Gate City
| Gate City | |
 |
Birmingham neighborhoods |
| District(s) | 4 , 5 |
|---|---|
| Community | East Lake |
| Population | 1,427 |
| Area | N/A |
| President | Wilma Davis |
| Meeting site | Mt Mariah Missionary Baptist Church, (map) |
| Meeting day | 2nd Monday |
| Website | |
| Neighborhood map | Gate City |
Gate City is a neighborhood in the East Lake community of Birmingham. It occupies the area north of I-20 and south of the East Lake neighborhood, centered on Georgia Road and including the Marks Village housing project. which was constructed in the 1950s. It is bordered by South Woodlawn to the west, Oak Ridge Park and Eastwood to the south, and Brown Springs to the east.
Gate City was named because it was the first Birmingham neighborhood entered through Red Gap from Irondale to the northeast. Five major railroads used that approach.
The Gate City Land Company was organized by Robert Warnock and N. W. Smith, Jr in March 1887 to capitalize on a 700 acre parcel in the area by establishing industries and selling land for commercial and residential development.
The fine, soft sandstone of the Oxmoor formation exposed at Red Gap was quarried and crushed for foundries and at least one bottle works, which operated in Gate City in the 1880s. The sand was also transported to the Dixie Glass Works in Tallapoosa, Georgia.
The area was also known for its many artesian wells, which were used as a source of industrial water, especially after construction of the large Gate City Rolling Mill which opened in the 1880s and employed more than 700 a decade later. The mill was sold to Republic Iron and Steel Company in 1899.
School age children in Gate City attend Oliver Elementary School, Putnam Middle School, and Woodlawn High School. Beulah Lewis Park occupies the block between 66th and 67th Street South west of Interlaken Avenue.
Wilma Davis is president of the Gate City Neighborhood Association, which meets on the 2nd Monday of each month at Mt Mariah Missionary Baptist Church on Georgia Road. Michael Johnson is vice-president and Linda Allen is secretary.
Neighborhood presidents
- Eloise Crenshaw, 2002-
- Eloise Crenshaw/Lee Loder, 2006-
- Linda Allen, 2012-2016
- Wilma Davis, 2016-
Demographics
- 2010: 692 (94.4% Black)
- 2020: 1,427 (95.4% Black)
References
- Stein, Kelsey (August 6, 2013) "Birmingham neighborhood blitz: Gate City could benefit from initiatives used to revitalize nearby Woodlawn." The Birmingham News
External links
- Gate City Neighborhood Association on facebook.com