Florala, Alabama

Florala
City
Country	United States
State	Alabama
County	Covington
Area
• Total	10.9 sq mi (28.3 km2)
• Land	10.5 sq mi (27.2 km2)
• Water	0.4 sq mi (1.1 km2)
Elevation	262 ft (80 m)
Population  (2000)
• Total	1,964
• Density	180.2/sq mi (69.4/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	36442
Area code	334
FIPS code	01-26848
GNIS feature ID	0159617

Florala is a city in Covington County, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 1,964.

Geography

Florala is located at 31°0′28″N 86°19′30″W (31.007712, -86.324957)Template:GR. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 10.9 square miles (28 km²), of which, 10.5 square miles (27 km²) of it is land and 0.4 square miles (1.0 km²) of it (3.93%) is water.

Demographics

2000 Census data

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 1,964 people, 898 households, and 527 families residing in the city. The population density was 187.0 people per square mile (72.2/km²). There were 1,103 housing units at an average density of 105.0 per square mile (40.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 80.75% White, 15.68% Black or African American, 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 Hispanic 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 per capita income for the city was $11,495. About 29.3% of families and 32.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 38.8% of those under age 18 and 26.6% of those age 65 or over.

Origin of name

The name Florala refers to the town's location, adjacent to the Florida border: it is a portmanteau that combines the beginning letters in the words "Florida" and "Alabama".

Historical Fact

In 1818, Andrew Jackson stopped at the Lake with his soldiers, and thus Lake Jackson is named after him. Since 1870, the City of Florala, 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, has served as the home of the World’s Oldest Consecutive Annual Masonic Day Celebration. The Celebration is in honor of St. John’s Day, June 24, 1717, when the first Grand Masonic Lodge in England was established. Each year on the Friday before the 24th of June and concluding on the Saturday after the 24th.

Notable residents

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

Sgt. Rodney J. Evans, who was awarded the Medal of Honor after being killed in Vietnam while exposing himself to enemy fire in order to protect his men. ( B. 17 July 1948, D. 18 July 1969)

R. Barbara Gitenstein, the current President of The College of New Jersey, grew up in Florala, Alabama.

Recently in 2009, it was announced that Mark Gitenstein, brother to Barbara Gitenstein, above, was appointed Ambassador to Romania under the Obama administration.

Although the noted writer William March, author of The Bad Seed and World War I novel Company K, was not born in Florala, he grew up in Lockhart, a small community a few blocks west on Highway 55. His biography and list of publications are also found elsewhere on Wikipedia. The city of Mobile, Alabama has an extensive collection of references and publications of the author. The W.S Hoole Collection at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. "March" is the maiden name of William's mother, which the writer chose for his pen name rather than his given name William Campbell.

Florala in pop culture

• Florala is mentioned in the lyrics of "Florida Bound" by the Destin, Florida-based band The Underdogs, released on their Unleashed album on Howlin' Muse Records.

Famous natives

• Monica B. Alexander, Nuclear Chemist, Best of Set Awardee.