Talladega, Alabama
—  City  —
Location in Talladega County and the state of Alabama
Coordinates: 33°26′5″N 86°6′5″W / 33.43472°N 86.10139°W / 33.43472; -86.10139
Country	United States
State	Alabama
County	Talladega
Area
- Total	24 sq mi (62 km2)
- Land	23.9 sq mi (61.8 km2)
- Water	0.1 sq mi (0.2 km2)
Elevation	558 ft (170 m)
Population (2000)
- Total	15,143
- Density	631/sq mi (244.2/km2)
Time zone	Central (CST) (UTC-6)
- Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP codes	35160-35161
Area code(s)	256
FIPS code	01-74592
GNIS feature ID	0160707
Website	http://www.talladega.com/

Talladega (pronounced /ˌtæləˈdiɡə/) is a city in Talladega County, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 15,143. The city is the county seat of Talladega County^[1]. Talladega is approximately 50 miles east of Birmingham, Alabama.

The city is home to the Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind, Talladega Superspeedway, and the International Motorsports Hall of Fame. The Talladega Municipal Airport, a public general aviation airport, is also located within the city limits.

Talladega is a Muscogee (Creek) Native American word derived from TVLVTEKE. While the town's name is pronounced /ˌtæləˈdiɡə/ by local inhabitants, the racetrack's name is pronounced /ˌtæləˈdeɪɡə/ by auto racing fans.

[edit] Geography

Talladega is located at 33°26′5″N 86°6′5″W / 33.43472°N 86.10139°W / 33.43472; -86.10139 (33.434728, -86.101299)^[2].

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 23.9 square miles (62.0 km²), of which, 23.9 square miles (61.8 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.2 km²) of it (0.29%) is water.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^[3] of 2000, there were 15,143 people, 5,836 households, and 3,962 families residing in the city. The population density was 634.4 people per square mile (244.9/km²). There were 6,457 housing units at an average density of 270.5/sq mi (104.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 56.15% White, 42.28% Black or African American, 0.18% Native American, 0.30% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.37% from other races, and 0.70% from two or more races. 0.90% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 5,836 households out of which 30.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.7% were married couples living together, 19.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.1% were non-families. 29.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.97.

In the city the population was spread out with 25.6% under the age of 18, 10.6% from 18 to 24, 25.2% from 25 to 44, 22.8% from 45 to 64, and 15.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 85.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.0 males.

Group of doffers working in Cotton Factory posed by the superintendent of the factory. November 1910. Photographed by Lewis Hine.

The median income for a household in the city was $29,617, and the median income for a family was $36,296. Males had a median income of $27,951 versus $21,326 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,733. About 14.1% of families and 19.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 28.4% of those under age 18 and 17.5% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Famous people from Talladega

• Tinsley R. Harrison, founding editor of Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine
• The Talladega Municipal Airport was renamed Boswell field in honor of Eastaboga resident Lewis Archer Boswell. Local legend states that Boswell actually made the first successful flight before the Wright Brothers.
• Lee De Forest was not a native of Talladega but he spent most of his young life there. De Forest, who invented the vacuum tube and held over 300 patents, was the son of a president of Talladega College.
• Pulitzer-winning Washington correspondent and former Washington bureau chief for the Los Angeles Times Jack Nelson was born in Talladega in October 1929 to Alonzo and Barbara O'Donnel. Beginning in September 2007, "The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press" offered one-year fellowships for recent law school graduates. The fellowship honors Nelson, who was a former Chair of The Reporters Committee's Executive Committee, and served on its Steering Committee for 25 years.
• Robert Bradley grew up in Evergreen, Alabama, but attended school in Talladega at The Alabama School for the Blind (also known now as Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind). He is now a famous blues/rock artist that fronts his band Robert Bradley's Blackwater Surprise. He crafted his musical talent at a young age performing in churches around Talladega.
• The gospel group The Blind Boys of Alabama formed in Talladega when the original members met at The Alabama School for the Blind.
• Robert Smith Vance, was born in Talladega in 1931 and spent his early childhood there. He went on to become a progessive voice in Alabama politics during the 1960s and was late appointed as a federal judge serving on the United States Court of Appeal for the Eleventh Circuit.
• Mr. Easy Loving Freddie Hart Mdid not live in Talladega But has family in Talladega

[edit] Colleges and universities

Talladega College, founded in 1865, is a historically black liberal arts college located in Talladega, Alabama. The Savery Library holds the Amistad murals, painted by Hale Woodruff in 1939.

[edit] References

1. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Template.cfm?Section=Find_a_County&Template=/cffiles/counties/usamap.cfm. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
2. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2005-05-03. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
3. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 

[edit] External links

• Official Site
• Talladega in the Encyclopedia of Alabama

• Talladega, Alabama is at coordinates 33°26′05″N 86°06′05″W / 33.434728°N 86.101299°W / 33.434728; -86.101299 (Talladega, Alabama)Coordinates: 33°26′05″N 86°06′05″W / 33.434728°N 86.101299°W / 33.434728; -86.101299 (Talladega, Alabama)

v • d • e Municipalities and communities of Talladega County, Alabama County seat: Talladega Cities Childersburg | Lincoln | Oxford‡ | Sylacauga | Talladega Towns Bon Air | Oak Grove | Talladega Springs | Vincent‡ | Waldo CDPs Mignon | Munford Unincorporated communities Alpine | Gantts Quarry | Hopeful Footnotes ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties