Jasper, Alabama | |
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 Flag  Seal | |
| Motto(s): "Experience from the past, knowledge for the future." | |
 Location of Jasper in Walker County, Alabama. | |
| Coordinates:33°50′32″N87°16′38″W / 33.84222°N 87.27722°W /33.84222; -87.27722 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Alabama |
| County | Walker |
| Established | 1887 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Gary Cowen |
| Area | |
• Total | 29.66 sq mi (76.83 km2) |
| • Land | 29.33 sq mi (75.97 km2) |
| • Water | 0.33 sq mi (0.86 km2) |
| Elevation | 328 ft (100 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 14,572 |
| • Density | 496.8/sq mi (191.82/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| ZIP codes | 35501-35504 |
| Area codes | 205, 659 |
| FIPS code | 01-38416 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0120822 |
| Website | http://www.jaspercity.com/ |
Jasper is a city in and thecounty seat of[2]Walker County, Alabama, United States. Its population was 14,352 as of the 2010 census.[3] Named in honor of SergeantWilliam Jasper, anAmerican Revolutionary War hero, Jasper was settled around 1815 and incorporated on August 18, 1886.[3]
The first significant growth of the area was in 1886 when theKansas City, Memphis and Birmingham Railroad and the Sheffield & Birmingham Railroads were completed through Jasper. The population grew from 200 people in 1886 to more than 3,000 in 1890.[3] In a special edition in 1891, theMountain Eagle stated there were six coal mines, two sandstone quarries, 400 coke ovens, one foundry and machine shop, two saw mills, one brick works, four hotels, and two banks.
Jasper has several sites listed on theNational Register of Historic Places. These include theJohn Hollis Bankhead House,First United Methodist Church,Jasper Downtown Historic District, andWalker County Hospital.[4]
Jasper is located at33°50′32″N87°16′38″W / 33.84222°N 87.27722°W /33.84222; -87.27722 (33.842347, −87.277174).[5] According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 26.9 square miles (70 km2), of which 26.9 square miles (70 km2) is land and 0.04% is water.
| Climate data for Jasper, Alabama, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1960–2017 | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 77 (25) | 84 (29) | 90 (32) | 94 (34) | 96 (36) | 102 (39) | 108 (42) | 105 (41) | 100 (38) | 92 (33) | 86 (30) | 78 (26) | 108 (42) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 70.1 (21.2) | 75.4 (24.1) | 81.8 (27.7) | 85.5 (29.7) | 89.8 (32.1) | 94.6 (34.8) | 96.4 (35.8) | 96.9 (36.1) | 93.8 (34.3) | 86.6 (30.3) | 78.3 (25.7) | 70.3 (21.3) | 98.4 (36.9) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 52.0 (11.1) | 56.2 (13.4) | 65.0 (18.3) | 73.3 (22.9) | 80.2 (26.8) | 86.3 (30.2) | 89.8 (32.1) | 89.7 (32.1) | 84.4 (29.1) | 74.4 (23.6) | 63.7 (17.6) | 54.7 (12.6) | 72.5 (22.5) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 41.3 (5.2) | 44.9 (7.2) | 52.7 (11.5) | 60.6 (15.9) | 68.9 (20.5) | 76.0 (24.4) | 79.7 (26.5) | 79.1 (26.2) | 73.3 (22.9) | 61.9 (16.6) | 51.3 (10.7) | 44.0 (6.7) | 61.1 (16.2) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 30.6 (−0.8) | 33.5 (0.8) | 40.5 (4.7) | 48.0 (8.9) | 57.6 (14.2) | 65.7 (18.7) | 69.6 (20.9) | 68.5 (20.3) | 62.2 (16.8) | 49.4 (9.7) | 39.0 (3.9) | 33.2 (0.7) | 49.8 (9.9) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | 12.3 (−10.9) | 16.4 (−8.7) | 22.8 (−5.1) | 30.5 (−0.8) | 41.5 (5.3) | 52.6 (11.4) | 61.4 (16.3) | 60.1 (15.6) | 44.7 (7.1) | 32.1 (0.1) | 23.4 (−4.8) | 16.0 (−8.9) | 9.5 (−12.5) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −10 (−23) | 2 (−17) | 6 (−14) | 25 (−4) | 31 (−1) | 40 (4) | 49 (9) | 51 (11) | 32 (0) | 22 (−6) | 10 (−12) | −2 (−19) | −10 (−23) |
| Averageprecipitation inches (mm) | 6.05 (154) | 6.01 (153) | 5.77 (147) | 5.95 (151) | 5.31 (135) | 4.70 (119) | 4.92 (125) | 4.00 (102) | 4.24 (108) | 3.84 (98) | 4.99 (127) | 5.98 (152) | 61.76 (1,571) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 0.1 (0.25) | 0.2 (0.51) | 0.3 (0.76) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.6 (1.52) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.01 in) | 10.0 | 8.6 | 10.0 | 8.7 | 9.1 | 10.3 | 10.6 | 9.3 | 6.9 | 6.5 | 8.4 | 9.7 | 108.1 |
| Average snowy days(≥ 0.1 in) | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.4 |
| Source 1: NOAA[6] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: National Weather Service[7] | |||||||||||||
In 2020, it was reported that of Alabama cities with populations of at least 10,000 people as of 2010, Jasper was among the five fastest to decline in population over the 2010s.[8]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1880 | 269 | — | |
| 1890 | 780 | 190.0% | |
| 1900 | 1,661 | 112.9% | |
| 1910 | 2,509 | 51.1% | |
| 1920 | 3,246 | 29.4% | |
| 1930 | 5,313 | 63.7% | |
| 1940 | 6,847 | 28.9% | |
| 1950 | 8,589 | 25.4% | |
| 1960 | 10,799 | 25.7% | |
| 1970 | 10,798 | 0.0% | |
| 1980 | 11,894 | 10.2% | |
| 1990 | 13,553 | 13.9% | |
| 2000 | 14,052 | 3.7% | |
| 2010 | 14,352 | 2.1% | |
| 2020 | 14,572 | 1.5% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[9] | |||
At the2000 census, there were 14,052 people, 5,728 households, and 3,809 families living in the city. The population density was 523.0 inhabitants per square mile (201.9/km2). There were 6,473 housing units at an average density of 240.9 per square mile (93.0/km2). Theracial makeup of the city was 84.15% White, 13.98% Black or African American, 0.21% Native American, 0.53% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 2.7% some other race, and 1.4% two or more races. 4.4% of the population was Hispanic.
Of the 5,728 households 26.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.4% were married couples living together, 14.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.5% were non-families. 29.7% of households were one person and 13.2% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.38, and the average family size was 2.93.
The age distribution was 21.5% under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 24.4% from 25 to 44, 27.7% from 45 to 64, and 18.3% 65 or older. The median age was 41.5 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.3 males.
The median household income was $41,586 and the median family income was $54,059. Males had a median income of $51,548versus $35,248 for females. The per capita income for the city was $27,927. About 14.8% of families and 16.7% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 29.5% of those under age 18 and 11.1% of those age 65 or over.
At the2010 census, there were 14,352 people, 5,760 households, and 3,831 families living in the city. The population density was 533.5 inhabitants per square mile (206.0/km2). There were 6,478 housing units at an average density of 241 per square mile (93/km2). Theracial makeup of the city was 81.3% White, 13.4% Black or African American, 0.3% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 0.l.
Of the 5,760 households 27.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.2% were married couples living together, 13.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.5% were non-families. 31.1% of households were one person and 14.6% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.33, and the average family size was 2.91.
The age distribution was 21.9% under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 25.8% from 25 to 44, 24.0% from 45 to 64, and 19.7% 65 or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.5 males.
The median household income was $33,044 and the median family income was $43,674. Males had a median income of $35,182 versus $22,868 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,491. About 10.2% of families and 13.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.3% of those under age 18 and 13.2% of those age 65 or over.
| Race | Num. | Perc. |
|---|---|---|
| White (non-Hispanic) | 10,924 | 74.97% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 1,889 | 12.96% |
| Native American | 32 | 0.22% |
| Asian | 162 | 1.11% |
| Other/Mixed | 539 | 3.7% |
| Hispanic orLatino | 1,026 | 7.04% |
As of the2020 United States census, there were 14,572 people, 5,269 households, and 3,176 families residing in the city.
Jasper is the location of theSyFy Channel's documentary showTown of the Living Dead.[11] The city is home to the annual Foothills Festival in Historic Downtown Jasper Square, which features live music and food vendors. In the TV seriesLost, Jasper is the hometown ofJames "Sawyer" Ford.
The 2020 documentary filmJasper Mall centers around the economically distressedJasper Mall.[12]
On February 2, 2024, it was discovered that the 200-ft tower of WJLX had been stolen.[13]
 | This article's list of residentsmay not follow Wikipedia'sverifiability policy. Pleaseimprove this article by removing names that do not have independentreliable sources showing they merit inclusion in this articleand are residents, or by incorporating the relevant publications into the body of the article through appropriatecitations.(June 2019) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
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33°50′32″N87°16′38″W / 33.842347°N 87.277174°W /33.842347; -87.277174
Municipalities and communities ofWalker County, Alabama,United States | ||
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| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
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