Jasper is a city in and the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US ...

of Walker County,

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = " Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County , LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham , area_total_km2 = 135,7 ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

. Its population was 14,352 as of the 2010 census. Named in honor of Sergeant William Jasper, an

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

hero, Jasper was settled around 1815 and incorporated on August 18, 1886. The first significant growth of the area was in 1886, when the

Kansas City, Memphis and Birmingham Railroad The Kansas City, Memphis & Birmingham Railroad is a historic railroad that operated in the southern United States. The company was created by consolidation in 1887 from a line of the same name (which was originally incorporated in Mississippi on F ...

and the Sheffield & Birmingham Railroads were completed through Jasper. The population grew from 200 people in 1886 to more than 3,000 in 1890. In a special edition in 1891, the ''Mountain Eagle'' stated there were six coal mines, two sandstone quarries, 400 coke ovens, one foundry and machine shop, two saw mills, one brick works, four hotels, and two banks.

Historic sites

Jasper has several sites listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

. These include the John Hollis Bankhead House, First United Methodist Church,

Jasper Downtown Historic District Masonic Lodge The Jasper Downtown Historic District comprises of Jasper, Alabama, centered on the county courthouse. Most of the buildings in the district are commercial, with other uses including the Masonic Temple, the post office and city ha ...

, and

Walker County Hospital The Walker County Hospital, at 1100 7th Ave. in Jasper, Alabama, was built in 1923. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's officia ...

Geography

Jasper is located at (33.842347, -87.277174). According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the city has a total area of , of which is land and 0.04% is water.

Climate

Demographics

2000 census

At the 2000 census, there were 14,052 people, 5,728 households, and 3,809 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 6,473 housing units at an average density of . The

racial makeup A race is a categorization of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into groups generally viewed as distinct within a given society. The term came into common usage during the 1500s, when it was used to refer to groups of variou ...

of the city was 84.15% White, 13.98% Black or African American, 0.21% Native American, 0.53% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 2.7% some other race, and 1.4% two or more races. 4.4% of the population was Hispanic. Of the 5,728 households 26.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.4% were married couples living together, 14.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.5% were non-families. 29.7% of households were one person and 13.2% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.38, and the average family size was 2.93. The age distribution was 21.5% under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 24.4% from 25 to 44, 27.7% from 45 to 64, and 18.3% 65 or older. The median age was 41.5 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.3 males. The median household income was $41,586 and the median family income was $54,059. Males had a median income of $51,548 versus $35,248 for females. The per capita income for the city was $27,927. About 14.8% of families and 16.7% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 29.5% of those under age 18 and 11.1% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census

At the 2010 census, there were 14,352 people, 5,760 households, and 3,831 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 6,478 housing units at an average density of 241 per square mile (93/km). The

of the city was 81.3% White, 13.4% Black or African American, 0.3% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 0.l. Of the 5,760 households 27.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.2% were married couples living together, 13.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.5% were non-families. 31.1% of households were one person and 14.6% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.33, and the average family size was 2.91. The age distribution was 21.9% under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 25.8% from 25 to 44, 24.0% from 45 to 64, and 19.7% 65 or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.5 males. The median household income was $33,044 and the median family income was $43,674. Males had a median income of $35,182 versus $22,868 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,491. About 10.2% of families and 13.8% of the population were below the

, including 18.3% of those under age 18 and 13.2% of those age 65 or over.

2020 census

As of the

2020 United States census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to off ...

, there were 14,572 people, 5,269 households, and 3,176 families residing in the city.

Arts and culture

Jasper is the location of the SyFy Channel's documentary show "Town of the Living Dead". The city is also home to the annual "Foothills Festival" that happens every year in "Historic Downtown Jasper Square." They hold live music and food vendors all around the Famous Downtown Jasper Square. In 2017 the dates for the "Foothills Festival" have been announced for September 15 and September 16. In the TV series ''Lost'', Jasper is the hometown of James "Sawyer" Ford. The 2020 documentary film '' Jasper Mall'' centers around the economically distressed Jasper Mall.

Schools

;Elementary T.R. Simmons Elementary School (PreK-1), Memorial Park Elementary School (2-3) ;Intermediate Maddox Intermediate School (4-6) ;Junior High Jasper Junior High (7-8) ;High School Jasper High School (9-12) (formerly Walker High School) (Originally Walker County High School, WCHS) ;North Highlands School School for students with disabilities of all grades ;Former Schools West Jasper Elementary School (Closed 2017)

Media

Newspaper

*The Daily Mountain Eagle (daily)

Radio

* WJLX/1240 kHz (

Oldies Oldies is a term for musical genres such as pop music, rock and roll, doo-wop, surf music (broadly characterized as classic rock and pop rock) from the second half of the 20th century, specifically from around the mid-1950s to the 1980s, as w ...

) * WIXI/1360 kHz ( Spanish) * WQJJ-LP/101.9 MHz (

Adult Contemporary Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quie ...

) *W268BM/101.5 MHz: rebroadcasts WJLX.

Television

W25FC-D W, or w, is the twenty-third and fourth-to-last letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. It represents a consonant, but in some languages it ...

/25

Notable people

* Jason Aaron, comic writer *

John H. Bankhead II John Hollis Bankhead II (July 8, 1872 – June 12, 1946) was a U.S. senator from the state of Alabama. Like his father, John H. Bankhead, he was elected three times to the Senate, and like his father, he died in office. He served in the Senate ...

United States Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and po ...

* Tallulah Bankhead, actress * Walter W. Bankhead, member of the 77th United States Congress * William Brockman Bankhead,

Speaker of the United States House of Representatives The speaker of the United States House of Representatives, commonly known as the speaker of the House, is the presiding officer of the United States House of Representatives. The office was established in 1789 by Article I, Section 2 of the ...

* Tom Bevill, member,

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is Bicameralism, bicameral, composed of a lower body, the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives, and an upper body, ...

Ronnie Coleman Ronald "Ronnie" Dean Coleman (born May 13, 1964) is an American retired professional bodybuilder. The winner of the Mr. Olympia title for eight consecutive years, he is widely regarded as either the greatest bodybuilder of all time or one of t ...

, NFL player *

Eric Dover Eric Dover (born January 19, 1967) is an American guitarist and singer, most notably with Jellyfish, Slash's Snakepit, Imperial Drag, and Alice Cooper. Biography Dover began playing guitar when he was 11 years old. He started playing around t ...

, musician * Violet Edwards, member of the Madison County Commission, representing the 6th District * Eric Esch, professional boxer, MMA fighter and kick boxer * Raymond D. Fowler,

psychologist A psychologist is a professional who practices psychology and studies mental states, perceptual Perception () is the organization, identification, and interpretation of sensory information in order to represent and understand the pre ...

and Professor Emeritus at the

University of Alabama The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, or Bama) is a public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of Alabama is the oldest and largest of the publ ...

James Shepherd Freeman James Shepherd Freeman (1900 – 1962) was a World War II admiral in the United States Navy and the son of the Alabama millionaire James Stanley Freeman. Early life Freeman was born on April 30, 1900, in Jasper, Alabama. He graduated from the Un ...

, admiral,

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

James Stanley Freeman James Stanley Freeman (May 12, 1874 in Jasper, Alabama – April 26, 1960 in Jasper, AL), known as "Big Jim", was an Alabama millionaire in the early 20th century and one of the first Americans to amount a fortune through Wall Street investments. ...

, businessman * Polly Holliday, actress *

Steven Jack Land Steven Jack Land (born September 23, 1946) is a Canadian renewal theologian within the Pentecostal movement who began serving as the president of the Church of God Theological Seminary, now Pentecostal Theological Seminary, in 2002. He is the f ...

renewal theologian {{Unreferenced, date=June 2019, bot=noref (GreenC bot) Renewal theologians are those theologians who represent the Pentecostal, Charismatic and Neocharismatic movements. Notable Renewal theologians are noted under the grouping with which they are m ...

within the

Pentecostal Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a Protestantism, Protestant Charismatic Christianity, Charismatic Christian movement George Lindsey George Smith Lindsey (December 17, 1928 – May 6, 2012) was an American actor and stand-up comedian, best known for his role as Goober Pyle on ''The Andy Griffith Show'', '' Mayberry R.F.D.'' and his subsequent tenure on '' Hee-Haw''. Life a ...

, actor * Carter Manasco, U.S. Representative from

* Terry Owens, NFL player * Sandy Posey, singer * Jim Pyburn, professional baseball player * Greg Reed, member of the Alabama Senate, representing the 5th District *

Michael Rooker Michael Rooker (born April 6, 1955) is an American actor known for his roles as Henry in '' Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer'' (1986), Chick Gandil in ''Eight Men Out'' (1988), Frank Baily in '' Mississippi Burning'' (1988), Terry Cruger in '' ...

, actor *

Leigh Sherer Leigh Sherer Seirafi (born August 29, 1973) is an American beauty pageant titleholder from Jasper, Alabama, who was named Miss Alabama 1995. She was a top ten finalist for Miss America 1996. Pageant career While a freshman at Samford University ...

, Miss Alabama 1995

References

External links

City of Jasper
*http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h-2536 {{Authority control Cities in Alabama Cities in Walker County, Alabama County seats in Alabama Birmingham metropolitan area, Alabama