Ozark, Alabama

For other uses, see Ozark (disambiguation).

Ozark
City
Flag Seal
Location of Ozark in Dale County, Alabama.
Coordinates: 31°26′53″N85°38′31″W / 31.44806°N 85.64194°W / 31.44806; -85.64194
Country	United States
State	Alabama
County	Dale
Settled	1822
Incorporated	October 27, 1870
Government
• Type	Mayor/City Council
• Mayor	Mark Blankenship
Area [1]
• Total	34.34 sq mi (88.94 km2)
• Land	34.10 sq mi (88.33 km2)
• Water	0.23 sq mi (0.61 km2)
Elevation	417 ft (127 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	14,368
• Density	421.30/sq mi (162.66/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP Codes	36360-36361
Area code	334
FIPS code	01-57648
GNIS feature ID	0152832
Website	www.ozarkalabama.us

Ozark is a city in and the county seat of Dale County, Alabama. As of the 2010 census, the population of the city was 14,907. ^[2]

Ozark is the principal city of the Ozark Micropolitan Statistical Area, as well as a part of the Dothan-Ozark Combined Statistical Area. Ozark was originally a part of Enterprise–Ozark micropolitan area before being split, ^[3] and for a longer while was part of the Dothan-Enterprise-Ozark combined statistical area but Enterprise later became its own separate primary statistical area in later censuses. ^{[4] [5]} Fort Novosel, the primary flight training base for Army Aviation, abuts Ozark.

History

The Ozark area was originally inhabited by the Muscogee people. It is said that Ozark received its name after a traveler visited and was reminded of the Ozark Mountains in Arkansas.

The first known European settler in Ozark was John Merrick Sr., a veteran of the Revolutionary War, in 1822. In honor of him, the town was named Merricks. It was later changed to Woodshop, which was its name when the town received its post office. The first appearance of the name Ozark was in 1855, when the citizens requested a name change. ^[6]

The county seat was moved from Newton to Ozark 1870. ^{[6] [7]}

Ozark is home to four sites listed on the National Register of Historic Places: the Claybank Log Church, the Samuel Lawson Dowling House, the Old Train Depot, and the J. D. Holman House.

Geography

Ozark is located at 31°26′53″N85°38′31″W / 31.44806°N 85.64194°W / 31.44806; -85.64194 (31.448169, -85.642009). ^[8] It is part of the Wiregrass Region.

Major highways that run through the city include U.S. Route 231 and Alabama State Routes 27 and 249. US 231 runs northwest to southeast through the city, leading northwest 34 mi (55 km) to Troy and southeast 23 mi (37 km) to Dothan. SR 27 leads east 31 mi (50 km) to Abbeville and southwest 19 mi (31 km) to Enterprise.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 34.5 square miles (89 km²) of which 34.2 square miles (89 km²) is land and 0.2 square miles (0.52 km²) (0.70%) is water.

Climate

According to the Köppen climate classification, Ozark has a humid subtropical climate (abbreviated Cfa).

Climate data for Ozark, 1991–2020 simulated normals (400 ft elevation)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Mean daily maximum °F (°C)	59.7 (15.4)	63.7 (17.6)	70.9 (21.6)	77.4 (25.2)	84.7 (29.3)	89.2 (31.8)	90.9 (32.7)	90.3 (32.4)	86.9 (30.5)	79.0 (26.1)	69.3 (20.7)	62.1 (16.7)	77.0 (25.0)
Daily mean °F (°C)	48.9 (9.4)	52.5 (11.4)	58.8 (14.9)	65.5 (18.6)	73.4 (23.0)	79.3 (26.3)	81.1 (27.3)	80.6 (27.0)	76.8 (24.9)	67.6 (19.8)	57.4 (14.1)	51.3 (10.7)	66.1 (19.0)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C)	37.9 (3.3)	41.2 (5.1)	46.9 (8.3)	53.6 (12.0)	62.2 (16.8)	69.3 (20.7)	71.4 (21.9)	70.9 (21.6)	66.6 (19.2)	56.3 (13.5)	45.5 (7.5)	40.6 (4.8)	55.2 (12.9)
Average precipitation inches (mm)	5.05 (128.21)	4.94 (125.41)	5.19 (131.72)	4.83 (122.73)	3.40 (86.33)	5.21 (132.32)	6.23 (158.32)	5.22 (132.60)	4.32 (109.73)	3.12 (79.17)	4.05 (102.82)	5.29 (134.27)	56.85 (1,443.63)
Average dew point °F (°C)	40.3 (4.6)	43.2 (6.2)	47.3 (8.5)	54.0 (12.2)	61.5 (16.4)	68.9 (20.5)	71.6 (22.0)	71.2 (21.8)	67.3 (19.6)	57.6 (14.2)	48.2 (9.0)	43.5 (6.4)	56.2 (13.5)
Source: PRISM Climate Group [9]

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1880	512		—
1890	1,195		133.4%
1900	1,570		31.4%
1910	2,229		42.0%
1920	2,518		13.0%
1930	3,103		23.2%
1940	3,601		16.0%
1950	5,238		45.5%
1960	9,534		82.0%
1970	13,555		42.2%
1980	13,188		−2.7%
1990	12,922		−2.0%
2000	15,119		17.0%
2010	14,907		−1.4%
2020	14,368		−3.6%
U.S. Decennial Census [10]

2010 census

At the 2010 census, there were 14,907 people, 6,209 households, and 4,064 families living in the city. The population density was 440 inhabitants per square mile (170/km²). There were 6,920 housing units at an average density of 201.1 per square mile (77.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 64.8% White, 30.2% Black or African American, 0.7% Native American, 0.9% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 0.8% from other races, and 2.6% from two or more races. 3.2% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Of the 6,209 households 26.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.3% were married couples living together, 17.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.5% were non-families. 30.5% of households were one person and 12.0% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.91.

The age distribution was 23.1% under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 23.1% from 25 to 44, 28.2% from 45 to 64, and 17.2% 65 or older. The median age was 41.2 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.6 males.

The median household income was $41,079 and the median family income was $52,061. Males had a median income of $41,513 versus $28,227 for females. The per capita income for the city was $22,103. About 13.6% of families and 18.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.2% of those under age 18 and 14.4% of those age 65 or over.

2020 census

Ozark racial composition ^[11]

Race	Num.	Perc.
White (non-Hispanic)	8,147	56.7%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)	4,760	33.13%
Native American	65	0.45%
Asian	151	1.05%
Pacific Islander	8	0.06%
Other/Mixed	671	4.67%
Hispanic or Latino	566	3.94%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 14,368 people, 5,946 households, and 3,651 families residing in the city.

Education

Ozark is served by the Ozark City Schools. Schools located in the city are Carroll High School (grades 9 through 12), Carroll Career Center (grades 9 through 12), D.A. Smith Middle School (grades 6 through 8), Harry N. Mixon Intermediate School (grades 3 through 5), and Joseph W. Lisenby Primary School (grades k through 2.)

Dale County School District is headquartered in Ozark, ^[12] but does not include Ozark. ^[13]

There is one private school in Ozark, Harvest Christian School for K-12.

Post-secondary education is available at Enterprise State Community College's Alabama Aviation Center at Ozark. Programs are offered in aviation maintenance technology.

• 
  Carroll High School Band 2009
• 
  Carroll High School Marching Band "Pride of the Wiregrass" 2007

Media

Radio stations

• WDBT 103.9 FM (News/Talk)
• WOAB 104.9 FM (Adult standards)
• WOZK 900 AM (MOR)

Newspaper

• The Southern Star - weekly

Notable people

• Steve Clouse, state representative
• Larry Donnell, tight end for the New York Giants
• Wilbur Jackson, National Football League running back, (1974–1982), SF49ers, Washington Redskins
• Meg McGuffin, Miss Alabama 2015
• Steve McLendon, nose tackle/defensive end, Pittsburgh Steelers
• Byron Mitchell, former super middleweight boxing champion
• Marc Ronan, Major League Baseball catcher
• Naseeb Saliba, co-founder of Tutor-Saliba Corporation
• Josh Savage, professional football player

See also

• Ozark Civic Center

References

1. "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 29, 2021.
2. "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Ozark city, Alabama". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. Retrieved October 2, 2015.^{[ dead link ]}
3. "Table 1. Annual Estimates of the Population of Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2009 (CBSA-EST2009-01)". 2009 Population Estimates. United States Census Bureau, Population Division. March 23, 2010. Archived from the original (CSV) on March 26, 2010. Retrieved March 24, 2010.
4. "Dothan-Enterprise-Ozark, AL Combined Statistical Area" (PDF) (Map). www.2census.gov. US Census Bureau . Retrieved December 14, 2021.
5. "OMB Bulletin No. 20-01: Revised Delineations of Metropolitan Statistical Areas, Micropolitan Statistical Areas, and Combined Statistical Areas, and Guidance on Uses of the Delineations of These Areas" (PDF). United States Office of Management and Budget. March 6, 2020. Retrieved September 21, 2020.
6. Watson, Fred Shelton (1968). Forgotten trails: a history of Dale County, Alabama, 1824–1966. Birmingham, Alabama: Banner Press. p. 288.
7. Hoskins Morton, Patricia (December 10, 2010). "Dale County". Encyclopedia of Alabama. Retrieved February 1, 2010.
8. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
9. "PRISM Climate Group at Oregon State University". Northwest Alliance for Computational Science & Engineering (NACSE), based at Oregon State University. Retrieved March 15, 2023.
10. United States Census Bureau. "Census of Population and Housing" . Retrieved June 7, 2014.
11. "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 17, 2021.
12. "Home". Dale County School District. Retrieved July 4, 2022. 202 South Highway 123, Ozark, AL 36360
13. "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Dale County, AL" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau . Retrieved July 4, 2022. - Text list - "Fort Rucker School District" refers to DoDEA schools.

External links

• Official website

31°26′53″N85°38′31″W / 31.448169°N 85.642009°W / 31.448169; -85.642009