Warrior is a city in Jefferson and Blount counties in the State of Alabama. At the 2020 census, the population was 3,224. It is a northern suburb of Birmingham.
History
Warrior was incorporated in either 1889 or 1899, though most records cite the 1889 date. The city derives its name from the nearby Black Warrior River.
Geography
Warrior is the northernmost city in Jefferson County, with outlying parts of the city in Blount County. It is traversed by I-65 and U.S. Highway 31.
Warrior is located at 33°48'48.985" North, 86°48'41.238" West (33.813607, -86.811455).
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land.
Warrior is in the Central time zone. The elevation at the center of town is , though it ranges from over north of the center to less than along the Locust Fork of the Black Warrior River, which forms the southern boundary of the city.
City government
Warrior uses the mayor/council form of government. The city council consists of the mayor and five members. The city is divided into five geographic districts with each one electing a council member to represent it.
After having served as Warrior's longest-serving mayor and the only woman to hold the position, Rena Hudson, who became Warrior's first female mayor in 1984, retired to in 2012. She died on March 15, 2017, after serving as the mayor of Warrior from 1984 to 2000 and again from 2004 to 2012.
The current mayor of Warrior is Keith Mosley.
The first mayor of Warrior was William Anderson White.
Annual events
Warrior Day, a yearly town festival, is held each year in early autumn. Entertainment and food vendors set up in town in addition to a large swap meet.
Attractions
Rickwood Caverns State Park is located north of Warrior near Interstate 65 and the community of Smoke Rise. Featuring limestone formations, blind cave fish, and an underground pool, Rickwood Caverns is a recognized member of the National Caves Association, and offers more than a mile of living geology.
Sports
Warrior is home of the 1992/1993 Class 2A (AHSAA) Boys' Basketball Champions from the former Warrior High School. In 1996, the Olympic Torch was relayed through the city during the weeks leading up to the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta.
Demographics
Racial and ethnic composition
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;"
|+Warrior city, Alabama – Racial and ethnic composition<br><small></small>
!Race / Ethnicity <small>(NH = Non-Hispanic)</small>
!Pop 2000
!Pop 2010
!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" | Pop 2020
!% 2000
!% 2010
!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" |% 2020
|-
|White alone (NH)
|2,629
|2,626
|style='background: #ffffe6; |2,523
|82.96%
|82.68%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |78.26%
|-
|Black or African American alone (NH)
|487
|449
|style='background: #ffffe6; |463
|15.37%
|14.14%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |14.36%
|-
|Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)
|13
|6
|style='background: #ffffe6; |10
|0.41%
|0.19%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.31%
|-
|Asian alone (NH)
|5
|14
|style='background: #ffffe6; |16
|0.16%
|0.44%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.50%
|-
|Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)
|0
|4
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0
|0.00%
|0.13%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.00%
|-
|Other race alone (NH)
|1
|0
|style='background: #ffffe6; |16
|0.03%
|0.00%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.50%
|-
|Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)
|24
|52
|style='background: #ffffe6; |140
|0.76%
|1.64%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |4.34%
|-
|Hispanic or Latino (any race)
|10
|25
|style='background: #ffffe6; |56
|0.32%
|0.79%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |1.74%
|-
|Total
|3,169
|3,176
|style='background: #ffffe6; |3,224
|100.00%
|100.00%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |100.00%
|}
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, Warrior had a population of 3,224. The median age was 40.4 years. 21.9% of residents were under the age of 18 and 18.6% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females, there were 88.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.3 males age 18 and over.
0.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.
There were 1,353 households in Warrior, of which 30.2% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 39.7% were married-couple households, 19.1% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 36.0% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 30.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
- Spencer Brown, American football running back
- Charles Stewart Parnell, "the uncrowned King of Ireland" lived in Warrior for a time in 1871
- Harry Salmon, baseball pitcher in the Negro leagues