Cullman

City of Cullman
Incorporated	1878
Population	15,295
Mayor	Max Townson
School district	Cullman City Schools
Government	Cullman City Council Cullman Fire Department Cullman Police Department
Web site	cullmancity.org
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Cullman (founded in 1873, incorporated in 1878) is a city of 15,295 and the seat of Cullman County. It is located on Brindley Mountain, accessed via I-65 about halfway between Birmingham and Huntsville. Cullman covers an area of 19.1 square miles, 95% dry land. Lake Catoma, within the city limits, provides the municipality's water supply.

The Mayor of Cullman, Max Townson, and the five-member Cullman City Council work from Cullman City Hall at 204 2nd Avenue Northeast. The city operates a municipal airport, Folsom Field, as well as the Cullman Fire Department, Cullman Police Department, Cullman Parks & Recreation Department, the Cullman Power Board, the Cullman Water Treatment Plant, Cullman Waste Water Treatment Plant, and the Cullman Municipal Court.

History

The present city lies along what was once the Black Warrior's Path, a trail connected the present site of Florence on the Tennessee River to the Black Warrior River south of Cullman. Davy Crockett, then fighting for Andrew Jackson in the Creek Indian War, joined a contingent of troops which followed the trail.

On April 30, 1863, Day's Gap near the present location of Cullman was the site of a small battle between Confederate forces commanded by Nathan Bedford Forrest and Union troops commanded by Colonel Abel Streight. The US forces won the battle, but eventually surrendered to Forrest near the present site of Gaylesville in Cherokee County.

Ten years later, German-born John Cullmann who had fled his native country after the Revolutions of 1848, arrived in the area. He purchased 349 acres from the Louisville and Nashville Railroad and established a colony for five families of his fellow immigrants. A former military engineer, Cullmann laid out the town plan according to his training and advertised the colony to other Germans. He published a German-language newspaper and was widely respected as the town's leader until his death in 1895.

Cullman residents downplayed their German heritage during World War I and World War II, but since the 1970s the city has promoted its cultural history with an annual Oktoberfest at its Festhalle Market Platz (sans beer, as the county is dry). The town has a sister city relationship with Frankweiler, Germany.

Long known as a "sundown town" that did not welcome African-Americans, Cullman voters elected James Fields, a minister and unemployment office worker from The Colony, one of the county's few black enclaves, to the Alabama House of Representatives, representing the majority-white District 12.

Education

Cullman City Schools operates five schools: Cullman Primary School (Pre-K - 1st), Cullman East Elementary School (2-6), Cullman West Elementary School (2-6), John G. Cullman Middle School (7-8) and Cullman High School (9-12).

The Benedictine Society of Alabama, which had operated a preparatory school in Cullman since 1893, established Saint Bernard College in 1929. After expanding to a four-year curriculum in the mid-1950s it was accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and merged with Cullman College to form Southern Benedictine College. The college closed in 1979, but was reopened as the St Bernard Preparatory School (9-12) in 1984. A St Bernard Middle School (7-8) and Sacred Heart Elementary School (Pre-K - 6) are also located in the city, as well as St Paul's Lutheran School (Pre-K-6)

Media

Cullman has a daily newspaper, The Cullman Times, and is served by four radio stations, WFMH (AM 1340), WMCJ (AM 1460), WKUL (FM 92.1), and WYDE (FM 101.1).

Attractions and notable institutions

Just south of Cullman is the St Bernard Abbey and its famed Ave Maria Grotto, an art installation begun in the monastery's former quarry by Brother Joseph Zoettl in 1912 and continuously expanded. The Cullman County Museum is housed in a replica of Cullmann's house erected in 1973 across the street from City Hall. The restored Cullman Depot, located in Depot Park on the CSX Railroad siding now houses the United Way of Cullman County. Other historical attractions include the Weiss Cottage and the Hubert Richter Memorial Chapel.

The City parks department operates a massive Cullman Wellness & Aquatic Center with an outdoor water park, indoor and outdoor competition and leisure pools and fitness center in Freeman Park. Other parks include the Cullman City Archery Park, Cullman Golf Course, Heritage Park, Hurricane Creek Park, Ingle Park, Cullman Municipal Tennis Courts, Nesmith Pool and several small passive parks.

The Cullman Regional Medical Center, an independently-operated 115-bed hospital, is located on Alabama State Highway 157 in the city.

Demographics

year     pop.     %change

1880 |    426 |    -     
1890 |  1,017 | +138.7%  
1900 |  1,255 | + 23.4%  
1910 |  2,130 | + 69.7%  
1920 |  2,467 | + 15.8%  
1930 |  2,786 | + 13.3%  
1940 |  5,074 | + 82.1%  
1950 |  7,523 | + 48.3%  
1960 | 10,853 | + 44.3%  
1970 | 12,601 | + 16.1%  
1980 | 13,084 | +  9.5%  
1990 | 13,367 | +  2.1%  
2000 | 13,995 | +  4.7%   
2008 | 15,295 | +  9.3%   

As of the 2000 census, there were 13,995 people, 6,059 households, and 3,762 families residing in the city.

The population density was 765 people per square mile. There were 6,679 housing units at an average density of 365.1 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 96% White, with 5% of the population Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 6,059 households, out of which 26.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.3% were married couples living together, 10.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.9% were non-families. 35.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 2.85.

In the city the population was spread out with 21.8% under the age of 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 25.3% from 25 to 44, 22.6% from 45 to 64, and 22.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 87.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.4 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $29,164, and the median income for a family was $41,313. Males had a median income of $32,863 versus $21,647 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,484. About 9.4% of families and 13.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.3% of those under age 18 and 18.5% of those age 65 or over.

Notable persons from Cullman

• JoJo Billingsley, singer/songwriter
• Wesley Britt, football player
• Jim Folsom, Governor of Alabama 1947-1951 and 1955-1959
• Jim Folsom, Jr, Governor of Alabama 1993-95, former and current Lieutenant Governor of Alabama
• Roger Hallmark, country musician
• Kurt Heinecke, composer and voice actor
• Harold E. Martin, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist
• Channing Tatum, model and actor

References

• Nossiter, Adam (February 21, 2008) "Race Matters Less in Politics of South." The New York Times

External links

• City of Cullman website
• History of Cullman at chs.cullmancats.net