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Fort Payne is a city in DeKalb County, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 12,938. The city is the county seat of DeKalb County.
It is home to the band Alabama, and bills itself as the "Official Sock Capital of the World."
NASCAR drivers Tim Flock, Fonty Flock, Bob Flock, and Ethel Mobley were from the town.
A magnitude-4.9 earthquake occurred here in 2003.
History
The site of Fort Payne was originally the important Cherokee village of Willstown which for a time was the home of the famous Cherokee Sequoyah, who invented the Cherokee alphabet. During the Indian Removal of the mid 19th Century a fort was built in the town by forces commanded by Major John Payne and used as a stockade in which to place the Cherokee until they could be removed to Oklahoma.
Geography
Fort Payne is located at (34.453829, -85.706648).
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 144.9 km² (56.0 mi²). 144.7 km² (55.9 mi²) of it is land and 0.2 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (0.14%) is water.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 12,938 people, 5,046 households, and 3,506 families residing in the city. The population density was 89.4/km² (231.5/mi²). There were 5,585 housing units at an average density of 38.6/km² (100.0/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 83.22% White, 4.53% Black or African American, 0.80% Native American, 0.55% Asian, 0.16% Pacific Islander, 8.41% from other races, and 2.33% from two or more races. 12.17% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 5,046 households out of which 31.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.9% were married couples living together, 11.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.5% were non-families. 26.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 2.97.
In the city the population was spread out with 23.4% under the age of 18, 10.2% from 18 to 24, 29.3% from 25 to 44, 21.6% from 45 to 64, and 15.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 92.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $33,560, and the median income for a family was $40,200. Males had a median income of $29,731 versus $20,135 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,690. About 8.3% of families and 12.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.0% of those under age 18 and 17.6% of those age 65 or over.
External links
Cities in Alabama | DeKalb County, Alabama | Micropolitan areas of Alabama
"Fort Payne, Alabama"