Guntersville, Alabama | |
|---|---|
 Looking southwest onUS 431 in downtown Guntersville in 2009 | |
 Logo | |
 Location in Marshall County, Alabama | |
| Coordinates:34°23′40″N86°14′20″W / 34.39444°N 86.23889°W /34.39444; -86.23889 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Alabama |
| County | Marshall |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Leigh Dollar[1][2] |
| Area | |
• Total | 42.70 sq mi (110.59 km2) |
| • Land | 25.63 sq mi (66.39 km2) |
| • Water | 17.06 sq mi (44.19 km2) |
| Elevation | 607 ft (185 m) |
| Population | |
• Total | 8,553 |
| • Density | 333.6/sq mi (128.82/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| ZIP Code | 35976 |
| Area code | 256 |
| FIPS code | 01-32416 |
| GNIS feature ID | 2403774[4] |
| Website | guntersvilleal |
Guntersville (previously known as Gunter's Ferry and later Gunter's Landing) is a city and thecounty seat ofMarshall County,Alabama, United States. At the2020 census, the population of the city was 8,553.[5] Guntersville is located in aHUBZone as identified by theU.S. Small Business Administration (SBA).
Guntersville was founded by John Gunter (1765–1835), the great-grandfather of American humoristWill Rogers.[6] Gunter's own great-great-grandfather, of Welsh-English descent, had emigrated to the New World in 1644. Gunter was the wealthy owner of asalt mine in the early 19th century. In order to obtain more land to mine, Gunter struck a deal with theCherokee tribe that inhabited the area to use in his household as servants. As part of the deal, Gunter married the daughter (Ghe-No-He-Li, aka Katy and Cathrine) of the tribe's chief (Chief Bushyhead of the Paint Clan) and agreed to give salt to the tribe. A town sprung up next to the mine and was named after Gunter. The town of Guntersville puts on a festival every July to celebrate Will Rogers, which involves many activities which were of interest to Rogers.[citation needed]
Initially incorporated as "Gunter's Landing" in 1848, it won the contest to become county seat fromWarrenton (which had been the seat since 1841). It formally changed its name to Guntersville in 1854.[7]
TheUnited States Navy began operating a fleet ofgunboats on the Tennessee River in late 1864.Confederate troops mounted a spirited defense of the river from Guntersville. In January 1865, theUSSGeneral Grant attempted to destroy the town in retaliation.[8]
For much of the 20th century, the economy of Guntersville revolved around cotton processing, especially with theSaratoga Victory Mill.
Guntersville is located in central Marshall County.U.S. Route 431 (Gunter Avenue and Blount Avenue) is the main road through the city, leading northwest 37 miles (60 km) toHuntsville, and southeast 10 miles (16 km) toAlbertville.Gadsden is 36 miles (58 km) to the southeast via US 431.
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the city of Guntersville has a total area of 42.7 square miles (110.6 km2), of which 25.6 square miles (66.4 km2) are land and 17.1 square miles (44.2 km2), or 40.0%, are water.[3] Guntersville is located at the southernmost point of theTennessee River onLake Guntersville, formed by theGuntersville Dam (built by theTennessee Valley Authority). Geologically, the lake occupies a southern extension of theSequatchie Valley, which continues south as Browns Valley.
| Climate data for Guntersville, Alabama, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1910–present | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 78 (26) | 82 (28) | 88 (31) | 94 (34) | 99 (37) | 103 (39) | 106 (41) | 105 (41) | 102 (39) | 99 (37) | 87 (31) | 78 (26) | 106 (41) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 69.1 (20.6) | 72.7 (22.6) | 79.2 (26.2) | 84.2 (29.0) | 88.8 (31.6) | 93.6 (34.2) | 95.6 (35.3) | 95.7 (35.4) | 92.8 (33.8) | 85.6 (29.8) | 77.0 (25.0) | 70.0 (21.1) | 97.3 (36.3) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 50.4 (10.2) | 54.8 (12.7) | 63.3 (17.4) | 71.9 (22.2) | 79.5 (26.4) | 86.1 (30.1) | 88.9 (31.6) | 88.7 (31.5) | 83.9 (28.8) | 73.6 (23.1) | 62.0 (16.7) | 53.3 (11.8) | 71.4 (21.9) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 41.8 (5.4) | 45.3 (7.4) | 53.0 (11.7) | 61.2 (16.2) | 69.6 (20.9) | 77.1 (25.1) | 80.3 (26.8) | 79.9 (26.6) | 74.7 (23.7) | 63.5 (17.5) | 52.1 (11.2) | 44.8 (7.1) | 61.9 (16.6) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 33.1 (0.6) | 35.8 (2.1) | 42.8 (6.0) | 50.4 (10.2) | 59.7 (15.4) | 68.1 (20.1) | 71.6 (22.0) | 71.1 (21.7) | 65.4 (18.6) | 53.5 (11.9) | 42.3 (5.7) | 36.3 (2.4) | 52.5 (11.4) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | 15.9 (−8.9) | 20.9 (−6.2) | 26.4 (−3.1) | 35.5 (1.9) | 45.8 (7.7) | 59.4 (15.2) | 64.8 (18.2) | 63.5 (17.5) | 52.6 (11.4) | 37.8 (3.2) | 27.9 (−2.3) | 22.3 (−5.4) | 14.1 (−9.9) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −11 (−24) | −2 (−19) | 11 (−12) | 25 (−4) | 36 (2) | 44 (7) | 48 (9) | 48 (9) | 38 (3) | 26 (−3) | 7 (−14) | −2 (−19) | −11 (−24) |
| Averageprecipitation inches (mm) | 5.31 (135) | 5.40 (137) | 5.65 (144) | 4.99 (127) | 4.56 (116) | 4.73 (120) | 4.31 (109) | 4.02 (102) | 4.16 (106) | 3.48 (88) | 4.19 (106) | 5.97 (152) | 56.77 (1,442) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 0.1 (0.25) | 0.5 (1.3) | 0.1 (0.25) | 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) | 0.7 (1.8) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.01 in) | 11.9 | 12.4 | 12.5 | 10.7 | 10.3 | 10.9 | 11.4 | 9.9 | 7.8 | 7.7 | 9.9 | 12.7 | 128.1 |
| Average snowy days(≥ 0.1 in) | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.6 |
| Source 1: NOAA[9] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: National Weather Service[10] | |||||||||||||
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1870 | 244 | — | |
| 1880 | 325 | 33.2% | |
| 1890 | 471 | 44.9% | |
| 1900 | 618 | 31.2% | |
| 1910 | 1,145 | 85.3% | |
| 1920 | 1,909 | 66.7% | |
| 1930 | 2,826 | 48.0% | |
| 1940 | 4,398 | 55.6% | |
| 1950 | 5,253 | 19.4% | |
| 1960 | 6,592 | 25.5% | |
| 1970 | 6,491 | −1.5% | |
| 1980 | 7,041 | 8.5% | |
| 1990 | 7,038 | 0.0% | |
| 2000 | 7,395 | 5.1% | |
| 2010 | 8,197 | 10.8% | |
| 2020 | 8,553 | 4.3% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[11] 2013 Estimate[12] | |||
At the 2000census,[13] there were 7,395 people, 3,061 households and 1,971 families living in the city. The population density was 312.7 inhabitants per square mile (120.7/km2). There were 3,518 housing units at an average density of 148.8 per square mile (57.5/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 88.17%White, 8.53%Black orAfrican American, 0.49%Native American, 0.41%Asian, 0.01%Pacific Islander, 0.95% fromother races, and 1.45% from two or more races. 2.87% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race.
There were 3,061 households, of which 27.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.5% were married couples living together, 13.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.6% were non-families. Of all households, 32.4% were made up of individuals, and 14.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 2.88.
Age distribution was 22.4% under the age of 18, 7.1% from 18 to 24, 27.0% from 25 to 44, 24.3% from 45 to 64, and 19.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.8 males.
The median household income was $29,882, and the median family income was $39,464. Males had a median income of $36,175 versus $20,480 for females. Theper capita income for the city was $18,503. About 11.2% of families and 14.2% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 15.2% of those under age 18 and 16.3% of those age 65 or over.
At the 2010census,[14] there were 8,197 people, 3,388 households and 2,167 families living in the city. The population density was 347.3 inhabitants per square mile (134.1/km2). There were 3,872 housing units at an average density of 152.4 per square mile (58.8/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 85.8%White, 7.8%Black orAfrican American, 0.5%Native American, 1.5%Asian, 0.0%Pacific Islander, 2.5% fromother races, and 1.9% from two or more races. 3.8% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race.
There were 3,388 households, of which 25.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.9% were married couples living together, 13.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.0% were non-families. Of all households, 31.8% were made up of individuals, and 14.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.87.
Age distribution was 21.0% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 22.8% from 25 to 44, 28.6% from 45 to 64, and 20.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43.9 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.8 males.
The median household income was $38,094, and the median family income was $57,610. Males had a median income of $39,063 versus $31,410 for females. Theper capita income for the city was $23,468. About 16.9% of families and 20.5% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 34.9% of those under age 18 and 19.1% of those age 65 or over.
| Race | Num. | Perc. |
|---|---|---|
| White (non-Hispanic) | 6,942 | 81.16% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 745 | 8.71% |
| Native American | 34 | 0.4% |
| Asian | 93 | 1.09% |
| Other/Mixed | 354 | 4.14% |
| Hispanic orLatino | 385 | 4.5% |
As of the2020 United States census, there were 8,553 people, 3,312 households, and 2,179 families residing in the city.
Guntersville sits on the shore of 69,100-acre (28,000 ha)Guntersville Lake, the biggest lake inAlabama.[16] The lake is maintained and managed by theTennessee Valley Authority. The 2014 and 2020Bassmaster Classic were held on Guntersville Lake.[17]
The current[date missing] mayor is Leigh Dollar, the daughter of a previous mayor, and the first female to hold mayor's office in Guntersville.[citation needed]
Guntersville has one school system in the town which is made up of four schools; Guntersville Elementary School (Kindergarten-2nd grade), Cherokee Elementary School (3rd–5th grade), Guntersville Middle School (6th–8th grade), and Guntersville High School (9th–12th grade). In 2006 Guntersville High School won the 4A football state championship, which is the only football state championship recorded by a school inMarshall County,Alabama.[18]
Guntersville was the last place in whichRicky Nelson ever performed as a singer. His last performance was at PJ's Alley in Guntersville on Monday, December 30, 1985. His private plane departed Guntersville the next day, New Year's Eve, and crashed nearDeKalb, Texas.[19][20]
InHunting Mister Heartbreak: A Discovery of America, the British authorJonathan Raban becomes a temporary resident of the city, to which he takes a liking in his conservative persona as John Rayburn. He is aware, however, that were his real views known the people of Guntersville might have been less welcoming. "Scratch John Rayburn, and he'd confess my own thoughts on politics, books, religion − thoughts that wouldn't wash in Guntersville."[21]
Municipalities and communities ofMarshall County, Alabama,United States | ||
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| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Ghost town | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
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