Dothan (pronounced /ˈdoʊθən/ ) is a city located in the southeastern corner of the U.S. state of Alabama, situated approximately twenty miles west of the Georgia state line and eighteen miles north of Florida. It is the seat of Houston County, with portions extending into nearby Dale County and Henry County. Its name derives from Genesis 37:17: "let us go to Dothan." According to 2007 Census Bureau estimates, the city's population was 65,447, making it the largest town in this part of the state. Dothan is the principal city of the Dothan Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Geneva, Henry, and Houston counties (the small portion that lies in Dale County is part of the Enterprise–Ozark Micropolitan Statistical Area); the combined population for the entire Dothan metropolitan area in 2000 was 137,916. The city serves as the main transportation and commercial hub for a significant part of southeastern Alabama, southwest Georgia, and nearby portions of the Florida Panhandle. Since one-fourth of the U.S. peanut crop is grown nearby, with much of it being processed in the city, Dothan calls itself "The Peanut Capital of the World."
History
Earliest years
The area that is now Dothan was originally inhabited by members of the Alabama and Creek Native American tribes. Within the vast forests of pine that covered this region, a glade surrounded by poplar trees sheltered a large spring at the crossroads of two trails, where local Indians used to meet and camp. White settlers moving through the area duirng the late 1700s and early 1800s named the spring "Poplar Head," but most felt that the sandy soil common to this region would be unsuitable for farming, so they moved on. A rude stockade was constructed on the Barber Plantation, where settlers could take refuge whenever they felt threatened. This fort disappeared by the 1840s, with the end of the Indian Wars in Alabama and the removal of the Native Americans further west.
The first permanent white settlers consisted of nine families who moved into the area during the early 1830s to harvest the abundant timber. Their settlement, named "Poplar Head" after the spring, failed to thrive and was all but abandoned by the time of the Civil War. After the war, the establishment of a local Pony Express route coupled with other developments during the Reconstuction era to finally allow the town to bloom. On November 11, 1885, the locals voted to incorporate, naming their new city "Dothan" after discovering that "Poplar Head" was already registered with the U.S. post office for a town in northern Alabama.
Civil unrest
On October 12, 1889, Dothan was the scene of a deadly altercation resulting from a dispute over a tax levied on all wagons operating within city limits. Local farmers opposed this levy and united in a body called the "Farmers Alliance." The arrest of some of the alliance's men led to a riot, and although the violence lasted only a few minutes, it left two men dead and others seriously wounded. Chief of police Tobe Domingus was found guilty of murder, and sentenced to ten years incarceration. Appeals to the Alabama Supreme Court resulted in a new trial, and Domingus was acquitted.
Expansion and growth
In 1893, Dothan secured a stop on the first railroad to be built in this region. This development brought new prosperity and further growth, as local farmers now had a means of marketing their produce. The pine forests were harvested for turpentine and wood, which was transformed into ship masts, lumber and other wood products.
As the pines were cut and land subsequently cleared, cotton became a staple of the local economy, until cotton was devastated by the Boll weevil in the early 1900s. Farmers turned to peanut production, experiencing remarkable success and bringing financial gain to the city, which became a hub for the production and transport of peanuts and peanut-related products. Today, one-quarter of the U.S. peanut crop is harvested within 75 miles of Dothan, and the city refers to itself as "the Peanut Capital of the World." A two-week fall festival known as the National Peanut Festival celebrates this heritage. The city also sought out industry, with textile and agricultural concerns being joined by manufacturing plants for the Sony, Michelin, and General Electric corporations later in the century. In 1939, Dothan took part in the New York World's Fair.
Economic growth was also generated by some of Dothan's Jewish citizens, most notably Hyman Blumberg and his wife Esther, who had settled in Dothan in 1892 and started a retail apparel business which remained in his family until closing in 1975—a business noted for its moving escalator.
Later events
Originally part of Henry County, Dothan became the county seat of the newly-formed Houston County on May 9, 1903. The city continued to flourish and grow throughout the twentieth century, with an airport being constructed in 1965 and the Wallace Community College in 1969. Troy University in Dothan was established in 1961 and currently occupies a landscaped campus northwest of the city. The Southern Company construced the Joseph M. Farley Nuclear Generating Station near the city between 1970-81; this 1,776 megawatt facility currently generates approximately 13,000 GW-h per year. More recent decades have seen factories constructed in the city by Sony and Michelin Corporations, together with the emergence of a local arts and music scene complete with an art museum, several theaters, symphony orchestra, dance troupe and other cultural amenities.
In 2008, Alabama developer Ronnie Gilley and his business partner Kix Brooks of Country superstar duo Brooks & Dunn announced plans to construct a $300 million entertainment venue just south of Dothan. This development, to be named "Country Crossing", is ultimately intended to feature restaurants, a dinner theater, camping facilities, concert facilities, fairgrounds and a charity bingo hall. While approved by the County Commission, Gilley's development has encountered stiff opposition from local religious and anti-gambling groups who are concerned that the planned bingo hall is illegal under state law, and would bring increased crime and gambling addiction to the area. Gilley had previously threatened to pull his project if bingo was ruled illegal, but ground-breaking began on March 2, 2009. Country Crossing is expected to generate over 1,200 jobs during its first year alone.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 86.8 square miles (224.9 km²), of which, 86.6 square miles (224.3 km²) of it is land and 0.2 square miles (0.5 km²) of it (0.23%) is water.
In addition to styling itself "The Peanut Capital of the World", Dothan is also the self-proclaimed "Hub of the Wiregrass". It is also commonly referred to as "The Circle City", due to being encircled by Alabama State Route 210, a four-lane highway also known as the Ross Clark Circle. Recent decades have seen the city expand in several directions beyond the confines of this highway.
Dothan's name is often mispronounced by those unfamiliar with the area.
Fort Rucker, the "Home of Army Aviation", is located about 20 miles (32 km) west of the city, just north of the town of Daleville.
Climate
Dothan has a humid subtropical climate. It experiences hot, humid summers and generally mild winters, with average high temperatures ranging from 93.0 °F (33.9 °C) in the summer to 59.0 °F (15 °C) high during winter. Snowfall is extremely rare, with a yearly average of 0.2 inches. Tornadoes are a constant danger during the spring, summer and fall; the city's tornado activity is slightly below the Alabama state average, but 79% above the U.S. average.
Demographics
According to the 2007 census estimate, there were 65,447 people, 23,685 households and 17,108 families residing in the city. The population density was 667.7 per square mile (257.4/km²). There were 27,908 housing units at an average density of 299.3/sq mi (115.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 67.33% white, 30.11% black or African American, 0.28% Native American, 0.85% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander American, 0.46% from other races, and 0.96% from two or more races. 1.32% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 27,908 households, of which 31.5% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.9% were married couples living together, 15.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.3% were non-families. 28.4% of all households are made up of individuals, and 10.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39, and the average family size was 2.94. 70% of women with school-age children work.
Age distribution was 25.4% under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 28.3% from 25 to 44, 23.3% from 45 to 64, and 14.6% who are 65 or older. The median age is 37 years. For every 100 females, there are 88.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.3 males. 22% of adults have never married. 55% are currently married. 3% are separated. 12% are divorced. 9% are widowed.
The median household income was $35,000, and the median family income was $45,025. Males had a median income of $34,475
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