Jasper is a city in and the county seat of Walker County, Alabama, United States. As of the 2020 census, Jasper had a population of 14,572. Named in honor of Sergeant William Jasper, an American Revolutionary War hero, Jasper was settled around 1815 and incorporated on August 18, 1886.

The first significant growth of the area was in 1886 when the Kansas City, Memphis and Birmingham Railroad and the Sheffield & Birmingham Railroads were completed through Jasper. The population grew from 200 people in 1886 to more than 3,000 in 1890.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and 0.04% is water.

Climate

Demographics

In 2020, it was reported that of Alabama cities with populations of at least 10,000 people as of 2010, Jasper was among the five fastest to decline in population over the 2010s.

2020 census

right|thumb|House at 1300 7th Ave.

As of the 2020 census, Jasper had a population of 14,572. The median age was 41.8 years. 21.5% of residents were under the age of 18 and 21.8% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 91.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 89.7 males age 18 and over.

85.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 15.0% lived in rural areas.

There were 5,705 households in Jasper, of which 30.1% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 45.9% were married-couple households, 17.2% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 32.1% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 31.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The city is home to the annual Foothills Festival in Historic Downtown Jasper Square, which features live music and food vendors. In the TV series Lost, Jasper is the hometown of James "Sawyer" Ford.

The 2020 documentary film Jasper Mall centers around the economically distressed Jasper Mall.

Education

  • T.R. Simmons Elementary School (grades preK–1)
  • Memorial Park Elementary School (grades 2–3)
  • Maddox Intermediate School (grades 4–6)
  • Jasper Junior High (grades 7–8)
  • Jasper High School (grades 9–12)
  • North Highlands School (for students with disabilities across all grades)

Media

Newspaper

  • Daily Mountain Eagle (daily)

Radio

  • WJLX/1240 kHz
  • WIXI/1360 kHz
  • WQJJ-LP/101.9 MHz
  • W268BM/101.5 MHz: rebroadcasts WJLX

On February 2, 2024, it was discovered that the 200-ft tower of WJLX had been stolen.

Television

  • W25FC-D/25

Notable people

  • Jason Aaron, comic writer
  • John H. Bankhead II, U.S. senator from Alabama
  • Tallulah Bankhead, actress
  • Walter W. Bankhead, U.S. representative from Alabama
  • William Brockman Bankhead, speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives
  • Tom Bevill, U.S. representative from Alabama
  • Ronnie Coleman, NFL player
  • Eric Dover, musician
  • Eric Esch, professional boxer, MMA fighter and kick boxer
  • Raymond D. Fowler, psychologist and professor at the University of Alabama
  • James Shepherd Freeman, admiral, United States Navy
  • James Stanley Freeman, businessman
  • Michael A. Grinston, 16th sergeant major of the U.S. Army
  • Polly Holliday, actress
  • Steven Jack Land, renewal theologian
  • George Lindsey, actor
  • Carter Manasco, U.S. representative from Alabama
  • Terry Owens, NFL player
  • Sandy Posey, singer
  • Jim Pyburn, professional baseball player
  • Greg Reed, Alabama state senator
  • Michael Rooker, actor

References

  • City of Jasper
  • Institute of Southern Jewish Life, History of Jasper