Enterprise, Alabama facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Enterprise, Alabama
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City
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Clockwise from top-left: The Enterprise Water Tower, the Boll Weevil Monument, Boll Weevil Circle, Coffee County Courthouse, Enterprise Hospital.
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| Motto(s):
"City of Progress"
"Retirement City USA" |
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Location of Enterprise in Coffee County and Dale County, Alabama.
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 Enterprise, Alabama
Location in the United States
Enterprise, Alabama
Location in Alabama
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| Country |  United States |
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| State |  Alabama |
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| Counties | Coffee and Dale | ||
| Founded | 1896 | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 31.02 sq mi (80.35 km2) | ||
| • Land | 30.96 sq mi (80.18 km2) | ||
| • Water | 0.07 sq mi (0.17 km2) | ||
| Elevation | 358 ft (109 m) | ||
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 28,711 | ||
| • Density | 927.42/sq mi (358.08/km2) | ||
| Time zone | UTC-6 (CST) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) | ||
| ZIP Code |
36330-36331
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| Area code(s) | 334 | ||
| FIPS code | 01-24184 | ||
| GNIS feature ID | 0118005 | ||
Enterprise is a city in the southeastern part of Alabama, United States. It is mostly in Coffee County, with a small part in Dale County. In 2020, about 28,711 people lived there. Enterprise is the main city of its own small metropolitan area.
The city is famous for the Boll Weevil Monument. This unique statue shows a woman holding a boll weevil, which is an insect pest. The people of Enterprise built this monument because the boll weevil, even though it destroyed cotton crops, made farmers grow other crops like peanuts. This change brought more wealth to the area than cotton ever did. It is the only statue in the world dedicated to an insect pest! Enterprise is also located right next to Fort Novosel, which is a major base for the U.S. Army's aviation (helicopters and planes).
Enterprise is also home to Enterprise State Community College, where students can go to learn after high school.
Contents
History of Enterprise
How Enterprise Started and the Boll Weevil Monument
Enterprise began in 1881 when John Henry Carmichael settled there and opened a store. More people came to live in the area, and by 1882, a post office was moved to Enterprise. In 1896, with about 250 residents, Enterprise officially became a city. Soon after, the Alabama Midland Railway came to town, helping the city grow and trade. By 1906, the population had reached 3,750 people.
In 1915, the city faced a big problem. Tiny insects called boll weevils infested the cotton fields, destroying most of the cotton crops in Coffee County. Farmers were losing all their money. To survive, they had to start growing different crops, like peanuts. This helped them recover from their losses.
Just two years later, Coffee County became the top producer of peanuts in the United States! Enterprise not only avoided disaster but also became richer because of these new crops. To show their thanks, the people of Enterprise built a monument to the boll weevil. They called it their "herald of prosperity" because it pushed them to find new ways to succeed. The Boll Weevil Monument was dedicated on December 11, 1919. It reminds everyone how the city adapted and thrived when faced with a challenge. It's still the only monument to an agricultural pest anywhere in the world.
The 2007 Tornado
On March 1, 2007, a very strong tornado, rated as an EF4, hit Enterprise. This tornado caused a lot of damage and was the worst disaster in the city's history. Nine people sadly lost their lives, and over 121 others were hurt.
The Enterprise High School was hit very hard. Eight students died when a hallway collapsed on them. Their names were Michael Bowen, Andrew (AJ) Jackson, Ryan Mohler, Peter Dunn lll, Michael (Mikey) Tompkins, Jamie Vidensek, Michelle Wilson, and Kathryn Strunk. Another person, Edna Strickland, died in her home near the school. Many homes were damaged or destroyed in the downtown area. The National Guard came to help, and a curfew was set up. President George W. Bush visited the city and declared it a disaster area, which brought in more help.
After the tornado, students went to classes in temporary classrooms at the local community college. A new high school was built in a different location. It opened on August 23, 2010, and cost over $80 million. The new school has strong, reinforced safe rooms and areas where students can shelter during severe weather. It is built to withstand winds from an even stronger EF5 tornado.
People of Enterprise
Enterprise has grown quite a bit over the years. In 1900, only 610 people lived here. By 2020, the population had grown to 28,711. The city is home to people from many different backgrounds.
Education in Enterprise
Children in Enterprise attend schools run by Enterprise City Schools. For higher education, the city has Enterprise State Community College. This two-year college is also known as the home of the "Boll Weevils" sports teams, named after the famous monument.
Fun Facts and Art in Enterprise
From 1934 to 1943, artists created murals for post offices across the United States. Paul Theodore Arlt painted a mural called Saturday in Enterprise for the Enterprise post office in 1941. Even though the post office was torn down later, the mural was saved and can now be seen at the Enterprise Public Library.
The city also has a fun community art project called "Weevil Way." This project features 30 different boll weevil statues. Each statue is decorated or dressed in a unique way to represent local landmarks or businesses. One of these statues, named "Ronald McWeevil" (found at a local McDonald's), even became famous online!
Local News and Music
The Enterprise Ledger is the local newspaper, published several times a week since 1898.
Enterprise has also inspired music. The song "Your Guardian Angel" by The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus was written to honor the eight students who died when the tornado hit the high school in 2007. Another song, "Held In His Love" by The Springs (band), was written by Stewart Halcomb, who was a student at the high school during the tornado. He dedicated his song to the friends he lost that day.
BamaJam Music Festival
For several years, Enterprise was home to the BamaJam Music Festival. This big event featured many different music acts performing on multiple stages over three days. Sometimes, as many as 100,000 people attended each night! Famous performers like Taylor Swift, Blake Shelton, Kid Rock, and Alan Jackson have played at BamaJam. The festival was canceled in 2011 but returned in 2012.
Famous People from Enterprise
Many notable people have connections to Enterprise, including:
- Kendrick Adams, an NFL football player
- Katie Britt, a United States Senator
- Ethel Cain, a singer-songwriter
- Brendan Donovan, a baseball player for the St. Louis Cardinals
- Jamey Johnson, a country music artist
- Marcus Jones, a college football player
- Michael McDowell, a screenwriter and author
- Ben Paschal, a baseball player for the 1927 Yankees
- Mark Wilkerson, lead singer of Course of Nature
Geography and Climate
Enterprise is located at 31° 19′ 39″ N, 85° 50′ 40″ W. Major roads like U.S. Route 84 and Alabama State Routes 27, 134, and 167 run through the city.
Weather in Enterprise
| Weather chart for Enterprise | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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5.3
60
38
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4.6
64
42
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5.9
72
47
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4
78
54
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3.6
85
62
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5
90
69
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6
92
71
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4.5
91
71
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3.9
88
66
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3
80
57
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4.1
71
48
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4.5
62
40
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| temperatures in °F precipitation totals in inches source: NOAA |
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Metric conversion
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The weather in Enterprise is usually warm and humid in the summers, and winters are generally mild. This type of weather is called a humid subtropical climate. Because it's close to the Gulf Coast, temperatures are often similar to those in the Florida panhandle.
The climate is warm enough for many types of palm trees to grow, like the Sabal palmetto and Mexican Fan Palm.
Enterprise can experience both hurricanes and tornadoes. Hurricanes sometimes travel inland and affect the city, and tornadoes are also possible. For example, Hurricane Eloise in 1975 and Hurricane Opal in 1995 both caused a lot of damage to Enterprise.
| Climate data for Enterprise, Alabama (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1966–present) | |||||||||||||
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| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 81 (27) |
84 (29) |
89 (32) |
93 (34) |
100 (38) |
104 (40) |
104 (40) |
103 (39) |
103 (39) |
101 (38) |
90 (32) |
82 (28) |
104 (40) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 61.0 (16.1) |
64.9 (18.3) |
71.9 (22.2) |
78.2 (25.7) |
85.7 (29.8) |
90.1 (32.3) |
91.5 (33.1) |
91.1 (32.8) |
88.0 (31.1) |
80.5 (26.9) |
70.6 (21.4) |
62.9 (17.2) |
78.0 (25.6) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 49.3 (9.6) |
53.1 (11.7) |
59.6 (15.3) |
65.6 (18.7) |
73.7 (23.2) |
79.2 (26.2) |
81.1 (27.3) |
80.8 (27.1) |
77.1 (25.1) |
68.4 (20.2) |
58.2 (14.6) |
51.5 (10.8) |
66.5 (19.2) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 37.6 (3.1) |
41.3 (5.2) |
47.2 (8.4) |
53.1 (11.7) |
61.6 (16.4) |
68.4 (20.2) |
70.8 (21.6) |
70.5 (21.4) |
66.1 (18.9) |
56.3 (13.5) |
45.9 (7.7) |
40.2 (4.6) |
54.9 (12.7) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −1 (−18) |
10 (−12) |
17 (−8) |
30 (−1) |
40 (4) |
49 (9) |
56 (13) |
59 (15) |
39 (4) |
32 (0) |
18 (−8) |
6 (−14) |
−1 (−18) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 5.47 (139) |
4.72 (120) |
5.00 (127) |
4.46 (113) |
3.05 (77) |
5.56 (141) |
7.01 (178) |
5.63 (143) |
4.81 (122) |
2.97 (75) |
4.38 (111) |
4.84 (123) |
57.90 (1,471) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 8.4 | 8.3 | 7.9 | 7.3 | 6.3 | 10.8 | 12.6 | 11.0 | 6.8 | 4.8 | 6.5 | 6.8 | 97.5 |
| Source: NOAA | |||||||||||||
Images for kids
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Clockwise from top-left: The Enterprise Water Tower, the Boll Weevil Monument, Boll Weevil Circle, Coffee County Courthouse, Enterprise Hospital.
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Flag of Enterprise, Alabama.
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Seal of Enterprise, Alabama.
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Location of Enterprise in Coffee County and Dale County, Alabama.
See also
In Spanish: Enterprise (Alabama) para niños
