Colony is a town in

Cullman County Cullman County is a county located in the north central portion of the U.S. state of Alabama. As of the 2020 census, the population was 87,866. Its county seat and largest city is Cullman. Its name is in honor of Colonel John G. Cullmann. C ...

Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...

, United States. At the 2010 census the population was 268, down from 385 in 2000. Colony is a historically

African-American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa. ...

town. In its early days it was a haven for African Americans in the Deep South. It incorporated in 1981.

Geography

Colony is located in southern Cullman County at (33.945011, -86.899465), about north of the Mulberry Fork of the Black Warrior River. The town is located along

Alabama State Route 91 State Route 91 (SR 91) is a state highway located entirely within Cullman County in the northern part of the U.S. state of Alabama. The southern terminus of the highway is at an intersection In mathematics, the intersection ...

, approximately one mile west of

Interstate 65 Interstate 65 (I-65) is a major north–south Interstate Highway System, interstate highway in the central United States. As with most primary interstates ending in 5, it is a major crosscountry, north–south route, connecting between th ...

. According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, 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 U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...

, the town has a total area of , of which , or 0.40%, is water.

History

Colony most likely was originally established soon after the emancipation of enslaved people after the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

, during

Reconstruction Reconstruction may refer to: Politics, history, and sociology *Reconstruction (law), the transfer of a company's (or several companies') business to a new company *''Perestroika'' (Russian for "reconstruction"), a late 20th century Soviet Union ...

. It is believed that the original settlers of the town were most likely freed enslaved people from Baltimore, Alabama. It is the only

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

community in

, which was founded in 1873, and was considered a safe haven for Black people at a time when other cities with white majorities were dangerous for Black people, and referred to as 'sundown' cities because after sundown Black people were in danger there. Those that originally settled there were given land as compensation for being slaves, with over 8,000 acres eventually cultivated as farm land. In the early days of Colony it was not considered part of Cullman County because the freed Black people were not welcome. But when coal mines began to open adjacent to Colony the leaders of Cullman County wanted to incorporate the coal mines into the county for economic reasons, and were forced to add Colony as well. Colony was incorporated as a town in 1981 during the tenure of Mayor Earlene Johnson. The town celebrates Colony Day annually in August.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 264 people, 188 households, and 123 families residing in the town.

2000 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 385 people, 130 households, and 99 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 154 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 5.71%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 93.51%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

, 0.26%

Native American Native Americans or Native American usually refers to Native Americans in the United States. Related terms and peoples include: Ethnic groups * Indigenous peoples of the Americas, the pre-Columbian peoples of North, South, and Central America ...

, 0.26% from other races, and 0.26% from two or more races. 0.78% of the population were

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race. There were 130 households, out of which 27.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.9% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 23.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.8% were non-families. 20.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.92 and the average family size was 3.41. In the town, the population was spread out, with 26.0% under the age of 18, 10.6% from 18 to 24, 27.3% from 25 to 44, 24.7% from 45 to 64, and 11.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 103.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.7 males. The median income for a household in the town was $32,708, and the median income for a family was $35,417. Males had a median income of $24,821 versus $19,125 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the town was $12,415. About 12.0% of families and 12.7% 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 8.5% of those under age 18 and 41.3% of those age 65 or over.

Notable person

* James C. Fields, member of the

Alabama House of Representatives The Alabama House of Representatives is the lower house of the Alabama Legislature, the state legislature (United States), state legislature of state of Alabama. The House is composed of 105 members representing an equal number of districts, with ...

from 2008 to 2010

References

{{authority control Towns in Cullman County, Alabama Towns in Alabama Populated places established in 1981