Sylacauga, Alabama
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| Sylacauga, Alabama | |
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| Coordinates: | |
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| Country | United States |
| State | Alabama |
| County | Talladega |
| Area | |
| - Total | 18.6 sq mi (48.3 km²) |
| - Land | 18.5 sq mi (48 km²) |
| - Water | 0.1 sq mi (0.3 km²) |
| Elevation | 545 ft (166 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| - Total | 12,616 |
| - Density | 678.3/sq mi (261.2/km²) |
| Time zone | Central (CST) (UTC-6) |
| - Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| ZIP codes | 35150-35151 |
| Area code(s) | 256 |
| FIPS code | 01-74352 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0160702 |
Sylacauga is a city in Talladega County, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 12,616.
Sylacauga is the site of the only documented case of an object from outer space hitting a person. On November 30, 1954, a 4 kg piece of the Hodges Meteorite crashed through the roof of an Oak Park house, bounced off a radio, and badly bruised a woman taking an afternoon nap.
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[edit] History
The first settlers in the Coosa River Valley were the Creek Indians. Sylacauga was first mentioned in Hernando DeSoto's records in 1540. The name Sylacauga is made up of two Indian words - "Chalaka-ge" meaning "The place of the Chalaka Tribe". The city was first incorporated as Syllacoga in 1838 and again in 1887 as Sylacauga. Sylacauga, "The Marble City", is constructed on a solid deposit of the hardest, whitest marble in the world. The bed is approximately 32 miles long by one and one half miles wide and 400 feet deep.[1]
[edit] Geography
Sylacauga is located at (33.178360, -86.251068)[1].
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 18.6 square miles (48.3 km²), of which, 18.5 square miles (48.0 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.3 km²) of it (0.59%) is water.
[edit] Demographics
As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 12,616 people, 5,215 households, and 3,421 families residing in the city. The population density was 681.0 people per square mile (262.9/km²). There were 5,748 housing units at an average density of 310.3/sq mi (119.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 69.17% White, 28.91% Black or African American, 0.26% Native American, 0.29% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.40% from other races, and 0.91% from two or more races. 0.97% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 5,215 households out of which 30.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.3% were married couples living together, 16.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.4% were non-families. 31.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 3.00.
In the city the population was spread out with 25.0% under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 25.9% from 25 to 44, 22.2% from 45 to 64, and 18.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 81.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 77.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $29,533, and the median income for a family was $40,275. Males had a median income of $32,092 versus $21,990 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,209. About 16.6% of families and 21.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 33.6% of those under age 18 and 16.7% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Notable people from Sylacauga
- Jonathan Bearden, actor.
- Jim Nabors, actor and singer, star of Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. television series.
- Van Allen Plexico, writer.
- Gerald Wallace, NBA basketball player, Charlotte Bobcats.
- Ehren Wassermann, MLB baseball player, Chicago Whitesox.
[edit] References
- ^ US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990. United States Census Bureau (2005-05-03). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
Marcus Knight former oakland raider,michigan wolverine,and b.b. comer tiger
[edit] External links
- Sylacauga, Alabama is at coordinates Coordinates:
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