Ashland, Alabama

Ashland, Alabama
City
The Clay County Courthouse is located in Ashland. The Classical Revival-style building has served as the county courthouse since its completion in 1906.
Location of Ashland in Clay County, Alabama.
Ashland Show map of Alabama Ashland Show map of the United States Ashland Show map of North America
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 for	Henry Clay's estate
Government
• Type	Mayor/City Council
• Mayor	Larry J. Fetnor
Area [1]
• Total	7.38 sq mi (19.11 km2)
• Land	7.35 sq mi (19.03 km2)
• Water	0.03 sq mi (0.09 km2)
Elevation	1,119 ft (341 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	1,984
• Density	270.08/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 Clay County, Alabama, United States. The population was 2,037 at the 2010 census. ^[3] The city is the county seat of Clay County.

History

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 statesman Henry Clay's Kentucky estate 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 the Great Depression and boll 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]

Geography

Ashland is located at 33°16′20″N85°50′13″W / 33.27222°N 85.83694°W / 33.27222; -85.83694 (33.272206, −85.836925). ^[3]

Alabama State Routes 9 and 77 are the main routes through the city. AL-9 runs through the downtown area, leading northeast 6 mi (9.7 km) to Lineville and southwest 20 mi (32 km) to Goodwater. AL-77 meets AL-9 in the downtown area, and leads northwest 24 mi (39 km) to Talladega and southeast 21 mi (34 km) to Wadley.

According to the U.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]

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Ashland has a humid 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)
Average precipitation 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]

Demographics

Historical population

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 to Lineville beginning in 1960, when the latter eclipsed Ashland by just 2 people (1,612 to 1,610).

2010 Census data

As of the census ^[12] of 2010, there were 2,037 people, 849 households, and 516 families residing in the city. The population 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 or African American, 0.7% Asian, 2.0% from other races, and 1.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino 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% were married 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.

The median 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. The per capita income for the city was $17,258. About 24.4% of families and 20.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.9% of those under age 18 and 29.2 of those age 65 or over.

2020 Census data

Ashland racial composition ^[13]

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 or Latino	66	3.33%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 1,984 people, 677 households, and 333 families residing in the town.

Education

The current Central High School of Clay County and Central Junior High School are in Lineville.

According to the Alabama High School Athletic Association Clay County High School holds seven Class 2A championships.^{[ citation needed ]}

Football- 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2005

Boys basketball −1991, 1992

Additionally, CCHS was the 1-A State Football Champions in 2002^{[ citation needed ]}

Media

• Radio stations

WCKF 100.7 FM (Classic Country)

WFAZ 90.9 FM (Classic Country)

Notable natives

• Howard Ballard, former NFL player
• Hugo Black, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1937 until 1971. His first law office was on the square in Ashland.
• Hiram Wesley Evans, Imperial Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan from 1922 to 1939.
• Bob Riley, Alabama's 52nd governor
• Jack L. Treadwell, United States Army colonel and Medal of Honor recipient

Gallery

• 
  Ashland City Hall and Water Department
• 
  Ashland Post Office (ZIP code: 36251)
• 
  Downtown Ashland at dusk.
• 
  A Bull Durham mural in Downtown Ashland.
• 
  Ashland Elementary School.
• 
  The former Clay County High School building in Ashland.

References

1. "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 29, 2021.
2. U.S. Census change list Archived August 6, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
3. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
4. Small Town Historic Markers, Alabama Tourism Department, archived from the original on February 3, 2011, retrieved February 2, 2011
5. "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
6. Climate Summary for Ashland, Alabama
7. "NowData – NOAA Online Weather Data". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved June 7, 2021.
8. "Station: Ashland 3 ENE, AL". U.S. Climate Normals 2020: U.S. Monthly Climate Normals (1991–2020). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved June 7, 2021.
9. "U.S. Decennial Census". Census.gov. Retrieved June 6, 2013.
10. http://www2.census.gov/prod2/decennial/documents/1870a-05.pdf, 1870 AL Census
11. http://www2.census.gov/prod2/decennial/documents/37721510v1p2ch2.pdf, 1960 AL Census
12. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved July 18, 2015.
13. "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 18, 2021.

External links

• City of Ashland Web site

33°16′20″N85°50′13″W / 33.272206°N 85.836925°W / 33.272206; -85.836925