Boaz is a city in Marshall and Etowah counties in the U.S. state of Alabama. The Marshall County portion of the city is part of the Albertville Micropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2020 census, the city's population was 10,107.
History
First settled in the 1850s, the town of Boaz was officially founded November 11, 1878, by the Sparks family of Georgia. A post office has been in operation since 1887. The city was named after Boaz, from the Bible. It was incorporated in 1897.
Prior to World War II, Boaz hosted a primarily cotton-based economy, only diversifying to livestock and poultry with the pressures of boll weevil infestations and the Great Depression. After the war, Boaz developed a thriving automotive sales industry, which in many instances survives to this day.
In the early 1980s, the VF Corporation opened an outlet store in an abandoned factory, whose success prompted other retailers to open stores. In the late 1980s, Boaz was a tourist attraction with 130 outlet stores, attracting five million people per year. Retailers moved away from Boaz due to a dwindling customer base, dropping to 80 stores in the early 1990s, with the Great Recession of the 2000s driving away even more. In 2016, three buildings of the outlet center were demolished.
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2020 census
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Racial composition as of the 2020 census
! Race !! Number !! Percent
|-
| White || 7,448 || 73.7%
|-
| Black or African American || 220 || 2.2%
|-
| American Indian and Alaska Native || 226 || 2.2%
|-
| Asian || 60 || 0.6%
|-
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander || 103 || 1.0%
|-
| Some other race || 1,456 || 14.4%
|-
| Two or more races || 594 || 5.9%
|-
| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) || 2,049 || 20.3%
|}
As of the 2020 census, Boaz had a population of 10,107 and 3,888 households; 2,197 were families. The median age was 36.6 years. 26.0% of residents were under the age of 18 and 17.9% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 91.0 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 86.1 males age 18 and over.
Of the 3,888 households, 33.7% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 43.3% were married-couple households, 17.1% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 33.1% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 30.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
Boaz is the site of Snead State Community College.
Climate
Climate is characterized by relatively high temperatures and evenly distributed precipitation throughout the year. The Köppen Climate Classification subtype for this climate is "Cfa" (Humid Subtropical Climate).
Notable people
- James Fischer, engineer who developed high-purity silicon technology for Texas Instruments
- Tim Hodge, voice actor and director for Big Idea Entertainment
- Jody Hunt, United States Assistant Attorney General (2018–2020)
- Rose Maddox, country music singer-songwriter and fiddle player
- Wayne Peterson, racing driver
- Eddie Priest, former Major League Baseball pitcher
- John Roberts, Navy Cross recipient