Sylacauga

Sylacauga is a city in Talladega County, Alabama, United States. At the 2020 census, the population was 12,578. The city was first incorporated in 1838 as Syllacoga, and again in 1887 as Sylacauga. The marble industry was the first recorded industry in the area. It is the site of the first documented case of an object from outer space hitting a person. The name Sy-la-cau-ga is derived from the Indian words Chalaka-ge, which mean "The Place of the Chalaka Tribe" The city is located slightly to the east of the geographical center of the state of Alabama in Talladesga County. It's roughly 51 miles (82 km) southeast of Birmingham, 63 miles (101 km) north of Montgomery, and 40 miles (64 km) southwest of Anniston, Alabama. The deposit is the world's largest. commercial deposit of cream marble, extending 32 by 1.5 miles (51 by 400 feet) deep. Some of the most beautiful buildings in the country, such as the U.S. Supreme Court, the Al Jolson Shrine in California, the Woolworth building in Houston, Texas, and many others have been. constructed and ornamented with Sylacaug marble. The first recorded discovery of marble was in 1820 by Dr. Edward Gantt, a physician who had accompanied General Andrew Jackson through the area in 1814. This site became the center of marble quarries in the 20th century.

History

Sylacauga is the primary city name, but also Childersburg, Oak Grove are acceptable city names or spellings. The official name is Sylacauga, Alabama. Sylacauga is a city in Talladega County, Alabama. The city was first incorporated in 1838 as Syllacoga, and again in 1887 as Sylacauga. The name Sy-la-cau-ga is derived from the Indian words Chalaka-ge, which mean "The Place of the Chalaka Tribe" The city is developed on a solid deposit of what is claimed to be the finest marble in the world. Some of the most beautiful buildings in the country, such as the United States Supreme Court, the Al Jolson Shrine in California, the Woolworth building in Houston, Texas, and many others have been constructed and ornamented with Sylacaug marble. The deposit is part of the "Murphy Marble Belt", extending 32 by 1.5 miles (51.5 by 2.4 km) by 400 feet (120 m) deep. The first recorded discovery of marble was in 1820 by Dr. Edward Gantt, a physician who had accompanied General Andrew Jackson through the area in 1814. In the late 1920s and early 1930s were spectacular times of growth for the marble industry. In 1935 the Moretti-Harrah Company sold its marble operations to Coggins and Boggins of Atlanta and was absorbed by the Madras Marble Company. The company was later sold to Binsford Marble Company when the merger in 1929 was completed. The marble industry was replaced by the steel marble industry in the late 1930s.

Geography

The city is located in southern Talladega County. Major highways that run through the city include US Routes 280 and 231, as well as Alabama State Route 21. The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Sylacauga has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps. The city is home to the Alabama State Museum, which is housed in the former Alabama State Fairgrounds, which was built in the early 1900s. It is also home to Alabama's oldest public library, the Alabama Museum of Natural History, which dates back to the 17th century. It was also the site of Alabama's first state fair, which took place in 1877. The museum is still open to the public today, and has a collection of historic buildings and artifacts. It also has a museum of African-American history, which includes the first African-Americans to live in the city in the 19th century, along with the remains of the original Alabama State Capitol and the Alabama Turnpike. The Alabama State Library is also located in the town, and is the only one of its kind in the state. It has a library of more than 1,000 items, including books, maps, and other memorabilia from the 1800s and 1930s. The library is located on the second floor of a former state fairgrounds, and was once home to a cotton gin.

Demographics

As of the 2010 U.S. census, there were 12,749 people, 5,215 households, and 3,419 families residing in the town. The racial makeup of the city was 69.17% White, 28.91% Black or African American, 0.26% Native American,0.29% Asian and 0.06% Pacific Islander. The median income for a household was $29,533, and the median family income was $40,275. About 16.6% of families and 21.3% of the population were below the poverty line. The per capita income for the city in 2010 was $16,209. The city's population is expected to rise to 12,578 as of the 2020 United States census, which would be the largest city in the state at the time. It has a population density of 681.0 inhabitants per square mile (262.9/km²), with 5,748 housing units at an average density of 310.3 per squaremile (119.8/ km²) The city has a median age of 39 years, with 25.0% under the age of 18, and 22.2% between the ages of 45 and 64. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 77.0 males. In 2010, the city had a median income of $32,092 versus $21,990 for females. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 3.00.

Economy

Sylacauga supports jobs in the service industry, manufacturing, and retail. Major employers include Blue Bell Creameries, IMERYS, Nemak Alabama, Omya Alabama Inc., Pursell Technologies, Cleveland-Cliffs, Wal-Mart, Home-Depot, and Farm Links. More than 140 manufacturers draw employees from the Sylacauga area. The workforce is divided among the following occupational categories:Manufacturing (24.2 percent), educational services, and health care and social assistance (20.2%) and retail trade (12.0 percent) and finance, insurance, and real estate, rental, and leasing (6.3 percent) (1.6%) and information (1,6%) (2.1%) and agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and extractive (2,1%) (3.3%) and other services (3,3%) (4.9%) andInformation (4,9%) (5.2) and other (5,2%) (6,1) and (3) percent (3), (4), (2), (1), and (2) percent. (4) and 2,6) percent of the population is employed in the manufacturing, education, retail trade, finance, real estate and leasing, construction, and other industries. (5) and 3,6 percent (2%) are employed in other services, except public administration, except information. (3). and (4).

Annual events and places of interest

The Sylacauga Public Library, founded in 1936, moved into a new Works Progress Administration (WPA) building in 1939. The Isabel Anderson Comer Museum and Arts Center opened in 1985. The Sylaward Trail, a 15-mile (24 km) hiking and mountain-biking trail that runs through the Talladega National Forest, is located in the town. In 2009, the community held its first marble festival as part of a cultural exchange with Pietrasanta in Italy, in connection with the Alabama State Council on the Arts. The community plans to make this festival an annual event. The B. B. Comer Memorial Library Foundation, formed in 1991, supports education, enrichment, and entertainment for parts of several counties. The library's popular Brown Bag lunch series offers a wide range of subjects and often draws crowds in excess of 100 people. The museum's Native Sons Gallery honors U.S. congressman William Flynt Nichols and Army Lieutenant General James W. Crysel, whose 33-year military career included receiving the Distinguished Service Medal, and singer and actor Jim Nabors, a 1947 graduate of Sylacosa High School. The city also has a city pool that is converted to an indoor pool in the winter months; Lake Howard, which has areas for boating, fishing, and pavilions; several neighborhood parks; and two golf courses, Sylacaugas Country Club and Farm Links. The town also offers a skate park, playground, and picnic and grill areas as well as a quarter-mile walking track.

Government

Sylacauga is governed via the mayor-council system. The mayor is elected in a citywide vote to a four-year term. The city operates its own full-time police department, fire department, code enforcement, municipal court, street department, recreational department, city clerks office, and utilities board. The council consists of five members each elected from one of five districts. It has a mayor and five city council members. It also has a city council president and city council vice-president. It is located in the northern part of the city, near the Alabama-Tennessee border. It was founded in 1883 and has a population of 3,000. It's located on the banks of the Tennessee River, which runs through the center of the town. The town is home to more than 2,000 residents. It boasts a full- time police department and fire department and a number of other government departments. Its mayor is a former mayor of Chattanooga, Tennessee, who was elected to a three-year terms in 1998. It had a mayor from 1998 to 2008. It currently has a council president, five members, and a mayor who is currently serving a four year term. It operates a city clerk office and a city court, which is run by the city clerk's office, which has a full time staff of five people. There is also a city recreation department, which includes a recreational department and an outdoor recreation department. The police department has a fire department that is part-time and part- time.

Education

Sylacauga City Schools has been accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) for many years. The total enrollment is 2,364 students, with almost half of those students transported to and from school by buses using 15 different routes. The combined instructional administration in SCS has 146 years as administrators, with 360 total years' experience in education and 274 years' of experience in SACS. Sylacauga High is a fully independent, state-of-the-art facility that educates grades 9-12. The school system employs 317 people and contracts with additional personnel as needed. The first school to be accredited was SHS in 1947, with NLMS (as East Highland) in 1954, and IV and PC accredited in 1973. Today four schools that make up the City of Sylacaug school system are: Indian Valley Elementary, Pinecrest Elementary, Nichols-Lawson Middle and Sylacauge High. The system also must comply with regulations of the State Board of Education, a body of eight elected officials, which oversees state educational policies. The day-to-day operation of the school system is entrusted to the Superintendent of Schools, who is appointed by the Board of education. The board of education is made up of five members, who are appointed for staggered five-year terms. The superintendent of schools is responsible for the day- to-day operations of the city's school system. The district has a budget of $1.2 million.

Infrastructure

Sylacauga lies on State Highway 21, which provides connections to U.S. Highways 280 and 231. Three major railroads serve the city. Lee Merkle Field is the local airport. The city also has public transportation via buses. The airport has a 5,400-foot (1,600 m) runway with GPS approaches to LPV minimums. It is the closest air transportation connection to southeast Birmingham and north Shelby County. It also has a city-owned public-use airport located west of the central business district of Sylacauga. It has eight major motor freight carriers, two of which maintain local terminals. There are no casinos in the city, but there are a number of bars and restaurants. The town has a population of 3,000. It was the site of the Alabama State Fair in the early 1900s. The state fair was held in the town's historic downtown area in the 1930s and 1940s, and the city has a history of hosting state fairs in the late 20th and early 30th century. The current state fair is held every year in the summer, and has a capacity of 2,000 people. It will also host a state fair in the fall, and a state capital in the spring. It's also the location of the University of Alabama at Birmingham, which has a campus that opened in the mid-20th century and is located in the heart of the city's downtown area. In the early 20th century, the city was home to the Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical Association.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Sylacauga, Talladega County, Alabama = 59. 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 69. 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 89. 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 Sylacauga = 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 12,578 individuals with a median age of 39.9 age the population dropped by -1.38% in Sylacauga, Talladega County, Alabama population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 621.01 residents per square mile of area (239.78/km²). There are average 2.29 people per household in the 5,333 households with an average household income of $34,659 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 14.40% of the available work force and has dropped -11.38% 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 2.84%. The number of physicians in Sylacauga per 100,000 population = 79.4.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Sylacauga = 55.3 inches and the annual snowfall = 0.9 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 104. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 206. 91 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 31.4 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 30, 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 Sylacauga, Talladega County, Alabama which are owned by the occupant = 55.00%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 41 years with median home cost = $79,790 and home appreciation of -1.11%. 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 $2.76 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 $4,752 per student. There are 15.1 students for each teacher in the school, 308 students for each Librarian and 493 students for each Counselor. 4.43% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 9.29% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 6.90% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).