Wilsonville

Town of Wilsonville
Incorporated	1897
Population	1,970
Mayor	Lee McCarty
School district	Shelby County Schools
Government	Wilsonville Town Council Wilsonville Fire Department Wilsonville Police Department
Web site	wilsonvilleal.com
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Wilsonville is a town of 1,970 on 11 square miles in eastern Shelby County. Named for its earliest settler, Elisha Wilson, its Post Office was established in 1822 and the town was incorporated in 1897.

Current Mayor Lee McCarty defeated two-term incumbent Rosemary Liveoak in the 2012 Shelby County municipal elections.

History

Wilsonville was on the stagecoach route to Montgomery. Later, a wide gauge railroad with wooden rails from Selma to Talladega was routed through the town. The route was later extended to Rome, Georgia and eventually replaced with a standard gauge railroad, after which rail became the primary transportation to and from the town.

The town was incorporated in 1897 with G. W. McGowan as the first mayor. The town limits extended to Fourmile and Yellowleaf Creeks and where there were no natural boundaries, included all within two and one-half miles. (In 1952, the limits were decreased to a radius of one mile.) By 1900, the town had swelled to around 1,600 people and was the largest in the county. The population then went into decline until recently.

In the late 1950s, the $150 million Gaston Steam Plant was built by the Southern Electric Generating Company (SEGCO) between Yellowleaf Creek and the Coosa River, which employs many of the town's people. The plant went online in 1960.

Notable residents

Four-term U.S. Congressman Laurie Battle was born in Wilsonville in 1912.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1900	1,600	—
2000	1,551	—
2010	1,867	20.4%

At the time of the census of 2010, there were 1,867 people, 610 households, and 486 families residing in the town. The population density was 157.5 people per square mile. There were 699 housing units at an average density of 71.0 per square mile. The racial makeup of the town was 93% White and 5% Black or African American.

There were 610 households out of which 31.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.9% were married couples living together, 8.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.3% were non-families. 18.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 2.84.

In the town the population was spread out with 23.5% under the age of 18, 6.0% from 18 to 24, 27.9% from 25 to 44, 26.6% from 45 to 64, and 16.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 97.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.7 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $42,105, and the median income for a family was $48,409. Males had a median income of $40,263 versus $25,598 for females. The per capita income for the town was $21,112. About 4.5% of families and 7.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.8% of those under age 18 and 5.8% of those age 65 or over.

References

• Foscue, Virginia O. (1989) Place Names in Alabama. Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press. ISBN 081730410X
• Wilsonville, Alabama. (February 18, 2008) Wikipedia - accessed March 19, 2008
• Smith, Tom (n.d.) "Wilsonville History." - accessed October 16, 2012

External links

• Wilsonville website