Argo

This article is about the incorporated town in Jefferson & St Clair Counties. For the community in Walker County, see Argo (Walker County).

Argo is a town of 1,892 on 12.3 square miles directly northeast of Trussville on the Jefferson County/St. Clair County line. It adjoins Trussville to the south and Clay to the west and is traversed by I-59 and U. S. Highway 11. Argo's mayor is Butch Glenn.

The Argo post office was established at the settlement in 1869. The name was said to be that of a local family, though no records confirm it. Argo remains primarily a residential community. It has experienced dramatic population growth in the late 20th century, nearly doubling its population over the past ten years. Argo has small commercial district along Highway 11, just to the east of Exit 148 off I-59.

In early 2007 a citizen-led petition drive sought to dissolve the town and seek annexation into neighboring Springville. The petition was certified by St Clair County Probate Court Judge Wallace Wyatt, Jr, calling for a town-wide vote. Argo's government has appealed the certification to the Alabama Supreme Court, which has not ruled on the appeal. Meanwhile, concerns about the town's debts led the Springville City Council to reconsider its "willingness ordinance", making the merger possible.

Government

As of 2004 the five-member Town Council consisted of Kenny Gospodareck, Patricia Powell, Brian Williams, Cheryl Lee, and Bill Leake. The Argo City Council meets on the first Monday of each month in Argo Town Hall.

The town operates its own police and fire departments. On June 4, 2007 the council approved construction of a new 32,000 square-foot municipal building to house the council, municipal court, police and fire department. The new building would be located adjacent to Argo City Park on Blackjack Road in St Clair County, where most of the town's growth has occurred.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 1,789 people, 644 households, and 494 families residing in Argo. The racial makeup of the city was 98.8% White.

There were 664 households out of which 39.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.5% were married couples living together, 6.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.4% were non-families. 21.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.68 and the average family size was 3.14.

In the city the population was spread out with 28% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 33.8% from 25 to 44, 23.1% from 45 to 64, and 8.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35.5 years.

The median income for a household in the city was $41,167, and the median income for a family was $53,088. Males had a median income of $33,875 versus $28,625 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,266. About 7.5% of families and 8.6% of the population were below the poverty line.

References

• Hickerson, Patrick (June 5, 2007) "New City Hall set for construction." Birmingham News.