Harpersville

Harpersville is a town in Shelby County. At the 2000 census the population was 1,620.

History

Harpersville was named for its founder, James W. Harper. Its post office was founded in 1843, and it was incorporated in 1945. The town is located at the crossroads of Highways 280 and 231. The town contains Morgan Creek Winery, Baker's Christmas Tree Farm, a historic graveyard, Sunbelt sod farm, a drive in movie theater, numerous cotton fields, a public park, two private schools, and numerous subdivisions. The current mayor, Theoangelo Perkins, is the first African-American mayor in Shelby County.

Geography

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According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 15.9 square miles (41.1 km²), of which, 15.9 square miles (41.1 km²) of it is land and 0.06% is water.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 1,620 people, 610 households, and 458 families residing in the town. The population density was 102.0 people per square mile (39.4/km²). There were 685 housing units at an average density of 43.1/sq mi (16.7/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 69.57% White, 28.70% Black or African American, 0.49% Native American, 0.68% Asian, 0.25% from other races, and 0.31% from two or more races. 0.62% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 610 households out of which 33.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.4% were married couples living together, 14.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.8% were non-families. 21.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.66 and the average family size was 3.10.

In the town the population was spread out with 27.3% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 30.0% from 25 to 44, 23.0% from 45 to 64, and 12.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 93.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.6 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $31,655, and the median income for a family was $34,632. Males had a median income of $28,839 versus $22,069 for females. The per capita income for the town was $12,783. About 17.4% of families and 19.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.6% of those under age 18 and 24.1% of those age 65 or over.

References

• Harpersville, Alabama. (2008, February 20). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved March 19, 2008.
• Foscue, Virginia O. (1989) Place Names in Alabama. Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press. ISBN 081730410X