Anniston, Alabama

Anniston is a city and the county seat of Calhoun County in Alabama, United States, and is one of two urban centers/principal cities of and included in the Anniston–Oxford Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2020 census, Anniston had a population of 21,564. Named "The Model City" by Atlanta newspaperman Henry W. Grady for its careful planning in the late 19th century, the city is situated on the slope of Blue Mountain.

History

Pre-founding

The first white settlers of the area were James Jefferson Teague and Martha Golden. They settled the area in 1828 near what would become known as Woodstock spring with other settlers soon arriving and building around Teague. By the Civil War, the Confederate States of America operated an iron furnace near present-day downtown, until it was destroyed by the Union Army in 1865.

Woodstock Iron Company

thumb|left|1887 map

thumb|left|Child laborers at Anniston Yarn Mills, 1910. Photo by [[Lewis Hine.]]

In 1872 the Woodstock Iron Company, organized by Samuel Noble and Union Gen. Daniel Tyler, founded a larger-scale furnace on the same grounds. Anniston was chartered as a city in 1879 and opened to the public in 1883, named as a combination of Daniel's daughter-in-law Annie and -ton for iron ore.

Though the roots of the town's economy were in iron, steel, and clay pipe, planners touted it as a health resort, and several hotels began operating. Schools also appeared, including the Noble Institute, a school for girls established in 1886, and the Alabama Presbyterian College for Men, founded in 1905. By 1941, Anniston was Alabama's fifth largest city.

World War I and II

In 1917, at the start of World War I, the United States Army established a training camp at Fort McClellan. On the other side of town, the Anniston Army Depot opened during World War II as a major weapons storage and maintenance site, a role it continues to serve as munitions-incineration progresses. Most of the site of Fort McClellan was incorporated into Anniston in the late 1990s, and the Army closed the fort in 1999 following the Base Realignment and Closure round of 1995.

Civil Rights era

thumb|right|Historic marker commemorating the [[Freedom Riders in downtown Anniston]]

Anniston was the center of national controversy in 1961 when a mob bombed a bus filled with civilian Freedom Riders during the American Civil Rights Movement. As two Freedom buses were setting out to travel the south in protest of their civil rights following the Supreme Court case saying bus segregation was unconstitutional, one headed to Anniston, and one to Birmingham, Alabama, before finishing in New Orleans. The Freedom Riders were riding an integrated bus to protest Alabama's Jim Crow segregation laws that denied African Americans their civil rights. One of the buses was attacked and firebombed by a mob outside Anniston on Mother's Day, Sunday, May 14, 1961. Prior to the bus being firebombed, attackers broke windows, and slashed tires, using metal pipes, clubs, chains and crowbars, before the police came to escort the bus away. The bus was forced to a stop just outside of Anniston, in front of Forsyth and Sons grocery, by more mob members. As more windows were broken, rocks and eventually a firebomb were thrown into the bus. As the bus burned, the mob held the doors shut, intent on burning the riders to death. An exploding fuel tank caused the mob to retreat, allowing the riders to escape the bus. The riders were viciously beaten as they tried to flee, where warning shots fired into the air by highway patrolmen prevented the riders from being lynched on the spot. Forsyth and Son grocery is located along Alabama Highway 202 about west of downtown. The site today is home to a historic marker and was designated Freedom Riders National Monument by President Barack Obama in January 2017.

In response to the violence, the city formed a bi-racial Human Relations Council (HRC) made up of prominent white business and religious leaders, but when they attempted to integrate the "whites-only" public library on Sunday afternoon, September 15, 1963 (the same day as the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing in Birmingham), further violence ensued and two black ministers, N.Q. Reynolds and Bob McClain, were severely beaten by a mob. The HRC chairman, white Presbyterian minister Rev. Phil Noble, worked with an elder of his church, Anniston City Commissioner Miller Sproull, to avoid KKK mob domination of the city. In a telephone conference with President John F. Kennedy, the President informed the HRC that after the Birmingham church bombing he had stationed additional federal troops at Fort McClellan. On September 16, 1963, with city police present, Noble and Sproull escorted black ministers into the library. In February 1964, Anniston Hardware, owned by the Sproull family, was bombed, presumably in retaliation for Commissioner Sproull's integration efforts.

On the night of July 15, 1965, a white racist rally was held in Anniston, after which Willie Brewster, a black foundry worker, was shot and killed while driving home from work. A $20,000 reward was raised by Anniston civic leaders, and resulted in the apprehension, trial and conviction of the accused killer, Damon Strange, who worked for a leader of the Ku Klux Klan. Historian Taylor Branch called the conviction of Damon Strange a "breakthrough verdict" on p. 391 of his Pulitzer Prize-winning book, At Canaan's Edge. Strange was convicted by an all-white Calhoun County jury to the surprise of many people, including civil rights leaders who had planned to protest an acquittal. This was the first conviction of a white person for killing a black person in civil rights era Alabama.

Anniston was a 1978 winner of the All-America City Award, presented by the National Civic League.

PCB contamination

PCBs were produced in Anniston from 1929 to 1935 by the Swann Chemical Company. In 1935 Monsanto Industrial Chemicals Co. bought the plant and took over production, which continued until 1971. In 1969, the plant was discharging about of the chemicals into Snow Creek per day, according to internal company documents.

In 2002, an investigation by 60 Minutes revealed Anniston had been among the most toxic cities in the country. The primary source of local contamination was a Monsanto chemical factory, which had already been closed. The EPA description of the site reads in part:

<blockquote>The Anniston PCB site consists of residential, commercial, and public properties located in and around Anniston, Calhoun County, Alabama, that contain or may contain hazardous substances, including polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) impacted media. The Site is not listed on the NPL, but is considered to be a NPL-caliber site.</blockquote>

21st century

In 2016, attorney Jack Draper was elected mayor of Anniston, and he was reelected to a second term in 2020. After a law was passed in Alabama extending mayoral terms by one year, Draper resigned in 2025, citing the effects of the extended incumbency, in addition to focusing on his health and family. Vice mayor Ciara Smith (later Ciara Smith-Roston) succeeded Draper via appointment, and she became the youngest and first African-American person to hold the office of mayor. Smith was elected to a full term as mayor in her own right during the 2025 municipal elections, also becoming the first elected mayor to hold these distinctions.

Geography

At the southernmost length of the Blue Ridge, part of the Appalachian Mountains, Anniston's environment is home to diverse species of birds, reptiles and mammals. Part of the former Fort McClellan is now operating as Mountain Longleaf National Wildlife Refuge to protect endangered southern longleaf pine species.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and , or 0.15%, is water.

In 2003, part of the town of Blue Mountain was annexed into the city of Anniston, while the remaining portion of the town reverted to unincorporated Calhoun County.

Part of the city limits extend down to Interstate 20, with access from exit 188. Via I-20, Birmingham is 65 mi (105 km) west, and Atlanta is 91 mi (146 km) east.

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Anniston has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.

Demographics

Anniston first appeared on the 1880 U.S. Census as an incorporated town.

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Anniston had a population of 21,564 and 9,221 households; there were 5,455 families. The median age was 43.0 years, with 19.4% of residents under the age of 18 and 21.5% 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 82.3 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 78.4 males age 18 and over.

{| class="wikitable"

|+ Racial composition as of the 2020 census

!Race

!Num.

!Perc.

|White

|9,163

|42.5%

|Black or African American

|10,643

|49.4%

|American Indian and Alaska Native

|70

|0.3%

|Asian

|249

|1.2%

|Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander

|10

|0.0%

|Some other race

|384

|1.8%

|Two or more races

|1,045

|4.8%

|Hispanic or Latino (of any race)

|912

|4.2%

2010 census data

As of the census of 2010, there were 23,106 people living in the city. The population density was . There were 11,599 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 51.5% Black or African American, 43.6% Non-Hispanic White, 0.3% Native American, 0.8% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, and 1.7% from two or more races. 2.7% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 9,603 households, out of which 20.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.0% were married couples living together, 21.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.6% were non-families. 34.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.6% 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 2.91.

In the city, the age distribution of the population shows 21.7% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 25.7% from 25 to 44, 23.3% from 45 to 64, and 17.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 83.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $30,400, and the median income for a family was $37,067. Males had a median income of $31,429 versus $21,614 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,689. About 25.1% of families and 29.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 35.2% of those under age 18 and 16.2% of those age 65 or over.

Anniston Precinct/Division (1880–)

Anniston Beat (Precinct) (Calhoun County 15th Beat) first appeared on the 1880 U.S. Census. In 1890, "beat" was changed to "precinct." In 1960, the precinct was changed to "census division" as part of a general reorganization of counties. In 1980, three additional census divisions were consolidated into Anniston, including Oxford, Weaver and West End.

Crime

Homicides

{| class="wikitable"

!Year

! 2002

! 2003

! 2004

! 2005

! 2006

! 2007

! 2008

! 2009

! 2010

! 2011

! 2012

! 2013

! 2014

! 2015

! 2016

| Homicides (city, number)

| align=right | 7

| align=right | 2

| align=right | 6

| align=right | 5

| align=right | 14

| align=right | 9

| align=right | 13

| align=right | 5

| align=right | 3

| align=right | 11

| align=right | 5

| align=right | 4

| align=right | 8

| align=right | 7

| Homicides (city, rate)

The city has many examples of Victorian-style homes, some of which have been restored or preserved. Several of the city's churches are architecturally significant or historic, including the Church of St. Michael and All Angels, Grace Episcopal Church, Parker Memorial Baptist Church, and the Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church, a predominantly African-American church in what is known as the Zion Hill community. Temple Beth El, dedicated in 1893, is the oldest building in the state continuously used for Jewish worship.

The original main street, Noble Street, is seeing a rebirth as a shopping and dining district in the heart of downtown.

The Chief Ladiga Trail, part of a paved rail trail with the Silver Comet Trail of Georgia, has its western terminus in Anniston.

Fort McClellan

Fort McClellan—former site of the U.S. Army Military Police Training Academy, a Vietnam era Infantry Training Center, Chemical Corps Regimental Headquarters, Chemical Warfare training center, and Women's Army Corps Headquarters—was decommissioned in the 1990s. A portion of the former fort is now home to the Alabama National Guard Training Center. Another of the fort were set aside for the Mountain Longleaf National Wildlife Refuge in 2003. The Department of Homeland Security also uses a portion of the decommissioned fort for the Center for Domestic Preparedness, the nation's only civilian "live agent" training center; emergency response providers from all over the world come to Fort McClellan to be trained in dealing with live agents and weapons in a real-time, monitored setting.

Government

Anniston is governed by Alabama's "weak mayor" form of city government. Four city council members are elected to represent the city's four wards, and the mayor is elected at-large. Day-to-day functions of city government are carried out by the city manager, who is appointed by the mayor and city council.

The current five-member city council includes Ciara Smith-Roston (mayor), Lewis Downing (Ward 1), Erica Tolson (Ward 2), Joe Harrington (Ward 3) and Julie Moss (Ward 4). The office of vice mayor is held by councilman Lewis Downing, as of January 2026.

Anniston is the county seat of Calhoun County, Alabama. Circuit and district courts for the county and the district attorney's office are located in the Calhoun County Courthouse at the corner of 11th Street and Gurnee Avenue. Other county administrative offices are in the Calhoun County Administrative Building at the corner of 17th and Noble streets, and a United States Courthouse, part of the U.S. Alabama Northern District Court, is located at the corner of 12th and Noble streets.

List of mayors

Source:

Education

Public schools in Anniston are operated by Anniston City Schools. These include:

Anniston High School (Grades 9–12)
Anniston Middle School (Grades 6–8)
Golden Springs Elementary School (Grades 1–5)
Randolph Park Elementary School (Grades 1–5)
Cobb Pre-School Academy (Pre-K)

Statewide testing ranks the schools in Alabama. Those in the bottom six percent are listed as "failing". As of early 2018, Anniston High School was included in this category.

A public four-year institution of higher learning, Jacksonville State University, is located to the north in Jacksonville. Anniston is home to some satellite campuses of Gadsden State Community College, both at the former Fort McClellan and at the Ayers campus in southern Anniston.

There are several private primary and secondary schools in Anniston, including:

Faith Christian School
Sacred Heart of Jesus School, a longstanding Roman Catholic school
The Donoho School, a K–12 college-preparatory school

An obelisk installed in 1905 commemorates "Dr. Clarence J. Owens, president of the Anniston College for Young Ladies".

{| class=wikitable

! width=15% |% Black

! width=10% |Note

| Anniston City Population

|align=right| 52%

| The Donoho School (Private)

|align=right| 8%

| Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic School (Private)

|align=right| 14%

| Faith Christian School (Private)

|align=right| 6%

| Anniston High School (Public)

|align=right| 95%

| Anniston Middle School (Public)

|align=right| 88%

| Golden Springs Elementary School (Public)

|align=right| 81%

| Randolph Park Elementary School (Public)

|align=right| 95%

| Tenth Street Elementary School (Public)

|align=right| 84%

Former schools in Anniston include the Anniston Normal and Industrial School (1898–c. 1915), a private Baptist school for African American students during the time of segregation.

Media

Anniston is served by two daily newspapers: The Birmingham News statewide edition, and the local 25,000 circulation daily paper, The Anniston Star. Anniston-based Consolidated Publishing Co., publisher of The Anniston Star, also owns and operates advertising-supported newspapers in nearby Jacksonville, Piedmont and Cleburne County. Local radio stations include WHMA AM and FM and WHOG 1120 AM.

WEAC-CD is the only television station that directly broadcasts from the Anniston area, but many Birmingham stations have towers and news bureaus here, such as WJSU-TV (WJSU is a local broadcast station for Birmingham-based ABC 33/40), WBRC-TV (Fox), and WVTM-TV (NBC). Alabama Public Television erected its tallest tower atop Cheaha Mountain south of Anniston. WJSU-TV 40 was historically a local CBS affiliate, broadcasting local newscasts daily.

Formerly its own Arbitron-defined broadcast market, today Anniston is a part of the Birmingham-Anniston-Tuscaloosa television designated market area. Radio stations are divided into three sub markets within that market; Anniston is in the Anniston-Gadsden–Talladega radio sub market.

Infrastructure

Transportation

The following major highways pass through Anniston:

23px U.S. Highway 431 (Anniston Eastern Bypass/Golden Springs Road)
20px State Route 21 (Quintard Avenue/McClellan Boulevard)
21px State Route 202

The Anniston Western Bypass runs from Interstate 20 in Oxford (the Coldwater exit) and runs north into the present State Route 202. It is five lanes wide, handling Anniston Army Depot traffic. Future plans will extend it on the present County Road 109 by widening it to connect with US 431. State Route 202 follows this route from CR 109 (Bynum-Leatherwood Road) southward.

The Anniston Eastern Bypass was a stalled project of the Alabama Department of Transportation to build a four-lane highway in Calhoun County until revived by the 2009 federal stimulus package. It was the largest influx of federal money into the local economy since Fort McClellan closed. More than $21 million was earmarked for this project in 2005. This funding was spent acquiring rights of way and grading a section of the proposed bypass from Oxford to the community of Golden Springs. As of April 2009, the section was a graded, but undriveable, clay dirt road bed. The Eastern Bypass was revived by the 2009 Federal Stimulus Package and was opened to traffic into McClellan on the northwest end in January 2011. As of December 2015, the route is now open to traffic and carries US-431 from the Saks community southward.

Amtrak serves Anniston with its Crescent service, operating to and from New Orleans and New York. Southbound trains depart at 10:30am, and northbound trains depart at 6:59pm (central time).

The Areawide Community Transportation System (ACTS) provides fixed-route bus and paratransit services within Anniston and Oxford. The service operates Monday through Friday from 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM and on Saturdays from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM. There is no service on Sundays.

Anniston Army Depot

Anniston is home to the Anniston Army Depot which is used for the maintenance of most Army tracked vehicles. The depot also housed a major chemical weapons storage facility, the Anniston Chemical Activity, and a program to destroy those weapons, the Anniston Chemical Agent Disposal Facility. In 2003, the Anniston Army Depot began the process of destroying the chemical weapons it had stored at the depot and at Fort McClellan. An incinerator was built to destroy the stockpile of Sarin, VX nerve agent, and mustard blister agent stored at the depot. Destruction of the weapons was completed in 2011.

Health care

Sarrell Dental & Eye Centers

Notable people

Jonathan Allen, NFL football player
General Edward "Ned" Almond, active during Korean War
George T. Anderson, Civil War general
Ray Anderson, boxer
H. Brandt Ayers, author and journalist
Michael Biehn, actor
Fred L. Blackmon, former U.S. Congressman for the 4th District of Alabama
Larry Bowie, former NFL player
Sydney J. Bowie, former U.S. Congressman for the 4th District of Alabama
Anne Braden, civil rights activist and journalist
Winifred Burks-Houck, organic chemist
June Burn, author
Keith Butler, NFL player and football coach
Red Byron, NASCAR driver
Asa Earl Carter, segregationist and author of The Education of Little Tree
Quinton Caver, NFL player
B. B. Comer, 33rd Governor of Alabama
John Craton, classical composer
Louie Crew, emeritus professor, poet, gay activist
Michael Curry, NBA player, Florida Atlantic University head coach
Cow Cow Davenport, boogie-woogie pianist
Eric Davis, NFL cornerback
William Levi Dawson (1899–1990), composer, whose best-known work is his Negro Folk Symphony
Nannie Doss, serial killer
Bobby Edwards, country music singer known for "You're the Reason"
Ruth Elder, pilot, first female aviator to attempt to cross the Atlantic, founding member of the Ninety-Nines
Andra Franklin, NFL football player
David F. Friedman, filmmaker and film producer
Howard G. Garrison, US Army major general
James R. Hall, retired Lieutenant General, U.S. Army; final commanding officer of the Fourth United States Army
William C. Hamilton Jr., last commanding officer of the USS Enterprise (CVN-65), the world's first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier.
James Harman, blues singer, harmonica player
Audrey Marie Hilley, infamous for poisoning her husband and trying to poison her daughter
Delvin Lamar Hughley, NFL and Arena Football player
Ken Hutcherson, NFL player and religious leader
Lamar Jeffers, recipient of the Distinguished Service Cross and former U.S. Congressman for the 4th District of Alabama
Thomas Kilby, eighth Lieutenant Governor of Alabama and the 36th Governor of Alabama
Douglas Leigh, innovative lighting designer of Times Square and Empire State Building
Perry Lentz, author and professor of English
Harry Mabry, television news director and anchor
Kivuusama Mays, former NFL player
Lucky Millinder, rhythm and blues and swing bandleader and singer
George C. Nichopoulos, physician known as Dr. Nick; raised in Anniston
Robert Ernest Noble, U.S. Army major general
Tommy O'Brien, MLB third base and outfielder; born, died and interred in Anniston
Katherine Orrison, author and film historian
Will Owsley, Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter
John L. Pennington, newspaper publisher, governor of Dakota Territory
Tito Perdue, novelist, was raised in Anniston.
Troymaine Pope, NFL player
John Reaves, quarterback, University of Florida and NFL
Mike D. Rogers, congressman from Alabama's 3rd district
Samuel U. Rodgers, physician, educator, and public health advocate
David Satcher, Surgeon General, 1998–2002
Patrick "J. Que" Smith, Grammy-winning songwriter
Tremon Smith, cornerback for the Kansas City Chiefs
Willie Smith, MLB pitcher and outfielder
Shannon Spruill, professional wrestler
Donald Stewart, U.S. Senator from Alabama 1978-1981
Vaughn Stewart, former NFL player
Vaughn Stewart III, delegate in Maryland General Assembly
Vise Family Singers (Johnny, Faye, Vincent, Kevin, Jason, and Jada Vise), gospel music group
Max Wellborn, chairman and governor of Atlanta Fed

Footnotes

External links

City of Anniston official website
Institute of Southern Jewish Life's History of Anniston
"Anniston" Encyclopedia of Alabama

Anniston, Alabama

History

Pre-founding

Woodstock Iron Company

World War I and II

Civil Rights era

PCB contamination

21st century

Geography

Climate

Demographics

2020 census

2010 census data

Anniston Precinct/Division (1880–)

Crime

Homicides

Fort McClellan

Government

List of mayors

Education

Media

Infrastructure

Transportation

Anniston Army Depot

Health care

Notable people

See also

Footnotes

Further reading

External links