Monroeville, Alabama

Monroeville is the county seat of Monroe County, Alabama.[3] At the 2010 census its population was 6,519.[4]

Monroeville, Alabama
City
Historic buildings in Downtown Monroeville
Nickname(s): 
The Literary Capital of Alabama
Motto(s): 
"Moving the Past Forward"
Location of Monroeville in Monroe County, Alabama.
Coordinates: 31°31′5″N 87°19′39″W
CountryUnited States
StateAlabama
CountyMonroe
Area
 • Total13.36 sq mi (34.61 km2)
 • Land13.35 sq mi (34.59 km2)
 • Water0.01 sq mi (0.02 km2)
Elevation
413 ft (126 m)
Population
 (2010)
 • Total6,519
 • Estimate 
(2019)[2]
5,718
 • Density428.19/sq mi (165.32/km2)
Time zoneUTC-6 (Central (CST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP codes
36460–36462
Area codes251 Exchanges: 575,743
FIPS code01-50192
GNIS feature ID0152359
Websitewww.monroevilleal.gov

Monroeville is known as the hometown of two prominent writers of the post-World War II period, Truman Capote and Harper Lee, who were childhood friends in the 1930s. Lee's 1960 novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, earned her the Pulitzer Prize. The lasting fame of To Kill a Mockingbird became a tourist draw for the town. In 1997, the Alabama Legislature designated Monroeville and Monroe County as the "Literary Capital of Alabama."

History

The town was initially known as Walker's Mill and Store, named for Major Walker, the area's first white settler. In 1832, the county seat was relocated to Monroeville from Claiborne on the Alabama River. The settlement was briefly renamed "Centerville" due to its location in the center of the county, but then it was formally changed to Monroeville. The town was not formally incorporated until April 15, 1899.[5]

Geography

Monroeville is located at 31°31′5″N 87°19′39″W (31.518075, -87.327543).[6]

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 13.4 square miles (34.7 km2), of which 13.4 square miles (34.6 km2) is land and 0.0077 square miles (0.02 km2), or 0.05%, is water.[4]

Almost all of the urban area lies on Bama fine sandy loam. Less developed areas around town are mostly on Saffell gravelly sandy loam or Flomaton gravelly loamy sand.[7]

Demographics
Historical population
CensusPop.%±
1880122—
1900422—
191061646.0%
19201,01765.1%
19301,35533.2%
19401,72427.2%
19502,77260.8%
19603,63231.0%
19704,84633.4%
19805,67417.1%
19906,99323.2%
20006,862−1.9%
20106,519−5.0%
2019 (est.)5,718[2]−12.3%
U.S. Decennial Census[8]
2013 Estimate[9]

At the 2000 census there were 6,862 people, 2,687 households, and 1,870 families living in the city. The population density was 525.8 people per square mile (203.0/km2). There were 3,016 housing units at an average density of 231.1 per square mile (89.2/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 53.09% White, 44.84% Black or African American, 0.38% Native American, 0.58% Asian, 0.15% from other races, and 0.96% from two or more races. 0.90% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.[10] Of the 2,687 households 34.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.0% were married couples living together, 18.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.4% were non-families. 28.0% of households were one person and 11.7% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 3.04.

The age distribution was 27.7% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 24.6% from 25 to 44, 22.2% from 45 to 64, and 16.6% 65 or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 82.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 76.4 males.

The median household income was $28,229 and the median family income was $36,476. Males had a median income of $35,600 versus $20,184 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,070. About 20.4% of families and 23.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 29.0% of those under age 18 and 19.2% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census

At the 2010 census there were 6,519 people, 2,656 households, and 1,723 families living in the city. The population density was 488 people per square mile (188.4/km2). There were 3,056 housing units at an average density of 228.1 per square mile (88.3/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 55.7% White, 42.1% Black or African American, 0.3% Native American, 0.3% Asian, 0.3% from other races, and 1.2% from two or more races. 0.8% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.[11] Of the 2,656 households 28.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.8% were married couples living together, 21.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.1% were non-families. 30.5% of households were one person and 12.9% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.95.

The age distribution was 24.6% under the age of 18, 9.4% from 18 to 24, 21.8% from 25 to 44, 26.2% from 45 to 64, and 18.0% 65 or older. The median age was 40.2 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.5 males.

The median household income was $31,593 and the median family income was $49,548. Males had a median income of $41,324 versus $31,033 for females. The per capita income for the city was $20,553. About 23.3% of families and 27.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 37.3% of those under age 18 and 19.0% of those age 65 or over today.

Education

Monroeville is home to Coastal Alabama Community College, a state-supported, fully accredited, comprehensive two-year college serving southwest Alabama with its main campuses in Monroeville and Thomasville.

Arts and culture

Literary fame

Author Harper Lee was born and raised in Monroeville. Her 1961 novel To Kill a Mockingbird, which received the 1961 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction,[12] modeled the fictional town of Maycomb based on her hometown.[13] Truman Capote, a childhood neighbor and friend of Harper Lee, grew up in Monroeville. Capote acknowledged being the inspiration for the book's character, Dill.[14] Mark Childress, novelist, and Cynthia Tucker, syndicated columnist and winner of the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for Commentary, were also born in Monroeville.

Old Monroe County Courthouse, the model for the courthouse used in the movie

Annual cultural events

As of 2006, an estimated 30,000 tourists visited Monroeville annually due to its association with To Kill a Mockingbird. Each May, the Monroe County Heritage Museum stages an amateur play based on the book on the grounds of the courthouse. The interior of the courthouse was used as a reference for the film version of the book, and it is the venue for the later acts of the amateur production. The all-volunteer cast has been invited to perform in Washington, D.C., Kingston upon Hull, and Jerusalem.[15] In 1997, the Alabama Legislature designated Monroeville and Monroe County the "Literary Capital of Alabama."[16]

Television

In the television show Private Practice, created and produced by Shonda Rhimes, the fictional character Charlotte King was born in Monroeville.

Notable people

References
  1. "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 29, 2020.
  2. "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". United States Census Bureau. May 24, 2020. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  3. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
  4. "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Monroeville city, Alabama". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved February 1, 2013.
  5. "Monroeville - Encyclopedia of Alabama". Encyclopedia of Alabama. Retrieved 16 October 2017.
  6. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
  7. "SoilWeb: An Online Soil Survey Browser - California Soil Resource Lab". casoilresource.lawr.ucdavis.edu. Retrieved 16 October 2017.
  8. "U.S. Decennial Census". Census.gov. Retrieved June 6, 2013.
  9. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2013". Retrieved June 3, 2014.
  10. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  11. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2015-08-05.
  12. Shields, pp. 199–200.
  13. Theroux, Paul. "What's Changed, and What Hasn't, in the Town That Inspired To Kill a Mockingbird", Smithsonian (magazine), July 2015. Accessed May 7, 2017. "Lee's Maycomb, indelibly evoked in the novel that sells a million copies annually, endures in the small-town reality of Monroeville.... The town boasts that it has produced two celebrated writers, who grew up as neighbors and friends, Truman Capote and Harper Lee. Their homes no longer stand, but other landmarks persist, those of Maycomb, the fictional setting of To Kill A Mockingbird."
  14. "Truman Capote". Encyclopedia of World Biography. Advameg, Inc. 2003. Retrieved June 29, 2015.
  15. Cathy Newman "To Catch a Mockingbird", National Geographic, January 2006
  16. "discover literary heritage". Discover Monroeville. Retrieved 7 May 2017.

Bibliography
  • Shields, Charles. Mockingbird: A Portrait of Harper Lee. Henry Holt and Co.: 2006. ISBN 0-8050-7919-X

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