Argo

This article is about the incorporated town in Jefferson & St Clair Counties. For the community in Walker County, see Argo (Walker County).

Town of Argo
Incorporated	1987
Population	4,071
Mayor	Betty Bradley
School district	St Clair County Schools
Government	Argo Town Council Argo Fire Department Argo Police Department
Web site	None
Locate with Google Maps

Argo is a town of 4,071 on 12.3 square miles directly northeast of Trussville on the Jefferson County/St. Clair County line. It adjoins Trussville to the south and Clay to the west and is traversed by I-59 and U. S. Highway 11. Argo's mayor is Betty Bradley.

The Argo post office was established at the settlement in 1869. The name was said to be that of a local family, though no records confirm it. The community, originally entirely within St Clair County, was incorporated into a town in 1987. Since then it has annexed numerous parcels and expanded into Jefferson County.

Argo remains primarily a residential community. It has experienced dramatic population growth in the late 20th century, more than quadrupling its population over the past twenty years. Argo has small commercial district along Highway 11, just to the east of Exit 148 off I-59.

In early 2007 a citizen-led petition drive sought to dissolve the town and seek annexation into neighboring Springville. The petition was certified by St Clair County Probate Court Judge Wallace Wyatt, Jr, calling for a town-wide vote. Argo's government appealed the certification to the Alabama Supreme Court, which did not rule on the appeal. Meanwhile, concerns about the town's debts led the Springville City Council to rescind its "willingness ordinance" to accept the merger.

In 1991 Argo built an Town Hall within the city limits in Jefferson County. In 2007, the town built a new 32,000 square-foot municipal building to house the council, municipal court, police and fire department. The new building is located adjacent to Argo City Park on Blackjack Road in St Clair County, where most of the town's growth has occurred.

Government

As of November 2, 2020 the five-member Argo Town Council consisted of Ann Brown, Dennis Griffin, Michael Hicks, Danny McCarley, and Dusty Stinson. The Council meets on the second and fourth Mondays of each month in Argo Town Hall.

The town operates its own police and fire departments.

The city adopted its first zoning code on May 5, 2008. The ordinance codifies a "future use" map drawn up by the city's Planning and Zoning Board with assistance from the Regional Planning Commission of Greater Birmingham.

Demographics

Historical population
1990	930	—
2000	1,780	91.4%
2010	4,071	128.7%

As of the census of 2010, there were 4,071 people, 1,393 households, and 1,155 families residing in Argo. The racial makeup of the city was 94.1% white and 3.6% african american.

There were 1,393 households out of which 54.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 84.8% were married couples living together, 10.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 4.9% were non-families. 14.0% of all households were made up of individuals.

In 2000, the city the population was spread out with 28% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 33.8% from 25 to 44, 23.1% from 45 to 64, and 8.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35.5 years.

The median income for a household in the city was $41,167, and the median income for a family was $53,088. Males had a median income of $33,875 versus $28,625 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,266. About 7.5% of families and 8.6% of the population were below the poverty line.

References

• Hickerson, Patrick (June 5, 2007) "New City Hall set for construction." The Birmingham News
• Hickerson, Patrick (September 14, 2007) "Springville yanks offer to adopt Argo." The Birmingham News
• Hickerson, Patrick (May 5, 2008) "Argo adopts its first zoning law." The Birmingham News
• Harris, Erik (October 27, 2020) "Argo looks to improve traffic backup at I-59 exits." Trussville Tribune