Ashland, Alabama | |
|---|---|
City | |
 Clay County Courthouse in Ashland. TheClassical Revival-style building has served as county courthouse since its completion in 1906. | |
 Location of Ashland in Clay County, Alabama. | |
  Ashland  Ashland  Ashland | |
| Coordinates:33°16′19″N85°50′12″W / 33.27194°N 85.83667°W /33.27194; -85.83667 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Alabama |
| County | Clay |
| Settled | 1867 |
| Incorporated | 1871 |
| Named after | Henry Clay's estate |
| Government | |
| • Type | Mayor/City Council |
| • Mayor | Larry J. Fetnor |
| Area | |
• Total | 7.38 sq mi (19.11 km2) |
| • Land | 7.35 sq mi (19.03 km2) |
| • Water | 0.035 sq mi (0.09 km2) |
| Elevation | 1,119 ft (341 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 1,984 |
| • Density | 270.1/sq mi (104.28/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| ZIP code | 36251 |
| Area code | 256 |
| FIPS code | 01-02860 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0159091 |
| Website | http://www.cityofashland.net/ |
Ashland is a city[2] in and thecounty seat ofClay County, Alabama, United States. The population was 2,037 at the2010 census.[3]
Clay County was formed by an act of the Alabama General Assembly on December 7, 1866. Less than a year later, Ashland was established as the county seat on land donated by Hollingsworth Watts for the construction of a courthouse. In 1871 Ashland was incorporated and named for 19th century statesmanHenry Clay'sKentuckyestate home.[4]
During the early years, the town grew very rapidly. The town continued to grow with the opening of Alabama's first graphite mine in 1899.[4] When World War I ended, the market for graphite dropped drastically, thus ending the town's growth phase.
The 1930s brought theGreat Depression andboll weevil to Ashland that destroyed the cotton industry. Farmers were forced to abandon what had been the community's major industry. Timber, poultry, and cabinet making became the dominant industries by the beginning of the 21st century.[4]
Alabama State Routes9 and77 are the main routes through the city. AL-9 runs through the downtown area, leading northeast 6 mi (9.7 km) toLineville and southwest 20 mi (32 km) toGoodwater. AL-77 meets AL-9 in the downtown area, and leads northwest 24 mi (39 km) toTalladega and southeast 21 mi (34 km) toWadley.
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the city had a total area of 7.3 square miles (19 km2), of which 7.2 square miles (19 km2) is land and 0.04 square miles (0.10 km2) (0.41%) is water.
At 1,130 feet (340 m), Ashland is Alabama's highest-elevated county seat.[5]
The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to theKöppen Climate Classification system, Ashland has ahumid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.[6]
| Climate data for Ashland, Alabama (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1957–2013) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 77 (25) | 80 (27) | 88 (31) | 91 (33) | 94 (34) | 102 (39) | 106 (41) | 103 (39) | 97 (36) | 91 (33) | 85 (29) | 78 (26) | 106 (41) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 70.3 (21.3) | 74.0 (23.3) | 80.6 (27.0) | 84.7 (29.3) | 88.1 (31.2) | 92.7 (33.7) | 95.1 (35.1) | 94.7 (34.8) | 90.9 (32.7) | 85.3 (29.6) | 78.5 (25.8) | 70.9 (21.6) | 96.5 (35.8) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 54.9 (12.7) | 59.0 (15.0) | 66.9 (19.4) | 74.4 (23.6) | 80.8 (27.1) | 87.2 (30.7) | 89.8 (32.1) | 88.9 (31.6) | 84.3 (29.1) | 75.8 (24.3) | 65.5 (18.6) | 57.1 (13.9) | 73.7 (23.2) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 43.0 (6.1) | 46.4 (8.0) | 53.2 (11.8) | 60.5 (15.8) | 68.0 (20.0) | 75.0 (23.9) | 78.3 (25.7) | 77.5 (25.3) | 72.1 (22.3) | 62.3 (16.8) | 51.9 (11.1) | 45.1 (7.3) | 61.1 (16.2) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 31.1 (−0.5) | 33.8 (1.0) | 39.5 (4.2) | 46.6 (8.1) | 55.2 (12.9) | 62.8 (17.1) | 66.8 (19.3) | 66.0 (18.9) | 59.9 (15.5) | 48.7 (9.3) | 38.3 (3.5) | 33.2 (0.7) | 48.5 (9.2) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | 13.0 (−10.6) | 17.8 (−7.9) | 23.5 (−4.7) | 30.4 (−0.9) | 40.9 (4.9) | 52.2 (11.2) | 59.7 (15.4) | 58.4 (14.7) | 45.6 (7.6) | 31.9 (−0.1) | 24.5 (−4.2) | 15.8 (−9.0) | 9.4 (−12.6) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −7 (−22) | 1 (−17) | 8 (−13) | 23 (−5) | 33 (1) | 42 (6) | 51 (11) | 51 (11) | 34 (1) | 26 (−3) | 11 (−12) | 1 (−17) | −7 (−22) |
| Averageprecipitation inches (mm) | 6.09 (155) | 6.02 (153) | 6.03 (153) | 4.67 (119) | 4.64 (118) | 4.63 (118) | 4.75 (121) | 5.11 (130) | 3.50 (89) | 3.77 (96) | 4.85 (123) | 5.64 (143) | 59.70 (1,516) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 0.3 (0.76) | 0.2 (0.51) | 0.6 (1.5) | 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) | 0.5 (1.3) | 1.6 (4.1) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.01 in) | 11.3 | 10.4 | 10.6 | 9.5 | 9.5 | 11.5 | 12.5 | 10.8 | 8.3 | 7.7 | 8.7 | 10.5 | 121.3 |
| Average snowy days(≥ 0.1 in) | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 1.0 |
| Source: NOAA (mean maxima/minima 1981–2010)[7][8] | |||||||||||||
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1870 | 118 | — | |
| 1880 | 387 | 228.0% | |
| 1890 | 635 | 64.1% | |
| 1900 | 422 | −33.5% | |
| 1910 | 1,062 | 151.7% | |
| 1920 | 1,655 | 55.8% | |
| 1930 | 1,476 | −10.8% | |
| 1940 | 1,608 | 8.9% | |
| 1950 | 1,593 | −0.9% | |
| 1960 | 1,610 | 1.1% | |
| 1970 | 1,921 | 19.3% | |
| 1980 | 2,052 | 6.8% | |
| 1990 | 2,034 | −0.9% | |
| 2000 | 1,965 | −3.4% | |
| 2010 | 2,037 | 3.7% | |
| 2020 | 1,984 | −2.6% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[9] | |||
Ashland first appeared on the 1870 U.S. Census[10] as an unincorporated village, incorporating as a town the following year. The 6th beat (precinct) of Clay County also bore the name of Ashland, and has continued to report to date (2010), becoming a census division in 1960.[11] The population of the beat/precinct/census division is as follows: 1870–1,499; 1880–2,178; 1890–2,848; 1900–2,891; 1910–3,581; 1920–4,629; 1930–3,713; 1940–3,757; 1950–3,197; 1960–5,696; 1970–5,852; 1980–6,167; 1990–5,780; 2000–6,515; 2010–6,128. From 1870 to 1950, Ashland was also the largest community in Clay County. It lost that distinction toLineville beginning in 1960, when the latter eclipsed Ashland by just 2 people (1,612 to 1,610).
As of thecensus[12] of 2010, there were 2,037 people, 849 households, and 516 families residing in the city. Thepopulation density was 272.9 inhabitants per square mile (105.4/km2). There were 986 housing units at an average density of 135 per square mile (52/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 71.5%White, 24.1%Black orAfrican American, 0.7%Asian, 2.0% fromother races, and 1.3% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 5.7% of the population.
There were 849 households, out of which 26.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.3% weremarried couples living together, 18.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.2% were non-families. 37.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 2.91.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 21.3% under the age of 18, 9.1% from 18 to 24, 24.3% from 25 to 44, 24.9% from 45 to 64, and 20.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41.8 years. For every 100 females there were 84.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.1 males.
Themedian income for a household in the city was $30,759, and the median income for a family was $44,659. Males had a median income of $30,360 versus $29,438 for females. Theper capita income for the city was $17,258. About 24.4% of families and 20.0% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 7.9% of those under age 18 and 29.2 of those age 65 or over.
| Race | Num. | Perc. |
|---|---|---|
| White (non-Hispanic) | 1,309 | 65.98% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 503 | 25.35% |
| Native American | 3 | 0.15% |
| Asian | 25 | 1.26% |
| Pacific Islander | 1 | 0.05% |
| Other/Mixed | 77 | 3.88% |
| Hispanic orLatino | 66 | 3.33% |
As of the2020 United States census, there were 1,984 people, 677 households, and 333 families residing in the town.
The currentCentral High School of Clay County and Central Junior High School are inLineville.
Municipalities and communities ofClay County, Alabama,United States | ||
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| City |  | |
| Town | ||
| CDPs | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
