc Clellan, Ft Mcclellan are acceptable city names or spellings. The official name is Anniston. Anniston was the center of national controversy in 1961 when a mob bombed a bus filled with civilian Freedom Riders during the American Civil Rights Movement. The bus was attacked and firebombed by a mob outside Anniston on Mother's Day, Sunday, May 14, 1961. The site today is home to a historic marker and was designated Freedom Riders National Monument by President Barack Obama in January 2017. Most of the site of Fort McClellan was incorporated into Anniston in the late 1990s, and the Army closed the fort in 1999 following the Base Realignment and Closure round of 1995. In February 1964, Anniston, owned by the Sproull family, was bombed by the KKK in retaliation for Anniston's efforts to integrate the city's library with a "whites-only" public library. On September 16, 1963, two black ministers, severely beaten by a white mob, were beaten by white members of the HRC in Anniston. The church bombing occurred the same day as the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing in Birmingham, Alabama. The city is now home to the University of Alabama at Birmingham, which was founded in 1882. Anniston is also the home of the Alabama Presbyterian College for Men, founded in 1905. The Anniston Army Depot opened during World War II as a major weapons storage and maintenance site, a role it continues to serve as munitions-incineration progresses. In 1882, Anniston was the first city in Alabama to be lit by electricity. By 1941, the city was Alabama's fifth largest city.

Geography

In 2003, part of the town of Blue Mountain was annexed into the city of Anniston. Part of the former Fort McClellan is now operating as Mountain Longleaf National Wildlife Refuge to protect endangered Southern Longleaf Pine species. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Anniston has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps. Anniston is located at the southernmost length of the Blue Ridge. The city has a total area of 45.7 square miles (118.4 km²), of which 45.6 square miles is land and 0.08 sq miles (0.2 km²) is water. The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. The area is home to diverse species of birds, reptiles and mammals, including snakes, bats and birds of prey. The town is located in the southern part of Calhoun County, in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. The nearest major cities are Birmingham, Alabama, 65 miles (105 km) west, and Atlanta, Georgia, 91 miles (146 km) east. The closest major airport is Atlanta International Airport, which is located 90 miles (145 km) to the city's north. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that Anniston's population in 2010 was 2,816. The population of the city in 2000 was 1,817. The 2010 U.N. World Population Census put the city at 2,715.

Demographics

As of the 2020 U.S. census, there were 21,564 people, 9,277 households, and 5,455 families residing in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 51.5% Black or African American, 43.6% Non-Hispanic White, 0.3% Native American, 0.,8% Asian, 0,1% Pacific Islander, and 1.7% from two or more races. The city's median income was $30,400, and the median income for a family was $37,067. About 25.1% of families and 29.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 35.2% of those under age 18 and 16.2%. Anniston Beat (Precinct) (Calhoun County 15th Beat) first appeared on the 1880 U.S. Census. In 1960, the precinct was changed to "census division" as part of a general reorganization of counties. In 1980, three additional census divisions were consolidated into Anniston, including Oxford, Weaver and West End. In 2010, the city had a population of 23,106 people, with 11,599 housing units at an average density of 281.5 per square mile (108.7/km²). The city has a population density of 506.3 inhabitants per squaremile (195.5/ km²) The city is located in Calhoun County, Georgia, which is home to the University of Georgia.

Arts and culture

Anniston has long been a cultural center for northeastern Alabama. The city is home to the Anniston Museum of Natural History and the Berman Museum of World History. The Alabama Shakespeare Festival was founded in the city in 1972 and remained there until moving to Montgomery in 1985. The Chief Ladiga Trail, part of a 90-mile (140 km) paved rail trail with the Silver Comet Trail of Georgia, has its western terminus in Anniston. Anniston was featured in the fifteenth episode of the Small Town News Podcast, an improv comedy podcast that takes listeners on a fun and silly virtual trip to a small town in America each week. It is located in Calhoun County, which is part of the state of Alabama and is the county seat for the state's 67th Judicial District. The county seat was moved from Jacksonville to Anniston in 1899, and the city has a population of more than 22,000 people. The former site of the U.S. Army Military Police Training Academy, a Vietnam era Infantry Training Center, Chemical Corps Regimental Headquarters, Chemical Warfare training center, and Women's Army Corps Headquarters was decommissioned in the 1990s. A portion of the former fort is now home to Alabama National Guard Training Center. Another 9,000 acres (36 km²) of the fort were set aside for the Mountain Longleaf National Wildlife Refuge in 2003. The Department of Homeland Security also uses a portion ofThe Center for Domestic Preparedness, the nation's only civilian "live agent" training center; emergency response providers from all over the world come to Fort McClellan to be trained.

Government

Anniston is governed by Alabama's "weak mayor" form of city government. Four city council members are elected to represent the city's four wards, and the mayor is elected at-large. Circuit and district courts for the county and the district attorney's office are located in the Calhoun County Courthouse at the corner of 11th Street and Gurnee Avenue. The city manager is appointed by the mayor and city council and carries out the day-to-day functions of the city. Anniston is the county seat ofCalhoun County, Alabama. The U.S. Northern District Court, part of the Alabama Northern Court of Appeals, is located at the corners of 12th and Noble streets and 17th andNoble streets. Other county administrative offices are in thecalhouncountyadministrative building and the calhouncountiancourthouse.com.

Education

Public schools in Anniston are operated by Anniston City Schools. A public four-year institution of higher learning, Jacksonville State University, is located 12 miles (19 km) to the north in Jacksonville. Anniston is home to some satellite campuses of Gadsden State Community College, both at the former Fort McClellan and at the Ayers campus in southern Anniston. The school system boasts one of the most high-tech computing capabilities in the state, according to representatives from Huntsville as well as various news agencies. Every school is equipped with labs featuring Macintosh computers, 55-inch (1,397 mm) plasma displays, and interactive whiteboards. Some schools have more computer labs, and Anniston High School also has an ACCESS Lab that allows for videoconferencing based classes involving other schools, supported by a high speed fiber network. An obelisk installed in 1905 commemorates "Dr. Clarence J. Owens, president of the Anniston College for Young Ladies". There are several private primary and secondary schools, including:Faith Christian School and Sacred Heart of Jesus School. The Donoho School, a K12 college-preparatory school, is a longstanding Roman Catholic school. The Anniston Public Library is located in the town's downtown area. The library is open to the public on weekdays, with free Wi-Fi available on the weekends. It is also open to visitors on the weekdays during the summer months, when the weather is warmer.

Infrastructure

Anniston is home to the Anniston Army Depot which is used for the maintenance of most Army tracked vehicles. The depot also housed a major chemical weapons storage facility and a program to destroy those weapons. An incinerator was built to destroy the stockpile of Sarin, VX nerve agent, and mustard blister agent stored at the depot. The incinerator and related operations were officially closed in May 2013. The Anniston Eastern Bypass was a stalled project of the Alabama Department of Transportation to build a four-lane highway in Calhoun County. It was revived by the 2009 Federal Stimulus Package and was opened to traffic into McClellan on the northwest end in January 2011. As of December 2015, the route is now open to traffic and carries US-431 from the Saks community southward. Amtrak serves Anniston with its Crescent service, operating to and from New Orleans and New York. Daily service has been suspended, and currently southbound trains destined for New Orleans arrive on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays. Northbound trains bound for New York arrive on Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday, and Saturday, and Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday, as well as Sunday, Wednesday and Thursday. The town is located on the Alabama-Mississippi state line. It is located in the western part of the state, near the border with Mississippi. It has a population of around 2,000. The city is located near the junction of Alabama State Route 20 and State Route 202.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Anniston, Calhoun County, Alabama = 82. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 90. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 79. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Anniston = 5.5 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 21,564 individuals with a median age of 40 age the population dropped by -4.09% in Anniston, Calhoun County, Alabama population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 470.57 residents per square mile of area (181.69/km²). There are average 2.18 people per household in the 10,356 households with an average household income of $32,527 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 13.70% of the available work force and has dropped -8.28% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 9.74%. The number of physicians in Anniston per 100,000 population = 172.9.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Anniston = 52 inches and the annual snowfall = 1.4 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 109. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 208. 91 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 33 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 32, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Anniston, Calhoun County, Alabama which are owned by the occupant = 40.33%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 34 years with median home cost = $80,980 and home appreciation of 0.46%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $3.03 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $4,192 per student. There are 16.1 students for each teacher in the school, 322 students for each Librarian and 446 students for each Counselor. 4.90% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 11.39% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 8.10% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).