Tarrant

City of Tarrant
Incorporated	1918
Population	6,257
Mayor	Wayman Newton
School district	Tarrant City Schools
Government	Tarrant City Council Tarrant Fire Department Tarrant Police Department
Web site	cityoftarrant.com
Locate with Google Maps

Tarrant (incorporated in 1918 as Tarrant City) is a city of 6,257 on 6.39 square miles immediately to the north of Birmingham in Jefferson County. The community developed around a National Cast Iron Pipe Company facility and was named in honor of the company's president, Felix Tarrant, who, along with George Tarrant and Cooper Green, operated the Tarrant Land Co. to market land sales in the area. Its post office (35217) was established in 1819.

Tarrant annexed the neighboring town of Boyles in 1927.

The word "city" was dropped from the municipality's formal name following a 1984 referendum.

Tarrant's city limits extend north up Opossum Valley, enclosing most of the Robinwood community along Pinson Valley Parkway.

Government

The Mayor of Tarrant is Wayman Newton. The Tarrant City Council is made up of representatives from five districts and meets at the Tarrant Municipal Complex at 1604 Pinson Valley Parkway.

In 1924 Mayor George Thomason's administration was supported by aldermen C. F. Walters, J. E. Page, J. K. Johnson, T. J. Higginbotham and W. C. Broadaway.

In 2023 the City Council voted to create the position of City Manager and appointed John C. Brown for that position. Newton filed a suit alleging that the Council lacked that authority under the Manager-Council Act of 1982, which stipulates that a change in the form of government requires a city-wide referendum. In January 2024 Judge Pat Ballard ruled that the ordinance creating a City Manager position was invalid because the Council did not have the authority to change the city's form of government.

The position of City Clerk remains vacant. Since April 2023 Newton has placed police chief Wendell Major on administrative leave three times only to have the council re-instate him.

Demographics

As of the census of 2010, there were 6,397 people residing in the city's 2,804 housing units, for an average household of 2.28 persons. The population density was 1,001.3/mi², with housing units at an average density of 438.9/mi². The racial makeup of the city was 52.3% African American and 39.0% White. 9.04% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

In 2000, there were 2,896 households, of which 28.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.5% were married couples living together, 17.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.6% were non-families. 29.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 3.01.

In the city the population was spread out with 24.3% under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 28.1% from 25 to 44, 21.9% from 45 to 64, and 17.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 88.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $29,380, and the median income for a family was $32,392. Males had a median income of $30,015 versus $22,215 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,149. About 14.9% of families and 16.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.8% of those under age 18 and 11.1% of those age 65 or over.

The Jefferson County Board of Equalization evaluated 2,315 homes in Tarrant and determined that their average market value for 2007 was $67,610, a 4.2% increase since 2006.

References

• "Tarrant, Alabama" (April 29, 2007) Wikipedia - accessed April 30, 2007
• Foscue, Virginia O. (1989) Place Names in Alabama. Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press. ISBN 081730410X
• Songer, Ray (2014) Our Hometown: Tarrant, AL USA. self-published/Lulu Press ISBN 9781312579095
• Boryga, Andrew (June 27, 2021) "The Ugly War Between a White Police Chief and a Black Mayor in the Deep South" The Daily Beast
• Bryant, Joseph D. (June 6, 2023) "Mayor sues after Tarrant City Council votes to hire city manager." AL.com
• Bryant, Joseph D. (June 12, 2023) "Tarrant’s new city manager reports to work as mayor challenges the hire in court." AL.com
• Bryant, Joseph D. (August 24, 2023) "Who’s in charge of Tarrant? City spends thousands to find out in court." AL.com
• Bryant, Joseph D. (October 11, 2023) "Judge sets trial set to determine who’s in charge of Tarrant." AL.com
• Robinson, Carol (May 2, 2023) "Tarrant reinstates suspended police chief: Mayor says council members ‘do not like me .. It’s mutual’." AL.com
• Robinson, Carol (November 13, 2023) "Tarrant mayor again suspends police chief after I-59 shootout, toddler’s fatal overdose." AL.com
• Bryant, Joseph D. & Carol Robinson (November 17, 2023) "Discord rages in Jefferson County city with suspended police chief and ongoing lawsuits among leaders." AL.com
• Bryant, Joseph D. (January 10, 2024) "Council can’t hire someone else to do mayor’s job in Alabama town, judge rules." AL.com
• Bryant, Joseph D. (February 6, 2024) "Alabama town spars over police chief’s suspension: ‘We’re the laughingstock’." AL.com

External links

• Tarrant website