Anniston is a city located in Calhoun County in Alabama, a state of the United States of America. As of the 2000 census, the population of the city is 24,276. The city is the county seat of Calhoun County and the urban center of the Anniston-Oxford Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Known as "The Model City", (so-named by Atlanta newspaperman Henry Grady for its careful planning) the city is situated on the slope of Blue Mountain, beginning point of the Blue Ridge region of the Appalachian Mountains.
Anniston is located at 33°39'46.811" North, 85°49'35.990" West (33.663003, -85.826664).
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 117.7 km2 (45.5 mi2). 117.7 km2 (45.4 mi2) of it is land and 0.1 km2 (0.04 mi2) of it is water. The total area is 0.07% water.
As of the census of 2000, there are 24,276 people, 10,447 households, and 6,414 families residing in the city. The population density is 206.3/km2 (534.4/mi2). There are 12,787 housing units at an average density of 108.7/km2 (281.5/mi2). The racial makeup of the city is 48.71% White, 48.69% Black or African American, 0.27% Native American, 0.78% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 0.61% from other races, and 0.86% from two or more races. 1.68% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 10,447 households out of which 24.3% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.0% are married couples living together, 20.0% have a female householder with no husband present, and 38.6% are non-families. 34.8% of all households are made up of individuals and 15.6% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.26 and the average family size is 2.91.
In the city the population is spread out with 23.6% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 25.7% from 25 to 44, 23.3% from 45 to 64, and 18.7% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 39 years. For every 100 females there are 83.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 78.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $27,385, and the median income for a family is $36,067. Males have a median income of $31,429 versus $21,614 for females. The per capita income for the city is $18,769. 22.8% of the population and 20.1% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 35.2% of those under the age of 18 and 16.2% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
An iron furnace was established on the site of Anniston during the Civil War, but it was destroyed by the federal troops in 1865; and in 1872 it was rebuilt on a much larger scale. Iron and steel manufacturing long have been a fixture of the city's economy because of large deposits of iron ore and coal in the vicinity. The city was founded in 1872 as a private enterprise by the Woodstock Iron Company, organized by Samuel Noble and Gen. Daniel Tyler (1799-1882) but was not opened for general settlement until twelve years later. It was chartered as a city in 1879.
Anniston was once known as a health resort. Early institutions included The Noble Institute, a school for girls established in 1886 by Samuel Noble (1834-1888), a wealthy iron-founder, and the Alabama Presbyterian College for Men, founded in 1905.
Anniston is the birthplace of William Levi Dawson (b. 23 Sept 1899), composer of Negro Folk Symphony. During the American civil rights movement a Freedom Riders bus was fire-bombed near Anniston on Mother's Day Sunday May 14, 1961. The civil rights protestors inside were beaten by an angry mob from Anniston as they fled the burning bus.
Source:
AnnistonAlabama.com
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