Guntersville, Alabama facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Guntersville, Alabama
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Location in Marshall County, Alabama
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| Country | United States | |
| State | Alabama | |
| County | Marshall | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 42.70 sq mi (110.59 km2) | |
| • Land | 25.64 sq mi (66.39 km2) | |
| • Water | 17.06 sq mi (44.19 km2) | |
| Elevation | 607 ft (185 m) | |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 8,553 | |
| • Density | 333.65/sq mi (128.82/km2) | |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central (CST)) | |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) | |
| ZIP Code |
35976
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| Area code(s) | 256 | |
| FIPS code | 01-32416 | |
| GNIS feature ID | 2403774 | |
Guntersville is a city in Marshall County, Alabama, United States. It is the main city, or county seat, of Marshall County. In 2020, about 8,553 people lived there. Guntersville was once known as Gunter's Ferry and Gunter's Landing.
Contents
History of Guntersville
Guntersville was started by a man named John Gunter (1765–1835). He was the great-grandfather of the famous American humorist, Will Rogers. John Gunter's family came to America in 1644.
In the early 1800s, John Gunter owned a rich salt mine. He made a deal with the Cherokee tribe to get more land for his mine. As part of the deal, he married the daughter of the tribe's chief, named Ghe-No-He-Li (also known as Katy or Cathrine). He also agreed to give salt to the tribe. A town grew up next to his mine and was named after him.
The city was first called "Gunter's Landing" in 1848. It won a competition to become the county seat, taking the title from Warrenton. In 1854, its name officially changed to Guntersville.
During the American Civil War, in late 1864, the United States Navy used gunboats on the Tennessee River. Confederate soldiers in Guntersville fought hard to defend the river. In January 1865, a Union ship, the USS General Grant, tried to destroy the town in return.
For most of the 1900s, Guntersville's economy focused on processing cotton. A big cotton mill, the Saratoga Victory Mill, was very important to the city.
Geography and Climate
Guntersville is located in the middle of Marshall County. The main road through the city is U.S. Route 431. This road connects Guntersville to Huntsville (about 37 miles northwest) and Albertville (about 10 miles southeast).
The city of Guntersville covers about 42.70 square miles (110.6 square kilometers). A large part of this area, about 40%, is water. Guntersville is found at the very end of the Tennessee River on Lake Guntersville. This lake was created by the Guntersville Dam, built by the Tennessee Valley Authority.
Weather in Guntersville
Guntersville has a varied climate throughout the year. Summers are warm, and winters are mild.
| Climate data for Guntersville, Alabama, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1910–present | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 78 (26) |
82 (28) |
88 (31) |
94 (34) |
99 (37) |
103 (39) |
106 (41) |
105 (41) |
102 (39) |
99 (37) |
87 (31) |
78 (26) |
106 (41) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 69.1 (20.6) |
72.7 (22.6) |
79.2 (26.2) |
84.2 (29.0) |
88.8 (31.6) |
93.6 (34.2) |
95.6 (35.3) |
95.7 (35.4) |
92.8 (33.8) |
85.6 (29.8) |
77.0 (25.0) |
70.0 (21.1) |
97.3 (36.3) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 50.4 (10.2) |
54.8 (12.7) |
63.3 (17.4) |
71.9 (22.2) |
79.5 (26.4) |
86.1 (30.1) |
88.9 (31.6) |
88.7 (31.5) |
83.9 (28.8) |
73.6 (23.1) |
62.0 (16.7) |
53.3 (11.8) |
71.4 (21.9) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 41.8 (5.4) |
45.3 (7.4) |
53.0 (11.7) |
61.2 (16.2) |
69.6 (20.9) |
77.1 (25.1) |
80.3 (26.8) |
79.9 (26.6) |
74.7 (23.7) |
63.5 (17.5) |
52.1 (11.2) |
44.8 (7.1) |
61.9 (16.6) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 33.1 (0.6) |
35.8 (2.1) |
42.8 (6.0) |
50.4 (10.2) |
59.7 (15.4) |
68.1 (20.1) |
71.6 (22.0) |
71.1 (21.7) |
65.4 (18.6) |
53.5 (11.9) |
42.3 (5.7) |
36.3 (2.4) |
52.5 (11.4) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | 15.9 (−8.9) |
20.9 (−6.2) |
26.4 (−3.1) |
35.5 (1.9) |
45.8 (7.7) |
59.4 (15.2) |
64.8 (18.2) |
63.5 (17.5) |
52.6 (11.4) |
37.8 (3.2) |
27.9 (−2.3) |
22.3 (−5.4) |
14.1 (−9.9) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −11 (−24) |
−2 (−19) |
11 (−12) |
25 (−4) |
36 (2) |
44 (7) |
48 (9) |
48 (9) |
38 (3) |
26 (−3) |
7 (−14) |
−2 (−19) |
−11 (−24) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 5.31 (135) |
5.40 (137) |
5.65 (144) |
4.99 (127) |
4.56 (116) |
4.73 (120) |
4.31 (109) |
4.02 (102) |
4.16 (106) |
3.48 (88) |
4.19 (106) |
5.97 (152) |
56.77 (1,442) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 0.1 (0.25) |
0.5 (1.3) |
0.1 (0.25) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.7 (1.8) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 11.9 | 12.4 | 12.5 | 10.7 | 10.3 | 10.9 | 11.4 | 9.9 | 7.8 | 7.7 | 9.9 | 12.7 | 128.1 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.6 |
| Source 1: NOAA | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: National Weather Service | |||||||||||||
Population and People
The population of Guntersville has grown steadily over the years.
| Historical population | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1870 | 244 | — | |
| 1880 | 325 | 33.2% | |
| 1890 | 471 | 44.9% | |
| 1900 | 618 | 31.2% | |
| 1910 | 1,145 | 85.3% | |
| 1920 | 1,909 | 66.7% | |
| 1930 | 2,826 | 48.0% | |
| 1940 | 4,398 | 55.6% | |
| 1950 | 5,253 | 19.4% | |
| 1960 | 6,592 | 25.5% | |
| 1970 | 6,491 | −1.5% | |
| 1980 | 7,041 | 8.5% | |
| 1990 | 7,038 | 0.0% | |
| 2000 | 7,395 | 5.1% | |
| 2010 | 8,197 | 10.8% | |
| 2020 | 8,553 | 4.3% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census 2013 Estimate |
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2010 Census Information
In 2010, Guntersville had 8,197 people living in 3,388 households. About 25% of households had children under 18. The average household had about 2.29 people. The median age in the city was 43.9 years old.
2020 Census Information
By 2020, the population had grown to 8,553 people. There were 3,312 households in the city.
| Race | Num. | Perc. |
|---|---|---|
| White (non-Hispanic) | 6,942 | 81.16% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 745 | 8.71% |
| Native American | 34 | 0.4% |
| Asian | 93 | 1.09% |
| Other/Mixed | 354 | 4.14% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 385 | 4.5% |
Fun and Recreation
Guntersville is located right on Guntersville Lake, which is the biggest lake in Alabama. The lake is huge, covering about 69,100 acres. The Tennessee Valley Authority takes care of the lake. It's a popular spot for fishing, and the famous Bassmaster Classic fishing competition was held there in 2014 and 2020.
Schools and Education
Guntersville has its own school system with four schools:
- Guntersville Elementary School (for Kindergarten to 2nd grade)
- Cherokee Elementary School (for 3rd to 5th grade)
- Guntersville Middle School (for 6th to 8th grade)
- Guntersville High School (for 9th to 12th grade)
In 2006, Guntersville High School's football team won the 4A state championship. This was the only football state championship won by a school in Marshall County.
Culture and Arts
Guntersville holds a special place in music history. It was the very last place where singer Ricky Nelson performed live. His final show was on December 30, 1985, at PJ's Alley in Guntersville. His plane crashed the next day.
The British author Jonathan Raban wrote about Guntersville in his book Hunting Mister Heartbreak: A Discovery of America. He lived there for a while and really liked the city.
Famous People from Guntersville
Many interesting people have come from Guntersville, including:
- Don Fuell, a former football quarterback in the Canadian Football League.
- "Mississippi" Bill Harris, an entrepreneur.
- Jon Jefferson, a documentary filmmaker and author.
- M. E. Lazarus, an American writer.
- Jeffrey McLaughlin, a former member of the Alabama Legislature.
- Jeanette Scissum, a scientist who predicts sunspots for NASA.
- Willard Scissum, a former offensive tackle for the Washington Redskins and a coach.
- Joe Starnes, who served as a congressman from 1935 to 1945.
- Conrad Thompson, a podcast host.
- Pat Upton, the former lead singer and songwriter for the band Spiral Starecase.
- John Allan Wyeth, a surgeon, soldier, and author.
See also
In Spanish: Guntersville (Alabama) para niños
