Waterloo, Alabama
Encyclopedia
Waterloo is a town in Lauderdale County
, Alabama
, United States
. It is part of the Florence
- Muscle Shoals
Metropolitan Statistical Area known as "The Shoals
". As of the 2000 census
, the population of the town is 208. The town was incorporated in 1832 on the banks of the Tennessee River
. The town was moved to its current location when the Tennessee Valley Authority
built Pickwick Landing Dam
impounding Pickwick Lake
in the 1930s. Legend says the town was settled by it's original resident, Jimmy Floyd Stevens who was accompanied by his pet donkey Lou. The local high school is Waterloo High School (Alabama)
. The town is adjacent to the Lauderdale Wildlife Management Area
. Two primitive campgrounds managed by the Tennessee Valley Authority
are in the city limits. Waterloo is located 11 miles west of the Natchez Trace Parkway
. The town and surrounding area is served by Waterloo High School (Alabama)
. The town and surrounding area is served by the Waterloo Volunteer Fire Department.
Waterloo is in:
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.8 square miles (2.1 km²), of which, 0.8 square miles (2.1 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square mile (0.258998811 km²) of it (6.17%) is water. Incorporated in 1832, it has lost a large area of land to floods and later the construction of Pickwick Dam.
of 2000, there were 208 people, 94 households, and 67 families residing in the town. The population density
was 273.1 people per square mile (105.7/km²). There were 145 housing units at an average density of 190.4 per square mile (73.7/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.12% White
, 1.44% from other races
, and 1.44% from two or more races. 1.44% of the population were Hispanic
or Latino
of any race.
There were 94 households out of which 23.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.4% were married couples
living together, 12.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.7% were non-families. 24.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.21 and the average family size was 2.60.
In the town the population was spread out with 17.3% under the age of 18, 9.1% from 18 to 24, 26.0% from 25 to 44, 29.3% from 45 to 64, and 18.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 98.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.0 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $25,536, and the median income for a family was $31,000. Males had a median income of $33,750 versus $18,750 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $15,167. About 11.3% of families and 9.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.2% of those under the age of eighteen and 19.0% of those sixty five or over.
. One of the most distinguished stories about this city and its people was published in 2005 in the book, An Angel Named Zabar. Florence's McFarland Park is a resting point for riders in the annual Trail of Tears Commemorative Motorcycle Ride
which terminates in nearby Waterloo. The ride commemorates the final point at which area Cherokee Native Americans
were shipped off to Oklahoma
and the Midwest
by the Indian Removal Act of 1830
. Waterloo is a stop on the North Alabama Birding Trail. The area is renowned for the nearby Bald Eagle
population. The birding site is Site 11 at GPS Coordinates: N 34.9310, W 88.0391
Lauderdale County, Alabama
-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*86.4% White*10.0% Black*0.4% Native American*0.7% Asian*0.0% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*1.4% Two or more races*2.2% Hispanic or Latino -2000:...
, 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...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is part of the Florence
Florence, Alabama
Florence is the county seat of Lauderdale County, Alabama, United States, in the northwestern corner of the state.According to the 2005 Census Bureau estimates, the city's population was 36,721....
- Muscle Shoals
Muscle Shoals, Alabama
Muscle Shoals is a city in Colbert County, Alabama, United States. As of 2007, the United States Census Bureau estimated the population of the city to be 12,846. The city is included in The Shoals MSA. It is famous for its contributions to American popular music.-Geography:Muscle Shoals is located...
Metropolitan Statistical Area known as "The Shoals
The Shoals
The Shoals is a metropolitan area in northwestern Alabama, officially known as the Florence-Muscle Shoals Metropolitan Area, including the cities of Florence, Muscle Shoals, Tuscumbia, and Sheffield, and the counties of Lauderdale and Colbert...
". As of the 2000 census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
, the population of the town is 208. The town was incorporated in 1832 on the banks of the Tennessee River
Tennessee River
The Tennessee River is the largest tributary of the Ohio River. It is approximately 652 miles long and is located in the southeastern United States in the Tennessee Valley. The river was once popularly known as the Cherokee River, among other names...
. The town was moved to its current location when the Tennessee Valley Authority
Tennessee Valley Authority
The Tennessee Valley Authority is a federally owned corporation in the United States created by congressional charter in May 1933 to provide navigation, flood control, electricity generation, fertilizer manufacturing, and economic development in the Tennessee Valley, a region particularly affected...
built Pickwick Landing Dam
Pickwick Landing Dam
Pickwick Landing Dam is a hydroelectric dam on the Tennessee River in Hardin County, in the U.S. state of Tennessee. The dam is one of nine dams on the river owned and operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority, which built the dam in the 1930s as part of a New Deal-era initiative to create a...
impounding Pickwick Lake
Pickwick Lake
Pickwick Lake is the reservoir created by Pickwick Landing Dam as part of the Tennessee Valley Authority. The lake stretches from Pickwick Landing Dam to Wilson Dam....
in the 1930s. Legend says the town was settled by it's original resident, Jimmy Floyd Stevens who was accompanied by his pet donkey Lou. The local high school is Waterloo High School (Alabama)
Waterloo High School (Alabama)
Waterloo High School is a high school located in Waterloo, Alabama in Lauderdale County, Alabama. The high school is a public school under the Alabama State Board of Education. The high school has grades Kindergarten - Twelfth grade in one building. The school has about 250-350 students in a...
. The town is adjacent to the Lauderdale Wildlife Management Area
Lauderdale Wildlife Management Area
The Lauderdale Wildlife Management Area is an Alabama Wildlife Management Area operated by the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources in Lauderdale County, Alabama near Waterloo, Alabama. -External references:...
. Two primitive campgrounds managed by the Tennessee Valley Authority
Tennessee Valley Authority
The Tennessee Valley Authority is a federally owned corporation in the United States created by congressional charter in May 1933 to provide navigation, flood control, electricity generation, fertilizer manufacturing, and economic development in the Tennessee Valley, a region particularly affected...
are in the city limits. Waterloo is located 11 miles west of the Natchez Trace Parkway
Natchez Trace Parkway
The Natchez Trace Parkway is a National Park Service unit in the southeastern United States that commemorates the historic Old Natchez Trace and preserves sections of the original trail....
. The town and surrounding area is served by Waterloo High School (Alabama)
Waterloo High School (Alabama)
Waterloo High School is a high school located in Waterloo, Alabama in Lauderdale County, Alabama. The high school is a public school under the Alabama State Board of Education. The high school has grades Kindergarten - Twelfth grade in one building. The school has about 250-350 students in a...
. The town and surrounding area is served by the Waterloo Volunteer Fire Department.
Waterloo is in:
- Alabama's 5th congressional districtAlabama's 5th congressional districtAlabama's 5th congressional district is a U.S. congressional district in Alabama, which elects a representative to the United States House of Representatives. It encompasses the counties of Colbert, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Limestone, Madison and Jackson. It also includes parts of Morgan County.It is...
- Alabama State House of Representatives district 2
- Alabama State Senate district 1
Geography
Waterloo is located at 34°55′0"N 88°3′51"W (34.916795, -88.064210).According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.8 square miles (2.1 km²), of which, 0.8 square miles (2.1 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square mile (0.258998811 km²) of it (6.17%) is water. Incorporated in 1832, it has lost a large area of land to floods and later the construction of Pickwick Dam.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 208 people, 94 households, and 67 families residing in the town. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 273.1 people per square mile (105.7/km²). There were 145 housing units at an average density of 190.4 per square mile (73.7/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.12% White
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 1.44% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 1.44% from two or more races. 1.44% of the population were Hispanic
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
or Latino
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
of any race.
There were 94 households out of which 23.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.4% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 12.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.7% were non-families. 24.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.21 and the average family size was 2.60.
In the town the population was spread out with 17.3% under the age of 18, 9.1% from 18 to 24, 26.0% from 25 to 44, 29.3% from 45 to 64, and 18.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 98.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.0 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $25,536, and the median income for a family was $31,000. Males had a median income of $33,750 versus $18,750 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the town was $15,167. About 11.3% of families and 9.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.2% of those under the age of eighteen and 19.0% of those sixty five or over.
Attractions and Events
The city of Waterloo has been the subject of several books because of its association with the Trail of TearsTrail of Tears
The Trail of Tears is a name given to the forced relocation and movement of Native American nations from southeastern parts of the United States following the Indian Removal Act of 1830...
. One of the most distinguished stories about this city and its people was published in 2005 in the book, An Angel Named Zabar. Florence's McFarland Park is a resting point for riders in the annual Trail of Tears Commemorative Motorcycle Ride
Florence, Alabama
Florence is the county seat of Lauderdale County, Alabama, United States, in the northwestern corner of the state.According to the 2005 Census Bureau estimates, the city's population was 36,721....
which terminates in nearby Waterloo. The ride commemorates the final point at which area Cherokee Native Americans
Cherokee
The Cherokee are a Native American people historically settled in the Southeastern United States . Linguistically, they are part of the Iroquoian language family...
were shipped off to Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
and the Midwest
Midwestern United States
The Midwestern United States is one of the four U.S. geographic regions defined by the United States Census Bureau, providing an official definition of the American Midwest....
by the Indian Removal Act of 1830
Indian Removal Act
The Indian Removal Act was signed into law by President Andrew Jackson on May 28, 1830.The Removal Act was strongly supported in the South, where states were eager to gain access to lands inhabited by the Five Civilized Tribes. In particular, Georgia, the largest state at that time, was involved in...
. Waterloo is a stop on the North Alabama Birding Trail. The area is renowned for the nearby Bald Eagle
Bald Eagle
The Bald Eagle is a bird of prey found in North America. It is the national bird and symbol of the United States of America. This sea eagle has two known sub-species and forms a species pair with the White-tailed Eagle...
population. The birding site is Site 11 at GPS Coordinates: N 34.9310, W 88.0391