Reeltown, Alabama facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Reeltown, Alabama
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Location of Reeltown in Tallapoosa County, Alabama.
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 Reeltown, Alabama
Location in Alabama
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| Country | United States |
| State | Alabama |
| County | Tallapoosa |
| Area | |
| • Total | 7.57 sq mi (19.62 km2) |
| • Land | 7.55 sq mi (19.54 km2) |
| • Water | 0.03 sq mi (0.07 km2) |
| Elevation | 620 ft (190 m) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 794 |
| • Density | 105.22/sq mi (40.62/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| Area code(s) | 334 |
| GNIS feature ID | 158909 |
Reeltown is a small place in Tallapoosa County, Alabama, United States. It is known as a census-designated place, which means it's an area that looks like a town but doesn't have its own local government. It's also an unincorporated community, meaning it's not officially a city or town.
In 2020, about 794 people lived in Reeltown.
Contents
The Story Behind the Name
The name "Reeltown" has an interesting history! It was actually supposed to be "Realtown." The "Reel" part is a mistake in spelling the last name "O'Real." Two early settlers, James Patrick and Phillip O'Real, were important to the area.
For a while, from 1880 to 1902, the town was called Thaddeus. This was to honor Thaddeus P. Webster, who was the postmaster at the time. But in 1902, the name changed back to Reeltown.
Reeltown High School Pride
Reeltown is very proud of its local school, Reeltown High School. The school is famous for its successful football team!
Football Championships
The Reeltown High School football team has won several state championships:
- In 1987, they won the state championship in the 2A division.
- In 2001, they won again, this time in the 1A division.
- In 2009, they took home another championship in the 2A division.
Legendary Coaches
Reeltown High School has been home to two amazing head football coaches who each won over 200 games in their careers:
- Duane Webster coached from 1956 to 1987, with a record of 218 wins, 93 losses, and 9 ties.
- Jackie O'Neal coached from 1988 to 2015, with an impressive record of 241 wins and 110 losses.
FFA State Officers
Reeltown High School has also had four students who became state officers for the Alabama FFA Association. FFA stands for Future Farmers of America, a group that helps young people learn about agriculture and leadership.
- Mickey Humphries was the Alabama FFA State Vice President from 1963 to 1964.
- Lacey Newman served as the Alabama FFA State Secretary from 2014 to 2015.
- Torran Smith was the Alabama FFA State Sentinel from 2016 to 2017. He was also the first African American Alabama FFA Central District President from 2015 to 2016.
- KaShiya McKinney was the Alabama FFA State Reporter from 2019 to 2020 and was a candidate for a national officer position in 2021.
Kiwi Farming in Alabama
Did you know that Reeltown used to be home to a special farm that grew kiwi fruit? It was called the Southeastern Kiwi Farming Cooperative. This was the only kiwi farm in the entire state of Alabama!
