Hanceville

City of Hanceville
Incorporated	1879
Population	3,096
Mayor	Kenneth Nail
School district	Cullman County Schools
Government	Hanceville City Council Hanceville Fire Department Hanceville Police Department
Web site	cityofhanceville.net
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Hanceville (incorporated May 28, 1879) is a city of just over 3,000 on 4.2 square miles on U.S. Highway 31, nine miles south of the county seat of Cullman, in the southeastern part of the county. It is Cullman County's second largest city.

The community was first settled in the 1820s, and was located within Blount County when it was created in 1832. The settlement came to be known as Gilmer, but was renamed in 1872 by postmaster P. H. Kinney in honor of his father, Hance Kinney, who was serving as Mayor. A depot was built on the L. & N. Railroad in 1873.

The community was split by the creation of Cullman County in 1877. The county line was redrawn to put all of Hanceville inside Blount County in 1885. Six years later, the map was redrawn to enclose Hanceville within Cullman County.

Hanceville has been the home of Wallace State Community College since 1966. The Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament and Our Lady of the Angels Monastery was established in 1999 by EWTN founder Mother Angelica. Three structures on the National Register of Historic Places are located in Hanceville, The Burkart-Wilson residence, the Evangelical Lutheran Trinity Church / Burkart Memorial Hall, and the Potato House.

Hanceville has been served by at least two newspapers, The Hanceville Hustler was published from 1896 to 1908. The Hanceville Herald operated from 1977 to 2014.

Government

Hanceville's municipal government operates from the Hanceville City Hall at 112 Main Street Southeast. The Mayor is Kenneth Nail and the five members of the Hanceville City Council are Greg Baker, Kim Brown, Jimmy Sawyer, Doug Batemon, and Charles Wilson. Tania Wilcox is the city clerk. Rodger Green and Bob Long are chiefs of the Hanceville Police Department and Hanceville Fire Department, respectively.

The town supports a Hanceville Public Library at 201 Commercial Street, supervised by Shirley Burden. The Hanceville Parks Department, headed by Ashley Dye, operates the Hanceville Recreation and Wellness Center at 902 Commercial Street Northeast and two public parks, Hanceville Veterans Park and C. W. Day Park.

Hanceville Elementary School, Hanceville Middle School and Hanceville High School, all located in the city, are operated by Cullman County Schools.

Demographics

year     pop.     %change

1880 |   150 |    -     
1910 |   464 |    -  
1920 |   441 | -  5.0%  
1930 |   780 | + 76.9%  
1940 |   650 | - 16.7%  
1950 |   775 | + 19.2%  
1960 | 1,174 | + 51.5%  
1970 | 2,027 | + 72.7%  
1980 | 2,220 | +  9.5%  
1990 | 2,246 | +  1.2%  
2000 | 2,951 | + 31.4%   
2010 | 2,982 | +  1.1%  
2020 | 3,217 | +  7.9%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 3,217 people, 1,263 households, and 730 families residing in the city. The population density was 789 inhabitants per square mile. Of the 1,233 households 23.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.1% were married couples living together, 13.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 44.0% were non-families. 37.1% of households were one person and 17.0% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.98.

The age distribution was 21.6% under the age of 18, 10.9% from 18 to 24, 22.5% from 25 to 44, 22.1% from 45 to 64, and 22.8% 65 or older. The median age was 47.7 years. For every 100 females, there were 83.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.2 males.

The average household income in Hanceville was $49,660 with a poverty rate of 19.0%. The median rental costs in recent years came to $668 per month, and the median house value was$99,900. The median age in Hanceville was 47.7 years, 41.8 years for males, and 49.9 years for females.

As of the census of 2010, there were 2,982 people, 1,233 households, and 691 families residing in the city. The population density was 733 people per square mile. There were 1,439 housing units at an average density of 340.2 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 92.4% White and 3.6% Black. 2.4% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 1,233 households out of which 23.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.1% were married couples living together, 13.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 44.0% were non-families. 37.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.98.

In the city the population was spread out with 21.6% under the age of 18, 10.9% from 18 to 24, 22.5% from 25 to 44, 22.1% from 45 to 64, and 22.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40.0 years. For every 100 females there were 83.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $30,903, and the median income for a family was $45,560. Males had a median income of $34,338 versus $35,417 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,078. About 14.5% of families and 24.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 28.1% of those under age 18 and 9.8% of those age 65 or over.

Eighteen percent of Hanceville workers were employed in education, health care and social assistance, with 15% in manufacturing, 14% in retail and 12% in construction.

Notable people

• Mother Angelica (1923-2016), founder of the Eternal Word Television Network and the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament and Our Lady of the Angels Monastery.
• John Duchock (1963-2013), former chief of the Hanceville Police Department
• Allen Green (born 1938), former NFL punter/kicker
• Zeb Little (born 1968), former Hanceville city prosecutor
• Candi Staton (born 1940), soul and gospel singer
• Bill Steltemeier (1929-2013), EWTN co-founder and CEO

References

• "Hanceville, Alabama" (February 20, 2016) Wikipedia - accessed March 28, 2016
• Maloney, Christopher (March 21, 2013) "Hanceville"

External links

• City of Hanceville official website