Fort Payne, Alabama
Fort Payne is a city in DeKalb County, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census, the population was 12,938. The city is the county seat of DeKalb County. The city calls itself the "Official Sock Capital of the World."
Fort Payne, Alabama | |
|---|---|
 Aerial view of Fort Payne, Alabama (Lookout Mountain in background) | |
 Location in DeKalb County and the state of Alabama | |
| Coordinates: | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Alabama |
| County | DeKalb |
| Government | |
| • Type | Mayor-Council (5 members) |
| • Mayor | Bill Jordan (term ends 2012) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 56 sq mi (144.9 km2) |
| • Land | 55.9 sq mi (144.7 km2) |
| • Water | 0.1 sq mi (0.2 km2) |
| Elevation | 906 ft (276 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| • Total | 12,938 |
| • Density | 231/sq mi (89.3/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| ZIP code | 35967-35968 |
| Area code(s) | 256 |
| FIPS code | 01-27616 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0150235 |
A magnitude 4.9 earthquake occurred here in 2003.[1]
Local Attractions
National Park Service photo
Fort Payne has the headquarters for the nearby Little River Canyon National Preserve, a 14000 acre National Park Service facility. The canyon itself is at Lookout Mountain outside the city limits. Another attraction is DeSoto State Park, a smaller facility with a lodge, restaurant, cabins, and river access areas.
Education
Fort Payne is served by the Fort Payne City Schools system which includes:
- Wills Valley Elementary (K-2)
- Williams Avenue Elementary (3-4)
- Fort Payne Middle School (5-8)
- Fort Payne High School (9-12)
Fort Payne is also served by the Northeast Alabama Community College which is in Rainsville.
Health care
- DeKalb Regional Medical Center- 134 bed facility
Media
- Radio stations
- WFPA-AM 1400 (News/Talk)
- WZOB-AM 1250 (Country)
- Newspapers
- The Times-Journal
- The DeKalb Advertiser
Transportation
Interstate 59
U.S. Highway 11
Alabama State Route 35- Norfolk Southern Railway
Isbell Field (municipal airport)
Notable natives and residents
- Miles C. Allgood (1878–1977), United States Congressman
- Jeff Cook, Teddy Gentry, and Randy Owen, founders of the Country music band Alabama
- Lt. Gen. Duward Crow (1919–1997), Assistant Vice Chief of Staff, USAF and Associate Deputy Administrator, NASA
- Howard Finster (1916–2001), religious folk artist and Baptist minister
- Flock Family (NASCAR drivers)
- Bob Flock (1918–1964)
- Fonty Flock (1921–1972)
- Tim Flock (1924–1998)
- Ethel Mobley (1920–1984)
- Milford W. Howard, United States Congressman and writer
- Lt. Gen. Forrest S. McCartney(ret.), USAF and director of the John F. Kennedy Space Center
- Larry Nelson, professional golfer
- Philip Ober (1902–1982), actor
- Lilius Bratton Rainey (1876–1959), United States Congressman
- Ron Sparks, Alabama Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries, 2010 Democratic gubernatorial nominee
- Katherine Stinson, pioneer female pilot, fourth woman in the U.S. to become a licensed pilot
References
Municipalities and communities of DeKalb County, Alabama, United States | ||
|---|---|---|
| Cities |  Map of Alabama highlighting DeKalb County | |
| Towns | ||
| Unincorporated communities |
| |
| Ghost towns |
| |
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |