McCalla, Alabama

McCalla
Census-designated place
The U.S. Post Office in McCalla
McCalla Show map of Alabama McCalla Show map of the United States
Coordinates: 33°20′55″N87°00′51″W / 33.34861°N 87.01417°W / 33.34861; -87.01417
Country	United States
State	Alabama
County	Jefferson, Tuscaloosa
Area [1]
• Total	34.21 sq mi (88.60 km2)
• Land	33.77 sq mi (87.47 km2)
• Water	0.44 sq mi (1.14 km2)
Elevation	509 ft (155 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	12,965
• Density	383.91/sq mi (148.23/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP Code	35111
Area codes	205, 659
GNIS feature ID	122460 [2]

McCalla is a census-designated place in Jefferson and Tuscaloosa counties, Alabama, United States, ^[3] southwest of Bessemer and the geographic terminus of the Appalachian Mountains. ^[4]

The community is named for Richard Calvin McCalla, a well known civil engineer, who served as chief engineer of several railroads throughout the South, including the Alabama and Chattanooga, the Tuscaloosa and Northern and the Knoxville and Ohio. He also served as surveyor of many of the rivers throughout the South.

Demographics

McCalla first appeared as a CDP in the 2020 census.

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
2020	12,965		—
U.S. Decennial Census [5]

2020 census

McCalla racial composition ^[6]

Race	Num.	Perc.
White (non-Hispanic)	7,322	56.48%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)	4,596	35.45%
Native American	23	0.18%
Asian	120	0.93%
Pacific Islander	1	0.01%
Other/Mixed	453	3.49%
Hispanic or Latino	450	3.47%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 12,965 people residing in the CDP. Information on households and families is unavailable at the moment, but the totals will be added once those figures are released for McCalla.

Recreation

Tannehill Ironworks, McCalla, Alabama

Covered bridge in McCalla

Tannehill State Park features a 19th-century blast furnace, the Iron and Steel Museum of Alabama, various historical buildings, rustic cabins, and a campground. The park also has a slave cemetery. The park is home to several festivals throughout the year, including the Southern Appalachian Dulcimer Festival, the Down Home Psaltery Festival, archery tournaments, a civil war reenactment, and other events.

Schools

The McCalla area is served by McAdory Elementary, McCalla Elementary, McAdory Middle, and McAdory High School.

Notable people

• Chad Smith Major League pitcher for the Colorado Rockies
• Morris Higginbotham, head football coach for several high schools in the Birmingham area.
• Bo Jackson was raised in Martin Town, and went through the McAdory school system where he set state records in multiple sports. He is an American former professional baseball and football player and is the only athlete to be named an All-Star in two major American sports.
• Sherri Martel, known as Sensational Sherri, was a professional wrestling valet who died in McCalla

References

1. "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 29, 2021.
2. "McCalla". Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
3. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: McCalla, Alabama
4. http://www.waymarking.com
5. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
6. "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 11, 2021.