Florala is a town in

Covington County, Alabama Covington County (briefly Jones County) is a county located in the south central portion of the U.S. state of Alabama. As of the 2020 census the population was 37,570. Its county seat is Andalusia. Its name is in honor of Brigadier General Le ...

, United States. At the 2020 census, the population was 1,923.

Geography

Florala is located along the Alabama–

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

state line at (31.007712, -86.324957). It is bordered by the town of Lockhart to the west and the town of Paxton, Florida, to the south. 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 city has a total area of , of which is land and , or 4.07%, is water. Lake Jackson lies on the state line, half in Florala. Florala City Park occupies all of the lake's shoreline in Alabama.

Climate

Demographics

2020 Census data

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 1,923 people, 646 households, and 352 families residing in the town.

2010 Census data

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 2010, there were 1,980 people, 839 households, and 514 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 1,107 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 80.1%

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 ...

, 15.8%

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 ...

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 ...

, 0.8% Native American, 0.4% Asian, 0.7% from other races, and 2.3% from two or more races. 2.8% 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 839 households, out of which 23.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.1% were married couples living together, 17.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.7% were non-families. 34.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.90. In the city, the population was 21.6% under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 18.9% from 25 to 44, 27.7% from 45 to 64, and 23.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46.1 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.9 males. The median income for a household in the city was $30,833, and the median income for a family was $36,435. Males had a median income of $24,000 versus $20,100 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 city was $16,344. About 15.7% of families and 20.2% 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 28.5% of those under age 18 and 15.4% of those age 65 or over.

2000 Census data

As of the

of 2000, there were 1,964 people, 898 households, and 527 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 1,103 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 80.75%

, 15.68%

, 0.87% Native American, 0.61% Asian, 0.66% from other races, and 1.43% from two or more races. 2.65% of the population were

or Latino of any race. There were 898 households, out of which 23.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.5% were married couples living together, 14.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.3% were non-families. 36.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 21.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.19 and the average family size was 2.86. In the city, the population was 21.8% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 24.6% from 25 to 44, 24.2% from 45 to 64, and 21.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 82.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 76.3 males. The median income for a household in the city was $17,377, and the median income for a family was $21,176. Males had a median income of $27,569 versus $15,625 for females. The

for the city was $11,495. About 29.3% of families and 32.4% of the population were below the

, including 38.8% of those under age 18 and 26.6% of those age 65 or over.

Etymology

The name is a

portmanteau In linguistics, a blend—also known as a blend word, lexical blend, or portmanteau—is a word formed by combining the meanings, and parts of the sounds, of two or more words together.

of Florida and Alabama.

History

In 1818,

Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before Presidency of Andrew Jackson, his presidency, he rose to fame as a general in the U.S. Army and served in both houses ...

stopped at the lake with his soldiers, and thus Lake Jackson is named after him. Since 1870, Florala has served as the home of the world's oldest consecutive annual Masonic Day celebration, through Florala's Fidelity Masonic Lodge #685 (beginning with Chapel Hill and Lake City Lodge #377), and Chapter #441 of the Order of the Eastern Star. The celebration is in honor of St. John's Day, June 24, 1717, when the first Grand Masonic Lodge in England was established. The celebration is held each year on the Friday before June 24 and concluding on the Saturday after the 24th.

Notable people

*Sgt. Rodney J. Evans (1948–1969), awarded the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, military decoration and is awarded to recognize American United States Army, soldiers, United States Navy, sailors, Un ...

after being killed in Vietnam while exposing himself to enemy fire in order to protect his men. * R. Barbara Gitenstein, first female and past president of

The College of New Jersey The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) is a public university in Ewing Township, New Jersey. It is part of New Jersey's public system of higher education. Established in 1855 as the New Jersey State Normal School, TCNJ was the first normal school, ...

; grew up in Florala. * Mark Gitenstein, Ambassador to Romania; brother to Barbara Gitenstein. * Ray Goolsby, former

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

player for the Washington Senators. * Ernie Manning, former Major League Baseball

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...

right fielder A right fielder, abbreviated RF, is the outfielder in baseball or softball who plays defense in right field. Right field is the area of the outfield to the right of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound. In the ...

, and

third baseman A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball or softball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. In the Baseball scorekeep ...

for the

St. Louis Browns The St. Louis Browns were a Major League Baseball team that originated in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as the Milwaukee Brewers. A charter member of the American League (AL), the Brewers moved to St. Louis, Missouri, after the 1901 season, where they ...

. * Dwight Stone, who played for the NY Jets, Carolina Panthers, Pittsburgh Steelers; born in Florala on January 28, 1964.

References

External links

Florala HistoryFlorala State Park
{{authority control Towns in Alabama Towns in Covington County, Alabama