Lipscomb

City of Lipscomb
Incorporated	1910
Population	2,458
Mayor	Gaston Randle
School district	Lipscomb City Schools
Government	Lipscomb City Council Lipscomb Fire Department Lipscomb Police Department
Web site	None
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Lipscomb (incorporated in 1910) is a city of 2,458 in southwest Jefferson County bordered by Bessemer and Birmingham. It was named for a family that lived near the much-used streetcar stop at the center of the community. Once an active small-town, the city's business sector has nearly vanished and the number of residents and housing units has declined sharply over the last few decades. Lipscomb does not have its own Post Office or ZIP code, instead sharing 35020 with the city of Bessemer.

The Mayor Pro Tempore of Lipscomb is Gaston Randle, who assumed duty as acting mayor after the resignation of Simon Speights. Speights, who ran unopposed in the 2004 election for City Council, was selected by the council to succeed Jimmie Johnson when he resigned the mayor's office in 2005. In 2007 Speights' 1994 conviction on burglary charges was revealed. Although his voting rights had been restored, it was determined that he was not qualified to run for elected office. Residents of Lipscomb petitioned for him to step down and Bessemer Cutoff District Attorney Arthur Green filed papers calling for his removal. He resigned on July 26, 2007.

Randle and councilor David Horn have also been investigated and charged for impersonating police officers. Randle has stepped down as police commissioner, but remains in office pending the outcome of his trial.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.1 mi², all land. The Jefferson County Board of Equalization evaluated 712 homes in Lipscomb and determined that the average market value for 2007 was $54,950, a 13.9% increase since 2006.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 2,458 people, 901 households, and 634 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,163.6/mi². There were 1,108 housing units at an average density of 975.3/mi². The racial makeup of the city was 32.55% White and 65.58% African American. 2.24% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 901 households out of which 35.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.4% were married couples living together, 23.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.6% were non-families. 26.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.73 and the average family size was 3.35.

In the city the population was spread out with 30.1% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 29.9% from 25 to 44, 21.0% from 45 to 64, and 10.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 96.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $30,865, and the median income for a family was $35,556. Males had a median income of $26,908 versus $21,150 for females. The per capita income for the city was $13,582. About 15.9% of families and 16.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.7% of those under age 18 and 16.4% of those age 65 or over.

References

• Nance, Rahkia (July 29, 2007) "Residents fight for their beloved city." Birmingham News.
• Gordon, Robert K. and Rahkia Nance (June 29, 2007) "Lipscomb mayor's 1994 burglary conviction eyed." Birmingham News.
• Lipscomb, Alabama. (April 29, 2007). [1] Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Accessed April 30, 2007.
• Foscue, Virginia O. (1989) Place Names in Alabama. Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press. ISBN 081730410X