Opelika, Alabama
Encyclopedia
Opelika is a city in and the county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....

 of Lee County
Lee County, Alabama
Lee County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama. It is named in honor of Robert E. Lee, commanding general of the Confederate Army. As of 2010 the population was 140,247. It is part of the Auburn, Alabama Metropolitan Area. The county seat is Opelika, and the largest city is Auburn...

 in the east central part of the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...

 of Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...

. It is a principal city of the Auburn-Opelika Metropolitan Area. According to 2010 Census, the population of Opelika was 26,477. The Auburn-Opelika, AL MSA with a population of 135,833 which, along with the Columbus, GA-AL MSA and the Tuskegee, AL µSA, comprises the greater Columbus-Auburn-Opelika, GA-AL CSA, a region home to approximately 500,000 residents. Recently, Opelika has had three public announcements that showcased three major companies choosing Opelika as their home. Pharmavite, world leading manufacturer of dietary supplements; Daewon, one of the world's largest manufacturers of spring and coil plans; Gambro, a Sweden-based company that is the leader in renal(kidney) and cell based therapies. Together, all three of these companies will provide the Opelika area with approximately 600 jobs!

History

The first white settlers in the area now known as Opelika arrived in the late 1830s and established a community called Lebenon. After the removal of the native peoples by force in 1836-37, the area became known as "Opelika", taken from a word in the Muskogee
Creek language
The Creek language, also known as Muskogee or Muscogee , is a Muskogean language spoken by Muscogee and Seminole people primarily in the U.S. states of Oklahoma and Florida....

 language meaning "large swamp". Settlement was sporadic until the late 1840s, when Opelika quickly became a commercial center with the coming of the railroad.

In 1848, the Montgomery & West Point Railroad Company extended a rail line from Montgomery, Alabama
Montgomery, Alabama
Montgomery is the capital of the U.S. state of Alabama, and is the county seat of Montgomery County. It is located on the Alabama River southeast of the center of the state, in the Gulf Coastal Plain. As of the 2010 census, Montgomery had a population of 205,764 making it the second-largest city...

 to Opelika, and in 1851 completed a connection to West Point, Georgia
West Point, Georgia
West Point is a town in Troup County, with a small tail of the south end of town in Harris County, in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2000 U.S. Census, this town had a total population of just 3,382 people...

, thus connecting Opelika with Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...

. This line was the only direct rail route between New Orleans
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...

 and the Eastern Seaboard
Eastern seaboard
An Eastern seaboard can mean any easternmost part of a continent, or its countries, states and/or cities.Eastern seaboard may also refer to:* East Coast of Australia* East Coast of the United States* Eastern Seaboard of Thailand-See also:...

, and rapidly became one of the primary trade lines for shipments of raw cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....

 from Southern
Southern United States
The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States...

 plantations to the North. The Montgomery & West Point was soon joined by a rail connection to Columbus, Georgia
Columbus, Georgia
Columbus is a city in and the county seat of Muscogee County, Georgia, United States, with which it is consolidated. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 189,885. It is the principal city of the Columbus, Georgia metropolitan area, which, in 2009, had an estimated population of 292,795...

 in 1855, and a connection to Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...

 in 1869. Almost overnight, Opelika became a regional hub for commerce.

To manage this rapid growth, Opelika was incorporated as a town on February 9, 1854. As a result of Opelika's transportation infrastructure, many warehouses for storing cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....

 and other goods were built. With the onset of the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...

 these warehouses were converted to Confederate
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...

 supply depots. In 1864 and 1865, Union raids commanded by Lovell Rousseau
Lovell Rousseau
Lovell Harrison Rousseau was a general in the United States and Union Armies during the American Civil War and a lawyer and politician in both Kentucky and Indiana.-Early life and career:...

 and James H. Wilson
James H. Wilson
James Harrison Wilson was a United States Army topographic engineer, a Union Army Major General in the American Civil War and later wars, a railroad executive, and author.-Early life and engineering:...

 attacked Opelika, tearing up the railroads and destroying all government property, including Opelika's warehouses.

Soon after the end of the war, the Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...

 state legislature
Legislature
A legislature is a kind of deliberative assembly with the power to pass, amend, and repeal laws. The law created by a legislature is called legislation or statutory law. In addition to enacting laws, legislatures usually have exclusive authority to raise or lower taxes and adopt the budget and...

 created a new county out of parts of Macon
Macon County, Alabama
Macon County is a county in the U.S. state of Alabama. Its name is in honor of Nathaniel Macon, a member of the United States Senate from North Carolina. Developed for cotton plantation agriculture in the nineteenth century, it is one of the counties in Alabama within the Black Belt of the South.As...

, Russell
Russell County, Alabama
Russell County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama. Its name is in honor of Colonel Gilbert C. Russell, who fought in the wars against the Creek Indians. As of 2010, the population was 52,947...

, Chambers
Chambers County, Alabama
Chambers County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama. Its name is in honor of Henry H. Chambers, who served as a United States Senator from Alabama. As of 2010 the population was 34,215. Its county seat is Lafayette...

, and Tallapoosa
Tallapoosa County, Alabama
Tallapoosa County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama. The name Tallapoosa is of Creek origin, and many Indian villages were along the banks of the lower river before the 19th century. As of 2010, the population was 41,616...

 counties to be named after Confederate general Robert E. Lee
Robert E. Lee
Robert Edward Lee was a career military officer who is best known for having commanded the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia in the American Civil War....

. In 1866, citizens of the new "Lee County
Lee County, Alabama
Lee County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama. It is named in honor of Robert E. Lee, commanding general of the Confederate Army. As of 2010 the population was 140,247. It is part of the Auburn, Alabama Metropolitan Area. The county seat is Opelika, and the largest city is Auburn...

" voted Opelika as the county seat, despite the fact that Opelika was technically unincorporated after having its charter revoked for abetting the rebellion against the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

.
After Opelika received a new charter in 1870, rapid growth resumed. The town nearly doubled in size between 1870 and 1900. During this time, Opelika began to gain a reputation as a wild, lawless town. Soon after receiving the new charter, city officials attempted to scam outside investors by issuing fake railroad bonds. For this, the town's charter was revoked again in 1872, and the town was administered as a police district by the state legislature for the following year. Opelika's downtown was packed with saloons
Bar (establishment)
A bar is a business establishment that serves alcoholic drinks — beer, wine, liquor, and cocktails — for consumption on the premises.Bars provide stools or chairs that are placed at tables or counters for their patrons. Some bars have entertainment on a stage, such as a live band, comedians, go-go...

, and frequent gunfire in the streets led to railroads ordering passengers passing through Opelika to duck beneath the windows to avoid being shot.

In 1882, voters dismissed the incumbent city government. Unwilling to give up power, the city council nullified the election
Election
An election is a formal decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy operates since the 17th century. Elections may fill offices in the legislature, sometimes in the...

 until the courts ruled against them. When the state yet again revoked Opelika's charter, the city leaders took up arms against those that opposed them, and the governor
Governor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...

 was forced to send in the militia
Militia
The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary citizens to provide defense, emergency law enforcement, or paramilitary service, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. It is a polyseme with...

 to restore order. Opelika remained under unelected military rule for the sixteen years until 1899, when Opelika's charter was again restored.

In 1900, local investors founded the Opelika Cotton Mill as the first textile
Textile
A textile or cloth is a flexible woven material consisting of a network of natural or artificial fibres often referred to as thread or yarn. Yarn is produced by spinning raw fibres of wool, flax, cotton, or other material to produce long strands...

 plant in the city, employing 125. Attempts to expand the textile industry in Opelika continued for the next three decades, and in 1925 city officials were able to use a $62,500 bribe to induce the executives of the Pepperell Manufacturing Co. (now WestPoint International) to construct a large mill just outside of the Opelika city limits. The period between 1930 and 1970 would turn out to be Opelika's heyday as industrial growth turned Opelika into a regional economic powerhouse.

Opelika continued to add factories and other industry throughout the middle years of the twentieth century. In the 1950s, Opelika attracted the nation's first and largest magnetic tape manufacturing plant. In 1963, tire manufacturer Uniroyal constructed a massive plant in Opelika, and around the same time Diversified Products revolutionized the physical fitness equipment industry with products produced their Opelika plant. By the early 1970s, Opelika's industries employed nearly 10,000.

Between the late 1970s and 2005, non-agricultural employment in the Auburn-Opelika, AL MSA grew at a slow and steady pace. Of the goods producing industries, the metropolitan area has experienced the most change in manufacturing, peaking in the late 1980s with declining employment since then. This trend appears to be changing, however, as the number of manufacturing jobs has risen steadily since 2002.

In the late 1990s, Opelika sought to increase its industrial employment base by purchasing and developing the Northeast Opelika Industrial Park. The 2200 acres (8.9 km²) park site was purchased with funds from two bond issues, commonly called the 1998A and 1998B issues, totaling $10,280,000. Additional expenditures involved in constructing the Northeast Opelika Industrial Park included $4.3 million transferred from the City's general fund to the Opelika Industrial Development Authority (OIDA) between 1997 and 2000, a $1.9 million federal industrial park access road grant, $2.5 million from Opelika Water Works Board and the City of Opelika to sewer and water the park, $12.1 million from the Alabama Department of Transportation to construct an interchange. Additional expenditures were made by Tallapoosa Electric Cooperative for an electrical substation and by the OIDA for building construction for park tenants. Final expenditures for the land and development of the park totaled approximately $32 million. Since 1999, two major distribution centers and four tier 1 automotive suppliers have located within the park. The site has also attracted serious interest from automakers Audi
Audi
Audi AG is a German automobile manufacturer, from supermini to crossover SUVs in various body styles and price ranges that are marketed under the Audi brand , positioned as the premium brand within the Volkswagen Group....

, Nissan, and Hyundai
Hyundai
Hyundai ) is a global conglomerate company, part of the Korean chaebol, that was founded in South Korea by one of the most famous businessmen in Korean history: Chung Ju-yung...

. In the summer of 2003, the park was recognized as one of the "South's Best Automotive Assembly Plant Sites" by Southern Business & Development, an industry trade publication.

Opelika has also experienced a boom in retail development. TigerTown, a new 130 acre (0.5260918 km²) mixed-use development, will be east Alabama's largest retail center with more than 1000000 sq ft (92,903 m²) of retail space when completed. Located at the intersection of Interstate 85 and Highway 280 in Opelika, TigerTown's tenants include The Home Depot, Target, Best Buy, Starbucks Coffee, PETCO, Office Depot, Hibbett Sports, World Market, Hobby Lobby, Kohl's, Bed Bath & Beyond, and Old Navy, to name a few.

Opelika's largest employeer is the state of the art East Alabama Medical Center. Not only is East Alabama Medical Center Opelika's largest employeer, but it is Opelika's largest contributor as well. In 2009, East Alabama Medical Center paid approximately $119 million in salaries and benefits to more that 2,700 employees. East Alabama Medical Center has a simple yet important mission, to provide high quality, compassionate health care.

Historic Downtown Opelika is enjoying a return to the center of life in Opelika following a major renovation project that has restored the buildings and streets into a beautiful revitalized shopping district with a turn-of-the-century flair. The Opelika Main Street, Inc. program has been instrumental in the success of Opelika's downtown revitalization and its return to the everyday life of Opelika's citizens. Now listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Downtown Opelika is filled with a variety of quaint specialty shops, galleries, antique stores and restaurants. Properties are still being renovated and a variety of business locations are available.

As industrial and retail growth spur the city forward, the city has seen an increase in its population. Opelika's population stood in 2000 at 23,638, in 2010 Opelika's population stands at 26,617.

Law and government

Opelika is governed by a mayor-council government
Mayor-council government
The mayor–council government system, sometimes called the mayor–commission government system, is one of the two most common forms of local government for municipalities...

, with a mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....

 and a five-member city council
City council
A city council or town council is the legislative body that governs a city, town, municipality or local government area.-Australia & NZ:Because of the differences in legislation between the States, the exact definition of a City Council varies...

.

The chief executive official of the city of Opelika is the mayor. The mayor is elected at-large for a four-year term. The mayor has complete executive power in the city, and can appoint and dismiss department heads at will. The current mayor of Opelika is Gary Fuller.

The Opelika city council is the legislative body of the city. It passes laws and ordinances, and creates city-wide policy. The city council is made up of five members, chosen for four year terms each from one of five districts. Current council members through 2008 are:
  • District 1 - Patricia Jones
  • District 2 - Larry Gray
  • District 3 - Joey Motley
  • District 4 - Eddie Smith
  • District 5 - David Canon

Recently the city council designated Opelika as a City of Character
City of Character
A City of character, or Character City is a city that complies with the principals described by the International Association of Character Cities . The group encourages governments, government leaders, civic organizations and religious organizations to band together to establish a "city" or...

. The City of Character program is made to recognize, emphasize and in some cases enforce good character throughout the community as well as mandate character training from CharacterFirst!. There are 49 character traits emphasized. These traits were designated by Bill Gothard
Bill Gothard
William W. Gothard is an American Christian minister, speaker and writer, and the founder of the Institute in Basic Life Principles , notable for his ultraconservative teachings...

.

Geography

Opelika is located in north-central Lee County, Alabama
Lee County, Alabama
Lee County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama. It is named in honor of Robert E. Lee, commanding general of the Confederate Army. As of 2010 the population was 140,247. It is part of the Auburn, Alabama Metropolitan Area. The county seat is Opelika, and the largest city is Auburn...

, and is bordered by Auburn, Alabama
Auburn, Alabama
Auburn is a city in Lee County, Alabama, United States. It is the largest city in eastern Alabama with a 2010 population of 53,380. It is a principal city of the Auburn-Opelika Metropolitan Area...

 to the west. Opelika lies in the southern reaches of the Piedmont Plateau
Piedmont (United States)
The Piedmont is a plateau region located in the eastern United States between the Atlantic Coastal Plain and the main Appalachian Mountains, stretching from New Jersey in the north to central Alabama in the south. The Piedmont province is a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian division...

, and straddles the divide between the Tallapoosa
Tallapoosa River
The Tallapoosa River runs from the southern end of the Appalachian Mountains in Georgia, in the United States, southward and westward into Alabama. It is formed by the confluence of McClendon Creek and Mud Creek in Paulding County, Georgia. Lake Martin at Alexander City, Alabama is a large and...

 and the Chattahoochee
Chattahoochee River
The Chattahoochee River flows through or along the borders of the U.S. states of Georgia, Alabama, and Florida. It is a tributary of the Apalachicola River, a relatively short river formed by the confluence of the Chattahoochee and Flint Rivers and emptying into Apalachicola Bay in the Gulf of...

 river watersheds. Opelika has an elevation of 812 feet (247.5 m).

Opelika is located at 32.647183°N 85.389404°W.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 53.4 square miles (138.3 km²), of which, 52.8 square miles (136.8 km²) of it is land and 0.7 square miles (1.8 km²) of it (1.24%) is water.

Economy

Over the past several years, Opelika’s economy has shifted away from a traditional basis in textile manufacturing. Since 2004, the city has experienced revitalization in many segments of the economy, including commercial, residential and industrial activity. Capital investment since 2005 has totaled 357.2 million, and more than 1495 new jobs have been created.

Recent projects include 170000 square feet (15,793.5 m²) Daewon, an employer of 170 employees. Other new, large employers include Gambro Renal Products (a Swedish manufacturer of dialyzers for kidney dialysis). Gambro made the largest single initial investment in Lee County’s history of $110 million.

The TigerTown
TigerTown
TigerTown is a retail center located on Tiger Town Parkway at Exit 58 of Interstate 85 in Opelika, Alabama, a city next to Auburn, Alabama...

 retail shopping complex continues to expand its commercial developments with the recent openings of Kohl's
Kohl's
Kohl's Corporation is an American department store chain headquartered in the Milwaukee suburb of Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, operating , 1,089 stores in 49 states. In 1998, it entered the S&P 500 list, and is also listed in the Fortune 500...

 and Bed Bath & Beyond
Bed Bath & Beyond
Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. was formed in 1971 and today operates a chain of domestic merchandise retail stores across United States, Puerto Rico and Canada. They feature mostly medium-ranged, but also a limited selection of high quality, domestic merchandise: items for the bedroom, bathroom, kitchen,...

.

Opelika has received several honors over the last several years for its success in attracting new business. In 2004, the city of Opelika's Economic Development Department was named one of the top 10 economic development groups in North America by Site Selection magazine, a national industry trade publication covering corporate real estate management and economic development. Site Selection again recognized the efforts of the Opelika Economic Development Department in its Top Groups 2005 list in the Honorable Mention category.

Opelika is located between the Hyundai-Kia automobile manufacturing facilities with the Kia Motors
Kia Motors
Kia Motors , headquartered in Seoul, is South Korea's second-largest automobile manufacturer, following the Hyundai Motor Company, with sales of over 1.4 million vehicles in 2010...

 manufacturing plant about 28 miles (45.1 km) east on I-85 and the Hyundai Motors
Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama
Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama is an automobile factory in Montgomery, Alabama. It is owned and operated by Hyundai Motor Company of Korea. Construction completed in June, 2004, with the first vehicles produced in March of 2005. The official grand opening ceremony on May 20, 2005, was...

 manufacturing plant about 67 miles (107.8 km) west on I-85/I-65.

In early 2006, the Economic Development Association of Alabama named Opelika the top community in Alabama for business recruitment for the year 2005. Opelika also received the #1 rank in the South as "Small Market of the Year" by Southern Business and Development magazine, a professional publication that helps corporations around the country (and world) in their expansion, relocation and development decisions. The city earned its #1 status through its success in bringing Gambro, Jo-Ann, Maxforma, Benteler and Mando Corporation
Mando Corporation
The Mando Corporation is located in Seoul, Korea and is the largest Korean Original equipment manufacturer and supplier to Hyundai Motor Company It is currently owned and run by the original founding parent company, Halla Group . It was handed over to Halla by Sunsage B.V, a daughter company of...

 to the community in 2005.

In April 2009, officials with Michelin North America announced it would close its BF Goodrich Tire Manufacturing plant in Opelika by October 31, 2009. The announcement was part of a company restructuring plan, and official blamed an overall decline in demand.

Education

Opelika is home to a branch of Southern Union State Community College
Southern Union State Community College
For the pipeline company, see Southern UnionSouthern Union State Community College is a public, two-year college located in Wadley, Alabama, USA...

. Southern Union is a two-year community and technical college offering academic, industrial, and health sciences training. Southern Union is the only two-year college in Lee County, and is the largest two-year campus in the region. Southern Union employs 72 full-time and 137 part-time employees. Its enrollment stands at approximately 2,718 in the academic division and 1,600 in the technical division. Current technical programs include: Automotive Technology, Business Management and Supervision, Computer Science, Drafting and Design Technology, Heating and Air Conditioning Technology, Industrial Electricity/Electronics Technology, Industrial Maintenance Technology, Machine Shop Technology, Office Administration, Accounting, General Secretarial, Welding Technology, and Word Processing.

The Auburn-Opelika, AL MSA is also home to Auburn University
Auburn University
Auburn University is a public university located in Auburn, Alabama, United States. With more than 25,000 students and 1,200 faculty members, it is one of the largest universities in the state. Auburn was chartered on February 7, 1856, as the East Alabama Male College, a private liberal arts...

. Auburn University was founded in 1856 and is one of the largest universities in the South. The university employs approximately 1,176 full time faculty and, in the fall of 2007, enrolled 24,137 students. The faculty to student ratio is 1:16.

Opelika City Schools
Opelika City Schools
Opelika City Schools is a school district headquartered in Opelika, Alabama.Opelika City Schools is accredited by the Alabama State Department of Education and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. The school system enrolls approximately 4,500 students on nine campuses...

 is the public school system of Opelika. It has one high school, Opelika High School
Opelika High School
Opelika High School is located in Opelika, Lee County, Alabama. Opelika High School, of the Opelika City Schools, serves students in grades 9-12. The principal is Dr. Farrell Seymore...

.

Recreation

The Auburn-Opelika Metropolitan Statistical Area was recently named by Golf Digest as the #1 area for golf in the United States. One part of the reason this area received this ranking is that Opelika is home to Robert Trent Jones Grand National. The site for the course, which hugs the edge of Lake Saugahatchee in Opelika's northwest, was described by Jones as the "single greatest" site for a golf complex that he had ever seen. The course, which is considered to be the jewel of Alabama's Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail
Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail
The Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail is a collection of championship caliber golf courses, designed by Robert Trent Jones, Sr., distributed across the state of Alabama, as part of investments by the Retirement Systems of Alabama. The Trail started with 378 holes at eight sites throughout the state,...

, has hosted a number of national tournaments, including the 1997 Nike Tour championship, the 1998 LPGA Tournament of Champions, and the 2000 NCAA Men's Division 1 National Championship. The region's moderate climate in the location of several other world-class golf facilities in adjacent Auburn also played a part in this selection.

The Alabama Recreation and Parks Association awarded the Opelika Sportsplex and Aquatics Center the 2010 Facility of the Year Award for cities with populations of 15,001 people or more.
This $32 million dollar, 75000 square feet (6,967.7 m²) complex is the largest project ever undertaken by the City of Opelika in its 155 year history, representing the first-ever public-private partnership, with businesses, corporations and private individuals.
The idea began with a survey that was conducted in the early 2000s that concluded that the citizens of Opelika wanted a “family oriented” facility that would offer a wide variety of activities where everyone could have fun together. The city’s governing body set out to make the dream a reality, and soon resolutions were passed by the city council authorizing the city to move forward with the plans.
On February 21, 2008, after years of preparation and fundraising, groundbreaking ceremonies were held. On August 31, 2009 – on schedule and on budget – Opelika’s new state-of-the-art Sportsplex & Aquatics Center opened its doors to the public.

Demographics

According to the 2010 Census (SF1, 100% data), there were 26,477 people, 10,523 occupied housing units (households), and 7,078 family households residing in the city. Of the 10,523 occupied housing units, 6,586 (62.6%) are owner-occupied and 3,937 (37.4%) are renter-occupied. The population density was 448.7 people per square mile (173.2/km²). There were 11,751 housing units at an average density of 199.1 per square mile (76.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 50.6% White, 43.5% Black, 4.4% of the population were Hispanic or Latino, 1.7% Asian, and 1.3% two or more races.

There were 10,523 occupied housing units (households) out of which 64% (6,731) had a child under the age of 18 living with them, 45.2% were married couples living together, 20.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.7% were non-families. 28.2% of all households were made up of one person households, and 5.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.46 and the average family size was 3.02.

Of the total population (26,477), 27.9% are 19 years old or younger, 13.4% are 20 to 29 years old, 26.9% are 30 to 49 years old, 22.6% are 50 to 69 years old, and 8.3% are 70 years old or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 87.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.9 males.
According to 2009 Census estimates, the median income for a household in the city was $35,243, and the median income for a family was $47,864. The per capita income for the city was $20,497. (2005-2009 American Community Survey 5 year estimate)

Media

Opelika is served by the Columbus, Georgia Designated Market Area (DMA)
Media market
A media market, broadcast market, media region, designated market area , Television Market Area , or simply market is a region where the population can receive the same television and radio station offerings, and may also include other types of media including newspapers and Internet content...

. Charter Communications
Charter Communications
Charter Communications is an American company providing cable television, high-speed Internet, and telephone services to more than 4.7 million customers in 25 states. By revenues, it is the fourth-largest cable operator in the United States, behind Comcast, Time Warner Cable, and Cox Communications...

 provides cable television
Cable television
Cable television is a system of providing television programs to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through coaxial cables or digital light pulses through fixed optical fibers located on the subscriber's property, much like the over-the-air method used in traditional...

 service. DirecTV
DirecTV
DirecTV is an American direct broadcast satellite service provider and broadcaster based in El Segundo, California. Its satellite service, launched on June 17, 1994, transmits digital satellite television and audio to households in the United States, Latin America, and the Anglophone Caribbean. ...

 and Dish Network
Dish Network
Dish Network Corporation is the second largest pay TV provider in the United States, providing direct broadcast satellite service—including satellite television, audio programming, and interactive television services—to 14.337 million commercial and residential customers in the United States. Dish...

 provide direct broadcast satellite
Direct broadcast satellite
Direct broadcast satellite is a term used to refer to satellite television broadcasts intended for home reception.A designation broader than DBS would be direct-to-home signals, or DTH. This has initially distinguished the transmissions directly intended for home viewers from cable television...

 television including both local and national channels to area residents.

Notable people from Opelika

  • Roger Brown
    Roger Brown (artist)
    Roger Brown was an American artist who was a member of the Chicago Imagists, a group in the 1960s and 1970s who turned to representational art. His paintings are owned by many of the most important art museums in the US.He was born in Hamilton, Alabama and raised in Opelika...

     – American artist who was a member of the Chicago Imagists
    Chicago Imagists
    The Chicago Imagists is the name of a group of representational artists associated with the School of the Art Institute of Chicago who exhibited at the Hyde Park Art Center in the late 1960s. Their work was known for grotesquerie, surrealism and complete uninvolvement with New York art world trends...

    .
  • Brad Cotter
    Brad Cotter
    Brad Cotter is an American country music singer who won the 2004 season of Nashville Star a talent competition on the USA Network. Signed to Epic Records that year, he released his debut album Patient Man, which produced three singles on the Billboard country charts, including the #35 "I Meant To"...

     – country music
    Country music
    Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...

     singer
  • William Louis Dickinson – U.S. Congressman from 1965 to 1993
  • Will Herring
    Will Herring
    William Ronald Herring is an American football linebacker for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the fifth round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He played college football at Auburn....

     – current NFL player who plays linebacker
    Linebacker
    A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...

     for the New Orleans Saints
    New Orleans Saints
    The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League ....

    .
  • Lardarius Webb –current NFL player who plays cornerback
    Cornerback
    A cornerback is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in American and Canadian football. Cornerbacks cover receivers, to defend against pass offenses and make tackles. Other members of the defensive backfield include the safeties and occasionally linebackers. The cornerback position...

     for the Baltimore Ravens
  • C. Blake Hess - Indie guitarist
    Guitarist
    A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...

     and drummer
    Drummer
    A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...

  • Billy Hitchcock
    Billy Hitchcock
    William Clyde Hitchcock was an American infielder, coach, manager and scout in Major League Baseball. He also served as president of the class AA Southern League from 1971-80...

     – former Atlanta Braves
    Atlanta Braves
    The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....

     manager
  • Colonel Robert L. Howard
    Robert L. Howard
    Robert Lewis Howard was a highly decorated United States Army soldier and Medal of Honor recipient of the Vietnam War. He was wounded 14 times over 54 months of combat, was awarded 8 Purple Hearts, 4 Bronze Stars, and was nominated for the Medal of Honor three separate times...

     – soldier of the U.S. Army, Medal of Honor
    Medal of Honor
    The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...

     recipient.
  • Brad Hurst- Founder of HOSS Records, an independent record label for experimental sounds based out of Brooklyn
    Brooklyn
    Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...

      and Washington DC
  • T.J. Jackson – former NFL player
  • Greg Taylor – Former NFL player
  • Tommie Agee
    Tommie Agee
    Tommie Lee Agee was a Major League Baseball center fielder most noted for making two of the greatest catches in World Series history, both of which occurred in game three of the 1969 World Series.-Cleveland Indians:...

    - former NFL Player
  • Fob James
    Fob James
    Forrest Hood James, Jr., known as Fob James , is an American politician, a civil engineer, and an all-American half-back...

     - Former Alabama Governor
  • Jeff Lewis - Former drummer of Spooky Dawn, Lie Awake, TCC, Victory World and Ricardo Sanchez
    Ricardo Sanchez
    Ricardo Sanchez is a retired United States Army Lieutenant General and a candidate for the Democratic Party nomination for the Senate election in 2012 for the seat of retiring Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison.-Early life and education:...

  • Roy Lee Jackson
    Roy Lee Jackson
    Roy Lee Jackson was a Pitcher for the New York Mets , Toronto Blue Jays , San Diego Padres and Minnesota Twins ....

     – former Major League baseball player
  • Rod Lindsey - Former Major League baseball player
  • Jimmy Stewart - Former Major League baseball player
  • David Brandon McGinty, strategy advisor to multinational NGOs and social enterprise
    Social enterprise
    A social enterprise is an organization that applies business strategies to achieving philanthropic goals. Social enterprises can be structured as a for-profit or non-profit....

    s; Professor of Nonprofit Law at Villanova University
  • John Herbert Orr
    John Herbert Orr
    John Herbert Orr was an Alabama entrepreneur who formed Orradio Industries, Inc., a high-technology firm that made magnetic recording tape....

     - Founder of Orradio, Ampex Tape which produced the first commercially available audio tape, video tape, and computer tape in the world
  • Rob Penny
    Rob Penny
    Robert Lee "Rob" Penny was an African American playwright, poet, social activist, and professor.-Early life:Penny was born in Opelika, Alabama on August 6, 1941. He moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania's Hill District as a toddler, where he was raised...

     – playwright
    Playwright
    A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...

  • William J. Samford
    William J. Samford
    William James Samford was an American Democratic politician who was the 31st Governor of Alabama from 1900 to 1901....

     - Former Alabama Governor
  • Brian Smith
    Brian Smith
    Brian Smith is the name of:*Brian Smith , American sports and celebrity photographer*Brian Smith , former Major League Baseball pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates...

    – Former NFL player who played defensive end
    Defensive end
    Defensive end is the name of a defensive position in the sport of American and Canadian football.This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations have substantially changed how the position is played over the years...

     for the Denver Broncos
    Denver Broncos
    The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...

     in the early 90s.
  • Lee W. Smith – diplomat, U.S. State Department
  • Erick Strickland
    Erick Strickland
    Demerick Montae Strickland is an American professional basketball player formerly in the NBA....

     – Former NBA player
  • Bradley R. Sturz, Ph.D. - Experimental Psychology (Spatial Learning, Memory, & Cognition), Professor of Psychology, and Brenda A. Milner Award
  • Clement Clay Torbert, Jr. - Twenty-fifth Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court
    Alabama Supreme Court
    The Supreme Court of Alabama is the highest court in the state of Alabama. The court consists of an elected Chief Justice and eight elected Associate Justices. Each justice is elected in partisan elections for staggered six year terms. The Governor of Alabama may fill vacancies when they occur...

     from 1977 through 1989.
  • Joe Thomas
    Joe (singer)
    Joseph Lewis Thomas , usually credited simply as Joe, is an American R&B singer and record producer.-Early life:Joe is a native of Cuthbert, Georgia and later moved to Opelika, Alabama. The son of two preachers, Joe spent much time in church singing, playing guitar, and even directing the choir...

     – Platinum R&B Recording Artist
  • James Voss – NASA
    NASA
    The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...

     astronaut
    Astronaut
    An astronaut or cosmonaut is a person trained by a human spaceflight program to command, pilot, or serve as a crew member of a spacecraft....


Opelika in film

  • Parts of the 1979 movie Norma Rae
    Norma Rae
    Norma Rae is a 1979 American drama film that tells the story of a factory worker from a small town in North Carolina, who becomes involved in the labor union activities at the textile factory where she works...

    were filmed in Opelika.
  • Sister, Sister TV movie 1982 starring Diahann Carroll, Rosalind Cash and Irene Cara were filmed in Opelika.
  • Opelika is mentioned in the Academy Award-winning 1989 film Driving Miss Daisy
    Driving Miss Daisy
    Driving Miss Daisy is a 1989 American comedy-drama film adapted from the Alfred Uhry play of the same name. The film was directed by Bruce Beresford, with Morgan Freeman reprising his role as Hoke Colburn and Jessica Tandy playing Miss Daisy...


Opelika in music

  • Opelika is mentioned in, Australia
    Australia
    Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

    n country musician
    Australian country music
    Australian country music is a part of the music of Australia. There is a broad range of styles, from bluegrass, to yodelling to folk to the more popular. The genre has been influenced by Celtic and English folk music, by the traditions of Australian bush balladeers, as well as by popular American...

    , Geoff Mack
    Geoff Mack
    Albert Geoffrey McElhinney OAM , also known as Geoff Mack, is a country music singer and songwriter. He was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia on 13 June 2005 with the citation, For service to country music and to the community, particularly through support for senior citizens' groups...

    's North America
    North America
    North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...

    n reworking of his song, "I've Been Everywhere". This version of the song became a number one hit for Canadian
    Brooklyn, Queens County, Nova Scotia
    Brooklyn is a Canadian suburban community in the Region of Queens Municipality in Queens County, Nova Scotia.Located on the east bank of the Mersey River opposite Liverpool, Brooklyn was placed on the map in 1907 when the Halifax and Southwestern Railway opened between Yarmouth and Halifax.In...

    -born country musician, Hank Snow
    Hank Snow
    Clarence Eugene "Hank" Snow was a Canadian-American country music artist. He charted more than 70 singles on the Billboard country charts from 1950 until 1980...

    , in 1962. This version has gone on to be recorded by The Statler Brothers, Asleep at the Wheel
    Asleep at the Wheel
    Asleep at the Wheel is a American country music group that was formed in Paw Paw, West Virginia, but based in Austin, Texas. Altogether, they have won nine Grammy Awards since their 1970 inception. In their career, they have released more than twenty studio albums, and have charted more than twenty...

    , and Johnny Cash
    Johnny Cash
    John R. "Johnny" Cash was an American singer-songwriter, actor, and author, who has been called one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...

     among others.

  • Bubba Sparxxx
    Bubba Sparxxx
    Warren Anderson Mathis , known by his stage name Bubba Sparxxx, is an American Southern rapper. His biggest hit is "Ms. New Booty" featuring The Ying Yang Twins which peaked at #7 in the United States...

     mentions Opelika in his song "Nowhere" from the album Deliverance
    Deliverance (Bubba Sparxxx album)
    Sample credits*"Intro" contains elements of "I Feel Free" by Cream.*"Jimmy Mathis" contains a sample of "Stone Fox Chase" by Area Code 615.*"Comin' Round" contains a vocal interpolation of "To See You 'Coming Round The Bend" by Yonder Mountain String Band....

    .

  • The Pine Hill Haints
    The Pine Hill Haints
    The Pine Hill Haints are a traditional bluegrass/folk/honky tonk/country band from Alabama, though the band members themselves describe their unique southern roots music as “Alabama Ghost Music.”...

     have a song called "Opelika Train" which appears on their debut LP, God, the Devil and the Two by the Gate

  • Matthias Bossi of Sleepytime Gorilla Museum
    Sleepytime Gorilla Museum
    Sleepytime Gorilla Museum is an American experimental rock band, formed in 1999 in Oakland, California. The band fuses classical, industrial, and art-rock themes throughout their music...

    has a song called "I'm From Opelika"

Opelika in literature

  • Caroline Ivey's characters visit Opelika in her novel Family.
  • August Wilson's character, Citizen Barlow, from the play "Gem of the Ocean" is from "down around Opelika."

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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