Fort Payne, Alabama facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Fort Payne
City
Gault Avenue in downtown Fort Payne
Flag logo
Nickname(s):  Official Sock Capital of the World
Location of Fort Payne in DeKalb County, Alabama.
Country	United States
State	Alabama
County	DeKalb
Government
• Type	Mayor-Council (5 members)
Area
• Total	56.76 sq mi (147.01 km2)
• Land	56.41 sq mi (146.09 km2)
• Water	0.35 sq mi (0.92 km2)
Elevation	1,079 ft (329 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	14,877
• Density	263.75/sq mi (101.83/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	35967-35968
Area code(s)	256
FIPS code	01-27616
GNIS feature ID	2403645

Fort Payne is a city in northeastern Alabama, United States. It is the county seat of DeKalb County. The city is located near Lookout Mountain. In 2020, about 14,877 people lived there.

The city is named after a fort built in the 1830s. This fort was used to hold members of the Cherokee tribe. They were being gathered by the military before being forced to move to Indian Territory in 1838. This sad journey is known as the Trail of Tears.

After the fort, European-American settlers built a community. It grew quickly in the late 1800s due to local resources. Manufacturing, especially of socks, became very important. At one point, Fort Payne was known as the "Sock Capital of the World." Today, sock production has slowed because of competition from other countries.

History of Fort Payne

In the late 1700s and early 1800s, this area was home to Willstown. This was an important town for the Lower Cherokee people. They had moved south to escape pressure from European-American settlers.

For a time, Sequoyah lived here. He was a silversmith who created the Cherokee writing system (syllabary) in 1821. This was one of the few writing systems made by one person. His people soon started publishing The Cherokee Phoenix. This was the first newspaper in Cherokee and English.

The settlement was often called Willstown after its leader, Will Weber. He was part Cherokee and part German.

The Fort and the Trail of Tears

In the 1830s, the U.S. Army built a fort near Willstown. Major John Payne led this effort. The fort was used to hold Cherokee people from Alabama. They were then forced to move to Indian Territory (now Oklahoma). This difficult journey is known as the Trail of Tears. Today, only a chimney from Fort Payne remains in the city's downtown.

Growth in the 19th and 20th Centuries

The DeKalb Hotel, built in 1889 during the "Boom Days." It burned down in 1918.

Even after the Cherokee were moved, Fort Payne was not very populated. Cotton farms and larger towns grew in other parts of Alabama. During the Civil War, only small fights happened here.

In 1878, Fort Payne became the county seat. In 1889, it officially became a town. The city grew a lot when train lines were built. These lines connected Fort Payne to Birmingham and Chattanooga. Being on the railroad was seen as very important for the future.

In the late 1880s, Fort Payne grew even more. People discovered coal and iron deposits nearby. These were needed for factories. Many investors and workers from the North came to the area for new jobs. This time was called the "Boom Days."

Many famous old buildings in Fort Payne are from this time. These include the Fort Payne Opera House, which is Alabama's oldest theater. The old Hardware Manufacturing Company factory is now the Fort Payne Depot Museum. It used to be a train station. Today, it teaches about local history.

The coal and iron deposits were smaller than people thought. Many business owners moved to Birmingham, Alabama. Fort Payne then had a period of economic slowdown.

The "Sock Capital of the World"

In 1907, the W.B. Davis Hosiery Mill opened. It used local cotton to make socks and stockings. Making hosiery became the main industry in Fort Payne. By the early 2000s, over 7,000 people worked in more than 100 sock mills. Fort Payne made more than half of the socks in the United States! This is why it was called the "Sock Capital of the World."

However, things changed in the 1990s. New trade agreements made it cheaper to import socks from other countries. A very large sock production center grew in China. It was much faster and cheaper to make socks there. American stores started buying socks from China.

Many businesses in Fort Payne felt that foreign companies were selling socks too cheaply. This made it hard for American companies to compete. By 2005, about 5,500 people worked in sock mills in Fort Payne. Several mills had closed. The hosiery industry is still in Fort Payne, but it has changed. Now, some companies make special or medical socks.

To help the city, leaders in Fort Payne started to bring in new types of businesses. For example, a large distribution center for The Children's Place stores opened in 2006. It created 600 jobs. Other big companies in Fort Payne include Heil Environmental Industries (making sanitation trucks) and Vulcraft (making steel roofing).

Geography

Aerial view of Fort Payne

Fort Payne covers about 56.76 square miles (147.01 square kilometers). Most of this area is land.

The city center is in a narrow valley. This valley is on Big Wills Creek, west of Lookout Mountain. Sand Mountain is further to the west. The city limits now reach onto Lookout Mountain. Water from the area flows into the Coosa River.

In 2003, a 4.9 magnitude earthquake happened here.

Climate

Fort Payne has a humid subtropical climate. This means it has hot, humid summers and mild winters. It sometimes snows in winter, but not often. Cloudmont Ski Resort on Lookout Mountain can make snow when it's cold enough.

The area can have tornadoes. Strong tornadoes hit the city in 1952 and 1973. In 1995, the center of Hurricane Opal reached Fort Payne with strong winds. In 1993, a huge winter storm dumped over 20 inches (50 cm) of snow on the city. This shut down the city for days.

Population and People

In 2020, Fort Payne had 14,877 people. There were 5,066 households. Most residents were White (66.21%), with a significant Hispanic or Latino population (24.63%). Other groups included Black or African American (3.35%), Native American (0.61%), and Asian (0.79%).

Arts and Culture

Former city hall, now police headquarters

DeKalb County Courthouse

You can still see the ruins of the old Fort Payne in the historic downtown area.

The National Park Service has its headquarters here for the nearby Little River Canyon National Preserve. This is a large protected area of about 14,000 acres (57 square kilometers). It was created by Congress in 1992. The canyon is on Lookout Mountain, just outside the city.

Another natural place to visit is DeSoto State Park. It has a lodge, restaurant, cabins, and places to access the river. Manitou Cave is also close to Fort Payne.

The famous country music group Alabama is from Fort Payne. The city also has the group's fan club and museum.

Fort Payne is about a 30-minute drive from large water recreation areas. These include Guntersville Lake and Weiss Lake. Weiss Lake is an artificial lake on the Coosa River. Fort Payne is also near Mentone. Mentone is a popular mountain resort known for summer camps, hotels, and cabins.

Education

Fort Payne has its own school system called Fort Payne City Schools. The schools include:

• Wills Valley Elementary (Kindergarten-2nd grade)
• Little Ridge Intermediate (3rd-5th grade)
• Fort Payne Middle School (6th-8th grade)
• Fort Payne High School (9th-12th grade)

Brian Jett is the Superintendent of Education for the city.

Media

• Radio stations:
  • WFPA-AM 1400 (News/Talk)
  • WZOB-AM 1250 (Country music)
• Newspapers:
  • The Times-Journal
  • The Dekalb Advertiser
  • Southern Torch

Transportation

• Interstate 59
• U.S. Highway 11
• Alabama State Route 35
• Norfolk Southern Railway (trains)
• Isbell Field (the city's airport)

Notable People

Many interesting people have come from Fort Payne, including:

• Miles C. Allgood (1878–1977), a U.S. congressman.
• Harry B. Brock, Jr., a banker and generous giver.
• Weston Burt, a country music singer.
• Jeff Cook, Teddy Gentry, and Randy Owen, who started the country music band Alabama.
• Thomas H. Cook, a mystery writer.
• Lt. Gen. Duward Crow (1919–1997), a high-ranking officer in the U.S. Air Force and a leader at NASA.
• James Dean, an author and artist known for "Pete the Cat."
• Jerry Ellis, an author.
• Howard Finster, a religious folk artist and Baptist minister.
• The Flock Family, famous NASCAR drivers:
  • Bob Flock (1918–1964)
  • Fonty Flock (1921–1972)
  • Tim Flock (1924–1998)
  • Ethel Mobley (1920–1984)
• Milford W. Howard, a congressman and author.
• Lt. Gen. Forrest S. McCartney, from the U.S. Air Force, and director of the John F. Kennedy Space Center.
• James McKinney, a 5-string banjo player.
• Evan McPherson, an NFL player.
• Larry Nelson, a professional golfer.
• Philip Ober, an actor.
• Edward Stinson, an aviator who started the Stinson Aircraft Company.
• Katherine Stinson, a pioneer aviator and one of the first women to become a licensed pilot in the U.S. She was Edward Stinson's sister.

Local Facts

In 1989, Fort Payne held the world record for the "Largest Cake Ever Baked." It weighed 128,238 pounds (58,168 kg)! This cake was made to celebrate the city's 100th birthday.