U.S. Census: State’s Smaller Towns, Cities Gaining Population

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Could it be that Alabamians are returning to their roots, preferring the more leisurely pace of small towns to the hustle and bustle of the cities? That appears to be the case, based on population estimates released July 1 by the U.S. Census Bureau for all cities and town in Alabama through the year 2008.

“These estimates are for the year 2008 and do not take into consideration the fluctuations in the economy we have all experienced in the last year,” said Annette Watters, manager of the State Data Center at The University of Alabama.

“Economic conditions greatly affect where people choose to live.  Many people relocate for job reasons.  These estimates represent what was happening several months ago.”

Vance, for example, the site of the Mercedes Benz automobile manufacturing plant, jumped from 500 to 945. Moundville, just down the road from Tuscaloosa, is estimated to have gained 788 residents, and Tuscaloosa itself is estimated to have gained more than 12,000.

Of Alabama’s four largest cities, Birmingham and Mobile showed population losses. Montgomery increased modestly, and, to no one’s surprise, Huntsville’s population continued upward, gaining nearly 18,500 residents.

“And, we should not dwell on the low estimate for Mobile,” Watters said, “because the city has recently annexed some land that is not reflected in these numbers.”

However, while some of the larger cities in Alabama are not attracting new residents, many of the smaller cities and the larger small towns are beginning to draw more people.  Even some of Alabama’s very small towns are not as small as they used to be.

In the group of 16 cities with 25,000 to 99,999 residents, only Gadsden, Bessemer and Pritchard showed declines.

Some of the smaller places that are growing are economically tied to a large town, such as Hoover to Birmingham, Moundville to Tuscaloosa and Millbrook to Montgomery.

Other towns that are perking up are the dominant small towns in some of the sparsely populated regions of the state, such as Cullman, Enterprise and Albertville.

Over the decade, Watters said, the entire state has grown 4.8 percent, but the growth isn’t spread evenly.

“The new population estimates indicate that some places in the state have more magnetism than others,” Watters said.

Taken as a group, cities with 25,000-99,999 people have grown 13.8 percent, and cities between 10,000 and 25,000 have grown 15.7 percent.  Even really small towns with populations between 2,500 and 5,000 have been embracing new residents. Robertsdale, Priceville, Chelsea and Union Springs are good examples.

And most of the cities along state highway 59 in South Alabama – Foley, Gulf Shores, Orange Beach – as well as Fairhope and Daphne, show robust growth.

“Every town has its own story,” Watters said. “The past is not always a predictor of the future.  Growth can bring entirely new sets of problems, and not every town aspires to be Huntsville.  These population estimates are telling interesting stories in numbers instead of in words.”