Thomasville, Alabama

Infobox Settlement
official_name = City of Thomasville
nickname = The City of Rosescite web|title="Front Page"|work="The Thomasville Times"|url=http://www.thethomasvilletimes.com/|accessdate=2008-01-08]
motto =

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imagesize =
image_caption = Downtown Thomasville in 2008.
image_

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mapsize = 180px
map_caption = Location in Clarke County and the state of Alabama


mapsize1 =
map_caption1 =
subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_type1 = State
subdivision_type2 = County
subdivision_name = United States
subdivision_name1 = Alabama
subdivision_name2 = Clarke
government_type =
leader_title = Mayor
leader_name = Shelton Day
established_title = Founded
established_date = 1888
area_magnitude =
area_total_km2 = 22.7
area_total_sq_mi = 8.7
area_land_km2 = 22.7
area_land_sq_mi = 8.7
area_water_km2 = 0
area_water_sq_mi = 0
elevation_ft = 381
elevation_m = 116
population_as_of = 2000
population_footnotes =
population_total = 4649
population_metro =
population_density_km2 = 204.8
population_density_sq_mi = 534.4
timezone = Central (CST)
utc_offset = -6
latd = 31 |latm = 54 |lats = 41 |latNS = N
longd = 87 |longm = 44 |longs = 24 |longEW = W
timezone_DST = CDT
utc_offset_DST = -5
postal_code_type = ZIP codes
postal_code = 36762, 36784
area_code = 334
blank_name = FIPS code
blank_info = 01-75960
blank1_name = GNIS feature ID
blank1_info = 0153683
footnotes =
website = [http://www.thomasvilleal.com/ City of Thomasville]

Thomasville is a city in Clarke County, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 4,649. It is notable as the childhood hometown of author and storyteller Kathryn Tucker Windham, who refers to it often in her storytelling.

History

Thomasville was founded in 1888 and has its roots in the nearby town of Choctaw Corner. Choctaw Corner, dating back to the 1850s, was a settlement west of what would become Thomasville, but when the merchants there learned that a railroad was going to bypass their town to the east, they decided to move their stores to be near the railroad.cite web|title="Thomasville, Alabama"|work="POW! Publishing"|url=http://www.powpublishing.com/thomasville.html|accessdate=2008-01-08] The tracks between Mobile and Selma were completed the same year that Thomasville began. The town was named after a railroad financier and former Union Civil War general, Samuel Thomas, who donated $500 for the construction of Thomasville's first school.cite web|title="About Thomasville"|work="City of Thomasville"|url=http://www.thomasvilleal.com/documents/AboutThomasville-history.pdf|accessdate=2008-01-08] The town had expanded by the end of the 19th century with numerous stores, several hotels and boarding houses, and a depot station. In 1899, what is now downtown was destroyed by a fire that burned several blocks of the wood frame buildings. Thomasville quickly rebuilt, this time in brick, and was once again flourishing by the start of World War I.

Over the next century, Thomasville continued to grow and expand. Over the years, many businesses came and others left. These included garment factories, sawmills, and cotton gins. The railroad discontinued its use of the town's depot by the 1950s, but that time also saw the opening of Thomasville's FPS-35 radar base, part of the Air Defense Command's Semi Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) system, bringing in servicemen and their families. The prototype for the FPS-35 radar was developed at the Thomasville Aircraft Control and Warning Station.cite web|title="AN/FPS-35"|work="Radomes.org"|url=http://www.radomes.org/museum/equip/fps-35.html|accessdate=2008-01-08] The 1950s also saw the planting of roses along Highway 43, the main highway through Thomasville, earning it the nickname of The City of Roses. The 1960s and 1970s saw the opening of numerous paper mills in the area, an industry that continues to be important to the economy of Thomasville today. This time also saw businesses begin to relocate from downtown to the main highway. The Thomasville Historic District was designated in 1999 by the National Register of Historic Places.

Geography

Thomasville is located at 31°54'40.666" North, 87°44'24.133" West (31.911296, -87.740037)GR|1. It is the northernmost incorporated settlement in Clarke County and is situated on an elevated area between the Tombigbee and Alabama rivers. The elevation is convert|381|ft|m|0. The terrain is gently rolling hills, covered primarily in pine forest. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 8.8 square miles (22.7 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 4,649 people, 1,794 households, and 1,230 families residing in the city. The population density was 531.4 people per square mile (205.1/km²). There were 2,052 housing units at an average density of 234.5/sq mi (90.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 52.33% White, 46.27% Black or African American, 0.09% Native American, 0.32% Asian, 0.52% from other races, and 0.47% from two or more races. 0.90% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.cite web|title="Census 2000 Demographic Profile Highlights: Thomasville city, Alabama"|work="U.S. Census Bureau"|url=http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/SAFFFacts?_event=Search&geo_id=&_geoContext=&_street=&_county=thomasville&_cityTown=thomasville&_state=04000US01&_zip=&_lang=en&_sse=on&pctxt=fph&pgsl=010&show_2003_tab=&redirect=Y|accessdate=2008-01-08]

There were 1,794 households out of which 35.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.9% were married couples living together, 19.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.4% were non-families. 29.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 3.06.

In the city the population was spread out with 28.4% under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 26.7% from 25 to 44, 22.8% from 45 to 64, and 13.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 84.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.8 males.

Economy

The economy of Thomasville is largely based on retail trade and the service sector, with the city serving as a regional commercial hub. Its trade area is much larger than is indicated by its small population.cite web|title="Economic Development"|work="City of Thomasville"|url=http://www.thomasvilleal.com/econdev.html|accessdate=2008-01-08]

In 2000, the U.S, Census Bureau recorded that 58.5% of the population was in the work force with 20.6% of families and 23.5% of the population living below the poverty line, including 31.9% of those under age 18 and 25.2% of those age 65 or over. The median income for a household in the city was $26,549, and the median income for a family was $32,476. Males had a median income of $32,212 versus $21,319 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,916.

Education

Thomasville has its own public school system, the Thomasville City School System, that includes Thomasville Elementary with an enrollment of 676 students, Thomasville Middle with 535, and Thomasville High with 448.cite web|title="Schools in Thomasville City School District"|work="Great Schools: The Parent's Guide to K-12 Success"|url=http://www.thomasvilleal.com/documents/AboutThomasville-history.pdf|accessdate=2008-01-08] Thomasville City Schools meet 100% of Alabama's accountability goals in all three schools.cite web|title="Education"|work="Southwest Alabama Chamber of Commerce"|url=http://www.southwestalabamachamber.com/|accessdate=2008-01-08]

Thomasville is also home to Alabama Southern Community College. Alabama Southern is a state-supported, fully accredited, comprehensive two-year college serving southwest Alabama with its main campuses in Monroeville and Thomasville.

Healthcare

Thomasville has one acute care hospital, Southwest Alabama Medical Center, with 50 licensed beds.cite web|title="Southwest Alabama Medical Center"|work="Alabama Hospital Association"|url=http://www.alaha.org/dir_detail.aspx?id=2189|accessdate=2008-01-08] Southwest Alabama Medical Center has plans for a new hospital facility near Thomasville's South Industrial Park, the first new rural hospital in Alabama in 30 years.cite web|title="Healthcare in Thomasville"|work="Southwest Alabama Chamber of Commerce"|url=http://www.southwestalabamachamber.com/|accessdate=2008-01-08] The new facility is projected to cost $35 million and would employ 200 people.cite web|title="Hospital owners land big tax breaks"|date=11 October 2007|author=Barry H. Hendrix|publisher="The Thomasville Times"|url=http://www.thethomasvilletimes.com/news/2007/1011/Front_Page/001.html|accessdate=2008-01-12] Thomasville Nursing Home is a 70 bed long-term care facility located on Moseley Drive.cite web|title="Thomasville Nursing Home"|work="Hospital-Data.com"|url=http://www.hospital-data.com/hospitals/THOMASVILLE-NURSING-HOME-THOMASVILLE.html|accessdate=2008-01-08]

Media

Print

Thomasville is home to one newspaper, the Thomasville Times. It was established in 1921. The Thomasville News, established in 1996, ceased publication in 2006 when it merged with the Democrat Reporter, based in Linden.cite web|title="Thomasville News ceases publication"|work="Alabama Press Association"|url=http://www.alabamapress.org/apa/index.cfm?fuseaction=alapressa_story&newsID=195|accessdate=2008-01-08]

Radio

Thomasville has two licensed FM radio stations, WDLG and WJDB.cite web|title="Thomasville, Alabama"|work="City-Data.com"|url=http://www.city-data.com/city/Thomasville-Alabama.html|accessdate=2008-01-08]

Museums and libraries

The Thomasville campus of Alabama Southern Community College is home to the Kathryn Tucker Windham Museum. [cite web | author= | year= | title= "Kathryn Tucker Windham Museum" | url=http://www.clarkecountyal.com/kathryn_tucker.htm | accessdate=2006-08-25] The Thomasville Public Library has an annual operating budget of $88,761 and has a collection of 15,206 books, 455 audio materials, 418 video materials, and 33 serial subscriptions.

References

External links

* [http://www.thomasvilleal.com/ City of Thomasville]
* [http://www.thomasvilleschools.org/ Thomasville City School System]
* [http://www.thethomasvilletimes.com/ The Thomasville Times]
* [http://www.southwestalabamachamber.com/ Southwest Alabama Chamber of Commerce]
* [http://www.cgeda.net/ Coastal Gateway Regional Economic Development Authority]