Editing Crossville, Alabama

{{Use American English|date=September 2024}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
|official_name            = Crossville, Alabama
|settlement_type          = [[Town]]
|image_skyline            = Crossville-Town-Hall-al.jpg
|imagesize                = 250px
|image_caption            = Town Hall
|image_seal               = 
|image_blank_emblem       = Logo of Crossville, Alabama.png
|blank_emblem_type        = Logo
|image_map                = File:DeKalb County Alabama Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Crossville Highlighted 0118856.svg
|mapsize                  = 250px
|map_caption              = Location of Crossville in DeKalb County, Alabama.
|image_map1               = 
|mapsize1                 = 
|map_caption1             = 
|subdivision_type         = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
|subdivision_type1        = [[U.S. state|State]]
|subdivision_type2        = [[List of counties in Alabama|County]]
|subdivision_name         = United States
|subdivision_name1        = [[Alabama]]
|subdivision_name2        = [[DeKalb County, Alabama|DeKalb]]
|government_type          = Mayor-Council
|leader_title             = Mayor
|leader_name              = Roger "Dino" Richards
|established_date         = 
|area_magnitude           = 
|area_total_km2           = 21.66
|area_total_sq_mi         = 8.36
|area_land_km2            = 21.66
|area_land_sq_mi          = 8.36
|area_water_km2           = 0.00
|area_water_sq_mi         = 0.00
|elevation_ft             = 1132
|elevation_footnotes      = <ref name=gnis/>
|population_as_of         = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
|population_footnotes     = 
|population_total         = 1830
|population_metro         = 
|population_density_km2   = 84.49
|population_density_sq_mi = 218.82
|timezone                 = [[Central Time Zone (North America)|Central (CST)]]
|utc_offset               = -6
|coordinates              = {{coord|34|17|12|N|85|59|26|W|region:US-AL|display=inline}}
|timezone_DST             = CDT
|utc_offset_DST           = -5
|postal_code_type         = [[ZIP code]]
|postal_code              = 35962
|area_code                = [[Area code 256|256]]
|blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
|blank_info               = 01-18856
|blank1_name              = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
|blank1_info              = 2406341<ref name=gnis>{{GNIS|2406341}}</ref>
|footnotes                = 
|website                  = {{URL|www.crossvillealabama.com}}
|pop_est_as_of = 
|pop_est_footnotes = 
|population_est = 
|unit_pref = Imperial
|area_footnotes = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2020">{{cite web|title=2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2020_Gazetteer/2020_gaz_place_01.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=October 29, 2021}}</ref>
}}
'''Crossville''' is a town in [[DeKalb County, Alabama|DeKalb County]], [[Alabama]], United States. At the 2010 census the population was 1,862,<ref name="Census 2010">{{cite web| url=http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/G001/1600000US0118856| title=Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Crossville town, Alabama| publisher=U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder| accessdate=October 6, 2015}}{{dead link|bot=medic|date=April 2020}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> up from 1,431 in 2000. Crossville is located atop [[Sand Mountain (Alabama)|Sand Mountain]], a southern extension of the [[Cumberland Plateau]].

==History==
Crossville is a farming community in northeast Alabama, situated on the sandstone plateau of [[Sand Mountain (Alabama)|Sand Mountain]]. The native peoples called the plateau Raccoon Mountain.<ref>This is noted several places, including on page 478 of the ''History of Alabama and Dictionary of Alabama Biography'', Vol. 1, by Thomas McAdory Owen and Marie Bankhead Owen.</ref> It holds some historical significance for having figured tangentially in the [[Creek War]].{{Citation needed|date=February 2010}}. The area's soil, game, climate, and proximity to streams proved attractive to settlers, the majority of whom were drawn there from neighboring states following the expulsion of the [[indigenous peoples of the Americas|indigenous]] Creeks.{{Citation needed|date=February 2010}}.

Sand Mountain lay in an area that included disputed borders between the Creeks and the [[Cherokee]]. Although Alabama became a state in 1819, until the 1830s much of northern Alabama was still officially Cherokee territory. However, [[white American|white]] settlement in the area increased steadily, coming to a head with the [[gold rush]] in the nearby mountains of northwest [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]]. While gold supplies began to dwindle, soon eclipsed by the [[California Gold Rush]], the settlement by white farmers continued and played prominently in the expulsion of Cherokee, Creek and [[Choctaw]] nations from the area. That expulsion is called the [[Trail of Tears]], considered an act of [[genocide]] because of the thousands who died on the journey, and the forced removal of native peoples from their home territories. (In nearby [[Fort Payne, Alabama|Fort Payne]], which lies across the valley and at the foot of next-door [[Lookout Mountain]], there is a historical sign marking the town as one of the starting points for the Trail of Tears, and also the area where [[Sequoyah]] lived, who developed the [[Cherokee alphabet]].)

During the times of [[slavery in the United States|slavery]], Crossville, Sand Mountain and DeKalb County, where Crossville is located, were not major slave areas.  This can be verified by a study of census rolls which reveal a mostly poor area, where people worked and survived by the labor of their own hands, rather than the forced labor of captive Africans and their descendants. Leading up to the [[American Civil War|Civil War]], DeKalb County was typical of Southern mountain counties in that it voted against [[secession in the United States|secession]] from the United States. This can be corroborated by a study of the roster of the votes on this issue, county by county. In fact, there was serious discussion among Northern Alabama and East Tennessee counties about forming a proposed state of [[Nickajack]], rather than going along with secession.<ref>Fleming, Walter L., ''Civil War and Reconstruction in Alabama''. New York: [[Columbia University Press]], 1905, pp 109–111</ref>

During the Civil War, DeKalb County families, particularly families from mountain terrains such as Sand and Lookout Mountain, tended at first to avoid fighting, since it was considered a "rich man's war", and not of particular interest to [[Appalachian people|mountain people]]. However, as the war progressed, many DeKalb County families fought for [[Union Army|Union]] cavalries, notably the [[1st Tennessee & Alabama Independent Vidette Cavalry]] and the [[1st Alabama Cavalry Regiment (Union)|1st Alabama Cavalry Regiment]].  A perusal of the cavalries' rosters<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.reocities.com/chedar0001/videtterosters.html |title=Rosters of the First Tennessee and Alabama Independent Vidette Cavalry |access-date=December 25, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121002184346/http://www.reocities.com/chedar0001/videtterosters.html |archive-date=October 2, 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>[http://www.1stalabamacavalryusv.com Rosters of the First Alabama Regiment] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090625181431/http://www.1stalabamacavalryusv.com/ |date=June 25, 2009 }}</ref> will reveal family names that to this day are prominent in the area.<ref>See also Potter, Johnny, ''First Tennessee & Alabama Independent Vidette Cavalry Roster, 1863–1864'', Mountain Press, 1995.</ref> The First Alabama Cavalry was particularly notable in that it was one of the few units that was racially integrated.<ref>{{Cite web| url=http://www.1stalabamacavalryusv.com/roster/colored.asp| title=Colored Troops in the 1st Alabama Cavalry, US Volunteers| publisher=1stalabamacavalryusv.com| accessdate=October 6, 2015| url-status=dead| archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20101212012002/http://1stalabamacavalryusv.com/roster/colored.asp| archivedate=December 12, 2010}}</ref>

Crossville's name, given to it by James A. Copeland (1880–1964),<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.interment.net/data/us/al/dekalb/crossville/index.htm |title=Crossville Cemetery, DeKalb County, Alabama |accessdate=February 1, 2010 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100816053206/http://interment.net/data/us/al/dekalb/crossville/index.htm |archivedate=August 16, 2010 }}</ref> not to be confused with the outlaw [[James Copeland (outlaw)|James Copeland]]), was meant to reflect its many crossroads.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.crossvillealabama.com/town.html |title=Crossville Alabama Web Site |accessdate=February 1, 2010 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090423074142/http://www.crossvillealabama.com/town.html |archivedate=April 23, 2009 }}</ref>

In the mid-19th century, mail was brought through Crossville from [[Rome, Georgia]], and [[Guntersville, Alabama]], via [[stagecoach]]. Soon the town had its first U.S. post office, with A.C. Copeland serving as the first [[postmaster]]. In 1888, George Wyatt Justice established the first business in Crossville, and in 1903, W.B. Jones installed machinery for his cotton mills. His son Loy Jones (spouse-Sara Jones) followed his footsteps and ran a once successful business in Crossville. Loy and Sara had a daughter named Pam, and she had two sons named Blake and Blane Raley. The Jones family was vital to the growth early on in Crossville.{{Citation needed|date=February 2010}}

The first church established in the Crossville area was a [[Methodist Episcopal Church]] called Pine Bark Church, formed just prior to the Civil War.{{Citation needed|date=February 2010}} The community's first [[Baptist]] church was established in 1892 at Union Grove east of the town center. In 1925, several people started meeting at the high school and formed the First Baptist Church of Crossville.<ref>[http://www.crossvillefbc.org First Baptist Church of Crossville]</ref> A new sanctuary was built in 1926.

Crossville established its first school, a one-room structure with a single teacher and approximately 50 students, in the late 19th century at Bryant's Chapel Church. The first banking institution was established in 1914 by N.W. Black and Boyce Rains. Soon after, Crossville was granted provisional [[Incorporation (municipal government)|incorporation]], and Charlie J. Crump was appointed first [[mayor]]. Little progress was made during his tenure, and the incorporation's dissolution followed quickly thereafter.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.landmarksdekalbal.org/communities/Crossville.html|title=Crossville|date=March 20, 2016}}</ref> The town was incorporated a second time on December 21, 1942.{{Citation needed|date=February 2010}} Dr. Luther F. Erwin was chosen mayor, and the town government established ordinances and levied privilege licenses. Collection enforcement was lax, however, resulting in insufficient resources to maintain basic town services.{{Citation needed|date=February 2010}} Following this, C.W. (Bill) Russell was elected mayor. He hired Colonel Mack Kilcrease as a legal adviser to mayor and council. This group worked together to establish a solid town government with taxation, collection and basic town services that would become the foundation for the Town of Crossville.

==Geography==
Crossville is located in southwestern DeKalb County at {{coord|34|17|12|N|85|59|27|W|type:city}} (34.286752, -85.990814).<ref name="GR1">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|accessdate=April 23, 2011|date=February 12, 2011|title=US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990}}</ref> [[Alabama State Route 68]] is the main road through the town, leading east {{convert|9|mi|0}} to [[Interstate 59]] at [[Collinsville, Alabama|Collinsville]] and west {{convert|14|mi}} to [[Albertville, Alabama|Albertville]]. [[Alabama State Route 227]] also passes through Crossville, leading north {{Convert|5|mi|0}} to [[Geraldine, Alabama|Geraldine]] and south {{convert|7|mi|0}} into Big Wills Valley.

According to the [[U.S. Census Bureau]], the town has a total area of {{convert|21.7|km2|order=flip}}, all land.<ref name="Census 2010"/>

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1930= 316
|1940= 436
|1950= 609
|1960= 579
|1970= 1035
|1980= 1222
|1990= 1350
|2000= 1431
|2010= 1862
|2020= 1830
|align-fn=center
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=U.S. Decennial Census|publisher=Census.gov|accessdate=June 6, 2013}}</ref><br>2013 Estimate<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/popest/data/cities/totals/2013/SUB-EST2013-3.html|title=Annual Estimates of the Resident Population: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2013|accessdate=June 3, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140522161634/http://www.census.gov/popest/data/cities/totals/2013/SUB-EST2013-3.html|archive-date=May 22, 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref>
}}

===2020 census===
{| class="wikitable"
|+Crossville racial composition<ref>{{Cite web|title=Explore Census Data|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?g=1600000US0118856&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2|access-date=December 12, 2021|website=data.census.gov}}</ref>
!Race
!Num.
!Perc.
|-
|[[White (U.S. Census)|White]] (non-Hispanic)
|1,485
|81.15%
|-
|[[African American (U.S. Census)|Black or African American]] (non-Hispanic)
|6
|0.33%
|-
|[[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]]
|31
|1.69%
|-
|[[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]]
|2
|0.11%
|-
|[[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]]
|3
|0.16%
|-
|[[Race (United States Census)|Other/Mixed]]
|56
|3.06%
|-
|[[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]]
|247
|13.5%
|}
As of the [[2020 United States census]], there were 1,830 people, 707 households, and 455 families residing in the town.

===2010 census===
As of the 2010 census Crossville had a population of 1,862.  The racial and ethnic composition of the population was 87.2% non-Hispanic white, 0.4% black, 1.9% Native American, 0.2% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 6.3% from some other race, 2.4% from two or more races and 8.3% Hispanic or Latino of any race.<ref>2010 general profile of population and housing characteristics for Crossville from the US census</ref>

===2000 census===
As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2">{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |accessdate=January 31, 2008 |title=U.S. Census website }}</ref> of 2000, there were 1,431 people, 539 households, and 365 families residing in the town. The population density was {{convert|237.8|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 593 housing units at an average density of {{convert|98.5|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of the town was 97.69% [[Race (United States Census)|White]], 0.07% [[Race (United States Census)|Black]] or [[Race (United States Census)|African American]], 0.49% [[Race (United States Census)|Native American]], 0.14% [[Race (United States Census)|Asian]], 0.07% [[Race (United States Census)|Pacific Islander]], 0.56% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 0.98% from two or more races. 2.24% of the population were [[Race (United States Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Race (United States Census)|Latino]] of any race.

There were 539 households, out of which 33.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.2% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.1% were non-families. 30.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 3.04.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 23.5% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 27.8% from 25 to 44, 20.0% from 45 to 64, and 21.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 81.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 76.9 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $31,394, and the median income for a family was $44,667. Males had a median income of $27,708 versus $20,461 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the town was $14,326. About 11.0% of families and 15.2% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 21.5% of those under age 18 and 29.3% of those age 65 or over.

==Climate==
Climate is characterized by relatively high temperatures and evenly distributed precipitation throughout the year. The [[Köppen Climate Classification]] subtype for this climate is "[[Humid subtropical climate|Cfa]]" (Humid Subtropical Climate).<ref>[http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather-summary.php3?s=702711&cityname=Crossville%2C+Alabama%2C+United+States+of+America&units= Climate Summary for Crossville, Alabama]</ref>
{{Weather box
|location =Crossville
|single line = Yes
|metric first = Yes
|Jan high F = 49
|Feb high F = 54
|Mar high F = 62
|Apr high F = 71
|May high F = 78
|Jun high F = 85
|Jul high F = 88
|Aug high F = 88
|Sep high F = 82
|Oct high F = 72
|Nov high F = 61
|Dec high F = 52
|year high F = 70
|Jan low F = 30
|Feb low F = 32
|Mar low F = 40
|Apr low F = 48
|May low F = 56
|Jun low F = 63
|Jul low F = 67
|Aug low F = 66
|Sep low F = 60
|Oct low F = 48
|Nov low F = 39
|Dec low F = 32
|year low F = 48
|Jan precipitation inch = 5.2
|Feb precipitation inch = 5
|Mar precipitation inch = 5.9
|Apr precipitation inch = 4.9
|May precipitation inch = 4.4
|Jun precipitation inch = 4
|Jul precipitation inch = 4.3
|Aug precipitation inch = 3.4
|Sep precipitation inch = 4.4
|Oct precipitation inch = 3.1
|Nov precipitation inch = 4.4
|Dec precipitation inch = 5.1
|year precipitation inch = 54.2
|source 1 = Weatherbase <ref name=Weatherbase>
{{cite web
|url =http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather.php3?s=702711&cityname=Crossville-Alabama
|publisher=Weatherbase
|title=Weatherbase.com
|year=2013
}}
Retrieved on August 10, 2013.
</ref>
|date=August 2013
}}

==Education==
Crossville Elementary, Crossville Middle, and Crossville High, home of the Lions, are located in Crossville. All are members of the [[DeKalb County School System (Alabama)|DeKalb County School System]]. Crossville, as of the school year 2023–2024, is a 5A school and has the largest classification in DeKalb County. The school colors are black and gold. The Principal of Crossville High is Jon Peppers, the Principal of Crossville Middle is Brian Pool, and the Principal of Crossville Elementary is Kristin Williams.

== References ==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category}}
*[http://www.crossvillealabama.com/ Town of Crossville official website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130103033924/http://www.crossvillealabama.com/ |date=January 3, 2013 }}
{{Coord|display=title|34.286752|-85.990814}}

{{DeKalb County, Alabama}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Towns in DeKalb County, Alabama]]
[[Category:Towns in Alabama]]