Hartselle, Alabama

Hartselle
City
The Hartselle Downtown Commercial Historic District was added to the National Register of Historic Places on April 22, 1999.
Nickname:  The City of Southern Hospitality
Location of Hartselle in Morgan County, Alabama.
Coordinates: 34°26′25″N 86°56′25″W
Country	United States
State	Alabama
County	Morgan
Established	1870
Government
• Mayor	Randy Garrison
Area
• City	16.52 sq mi (42.78 km2)
• Land	16.43 sq mi (42.57 km2)
• Water	0.08 sq mi (0.22 km2)  0.07%
• Urban	1 sq mi (3 km2)
Elevation	676 ft (206 m)
Population  (2010)
• City	14,255
• Estimate  (2018)	14,425
• Density	877.70/sq mi (338.88/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (CST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	35640
Area code	256
FIPS code	01-33448
GNIS feature ID	0151802
Website	www.hartselle.org

Hartselle is the second largest city in Morgan County, Alabama, United States, about 10 miles (16 km) south of Decatur, and is included in the Decatur Metropolitan Area, and the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area.

As of the 2010 U.S. Census, the population of the city was 14,255. Hartselle was founded in 1870 with the arrival of the South and North Alabama Railroad. It takes its name from George Hartsell, one of the railroad's owners. The post office opened in 1873. It was formally incorporated on March 1, 1875. Most of the oldest buildings were destroyed by a disastrous fire in 1916.

Geography

Hartselle is located at 34°26′25″N 86°56′25″W (34.440383, -86.940385).

The city is located in the north central part of the state along Interstate 65, which runs from south to north to the east of the city, with access from exit 328. Via I-65, Huntsville is 35 mi (56 km) northeast (with a connection to I-565), and Birmingham is 70 mi (113 km) south. U.S. Route 31 is the main north-south highway through the center of town, leading north 12 mi (19 km) to Decatur, the county seat of Morgan County, and southeast 20 mi (32 km) to Cullman. Alabama State Route 36 is the main east-west route through downtown, leading northeast 23 mi (37 km) to Lacey's Spring and west 23 mi (37 km) to Moulton.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 14.9 square miles (39 km²), of which 14.9 square miles (39 km²) is land and 0.07% is water.

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1880	226		—
1890	596		163.7%
1900	670		12.4%
1910	1,374		105.1%
1920	2,009		46.2%
1930	2,204		9.7%
1940	2,584		17.2%
1950	3,429		32.7%
1960	5,000		45.8%
1970	7,355		47.1%
1980	8,858		20.4%
1990	10,795		21.9%
2000	12,019		11.3%
2010	14,255		18.6%
2018 (est.)	14,425		1.2%
U.S. Decennial Census 2013 Estimate

As of the census of 2000, there were 12,019 people, 4,816 households, and 3,534 families living in the city. The population density was 809.0 people per square mile (312.3/km²). There were 5,170 housing units at an average density of 348.0 per square mile (134.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 92.25% White, 5.16% Black or African American, 0.63% Native American, 0.31% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.33% from other races, and 1.31% from two or more races. 1.29% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 4,814 households out of which 35.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.1% were married couples living together, 10.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.6% were non-families. 24.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 2.97.

In the city, the population was spread out with 25.5% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 29.3% from 25 to 44, 23.5% from 45 to 64, and 14.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $40,461, and the median income for a family was $47,685. Males had a median income of $40,211 versus $24,124 for females. The per capita income for the city was $20,727. About 6.6% of families and 8.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.8% of those under age 18 and 11.9% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 14,255 people, 5,678 households, and 4,128 families living in the city. The population density was 956.7 people per square mile (370.3/km²). There were 6,076 housing units at an average density of 407.8 per square mile (157.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 91.5% White, 4.3% Black or African American, 0.8% Native American, 0.4% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 1.3% from other races, and 1.7% from two or more races. 2.5% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 5,678 households out of which 33.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.2% were married couples living together, 11.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.3% were non-families. 24.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 2.97.

In the city, the population was spread out with 25.4% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 26.2% from 25 to 44, 26.8% from 45 to 64, and 14.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38.7 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.7 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $47,306, and the median income for a family was $57,585. Males had a median income of $47,343 versus $28,855 for females. The per capita income for the city was $21,746. About 9.4% of families and 11.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.8% of those under age 18 and 14.9% of those age 65 or over.

Public services

Hartselle is the host city of Lifeguard EMS-Morgan County. They serve the unincorporated part of Morgan County, as well as some suburbs of Decatur, and operate four ambulances.

Notable people

• Jill Alper, electoral strategist.
• Wilford S. Bailey, former NCAA president and former Auburn University president.
• Scott Beason, member of Alabama Senate from 2006 to 2014.
• Jay Burleson, filmmaker.
• Lane Hughes, actor and musician.
• William Bradford Huie, journalist, editor, publisher and author.
• Don Logan, former chairman of Time Warner Media and Communications Group, owner Bass Anglers Sportsman Society.
• Mortal Treason, Christian metal band.
• Tommy Ed Roberts, businessman and legislator.
• John Sparkman, United States Congressman, Senator and 1952 Vice-Presidential nominee.
• Steve Woodard, former MLB pitcher.

External links

• Hartselle Chamber of Commerce