Wedowee, Alabama
Encyclopedia
Wedowee is a town in Randolph County
, Alabama
, United States
. At the 2000 census the population was 818. The city is the county seat
of Randolph County
.
language, derives its name from a Muscogee Creek Indian chief. Wedowee was originally settled in the 1830s
. It became the county seat of Randolph County
in 1835.
Wedowee's recent popularity has come as the result of Lake Wedowee
created by the impoundment of the Tallapoosa River
. Also known as the R. L. Harris Reservoir
, the lake draws thousands of visitors to Wedowee every year.
and considered part of the Appalachians foothills.
Wedowee is located at 33°18′31"N 85°29′8"W (33.308603, -85.485447).
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 3.5 square miles (9.1 km²), of which, 3.5 square miles (9.1 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square mile (0.1035995244 km²) of it (0.85%) is water.
of 2000, there were 818 people, 337 households, and 200 families residing in the town. The population density
was 233.4 people per square mile (90.0/km²). There were 378 housing units at an average density of 107.8 per square mile (41.6/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 68.70% White
, 30.20% Black
or African American
, 0.12% Native American
, 0.49% Asian
, 0.24% from other races
, and 0.24% from two or more races. 0.12% of the population were Hispanic
or Latino
of any race.
There were 337 households out of which 26.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.0% were married couples
living together, 13.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.4% were non-families. 36.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 22.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.95.
In the town the population was spread out with 21.8% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 27.4% from 25 to 44, 21.6% from 45 to 64, and 20.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 97.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.1 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $26,136, and the median income for a family was $37,292. Males had a median income of $24,250 versus $22,250 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $12,638. About 17.1% of families and 20.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.7% of those under age 18 and 21.4% of those age 65 or over.
Randolph County, Alabama
Randolph County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama.Its name is in honor of John Randolph, a member of the United States Senate from Virginia. As of 2010, the population was 22,913. Its county seat is Wedowee...
, 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...
. At the 2000 census the population was 818. The city is 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 Randolph County
Randolph County, Alabama
Randolph County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama.Its name is in honor of John Randolph, a member of the United States Senate from Virginia. As of 2010, the population was 22,913. Its county seat is Wedowee...
.
History
Wedowee, which means "old water" in the CreekCreek people
The Muscogee , also known as the Creek or Creeks, are a Native American people traditionally from the southeastern United States. Mvskoke is their name in traditional spelling. The modern Muscogee live primarily in Oklahoma, Alabama, Georgia, and Florida...
language, derives its name from a Muscogee Creek Indian chief. Wedowee was originally settled in the 1830s
1830s
- Wars :* The First Opium War between the United Kingdom and the Qing Empire of China started in 1839. It would end three years later with the signing of the Treaty of Nanking on 29 August 1842.- Internal conflicts :* French Revolution of 1830...
. It became the county seat of Randolph County
Randolph County, Alabama
Randolph County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama.Its name is in honor of John Randolph, a member of the United States Senate from Virginia. As of 2010, the population was 22,913. Its county seat is Wedowee...
in 1835.
Wedowee's recent popularity has come as the result of Lake Wedowee
Lake Wedowee
Lake Wedowee, or R. L. Harris Reservoir, is a reservoir, located in Randolph County, Alabama on the upper part of the Tallapoosa River. The lake is 10,660 acres. This lake was built at one of the last hydro sites in Alabama.-Construction:...
created by the impoundment of the Tallapoosa River
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...
. Also known as the R. L. Harris Reservoir
Lake Wedowee
Lake Wedowee, or R. L. Harris Reservoir, is a reservoir, located in Randolph County, Alabama on the upper part of the Tallapoosa River. The lake is 10,660 acres. This lake was built at one of the last hydro sites in Alabama.-Construction:...
, the lake draws thousands of visitors to Wedowee every year.
Geography
Wedowee is located on the Piedmont PlateauPiedmont (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 considered part of the Appalachians foothills.
Wedowee is located at 33°18′31"N 85°29′8"W (33.308603, -85.485447).
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 3.5 square miles (9.1 km²), of which, 3.5 square miles (9.1 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square mile (0.1035995244 km²) of it (0.85%) is water.
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 818 people, 337 households, and 200 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 233.4 people per square mile (90.0/km²). There were 378 housing units at an average density of 107.8 per square mile (41.6/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 68.70% 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...
, 30.20% Black
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 African American
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...
, 0.12% Native American
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...
, 0.49% Asian
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...
, 0.24% 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 0.24% from two or more races. 0.12% 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 337 households out of which 26.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.0% 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, 13.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.4% were non-families. 36.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 22.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.95.
In the town the population was spread out with 21.8% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 27.4% from 25 to 44, 21.6% from 45 to 64, and 20.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 97.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.1 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $26,136, and the median income for a family was $37,292. Males had a median income of $24,250 versus $22,250 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 $12,638. About 17.1% of families and 20.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.7% of those under age 18 and 21.4% of those age 65 or over.
Notable natives
- William Hugh SmithWilliam Hugh SmithWilliam Hugh Smith was the first Republican and the 21st Governor of the U.S. state of Alabama, serving from 1868 to 1870 during the period of military reconstruction. A former slave owner, he opposed secession from the union on the grounds it would imperil slave property...
- 21st Governor of Alabama (In office: 1868-1870). Serving during the height of Reconstruction, Smith was also the first RepublicanRepublican Party (United States)The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
Governor of Alabama. Smith moved with his parents to Wedowee in 1839, at the age of 13. He read law under John T. Heflin of Wedowee. A historic marker now stands on the site of his family's home along N. Main Street (U.S. Route 431U.S. Route 431U.S. Route 431 is a spur of U.S. Route 31. It currently runs for 556 miles from Owensboro, Kentucky at U.S. Route 60 to Dothan, Alabama, at U.S. Route 231 and U.S. Route 84. Through many parts of US 431 it is a two lane with not many places of it being a four lane highway.-Alabama:U.S. 431 is...
) in Wedowee.
- Stanley O'NealStanley O'NealEarnest Stanley O'Neal is an American business executive. He is the former President, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Merrill Lynch & Co. Inc., having served in numerous senior management positions at the company prior to this appointment. O'Neal was one of the first...
- A former CEO of Merrill LynchMerrill LynchMerrill Lynch is the wealth management division of Bank of America. With over 15,000 financial advisors and $2.2 trillion in client assets it is the world's largest brokerage. Formerly known as Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc., prior to 2009 the firm was publicly owned and traded on the New York...
and currently on the board of AlcoaAlcoaAlcoa Inc. is the world's third largest producer of aluminum, behind Rio Tinto Alcan and Rusal. From its operational headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Alcoa conducts operations in 31 countries...
.
- Buford and Merle Abner - Members of The Swannee River Boys, a group famous in the 1940s and 50's. They had performed at The White House for President Truman, and at Carnegie Hall. Buford is a member of the Southern Gospel Music Hall of Fame, and a prolific song writer.
- Hulond HumphriesHulond HumphriesHulond Humphries is a part-time hog farmer and former principal at Randolph County High School who caused a national controversy in 1994 and 1995 after he threatened to cancel the high school's prom due to fears about interracial dating...
- A part-time hog farmer, former high-school principal and district superintendent who caused a number of controversies in the 1990s as a result of his opposition to interracial dating.