Evergreen is a city in Conecuh County, Alabama, United States. As of the 2010 census the population was 3,944. The city is the county seat of Conecuh County.

History

Early settlers to the area came from Georgia and South Carolina beginning in 1818. Evergreen was founded officially in 1819 when Revolutionary War veteran James Cosey and several other men settled within the present limits of the city. The Reverend Alexander Travis first called the town by its present name of Evergreen for the abundance of surrounding green foliage, plants, and ferns.

The first female pilot in the U. S. Navy, Barbara Allen Rainey, crashed and died in 1982 near Evergreen.

Geography

Evergreen is located near the center of Conecuh County. Interstate 65 passes through the northwest side of the town, leading northeast to Montgomery and southwest to Mobile.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and , or 1.12%, is water.

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Demographics

thumb|Evergreen post office

2020 census

{| class="wikitable"

|+Evergreen Racial Composition

!Race

!Num.

!Perc.

|-

|White

|1,142

|32.44%

|-

|Black or African American

|2,095

|59.52%

|-

|Native American

|12

|0.34%

|-

|Asian

|23

|0.65%

|-

|Other/Mixed

|77

|2.19%

|-

|Hispanic or Latino

|171

|4.86%

|}

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 3,520 people, 1,441 households, and 862 families residing in the city.

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 3,944 people, 1,536 households, and 981 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 1,912 housing units. According to the 2000 census the racial makeup of the city was 46.23% White, 52.78% Black or African American, 0.19% Native American, 0.19% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.08% from other races, and 0.50% from two or more races. 0.83% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 1,536 households, out of which 31.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.5% were married couples living together, 24.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.1% were non-families. 33.9% 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 2.31 and the average family size was 2.97.

  • Hillcrest High School
  • Thurgood Marshall Middle School
  • Evergreen Elementary School
  • Southside Preparatory Magnet Academy

Private schools in Evergreen include:

  • Sparta Academy

Trade schools:

  • Reid State Technical College

Media

  • Radio stations
  • WPPG 101.1 FM, licensed to Repton, AL (Country music)
  • WNWF 1470 AM (Nostalgia)
  • Newspapers
  • The Monthly View Newspaper
  • The Evergreen Courant

Notable people

  • Herman Autrey, jazz trumpeter
  • Ken Clark (running back), former National Football League player
  • Kelvin Davis, professional basketball player
  • Wayne Frazier, former American Football League player
  • Warren Elliot Henry, physicist
  • Ben Rudolph, former National Football League player
  • James Adams Stallworth, member of the United States House of Representatives
  • William B. Travis, commander of Texan forces at the Battle of the Alamo

Collard Greens and Bigfoot

In 1973, Evergreen was labeled the "collard green capital of Alabama". The town hosts an annual Collard Green Festival to acknowledge the designation. The town was also named the "Bigfoot capital of Alabama" in 2017. The title was awarded by a city councilman during the annual Collard Green Festival. Evergreen is seeking official recognition of the title from the state of Alabama.

References

  • City of Evergreen official website