Montevallo, Alabama

Montevallo, Alabama
—  City  —
Location of Montevallo, Alabama
Coordinates: 33°6′18″N 86°51′46″W / 33.105°N 86.86278°W / 33.105; -86.86278
Country	United States
State	Alabama
County	Shelby
Settled	1815
Incorporated	1848
Area
- Total	7.6 sq mi (19.7 km2)
- Land	7.6 sq mi (19.6 km2)
- Water	0 sq mi (0.1 km2)
Elevation	410 ft (125 m)
Population (2000)
- Total	4,825
Time zone	Central (CST) (UTC-6)
- Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP code	35115
Area code(s)	205
FIPS code	01-50312
GNIS feature ID	0158873
Website	http://www.cityofmontevallo.com/

Montevallo is a city in Shelby County, Alabama, United States. A college town, it is the home of the University of Montevallo, a public liberal arts university with around 3000 students. As of the 2000 census, the population of the city of Montevallo is 4,825.

Geography

Montevallo is located at 33°6′18″N 86°51′46″W / 33.105°N 86.86278°W / 33.105; -86.86278 (33.104927, -86.862817)^[1]. A plaque on Reynolds Cemetery Road, just off highway 25, in the eastern corner of the town, marks the geographic center of the state of Alabama. Middle Street, formerly known as Main Street, had its name changed in 1899 for this reason, upon the completion of a new state survey.^[2]

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 7.7 square miles (20 km²), of which, 7.6 square miles (20 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km²) of it (0.66%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census^[3] of 2000, there were 4,825 people, 1,711 households, and 946 families residing in the city. The population density was 638.5 people per square mile (246.4/km²). There were 1,897 housing units at an average density of 251.0 per square mile (96.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 72.54% White, 25.89% Black or African American, 0.39% Native American, 0.39% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.15% from other races, and 0.58% from two or more races. 1.58% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 1,711 households out of which 25.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.4% were married couples living together, 15.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 44.7% were non-families. 30.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.96.

In the city the population was spread out with 18.3% under the age of 18, 36.0% from 18 to 24, 21.8% from 25 to 44, 14.1% from 45 to 64, and 9.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 23 years. For every 100 females there were 78.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 72.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $30,541, and the median income for a family was $40,164. Males had a median income of $36,222 versus $23,705 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,468. About 14.5% of families and 24.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.6% of those under age 18 and 21.5% of those age 65 or over.

Parnell Memorial Library

The Montevallo Public Library was founded in March 1958 under the leadership of the City of Montevallo and the Montevallo Branch of the American Association of University Women. The President of the Montevallo Branch of AAUW at that time was Dr. Lucille Griffith, who was also serving as Chair of the Montevallo Library Board. The library began modestly as a collection of several hundred books in a small room at City Hall. The first librarian was Lillian Ward.

In 1974 the public library was moved to the Depot-in-the-Park, where Mayme Yarbrough was the librarian. It remained there until a 1978 fire destroyed the building and all its contents. The library was relocated to the City Hall Annex until 1984. At that time, the library was moved to the renovated telephone company switching building that had been donated by Dr. and Mrs. L.C. "Foots" Parnell, Jr., to the City for a public library. The renovation of the building was made possible through the efforts of many people in this community and beyond. From March 1984 until December 2006, that facility served as Montevallo's public library.

In response to the offer from Dr. L. C. Parnell, Jr., to house his Civil War collection in the existing library at 845 Valley Street if an expansion of the library were undertaken, Parnell Memorial Library Foundation was incorporated on March 23, 1998. The mission of the Foundation is to promote funding for expansion of the facilities, services, and programs of Parnell Memorial Library. Emily Pendleton spearheaded the efforts leading to incorporation and to the Foundation's receiving 501(c)3 nonprofit status with the IRS. She was the first President of the Foundation, serving from 1998 until 2001, when Elizabeth Rodgers was elected President.

As community needs grew, and particularly as community arts programming expanded, it was apparent that Montevallo needed a facility that was more than a traditional library. One of the primary agents of community arts programming is the Montevallo Main Street Players. The community theater group began more than thirty years ago and has performed in various city locations, including the Depot-in-the-Park and the City recreational building. For years, members of the Montevallo Main Street Players have needed a theater, complete with an up-to-date lighting and sound system, that they can use consistently for producing plays and storing props.

In June 2001, representatives from the Foundation, the Montevallo Library Board, the Library Staff, the Montevallo Main Street Players, and the City of Montevallo agreed that the community needed a new library in a new location to meet diverse community needs and to house the Parnell Collection of historical books and documents. The group requested that the City locate property suitable for building a new library that would also serve as a community cultural center. In August 2001, Mayor Grady Parker announced that the new facility would be located adjacent to Orr Park where it was subsequently built. Groundbreaking took place on November 1, 2004, and the Grand Opening was held February 25, 2007.

The new library includes an art gallery and a quality theater used by the Montevallo Main Street Players, the public schools, and other area groups. Along with the large meeting room, the theatre is a much-needed venue for productions by touring theatre companies and musical groups as well as for City of Montevallo meetings and other civic gatherings.

Notable residents

• Steve Cottle, creator of the I Love Comix Archive, a database of vintage comic strips

Orr Park

Orr Park, located in Montevallo along Shoal Creek offers residents and visitors a natural recreational environment. Orr Park features a walking and bicycle trail, picnic tables (some of which are covered), restrooms, and a playground.

Orr Park features many carvings by local artist Tim Tingle. Dragons, old men, and other enchanting creatures are carved into the trees around the walking trail.

Sister city

Montevallo shares sister city status with the village of Echizen in Fukui Prefecture in Japan. The friendly relationship between Echizen and Montevallo began 13 years ago with a common interest in pottery. Echizen is well-known for its unusual pottery and the University of Montevallo excels in teaching and creating the art.

References

1. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2011-04-23. 
2. ^ http://www.archives.state.al.us/
3. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 

External links

• City of Montevallo: Official City Website
• University of Montevallo: Alabama's Public Liberal Arts University
• Parnell Memorial Library Foundation:Parnell Memorial Library Foundation
• DataFax: Location of Construction DataFax, Inc.

Coordinates: 33°06′18″N 86°51′46″W / 33.104927°N 86.862817°W / 33.104927; -86.862817