Talladega, Alabama facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Talladega, Alabama
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Talladega Courthouse Square Historic District
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Location of Talladega in Talladega County, Alabama.
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| Country | United States |
| State | Alabama |
| County | Talladega |
| Area | |
| • Total | 26.13 sq mi (67.69 km2) |
| • Land | 26.05 sq mi (67.48 km2) |
| • Water | 0.08 sq mi (0.21 km2) |
| Elevation | 587 ft (179 m) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 15,861 |
| • Density | 608.82/sq mi (235.06/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| ZIP codes |
35160-35161
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| Area code(s) | 256/938. |
| FIPS code | 01-74592 |
| GNIS feature ID | 2405562 |
Talladega (pronounced like "tal-uh-DIG-uh" or "tal-uh-DAY-guh") is an interesting city in Alabama, United States. It's the main city, or county seat, of Talladega County. The city was officially started in 1835. In 2020, about 15,861 people lived there. Talladega is located about 50 miles (80 km) east of Birmingham, one of Alabama's biggest cities.
Talladega is known for several important places. It's home to the Alabama Institute for the Deaf and Blind, a special school for students who are deaf or blind. You can also find the Talladega Municipal Airport here. Not far from the city are the famous Talladega Superspeedway race track, Talladega College, and the International Motorsports Hall of Fame. The First National Bank of Talladega, now called First Bank of Alabama, is the oldest bank in Alabama, started way back in 1848.
Contents
What Does the Name Talladega Mean?
The name Talladega comes from the Muscogee language, which is a Native American language spoken by the Muscogee people. The word is Tvlvtēke. It's made up of two parts: tvlwv, meaning "town", and vtēke, meaning "border". So, Talladega means "border town". This name shows that the city was located on the edge of lands belonging to the Muscogee and Natchez tribes.
Where is Talladega Located?
Talladega is in the east-central part of Alabama. Its exact location is 33° 26′ 5″ North and 86° 6′ 5″ West.
How to Get Around Talladega
Several main roads run through Talladega. These include AL-21, AL-77, and AL-275.
- AL-77 goes through the center of the city, heading north to Lincoln (about 14 miles or 23 km) and southeast to Ashland (about 24 miles or 39 km).
- AL-21 travels from southwest to northeast through the city. It leads northeast to Oxford (about 23 miles or 37 km) and southwest to Sylacauga (about 21 miles or 34 km).
- AL-275 is a bypass road that goes around the north and west sides of the city, helping drivers avoid the busy downtown area.
How Big is Talladega?
The city of Talladega covers a total area of about 26.13 square miles (67.69 square kilometers). Most of this area, about 26.05 square miles (67.48 square kilometers), is land. A small part, about 0.08 square miles (0.21 square kilometers), is water.
What is Talladega's Climate Like?
Talladega has a climate with hot, humid summers and winters that are usually mild to cool. This type of weather is called a humid subtropical climate.
The highest temperature ever recorded in Talladega was 109°F (42.8°C). This happened in September 1925, July 1930, June 1931, and July 1933. The lowest temperature ever recorded was -10°F (-23.3°C) in February 1899.
| Climate data for Talladega, Alabama (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1893–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 82 (28) |
84 (29) |
90 (32) |
98 (37) |
98 (37) |
109 (43) |
109 (43) |
107 (42) |
109 (43) |
100 (38) |
89 (32) |
80 (27) |
109 (43) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 54.2 (12.3) |
58.5 (14.7) |
66.7 (19.3) |
74.8 (23.8) |
81.9 (27.7) |
87.9 (31.1) |
90.8 (32.7) |
90.1 (32.3) |
85.6 (29.8) |
75.7 (24.3) |
64.9 (18.3) |
56.7 (13.7) |
74.0 (23.3) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 42.4 (5.8) |
46.0 (7.8) |
53.1 (11.7) |
60.5 (15.8) |
68.9 (20.5) |
76.2 (24.6) |
79.5 (26.4) |
78.7 (25.9) |
73.3 (22.9) |
62.1 (16.7) |
51.5 (10.8) |
45.0 (7.2) |
61.4 (16.3) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 30.6 (−0.8) |
33.6 (0.9) |
39.6 (4.2) |
46.3 (7.9) |
55.8 (13.2) |
64.5 (18.1) |
68.2 (20.1) |
67.2 (19.6) |
60.9 (16.1) |
48.6 (9.2) |
38.1 (3.4) |
33.3 (0.7) |
48.9 (9.4) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −5 (−21) |
−10 (−23) |
6 (−14) |
21 (−6) |
32 (0) |
39 (4) |
48 (9) |
46 (8) |
35 (2) |
23 (−5) |
5 (−15) |
0 (−18) |
−10 (−23) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 5.27 (134) |
6.02 (153) |
5.79 (147) |
4.77 (121) |
4.65 (118) |
4.67 (119) |
4.69 (119) |
3.90 (99) |
3.49 (89) |
3.41 (87) |
4.69 (119) |
5.20 (132) |
56.55 (1,436) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 0.3 (0.76) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.6 (1.5) |
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) |
0.9 (2.3) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 10.2 | 9.9 | 10.0 | 8.7 | 8.6 | 10.1 | 10.6 | 9.2 | 6.5 | 6.4 | 7.4 | 10.9 | 108.5 |
| Source: NOAA | |||||||||||||
Who Lives in Talladega?
| Historical population | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1850 | 1,320 | — | |
| 1870 | 1,933 | — | |
| 1880 | 1,233 | −36.2% | |
| 1890 | 2,063 | 67.3% | |
| 1900 | 5,056 | 145.1% | |
| 1910 | 5,854 | 15.8% | |
| 1920 | 6,546 | 11.8% | |
| 1930 | 7,596 | 16.0% | |
| 1940 | 9,298 | 22.4% | |
| 1950 | 13,134 | 41.3% | |
| 1960 | 17,742 | 35.1% | |
| 1970 | 17,662 | −0.5% | |
| 1980 | 19,128 | 8.3% | |
| 1990 | 18,175 | −5.0% | |
| 2000 | 15,143 | −16.7% | |
| 2010 | 15,676 | 3.5% | |
| 2020 | 15,861 | 1.2% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
Population in 2010
In 2010, there were 15,676 people living in Talladega. These people lived in 5,719 households, and 3,722 of those were families. The city had about 653 people per square mile (252 people per square kilometer).
The people living in Talladega were from different backgrounds:
- 48.7% were Black or African American.
- 47.7% were White.
- 0.3% were Native American.
- 0.5% were Asian.
- 1.6% were from other races.
- 1.2% were from two or more races.
- About 3.4% of the population were Hispanic or Latino.
In terms of households:
- 26.6% had children under 18 living with them.
- 36.0% were married couples.
- 23.9% were led by a female with no husband present.
- 34.9% were not families (like single people living alone).
- 30.9% of households were just one person.
- 12.0% were one person aged 65 or older.
The average household had 2.40 people, and the average family had 2.96 people. The average age of people in Talladega was 37.4 years.
Population in 2020
| Race | Num. | Perc. |
|---|---|---|
| White (non-Hispanic) | 5,654 | 39.74% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 10,247 | 60.0% |
| Native American | 29 | 0.18% |
| Asian | 75 | 0.47% |
| Pacific Islander | 5 | 0.03% |
| Other/Mixed | 427 | 2.69% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 458 | 2.89% |
According to the 2020 United States census, Talladega had 15,861 people. There were 5,553 households and 3,334 families living in the city.
What are the Famous Places in Talladega?
Talladega has many important buildings and areas that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This means they are special and protected because of their history.
Some of these famous places include:
- The J. L. M. Curry House and Swayne Hall are both very important and are called National Historic Landmarks.
- The Silk Stocking District is a historic neighborhood that includes the Dr. Samuel Welch House.
- The Talladega College Historic District and the Talladega Courthouse Square Historic District are also important historical areas.
- The Talladega Superspeedway is a huge race track, 2.66 miles (4.28 km) long. It hosts two major NASCAR races every year, attracting many fans.
- In 2020, the Dr. William R. Harvey Museum of Art opened at Talladega College, showcasing art.
Learning in Talladega
Talladega has a good education system. The local school district, Talladega City Schools, has three elementary schools and one high school.
The Alabama Institute for the Deaf and Blind is a special boarding school in Talladega. It was founded in 1858 and helps students across the state who are blind or deaf.
Talladega is also home to the historic Talladega College, which is Alabama's oldest private historically black college. There's also a branch of the Central Alabama Community College in Talladega.
Famous People From Talladega
Many notable people have connections to Talladega, including:
- Steadham Acker, a pioneer in aviation.
- Tom Bleick, a former NFL football player.
- The original members of the gospel group The Blind Boys of Alabama met at the Alabama School for the Blind in Talladega.
- Robert Bradley of Robert Bradley's Blackwater Surprise, a musician, also attended the Alabama School for the Blind.
- William W. Brandon, who served as the Governor of Alabama from 1923 to 1927.
- Lee de Forest, an inventor who spent much of his early life in Talladega.
- Tinsley R. Harrison, a famous doctor who helped create Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine, a very important medical textbook.
- Jack Nelson, a well-known journalist for the Los Angeles Times, was born here.
- Lewis E. Parsons, who was the Governor of Alabama for a short time in 1865.
- Dave Pope and Tom Ragland, former Major League Baseball players.
- George Scales, a player in the Negro leagues.
- Robert Smith Vance, a federal judge.
Images for kids
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Aerial photo of Talladega Superspeedway in 2007
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The Talladega County Courthouse is located in Talladega.
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Savery Library on the campus of Talladega College, which is Alabama's oldest private historically black college.
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Built in 1857, and eventually named for General Wager Swayne, Swayne Hall is the oldest building on the campus of Talladega College. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 2, 1974.
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The J. L. M. Curry House was added to the National Register of Historic Places on October 15, 1966.
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Talladega is home to the famous Silk Stocking District. The neighborhood was added to the National Register of Historic Places on December 13, 1979.
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Boxwood was added to the National Register of Historic Places on June 9, 1983.
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The First Presbyterian church was added to the National Register of Historic Places on November 17, 1983.
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The Lawler-Whiting House was added to the National Register of Historic Places on May 22, 1986.
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The Idlewild Plantation House was built in 1843, and it was added to the National Register of Historic Places on October 15, 1993.
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Thornhill was added to the National Register of Historic Places on February 20, 1998.
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The First United Methodist Church was built in 1921.
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A historic marker commemorating General Andrew Jackson's victory over the Red Sticks at the Battle of Talladega during the Creek War.
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A monument to the accomplishments of the USS Talladega stands in the Talladega Historic Courthouse Square.
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A group of doffers working in Cotton Factory posed by the superintendent of the factory. November 1910. Photographed by Lewis Hine.
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See also
In Spanish: Talladega para niños
