Locust Fork

This article is about the town in Blount County. For other uses, see [[Locust Fork (disambiguation).

Locust Fork is a town in Blount County. At the 2000 census the population was 1,016 people. The community name comes from the proximity of the town to the Locust Fork of the Black Warrior River.

Geography

Locust Fork is located at 33�53'47.494" North, 86�37'50.048" West (33.896526, -86.630569).

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 9.0 km (3.5 mi). 9.0 km� (3.5 mi�) of it is land and 0.29% is water. Locust Fork is located along one of the NE to SW ridgelines that make up the southern end of the Appalachian mountain chain. The area has been mined for coal over the past 100 years but no current active coal mining operations exist in the immediate area.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 1,016 people, 362 households, and 300 families residing in the town. The population density was 112.7/km (292.0/mi). There were 385 housing units at an average density of 42.7/km (110.6/mi). The racial makeup of the town was 98.92% White, 0.20% Native American, 0.49% from other races, and 0.39% from two or more races. 0.49% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 362 households out of which 38.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 75.7% were married couples living together, 6.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 16.9% were non-families. 15.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.81 and the average family size was 3.12.

In the town the population was spread out with 28.1% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 31.4% from 25 to 44, 22.5% from 45 to 64, and 10.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 102.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.5 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $39,333, and the median income for a family was $41,912. Males had a median income of $36,797 versus $24,688 for females. The per capita income for the town was $17,563. About 6.6% of families and 8.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.4% of those under age 18 and 13.3% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

Locust Fork straddles Alabama Highway 79, which is a north-south route running from Birmingham northeastward to Scottsboro. Blount County Road 13 runs northwestward to connect to Alabama Highway 160 between the Hayden and Nectar communities. Blount County Road 15 intersects Alabama 79 just north of Locust Fork and provides a connection to the county seat located at Oneonta. Also located along County Road 15 is the acclaimed Limestone Springs Golf Course and residential development. Nearest interstate highways are Interstate 65 located some 15 miles west of Locust Fork and Interstate 59 located some 25 miles east of Locust Fork. Air travel is handled primarily from the Birmingham International Airport located some 30 miles southwest of Locust Fork. Locust Fork is located along one of the two major Alabama state highways that run northeast from Birmingham to the Sand Mountain area of Guntersville, Albertville, and Boaz. It is an alternate route from Birmingham to Huntsville and Chattanooga.

Schools

Locust Fork High School and Locust Fork Elementary School are located in the center of the town along Alabama Highway 79. The school nickname is Hornets with school colors of green and white. Locust Fork High School is currently classified as a 4A school under the AHSAA 6 tier classification system.

Businesses

A host of small businesses and retail outlets are located in the community. Casual fast food dining is available at two chain outlets, Subway and Jack's Hamburgers. The community is served by a volunteer fire department and is patrolled by the Blount County Sheriff's Office.

Media

Locust Fork is located in the Birmingham television and radio market. Newspapers include The Birmingham News and The Blount County News.

References

• Fork, Alabama. (2008, February 18). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 14:42, March 7, 2008.