Editing Elba, Alabama

{{Short description|City in and county seat of Coffee County, Alabama}}
{{Use American English|date=September 2024}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
| official_name            = Elba
| settlement_type          = [[City]]
| image_skyline            = Coffee County Courthouse.jpg
| imagesize                = 
| image_caption            = Coffee County Courthouse in Elba
| image_seal               = 
| image_blank_emblem       = Logo of Elba, Alabama.png
| blank_emblem_type        = Logo
| nickname                 = The City of Flowing Wells
| image_map                = File:Coffee County Alabama Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Elba Highlighted 0123296.svg
| mapsize                  = 250px
| map_caption              = Location of Elba in Coffee 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        = [[Coffee County, Alabama|Coffee]]
| government_type          = City Council/Mayor
<!-- established --------------->
| established_title        = <!-- Settled -->
| established_title1       = Settled
| established_date1        = Early 1830s
| established_title2       = Incorporated
| established_date2        = April 13, 1853
| established_title3       = 
| established_date3        = 
| extinct_title            = 
| extinct_date             = 
| founder                  = 
| named_for                = 
| leader_title             = Mayor
| leader_name              = Tom Maddox
| established_date         = 
| area_magnitude           = 
| area_total_km2           = 39.93
| area_total_sq_mi         = 15.42
| area_land_km2            = 39.73
| area_land_sq_mi          = 15.34
| area_water_km2           = 0.21
| area_water_sq_mi         = 0.08
| elevation_ft             = 194
| elevation_m              = 59
| population_as_of         = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
| population_footnotes     = 
| population_total         = 3508
| population_metro         = 
| population_density_km2   = 88.31
| population_density_sq_mi = 228.71
| timezone                 = [[Central Time Zone (North America)|Central (CST)]]
| utc_offset               = -6
| coordinates              = {{coord|31|25|2|N|86|4|38|W|region:US-AL|display=inline}}
| timezone_DST             = CDT
| utc_offset_DST           = -5
| postal_code_type         = [[ZIP code]]
| postal_code              = 36323
| area_code                = [[Area code 334|334]]
| blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
| blank_info               = 01-23296
| blank1_name              = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
| blank1_info              = 0117908
| footnotes                = 
| website                  = {{URL|www.elbaal.gov}}
| 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>
| image_flag               = Flag of Elba, Alabama.svg
}}

'''Elba''' is a city in and the [[county seat]] of [[Coffee County, Alabama|Coffee County]], [[Alabama]], United States. It is the official seat, although there are two [[county courthouse]]s, with the other one being located in the city of [[Enterprise, Alabama|Enterprise]].<!--Unnecessary detail: Such arrangements are not unusual in the United States, with [[Jefferson County, Alabama]], also having two, and the tall, narrow, [[Brevard County, Florida]], having four, with ones in [[Cocoa, Florida|Cocoa]], [[Titusville, Florida|Titusville]], [[Melbourne, Florida|Melbourne]], and [[Rockledge, Florida|Rockledge]]. [[Jackson County, Missouri]] has two county seats, [[Kansas City, Missouri|Kansas City]] and [[Liberty, Missouri|Liberty]], the official county seat.--> At the time of the [[2020 United States census|2020 US Census]], Elba's population was 3,508.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Explore Census Data |url=https://data.census.gov/profile/Elba_city,_Alabama?g=160XX00US0123296 |access-date=2024-10-17 |website=data.census.gov}}</ref> Elba is part of the [[Coffee County, Alabama|Enterprise micropolitan statistical area]].

==History==
The town which eventually became Elba originated near a ferry across the [[Pea River]] in the early 1830s. Originally called Bridgeville, a [[United States Postal Service|U.S. post office]] was established in the town by 1841. In 1851, a lottery to determine a new name for the town was held. One citizen had been reading a biography of [[Napoleon Bonaparte]], and his suggestion of "[[Elba]]" as its name was the winner when it was drawn from a hat before any of the other suggestions. Elba became the county seat of Coffee County in 1852.<ref name=alabama>{{Cite encyclopedia
 | last = Sanford
 | first = William
 | title = Elba
 | encyclopedia = Encyclopedia of Alabama
 | date = September 23, 2009
| url = http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/face/Article.jsp?id=h-2414
 | access-date = January 21, 2010}}</ref>

A logging [[railroad]] first reached Elba on March 20, 1892, with the first permanent rail line arriving in October 1898. The "Dorsey Trailer Company" was constructed at the end of this railroad line, and this company manufactured the highway trailers that served on railroads and highways starting with the [[intermodal freight transport|piggyback railroad]] or [[containerization|containerized cargo]] boom of the second half of the 20th century. The new railroad line ended in West Elba, where the "New Town" industrial section of the town was located. The [[Seaboard System Railroad]] ceased all railroad service to Elba, including freight service, on November 27, 1984.<ref name=elbawebsite>{{Cite web
 |title       = History of Elba
 |work        = City of Elba website
 |url         = http://www.elbaalabama.net/miscellaneous/history-of-elba
 |access-date  = January 21, 2010
|url-status     = dead
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20090930102033/http://www.elbaalabama.net/miscellaneous/history-of-elba
 |archive-date = September 30, 2009
}}</ref>

The Pea River is an essential component of the history of Elba. The river was originally called the Talakatchee River by the [[Creek Indians]]. (In the [[Creek language]], ''talak'' means "pea", and ''hatchee'' means "small river".) The Pea River frequently flooded, causing great damage to the town. The Lincoln flood of 1865, named for the assassination of [[Abraham Lincoln]] in the same year, was the first to destroy the town. Another devastating flood occurred in 1929 when the river crested at a depth of {{convert|43.5|ft}} early on March 15. Airplanes were used to drop supplies to the completely inundated town. There was only one death from the flood, an [[African-American]] man named "Phoe" Larkins. A child born at the Elba Hotel during this flood was named "Noah Tucker" after the [[Noah|biblical character Noah]]. Vivian Harper received the Theodore N. Vail Silver Medal for her heroic actions during the flood.<ref name=elbawebsite/>

A [[levee]] was built around the town in 1930. Flood gates were erected and drainage systems were improved. Floods continued, however, with especially severe inundations in 1938, 1959 and 1975. The worst flood ever recorded in Elba occurred in 1990, with a river crest of {{convert|48|ft}}. The levee broke and Whitewater Creek overflowed into the town. Elba was completely flooded for four days, and the town was nearly destroyed. More floods struck Elba in 1994 and 1998.<ref name=elbawebsite/>

==Geography==
Elba is located in western Coffee County at {{coord|31|25|2|N|86|4|39|W|type:city}} (31.417263, -86.077442).<ref name="GR1">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=April 23, 2011|date=February 12, 2011|title=US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990}}</ref>

[[U.S. Route 84 in Alabama|U.S. Route 84]] runs west to east as a northern bypass of the city, leading east {{convert|9|mi|km|abbr=on}} to [[New Brockton, Alabama|New Brockton]] and southwest {{convert|16|mi|km|abbr=on}} to [[Opp, Alabama|Opp]]. Many state highways run through the city, namely Alabama State Routes [[Alabama State Route 87|87]], [[Alabama State Route 125|125]], [[Alabama State Route 189|189]], and [[Alabama State Route 203|203]]. AL-203 forms the western bypass of the city. AL-87 runs from south to north through the center of the city, leading north {{convert|30|mi|km|abbr=on}} to [[Troy, Alabama|Troy]] and south {{convert|24|mi|km|abbr=on}} to [[Samson, Alabama|Samson]]. AL-189 runs to the west of the city from south to north, leading northwest {{convert|16|mi|km|abbr=on}} to [[U.S. Route 331]] near [[Brantley, Alabama|Brantley]] and southwest {{convert|17|mi|km|abbr=on}} to [[Kinston, Alabama|Kinston]]. AL-125 runs northeast from the city {{convert|13|mi|km|abbr=on}} to the community of [[Victoria, Alabama|Victoria]].

According to the [[U.S. Census Bureau]], the city has a total area of {{convert|39.9|sqkm|order=flip}}, of which {{convert|39.7|sqkm|order=flip}} is land and {{convert|0.2|sqkm|order=flip}}, or 0.52%, is water.<ref name=2000censusarea>{{Cite web
 | title = Geographic Comparison Table- Alabama
 | work = American Fast Facts
 | publisher = United States Census Bureau
 | url = http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/GCTTable?_bm=y&-geo_id=04000US01&-_box_head_nbr=GCT-PH1&-ds_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U&-format=ST-7
 | archive-url = https://archive.today/20200212042737/http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/GCTTable?_bm=y&-geo_id=04000US01&-_box_head_nbr=GCT-PH1&-ds_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U&-format=ST-7
 | archive-date = February 12, 2020
 | url-status = dead
  }}</ref>

Elba is located beside the banks of the Pea River.

===Climate===
The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the [[Köppen Climate Classification]] system, Elba has a [[humid subtropical climate]], abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.<ref>[http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather-summary.php3?s=775210&cityname=Elba%2C+Alabama%2C+United+States+of+America&units= Climate Summary for Elba, Alabama]</ref>

{{Weather box
|location = Elba, 1991–2020 simulated normals (190 ft elevation)
|collapsed = 
|single line = y
|precipitation colour  =green
|Jan precipitation mm  =135.80
|Feb precipitation mm  =124.68
|Mar precipitation mm  =132.88
|Apr precipitation mm  =122.78
|May precipitation mm  =96.16
|Jun precipitation mm  =140.89
|Jul precipitation mm  =167.10
|Aug precipitation mm  =139.57
|Sep precipitation mm  =166.77
|Oct precipitation mm  =88.24
|Nov precipitation mm  =102.61
|Dec precipitation mm  =132.43
|Jan high C = 15.9
|Feb high C = 18.1
|Mar high C = 22.1
|Apr high C = 25.8
|May high C = 29.8
|Jun high C = 32.4
|Jul high C = 33.3
|Aug high C = 33.0
|Sep high C = 31.1
|Oct high C = 26.7
|Nov high C = 21.2
|Dec high C = 17.2
|Jan mean C  =9.3
|Feb mean C  =11.2
|Mar mean C  =15.0
|Apr mean C  =18.7
|May mean C  =23.0
|Jun mean C  =26.4
|Jul mean C  =27.7
|Aug mean C  =27.4
|Sep mean C  =24.1
|Oct mean C  =19.6
|Nov mean C  =13.9
|Dec mean C  =10.7
|Jan low C = 2.6
|Feb low C = 4.4
|Mar low C = 8.0
|Apr low C = 11.6
|May low C = 16.1
|Jun low C = 20.5
|Jul low C = 22.1
|Aug low C = 21.8
|Sep low C = 19.1
|Oct low C = 12.6
|Nov low C = 6.6
|Dec low C = 4.2
|Jan dew point C =4.0
|Feb dew point C =5.6
|Mar dew point C =8.3
|Apr dew point C =12.0
|May dew point C =16.3
|Jun dew point C =20.3
|Jul dew point C =22.1
|Aug dew point C =22.0
|Sep dew point C =19.5
|Oct dew point C =13.6
|Nov dew point C =8.4
|Dec dew point C =5.9
|source 1 = PRISM Climate Group<ref>{{cite web
 | url=https://prism.oregonstate.edu/explorer/
 | title=PRISM Climate Group at Oregon State University
 | publisher=Northwest Alliance for Computational Science & Engineering (NACSE), based at Oregon State University
 | access-date=March 14, 2023}}</ref>
 | date=March 14, 2023}}

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1880= 222
|1890= 285
|1900= 635
|1910= 1079
|1920= 1681
|1930= 2523
|1940= 2363
|1950= 2936
|1960= 4321
|1970= 4634
|1980= 4355
|1990= 4011
|2000= 4185
|2010= 3940
|2020= 3508
|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|access-date=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|access-date=June 3, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140531124000/https://www.census.gov/popest/data/cities/totals/2013/SUB-EST2013-3.html|archive-date=May 31, 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref>
}}

===2020 census===
{| class="wikitable"
|+Elba racial composition<ref>{{Cite web|title=Explore Census Data|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?g=1600000US0123296&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2|access-date=December 17, 2021|website=data.census.gov}}</ref>
!Race
!Num.
!Perc.
|-
|[[White (U.S. Census)|White]] (non-Hispanic)
|1,994
|56.84%
|-
|[[African American (U.S. Census)|Black or African American]] (non-Hispanic)
|1,270
|36.2%
|-
|[[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]]
|23
|0.66%
|-
|[[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]]
|2
|0.06%
|-
|[[Race (United States Census)|Other/Mixed]]
|145
|4.13%
|-
|[[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]]
|74
|2.11%
|}
As of the [[2020 United States census]], there were 3,508 people, 1,427 households, and 917 families residing in the city.

===2010 census===
As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=July 18, 2015 |title=U.S. Census website }}</ref> of 2010, there were 3,940 people, 1,547 households, and 991 families residing in the city. The [[population density]] was {{convert|257|PD/sqmi}}. There were 1,772 housing units at an average density of {{convert|115|/mi2|/km2|disp=preunit|units&nbsp;|units|}}. The racial makeup of the city was 62.1% [[Race (United States Census)|White]], 34.3% [[Race (United States Census)|Black]] or [[Race (United States Census)|African American]], 1.2% [[Race (United States Census)|Native American]], 0.3% [[Race (United States Census)|Asian]], 0.2% [[Race (United States Census)|Pacific Islander]], 0.8% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 1.2% from two or more races. 1.1% of the population were [[Race (United States Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Race (United States Census)|Latino]] of any race.

There were 1,547 households, out of which 25.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.9% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 19.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.9% were non-families. 32.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.97.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 22.0% under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 24.9% from 25 to 44, 25.4% from 45 to 64, and 19.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40.9 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 110.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $28,975, and the median income for a family was $32,065. Males had a median income of $31,652 versus $21,786 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the city was $14,878. About 27.6% of families and 27.1% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 40.4% of those under age 18 and 17.8% of those age 65 or over.

==Education==
Public education is provided by the Elba City Public School District. There are two schools in the city:
:Elba High School (grades 7 through 12)
:Elba Elementary School (grades K through 6)

==Media==
*Radio stations
:[[WZTZ]] 101.1 FM ([[Sports radio|Sports]])

==Notable people==
*[[Robert D. Bullard]], "Father of Environmental Justice"; Dean, School of Public Affairs, [[Texas Southern University]]
*[[Alpheus Ellis]], Florida Banker and Philanthropist<ref>{{cite web |title=Banker Alpheus Lee Ellis, One of Forbes' 400 Richest, Dies at 89 |url=https://apnews.com/article/7e6513646e47c96e139edc32cfd601bc |website=AP NEWS |publisher=Associated Press |access-date=July 17, 2021 |language=en}}</ref>
*[[Jim Folsom|James E. "Big Jim" Folsom]], only Coffee County native to become [[governor of Alabama]]
*[[Troy King]], Alabama [[State Attorney General|Attorney General]] from 2004 to 2011
*[[Ronald McKinnon (American football)|Ronald McKinnon]], [[National Football League]] player
*[[Cornelia Wallace|Cornelia Ellis Wallace]], the second wife of Governor [[George C. Wallace, Jr.]], and the [[First Lady]] of Alabama from 1971 to 1978

== References ==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://www.elbaal.gov City of Elba official website]
*[http://www.elbaed.com/ Elba City Schools]
{{Coord|display=title|31.417263|-86.077442}}

{{Coffee County, Alabama}}
{{Alabama county seats}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Cities in Alabama]]
[[Category:Populated places established in the 1830s]]
[[Category:Cities in Coffee County, Alabama]]
[[Category:County seats in Alabama]]
[[Category:Enterprise–Ozark micropolitan area]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1853]]
[[Category:1853 establishments in Alabama]]