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International broadcasting

International broadcasting consists of radio and television transmissions that purposefully cross international boundaries, often with then intent of allowing expatriates to remain in touch with their countries of origin as well as educate, inform, and influence residents of foreign countries. Content can range from overt propaganda and counterpropaganda to cultural content to news reports that reflect the point of view and concerns of the originating country or that seek to provide alternative information to that otherwise available as well as promote tourism and trade. In the first half of the twentieth century, international broadcasting was used by colonial empires as a means of connecting colonies with the metropole (for example the BBC Empire Service as well as France's Poste Colonial and the Dutch overseas radio services, PCJJ and PHOHI). When operated by governments or entities close to a government, international broadcasting can be a form of soft power. Less frequently, international broadcasting has been undertaken for commercial purposes by private broadcasters.

International broadcasting, in a limited extent, began during World War I, when German and British stations broadcast press communiqués using Morse code. With the severing of Germany's undersea cables, the wireless telegraph station in Nauen was the country's sole means of long-distance communication. The US Navy Radio Service radio station in New Brunswick, Canada, transmitted the 'Fourteen Points' by wireless to Nauen in 1917. In turn, Nauen station broadcast the news of the abdication of Kaiser Wilhelm II on November 10, 1918.

Origins
Guglielmo Marconi pioneered the use of short wave radio for long-distance transmissions in the early 1920s. Using a system of parabolic reflector antennae, Marconi's assistant, Charles Samuel Franklin, rigged up a large antenna at Poldhu Wireless Station, Cornwall, running on 25 kW of power. In June and July 1923, wireless transmissions were completed during nights on 97 meters from Poldhu to Marconi's yacht Elettra in the Cape Verde Islands. High speed shortwave telegraphy circuits were then installed from London to Australia, India, South Africa and Canada as the main element of the Imperial Wireless Chain from 1926.

The Dutch began conducting experiments in the shortwave frequencies in 1925 from Eindhoven. The radio station PCJJ began the first international broadcasting on March 11, 1927, with programmes in Dutch for colonies in the Dutch West Indies and Dutch East Indies and in German, Spanish and English for the rest of the world. The popular Happy Station show was inaugurated in 1928 and became the world's longest-running shortwave programme, continuing until 1995, transferring to Radio Netherlands after World War II.

In 1927, Marconi also turned his attention toward long distance broadcasting on shortwave. His first such broadcasts took place to commemorate Armistice Day in the same year. He continued running a regular international broadcast that was picked up around the world, with programming from the 2LO station, then run by the BBC. The success of this operation caught the BBC's attention who rented out a shortwave transmitting station in Chelmsford, with the callsign G5SW, to Marconi. The BBC Empire Service was finally inaugurated on December 19, 1932, with transmissions aimed towards Australia and New Zealand.

Expansion
Other notable early international broadcasters included Vatican Radio (February 12, 1931), Radio Moscow, the official service of the Soviet Union (renamed the Voice of Russia, following the collapse of the Soviet Union). Clarence W. Jones started transmitting on Christmas Day, 1931 from Christian missionary radio station HCJB in Quito, Ecuador. Broadcasting in South Asia was launched in 1925 in Ceylon – Radio Ceylon, now the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation is the oldest in the region.

Shortwave broadcasting from Nauen in Germany to the US, Central and South America, and the Far East began in 1926. A second station, Zeesen, was added in 1931. In January 1932, the German Reichspost assumed control of the Nauen station and added to its shortwave and longwave capacity. Once Adolf Hitler assumed power in 1933, shortwave, under the Auslandsrundfunk (Foreign Radio Section), was regarded as a vital element of Nazi propaganda.

German shortwave hours were increased from two hours a day to 18 per day, and eventually twelve languages were broadcast on a 24-hour basis, including English. A 100 kilowatt transmitter and antenna complex was built at Zeesen, near Berlin. Specialty target programming to the United States began in 1933, to South Africa, South America, and East Asia in 1934, and South Asia and Central America in 1938. German propaganda was organized under Joseph Goebbels, and played a key role in the German annexation of Austria and the Munich Crisis of 1938.

In 1936, the International Radio Union recognized Vatican Radio as a "special case" and authorized its broadcasting without any geographical limits. On December 25, 1937, a Telefunken 25-kW transmitter and two directional antennas were added. Vatican Radio broadcast over 10 frequencies.

During the Spanish Civil War, the Nationalist forces received a powerful Telefunken transmitter as a gift of Nazi Germany to aid their propaganda efforts, and until 1943 Radio Nacional de España collaborated with the Axis powers to retransmit in Spanish news from the official radio stations of Germany and Italy.

World War II
During the Second World War, Russian, German, British, and Italian international broadcasting services expanded. In 1938 the British BBC launched international services in German, French and Italian. In 1942, the United States initiated its international broadcasting service, the Voice of America. In the Pacific theater, General Douglas MacArthur used shortwave radio to keep in touch with the citizens of the Japanese-occupied Philippine Islands.

Several announcers who became well known in their countries included British Union of Fascists member William Joyce, who was one of the two "Lord Haw-Haw"s; Frenchmen Paul Ferdonnet and André Olbrecht, called "the traitors of [Radio] Stuttgart"; and Americans Frederick William Kaltenbach, "Lord Hee-Haw", and Mildred Gillars, one of the two announcers called "Axis Sally". Listeners to German programs often tuned in for curiosity's sake—at one time, German radio had half a million listeners in the U.S.--but most of them soon lost interest. Japan had "Tokyo Rose", who broadcast Japanese propaganda in English, along with American music to help ensure listeners.

During World War II, Vatican Radio's news broadcasts were banned in Germany. During the war, the radio service operated in four languages.

The British launched Radio SEAC from Colombo, Ceylon (Sri Lanka) during World War II. The station broadcast radio programs to the allied armed forces across the region from their headquarters in Ceylon.

Following the war and German partition, each Germany developed its own international broadcasting station: Deutsche Welle, using studios in Cologne, West Germany, and Radio Berlin International (RBI) in East Germany. RBI's broadcasts ceased shortly before the reunification of Germany on October 3, 1990, and Deutsche Welle took over its transmitters and frequencies.

Cold War era
The Cold War led to increased international broadcasting (and jamming), as Communist and non-Communist states attempted to influence each other's domestic population. Some of the most prominent Western broadcasters were the Voice of America, the BBC World Service, and the Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. The Soviet Union's most prominent service was Radio Moscow and China used Radio Peking (then Radio Beijing, now China Radio International). In addition to the U.S.-Soviet cold war, the Chinese-Russian border dispute led to an increase of the numbers of transmitters aimed at the two nations, and the development of new techniques such as playing tapes backwards for reel-to-reel recorders.

West Germany resumed regular shortwave broadcasts using Deutsche Welle on May 3, 1953. Its Julich transmitter site began operation in 1956, with eleven 100-kW Telefunken transmitters. The Wertachtal site was authorized in 1972 and began with four 500-kW transmitters. By 1989, there were 15 transmitters, four of which relayed the Voice of America. Meanwhile, in East Germany, the Nauen site began transmitting Radio DDR, later Radio Berlin International, on October 15, 1959.

In addition to these states, international broadcast services grew in Europe and the Middle East. Under the presidency of Gamal Nasser, Egyptian transmitters covered the Arab world; Israel's service, Kol Yisrael, served both to present the Israeli point of view to the world and to serve the Jewish diaspora, particularly behind the Iron Curtain.

Radio RSA, as part of the South African Broadcasting Corporation, was established in 1966 to promote the image of South Africa internationally and reduce criticism of apartheid. It continued in 1992, when the post-apartheid government renamed it Channel Africa.

Ironically, the isolationist Albania under Enver Hoxha, virtually a hermit kingdom, became one of the most prolific international broadcasters during the latter decades of the Cold War, with Radio Tirana one of the top five broadcasters in terms of hours of programming produced.

Estimated total programme hours per week of some external broadcasters

Today
At the end of the Cold War, many international broadcasters cut back on hours and foreign languages broadcast, or reemphasized other language services. For example, in 1984, Radio Canada International broadcast in English, French, German, Spanish, Czech/Slovak, Hungarian, Polish, Russian, and Ukrainian. In 2005, RCI broadcast in English, Chinese, Arabic, Russian, and Spanish. There is a bigger trend towards TV (e.g. BBC World News, NHK World, CCTV-9) and news websites.

Some services, such as Swiss Radio International, left shortwave altogether and exist in Internet form, Swissinfo. Radio Canada International ceased shortwave broadcasting in 2012 becoming a purely online service producing podcasts and maintaining a website in several languages. Radio Netherlands ceased broadcasting in 2012 and was transformed into RNW Media, an NGO that trains youth in developing countries to use digital media for social change. Radio Moscow's successor, Voice of Russia, was disbanded in 2014 and replaced by Sputnik, a multimedia news platform, which does not broadcast on shortwave. Other shortwave broadcasters have ceased operations entirely since the 1990s.

In addition, new standards, such as Digital Radio Mondiale, are being introduced, as well as sending programs over the Web to be played back later, as "podcasts".

International broadcasting using the traditional audio-only method will not cease any time soon due to its cost efficiencies. However, international broadcasting via television is considered more strategically important at least since the early 2000s.

The BBC World Service was the first broadcaster to consider setting up a satellite television news and information channel as far back as 1976, but ceded being the first to CNN (that had primary access to Canada soon after launch). The defunct BBC World Service Antigua Relay Station was built in 1976, but its setup costs were not known to have been part of the BBCWS decision processes at the time.

In the early 1990s, many international (as well as domestic) 24-hour news and information channels launched as part of the post-Cold War prosperity bubble. There was another burst of global news channels launching in the late 2000s as part the developing world trying to catch up with the developed world in this area.

Reasons for international broadcasting
Broadcasters in one country have several reasons to reach out to an audience in other countries. Commercial broadcasters may simply see a business opportunity to sell advertising or subscriptions to a broader audience. This is more efficient than broadcasting to a single country, because domestic entertainment programs and information gathered by domestic news staff can be cheaply repackaged for non-domestic audiences.

Governments typically have different motivations for funding international broadcasting. One clear reason is for ideological, or propaganda reasons. Many government-owned stations portray their nation in a positive, non-threatening way. This could be to encourage business investment in or tourism to the nation. Another reason is to combat a negative image produced by other nations or internal dissidents, or insurgents. Radio RSA, the broadcasting arm of the apartheid South African government, is an example of this. A third reason is to promote the ideology of the broadcaster. For example, a program on Radio Moscow from the 1960s to the 1980s was What is Communism?

A second reason is to advance a nation's foreign policy interests and agenda by disseminating its views on international affairs or on the events in particular parts of the world. During the Cold War the American Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty and Indian Radio AIR were founded to broadcast news from "behind the Iron Curtain" that was otherwise being censored and promote dissent and occasionally, to disseminate disinformation. Currently, the US operates similar services aimed at Cuba (Radio y Televisión Martí) and the People's Republic of China, Vietnam, Laos and North Korea (Radio Free Asia).

The BBC World Service, the Voice of America, All India Radio and other western broadcasters have emphasized news broadcasts, particularly to countries that are experiencing repression or civil unrest and whose populations are unable to obtain news from non-government sources. In the case of emergencies, a nation may broadcast special programs overseas to inform listeners what is occurring. During Iraqi missile strikes on Israel during the 1991 Gulf War, Kol Israel relayed its domestic service on its shortwave service.

Besides ideological reasons, many stations are run by religious broadcasters and are used to provide religious education, religious music, or worship service programs. For example, Vatican Radio, established in 1931, broadcasts such programs. Another station, such as HCJB or Trans World Radio will carry brokered programming from evangelists. In the case of the Broadcasting Services of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, both governmental and religious programming is provided.

Stations also broadcast to international audiences for cultural reasons. Often a station has an official mandate to keep expatriates in touch with their home country. Many broadcasters often relay their national domestic service on shortwave for that reason. Other reasons include teaching a foreign language, such as Radio Exterior de España's Spanish class, Un idioma sin fronteras, or the Voice of America's broadcasts in Special English. In the case of major broadcasters such as the BBC World Service or Radio Australia, there is also an educational outreach.

An additional reason for international broadcasting is to maintain contact with a country's citizens travelling abroad or expatriates who have emigrated and share news from home as well as cultural programming. This role of external shortwave broadcasting has declined as advances in communications have allowed expatriates to read news from home and listen and watch to domestic broadcasts in their own language via the internet and satellite. A number of international services such as the original BBC Empire Service, Radio Netherlands, France's Poste Colonial (now Radio France International) and others were founded in part with the goal of helping draw overseas empires closer to the mother country and provide closer cultural and communication connections between the home country and its colonies, a role that became largely obsolete due to decolonization.

Notable networks

 * CNN International (English)
 * BBC News (Arabic, English, Persian)
 * BBC World Service (Arabic, Azeri, Bengali, Burmese, Cantonese, English, French for Africa, Hausa, Hindi, Indonesian, Kinyarwanda, Kirundi, Kyrgyz, Nepali, Pashto, Persian, Portuguese for Brazil, Russian, Sinhala, Somali, Spanish for Latin America, Swahili, Tamil, Turkish, Ukrainian, Urdu, Uzbek, Vietnamese)
 * DD News (Hindi, English, Sanskrit, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malawi, Urdu, Bangla, Marathi, Malayalam, Thai, Baloch, Arabic, Fiji Hindi, Bhojpuri, Assami, Nagapure)
 * Asian News International (Hindi, English, Tamil, Telghu, Bangla)
 * Sky News (English, Arabic)
 * France 24 (French, English, Arabic, Spanish)
 * Al Jazeera (English, Arabic)
 * Telesur (Spanish, English)
 * Deutsche Welle (German, English, Spanish, Hindi, Tamil, Russian, Arabic, Persian, Dari, Pashto, Urdu, Albanian, Amharic, Bengali, Bosnian, Bulgarian, Mandarin Chinese, French, Greek, Hausa, Indonesian, Kiswahili, Turkish, Macedonian, Portuguese, Romanian, Serbian, Ukrainian)
 * EBC (Portuguese, English, Spanish)
 * TRT World (English, Arabic, Turkish)
 * Voice of Turkey (English, Arabic, Armenian, Azerbaijani, Bulgarian, Chinese, Dari, French, Georgian, German, Hausa, Italian, Japanese, Kazakh, Malay, Pashto, Kurdish, Russian, Spanish, Swahili, Turkmen, Turkish, Urdu, Uyghur, Uzbek)
 * Press Trust of India (Hindi and 98 other languages)
 * Press TV (English, French)
 * TV5Monde (French)
 * CNA (English)
 * Zee News (Hindi)
 * RT (Russian, English, French, German, Arabic, Spanish)
 * Zee Entertainment (Hindi, Thai, English, Tamil, Telghu, and 126 other local languages)
 * Voice of Indonesia (English, French, Spanish, German, Indonesian, Japanese, Arabic, Chinese, Dutch)
 * ABC Australia (English)
 * RNZ International (English, French, Samoan, Tongan, Niuean, Cook Islands Maori, Solomon Islands Pidgin )
 * i24NEWS (English, French, Spanish, Arabic)
 * Sun TV (Tamil)
 * NHK World-Japan (English, Japanese)
 * CGTN (English, French, Spanish, Russian, Arabic)
 * China Radio International (Albanian, Arabic, Armenian, Belarusian, Bengali, Bulgarian, Burmese, Croatian, Cambodian, Czech, Dutch, English, Esperanto, Estonian, Filipino, French, Gernan, Greek, Hausa, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Laotian, Malaysian, Nepali, Persian, Polish, Portugaese, Pashto, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Sinhala, Spanish, Swahili, Swedish, Tamil, Turkish, Ukrainian, Urdu, Vietnamese, Hakka, Cantonese, Hokkien, Teochew, Hakka, Wenzhouese, Uyghur, Kazakh, Mongolian, Korean)
 * Arirang (English, Korean, Chinese, Spanish, Arabic, Russian, Vietnamese, Indonesian)
 * WION (English)
 * The Filipino Channel (English, Filipino)
 * GMA Pinoy TV (English, Filipino)
 * Kapatid Channel (English, Filipino)
 * RAE (Spanish, German, French, English, Italian, Portuguese, Chinese, Japanese)

Means to reach an audience
Because of this many broadcasters are discovering they can reach a wider audience through other methods (particularly the internet and satellite television) and are cutting back on (or even entirely dropping) shortwave.

An international broadcaster has several options for reaching a foreign audience:
 * If the foreign audience is near the broadcaster, high-power longwave and mediumwave stations can provide reliable coverage.
 * If the foreign audience is more than 1,000 kilometers away from the broadcaster, shortwave radio is reliable, but subject to interruption by adverse solar/geomagnetic conditions.
 * An international broadcaster may use a local mediumwave or FM radio or television relay station in the target country or countries.
 * An international broadcaster may use a local shortwave broadcaster as a relay station.
 * Neighboring states, such as Israel and Jordan, may broadcast television programs to each other's viewing public.

An international broadcaster such as the BBC, Radio France International or Germany's Deutsche Welle, may use all the above methods. Several international broadcasters, such as Swiss Radio International, have abandoned shortwave broadcasting altogether, relying on Internet transmissions only. Others, such as the BBC World Service, have abandoned shortwave transmissions to North America, relying on local relays, the Internet, and satellite transmissions.

Mediumwave and longwave broadcasts
Most radio receivers in the world receive the mediumwave band (530 kHz to 1710 kHz), which at night is capable of reliable reception from 150 to 2,500 km distance from a transmitter. Mediumwave is used heavily all over the world for international broadcasting on a formal and informal basis.

In addition, many receivers used in Europe and Russia can receive the longwave broadcast band (150 to 280 kHz), which provides reliable long-distance communications over continental distances.

 Shortwave broadcast
Shortwave receivers are capable of receiving shortwave transmissions (2,000 to 30,000 kHz or 2 to 30 MHz). Depending on time of day, season of year, solar weather and Earth's geomagnetic field, a signal might reach around the world.

In previous decades shortwave (and sometimes high-powered mediumwave) transmission was regarded as the main (and often the only) way in which broadcasters could reach an international audience. In recent years the proliferation of technologies such as satellite broadcasting, the Internet, and rebroadcasts of programming on AM and FM within target nations has meant that this is no longer necessarily the case.

Transmitter output power has increased since 1920. Higher transmitter powers do guarantee better reception in the target area. Higher transmitter power in most cases counteracts the lesser effects of jamming.
 * 1950s : 100 kW
 * 1960s : 200 kW, early 1960s (2 × 100 kW 'twinned')
 * 1970s : 300 kW, but many 250 kW transmitters sold
 * 1980s : 500 kW sometimes transmitters were "doubled up" to produce 1000 kW output
 * 1980s-present: 600 kW single, 1200 kW from twinned transmitters.

International stations generally use special directional antennas to aim the signal toward the intended audience and increase the effective power in that direction. Use of such antennas for international broadcasting began in the mid-1930s and became prominent by the 1950s. By using antennas which focus most of their energy in one direction, a modern station may achieve the equivalent, in that direction, of tens of millions of watts of radio power.

Digital audio broadcasting
Some international broadcasters have become available via digital audio broadcasting (DAB) in Europe in the 1990s, and in a similar limited way in the Americas via in-band FM (IBOC) DAB systems in the US in the 2000s. This is a popular method to reach listeners in cars that would otherwise not be accessible during that part of the day. However, in terms of the global international broadcasting audience the DAB listener base is very small—one can assume that it is less than 2% of the listener base globally.

Television
International broadcasting via 24 hour TV news channels has its origins in North America in the early 1980s. CNN technically was the first 24-hour international news channel as it was made available in Canada soon after launch. The BBC World Service considered setting up a global TV news channel as far back as 1975, but abandoned the idea for internal reasons.

Notwithstanding a large number of international 24-hour television news and information broadcasters, the television percentage of viewers is still fairly small when compared to global radio listener numbers.

The rural populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia (as well as East Asia) have radio listener bases that are far larger than the largest international TV broadcaster could hope for, yet they could be considered underserved since the end of the Cold War (when these regions had more radio broadcasts targeted at them).

Streaming video sites
Many international television broadcasters (as well as domestic television broadcasters) have set up accounts on streaming video sites like YouTube to allow their news and information broadcasts to be globally distributed. The viewer numbers for these sites may seem huge. Cable, TVRO and terrestrial television broadcasters probably have 100 to 1,000 times larger audiences for their international broadcasting content.

International broadcasters known to maintain their own streaming video sites (not authoritative):

 * ABC Australia
 * Al Jazeera
 * BBC World News
 * CNN International
 * DD News
 * Deutsche Welle
 * France 24
 * i24NEWS
 * RT
 * Sky News
 * WION

RSS feeds and email
Many international broadcasters (television or radio) can reach "unreachable" audiences via email and RSS feeds. This is not at all unusual, as the first commonly agreed international broadcast was a Morse Code telegram transmitted from US President Wilson to the German Kaiser (mid-1918) via a high powered longwave transmitter on the US East Coast (this important event in international broadcasting history was described in depth in the IEEE "The History of International Broadcasting" first volume). As Morse Code is considered to be a data format, with email and RSS merely being refinements of the technology it can be said that international broadcasting has a deep relationship with modern-day datacasting.

The reach of RSS and email for international broadcasters is not really known that well, especially considering that emails get forwarded. The numbers for active RSS and email audiences are probably 5 to 20 times larger than for streaming video. It may take into the 2010s to get meaningful numbers with respect to the size of these audiences for assorted technical reasons related to the RSS and email technologies.

Email and RSS feeds can traverse telecommunications barriers that streaming video cannot, thus the larger expected audience numbers. The global economic downturn of 2008-2009 will probably increase the email and RSS audience sizes as fewer people will be able to afford high speed internet connections in North America, Western Europe and the Asia-Pacific regions.

Listeners
An international broadcaster may have the technical means of reaching a foreign audience, but unless the foreign audience has a reason to listen, the effectiveness of the broadcaster is in question.

One of the most common foreign audiences consists of expatriates, who cannot listen to radio or watch television programs from home. Another common audience is radio hobbyists, who attempt to listen to as many countries as possible and obtain verification cards or letters (QSLs). These audiences send letters and in response few radio stations write them back. These kind of Listeners often take part in weekly and monthly quizzes and contests started by many radio stations. A third audience consists of journalists, government officials, and key businesspersons, who exert a disproportionate influence on a state's foreign or economic policy.

A fourth, but less publicized audience, consists of intelligence officers and agents who monitor broadcasts for both open-source intelligence clues to the broadcasting state's policies and for hidden messages to foreign agents operating in the receiving country. The BBC started its monitoring service in Caversham, Reading in 1936 (now BBC Monitoring). In the United States, the DNI Open Source Center (formerly the Central Intelligence Agency's Foreign Broadcast Information Service) provides the same service. Copies of OSC/FBIS reports can be found in many U.S. libraries that serve as government depositories. In addition, a number of hobbyists listen and report "spook" transmissions.

Without these four audiences, international broadcasters face difficulty in getting funding. In 2001, for example, the BBC World Service stopped transmitting shortwave broadcasts to North America, and other international broadcasters, such as YLE Radio Finland, stopped certain foreign-language programs.

However, international broadcasting has been successful when a country does not provide programming wanted by a wide segment of the population. In the 1960s, when there was no BBC service playing rock and roll, Radio Television Luxembourg (RTL) broadcast rock and roll, including bands such as the Beatles, into the United Kingdom. Similar programming came from an unlicensed, or "pirate" station, Radio Caroline, which broadcast from a ship in the international waters of the North Sea.

Restricting reception
In many cases, governments do not want their citizens listening to international broadcasters. In Nazi Germany, a major propaganda campaign, backed by law and prison sentences, attempted to discourage Germans from listening to such stations. The practice was made illegal in 1939. In addition, the German government sold a cheap, "People's Receiver", as well as an even cheaper  receiver, that could not pick up distant signals well.

The idea was copied by Stalin's Soviet Union, which had a nearly identical copy manufactured in the Tesla factory in Czechoslovakia. In North Korea, all receivers are sold with fixed frequencies, tuned to local stations.

The most common method of preventing reception is jamming, or broadcasting a signal on the same frequencies as the international broadcaster. Germany jammed the BBC European service during the Second World War. Russian and Eastern European jammers were aimed against Radio Free Europe, other Western broadcasters, and against Chinese broadcasters during the nadir of Sino-Soviet relations. In 2002, the Cuban government jammed the Voice of America's Radio Martí program and the Chinese government jammed Radio Free Asia, Voice of America, Radio Taiwan International as well broadcasts made by adherents of Falun Gong.

North Korea restricts most people to a single fixed frequency mediumwave receiver; those who met political requirements and whose work absolutely required familiarity with events abroad were allowed shortwave receivers. Another method of reaching people with government radio programming, but not foreign programming, is the use of radio broadcasting by direct broadcasting to loudspeakers. David Jackson, director of the Voice of America, noted "The North Korean government doesn't jam us, but they try to keep people from listening through intimidation or worse. But people figure out ways to listen despite the odds. They're very resourceful."

Yet another method of preventing reception involves moving a domestic station to the frequency used by the international broadcaster. During the Batista government of Cuba, and during the Castro years, Cuban medium-wave stations broadcast on the frequencies of popular South Florida stations. In October 2002, Iraq changed frequencies of two stations to block the Voice of America's Radio Sawa program.

Jamming can be defeated by using very efficient transmitting antennas, carefully choosing the transmitted frequency, changing transmitted frequency often, using single sideband, and properly aiming the receiving antenna.

title: International broadcasting


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Samson, Alabama

Samson is a city in Geneva County, Alabama, United States. It is part of the Dothan, Alabama Metropolitan Statistical Area. At the 2020 census, the population was 1,874, a decline from the figure of 1,940 tabulated in 2010. Samson incorporated in 1905 (according to the 1910 U.S. Census), although other sources cited 1906.

During the Great Depression, the T.S. Faulk and Company Store in downtown Samson purchased a large shipment of snuff, which remained stationary at the town's depot for an extended period of time. This led to Samson being nicknamed "Snuff City, U.S.A." The nickname is commemorated today with a New Year's drop of a Rooster snuff can.

In an attempt to shed this moniker, several community groups decided to plant extensive beds of red roses along all the roads leading into Samson. With this planting, they hoped the new slogan "City of a Million Roses" would take root. However, as the roses gradually disappeared, the old slogan resurfaced.

The town's current motto is "Samson...We Grow Friendly People." A Samson High School student devised the slogan during a high school contest. This contest received more than 50 entries, and the student emerged as the winner, earning $100. The contest committee deemed his slogan, "Samson-we grow friendly people," as a representation of the agricultural aspect and the amicability of the town.

Geography
Samson is located at 31.1125°N, -86.04778°W (31.112574, -86.047865).

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.6 sqmi, of which 3.6 sqmi is land and 0.28% is water.

2000 census
At the 2000 census there were 2,071 people, 894 households, and 575 families living in the city. The population density was 572.1 PD/sqmi. There were 1,016 housing units at an average density of 280.7 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 77.11% White, 20.42% Black or African American, 0.97% Native American, 0.63% from other races, and 0.87% from two or more races. 2.46% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Of the 894 households 28.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.4% were married couples living together, 16.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.6% were non-families. 33.3% of households were one person and 16.1% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.92.

The age distribution was 25.5% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 24.8% from 25 to 44, 24.3% from 45 to 64, and 17.9% 65 or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.5 males.

The median household income was $18,594 and the median family income was $25,188. Males had a median income of $25,767 versus $16,719 for females. The per capita income for the city was $12,834. About 29.2% of families and 33.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 51.1% of those under age 18 and 32.0% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census
At the 2010 census there were 1,940 people, 814 households, and 513 families living in the city. The population density was 538.9 PD/sqmi. There were 968 housing units at an average density of 268.9 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 73.3% White, 17.9% Black or African American, 1.1% Native American, 5.2% from other races, and 2.1% from two or more races. 8.3% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Of the 814 households 25.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.2% were married couples living together, 20.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.0% were non-families. 32.3% of households were one person and 13.6% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 3.05.

The age distribution was 24.6% under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 24.8% from 25 to 44, 25.6% from 45 to 64, and 16.4% 65 or older. The median age was 38.1 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.7 males.

The median household income was $18,768 and the median family income was $25,060. Males had a median income of $29,167 versus $19,682 for females. The per capita income for the city was $11,606. About 31.6% of families and 32.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 44.7% of those under age 18 and 19.4% of those age 65 or over.

2020 census
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 1,874 people, 763 households, and 434 families residing in the city.

Notable people

 * Roy Brooks — guitarist, lived in Samson from 1971 to 1983
 * Terry Owens — football player, San Diego Chargers; graduated from Samson High School in 1962
 * James "J.T." Thomas, Jr. — winner of Survivor: Tocantins
 * Bill Yates — cartoonist, born in Samson

2009 shooting
On March 10, 2009, in the Alabama towns of Kinston, Samson and Geneva, the deadliest mass shooting in the state’s history took place in Geneva County. Twenty-eight-year-old Michael McLendon began this massacre by killing his mother and burning down her house in Kinston. He then headed east about 10 miles on Highway 52 and went on an hour-long shooting spree with two high-powered weapons in downtown Samson and a few of its neighborhoods. McLendon then headed to Geneva. McLendon killed ten people and wounded six others in the shooting rampage before committing suicide. In response, troops from nearby Fort Rucker were deployed to the streets of Samson, where they manned barricades and guarded a makeshift morgue. This was later determined to be in violation of the Posse Comitatus Act, which prohibits federal troops from performing law enforcement actions.

Reportedly, McLendon had talked to a confidant about being depressed and frustrated with his inability to become a Marine or a police officer.

Authorities also said McLendon admitted in a two-page, handwritten letter that he had killed his mother and planned to commit suicide. He mentioned a family dispute over a legal issue but did not reveal plans to kill anyone else. Investigators said they found the letter in a mailbox. They would not disclose its intended recipient.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Samson, Alabama


text:
Slocomb, Alabama

Slocomb is a city in Geneva County, Alabama, United States. It is part of the Dothan, Alabama Metropolitan Statistical Area. At the 2020 census, the population was 2,082. The community is named after postmaster Frank W. Slocomb.

Slocomb incorporated in 1901. Slocomb calls itself the "home of the tomato." Slocomb High School mascot is the "Redtop".

Geography
Slocomb is located at 31.10854°N, -85.59431°W.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 9.5 sqmi, all land.

2020 census
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 2,082 people, 844 households, and 525 families residing in the city.

2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 1,980 people, 816 households, and 554 families residing in the city. The population density was 208.4 PD/sqmi. There were 955 housing units at an average density of 100.5 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 72.2% White, 22.6% Black or African American, 0.8% Native American, 0.1% Asian, 2.6% from other races, and 1.7% from two or more races. 4.7% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 816 households, out of which 25.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.2% were married couples living together, 19.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.1% were non-families. 28.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.94.

The median income for a household in the city was $32,212, and the median income for a family was $39,496. Males had a median income of $25,962 versus $21,250 for females. The per capita income for the city was $12,772. About 20.6% of families and 23.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 32.1% of those under age 18 and 29.5% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

 * Brad Baxter, former National Football League running back. Graduated from Slocomb High School.
 * Tony Bowick, former NFL player for the Atlanta Falcons. Graduated from Slocomb High School.
 * Clay Holmes, an American professional baseball pitcher for Major League Baseball's New York Yankees, graduated from Slocomb High School. He made his MLB debut with the Pirates in 2018.

title: Slocomb, Alabama


text:
Taylor, Alabama

Taylor is a town in Geneva and Houston counties in the U.S. state of Alabama. Taylor was first settled in the 1870s, named after an early family that helped secure the first post office. It was not incorporated until almost a century later in June 1967. It is part of the Dothan, Alabama Metropolitan Statistical Area. At the 2010 census the population was 2,375, up from 1,898 in 2000.

Geography
Taylor is located in western Houston County at 31.16833°N, -85.46806°W (31.168331, -85.468016). A rural portion of the town extends west into Geneva County. Taylor is bordered to the northeast by Dothan, to the southeast by Rehobeth, and to the southwest by Malvern. Alabama State Route 52 (Hartford Highway) passes through the northern part of Taylor, leading northeast 6 mi to the center of Dothan and southwest 9 mi to Slocomb.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Taylor has a total area of 19.4 km2, of which 19.1 sqkm is land and 0.2 km2, or 1.09%, is water.

2000 census
At the 2000 census there were 1,898 people, 699 households, and 552 families living in the town. The population density was 267.4 PD/sqmi. There were 751 housing units at an average density of 105.8 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the town was 93.05% White, 3.79% Black or African American, 0.79% Native American, 0.26% Asian, 0.74% from other races, and 1.37% from two or more races. 1.11% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Of the 699 households 47.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.9% were married couples living together, 12.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.0% were non-families. 18.3% of households were one person and 4.6% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.72 and the average family size was 3.09.

The age distribution was 31.7% under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 35.6% from 25 to 44, 17.9% from 45 to 64, and 7.2% 65 or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.0 males.

The median household income was $40,664 and the median family income was $44,181. Males had a median income of $32,401 versus $22,321 for females. The per capita income for the town was $16,327. About 8.7% of families and 9.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.8% of those under age 18 and 10.6% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census
At the 2010 census there were 2,375 people, 835 households, and 639 families living in the town. The population density was 329.9 PD/sqmi. There were 966 housing units at an average density of 134.2 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the town was 87.5% White, 7.2% Black or African American, 0.8% Native American, 0.1% Asian, 2.4% from other races, and 2.1% from two or more races. 5.2% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Of the 835 households 43.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.8% were married couples living together, 18.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.5% were non-families. 19.3% of households were one person and 6.1% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.84 and the average family size was 3.22.

The age distribution was 31.6% under the age of 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 30.4% from 25 to 44, 22.1% from 45 to 64, and 7.8% 65 or older. The median age was 31.5 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.5 males.

The median household income was $43,603 and the median family income was $49,500. Males had a median income of $31,795 versus $29,276 for females. The per capita income for the town was $16,833. About 16.9% of families and 21.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 32.3% of those under age 18 and 10.5% of those age 65 or over.

2020 census
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 2,262 people, 752 households, and 534 families residing in the town.

title: Taylor, Alabama


text:
Boligee, Alabama

Boligee is a town in Greene County, Alabama, United States. Per the 2020 census, the population was 301. Although Boligee appeared on the 1880 U.S. Census, according to the 1930 U.S. Census it did not incorporate until 1926, though another source cited 1927. Boligee has one site listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Boligee Hill.

Geography
Boligee is located at 32.76389°N, -88.02583°W (32.763768, -88.025968).

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 4.0 sqmi, all land.

2000 Census
As of the census of 2000, there were 369 people, 150 households, and 105 families residing in the town. The population density was 93.3 PD/sqmi. There were 179 housing units at an average density of 45.2 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the town was 10.57% White, 88.89% Black or African American, and 0.54% from two or more races. 1.90% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 150 households, out of which 44.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 26.0% were married couples living together, 41.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.0% were non-families. 27.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.99.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 35.2% under the age of 18, 14.6% from 18 to 24, 19.8% from 25 to 44, 18.7% from 45 to 64, and 11.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 25 years. For every 100 females, there were 69.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 60.4 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $15,000, and the median income for a family was $16,146. Males had a median income of $23,750 versus $21,000 for females. The per capita income for the town was $7,909. About 41.4% of families and 44.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 63.3% of those under age 18 and 10.3% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

 * Emma Didlake, United States veteran
 * William P. G. Harding, American banker and managing director of the War Finance Corporation
 * Charles Hays, Confederate major who became a Republican Congressman.
 * Brad Hubbert, American football player, played in the 1967 American Football League All-Star game.

Gallery
Below are photographs taken in Boligee as part of the Historic American Buildings Survey:

title: Boligee, Alabama


text:
Eutaw, Alabama

Eutaw is a city in and the county seat of Greene County, Alabama, United States. At the 2020 census, the population was 2,937. The city was named in honor of the Battle of Eutaw Springs, the last engagement of the American Revolutionary War in the Carolinas.

History
Eutaw was laid out in December 1838 at the time that Greene County voters chose to relocate the county seat from Erie, which was located on the Black Warrior River. It was incorporated by an act of the state legislature on January 2, 1841.

As the county seat, Eutaw also developed as the trading center for the county, which developed an economy based on cultivation and processing of cotton, the chief commodity crop in the antebellum years. The crop was lucrative for major planters, who depended on the labor of enslaved African Americans and built fine homes in the city. Many have been preserved. Eutaw has twenty-seven antebellum structures on the National Register of Historic Places. Twenty-three of these are included in the Antebellum Homes in Eutaw multiple property submission. The Coleman-Banks House, Old Greene County Courthouse, First Presbyterian Church, and Kirkwood are listed individually. Additionally, the Greene County Courthouse Square District is a listed historic district in the heart of downtown. A nearby property, Everhope Plantation, is also listed in the register.

During the Reconstruction Era, Eutaw was the site of a number of Klan murders and acts by insurgents. The county courthouse was burned in 1868; the prevailing theory for the burning of the courthouse is that it was intended to destroy the records of some 1,800 suits by freedmen against planters, which were about to be prosecuted. On March 31, 1870, the Republican county solicitor, Alexander Boyd, was shot and killed at his hotel when resisting being taken by a masked group of armed Klan members. (An early-20th century historian of the Klan claimed the group was from Mississippi. ) That same night, James Martin, a black Republican leader, was killed near his home in Union, Alabama, also in Greene County.

In the fall of 1870, in the run-up to the gubernatorial election, two more black Republican politicians were killed in Greene County. On October 25, 1870, whites attacked a Republican rally in the courthouse square that had attracted 2,000 black Republicans. The Eutaw massacre resulted in four black deaths and some 54 wounded outside the county courthouse. Most blacks did not vote in the fall's election, which helped the Democratic candidate for governor.

The use of violence and intimidation of blacks continued across Alabama in the Post-Reconstruction era. Lynchings took place in the state, but none were documented in Greene County during this period, according to a 2015 report by the Equal Justice Initiative. This may be attributable to local officials enforcing the rule of law. On May 16, 1892, Sheriff Cullen and Deputy Sheriff E. C. Meredith of Greene County, with aid of a posse, distinguished themselves by going into Pickens County after a lynch mob of about 50 men. The mob had taken African-American suspect Jim Jones from the Greene County jail, saying they were going to hang him in Carrollton for an alleged crime there. Cullen and his posse confronted the mob at gunpoint, and took Jones back to Greene County.

20th century to present
Agriculture continues to dominate the county's economy. Now conducted on an industrial scale, it has reduced the need for farm workers. Unemployment is high in the rural county.

James Bevel, the main strategist and architect of the Civil Rights Movement, was buried in Ancestors Village Cemetery in Eutaw on December 29, 2008. In addition to his early work in the Nashville Student Movement and Mississippi movement, Bevel initiated, planned, and directed the strategies for the 1963 Birmingham Children's Crusade, the 1965 Selma to Montgomery march, and the 1966 Chicago Open Housing Movement.

Eutaw is home to the Roman Catholic Convent of Our Lady of Consolata, the Consolata Sisters, a small monastery for nuns in West Alabama. They are known throughout Greene County for their humanitarian efforts.

Geography
Eutaw is located east of the center of Greene County. U.S. Routes 11 and 43 pass through the center of town. The highways enter together from the northeast as Tuscaloosa Street; US 11 exits the city to the west as Boligee Street, while US 43 leaves to the south as Demopolis Highway. Alabama State Route 14 passes through the city as Greensboro Street to the southeast and Mesopotamia Street to the northwest. Interstates 20 and 59 run through the northwest corner of the city, with access from Exit 40 (Highway 14), 3 mi northwest of the center of town. Tuscaloosa is 34 mi to the northeast via Interstate 20/59, and Meridian, Mississippi, is 60 mi to the southwest. Demopolis is 24 mi south via US 43, Greensboro is 21 mi to the southeast via Highway 14, and Aliceville is 27 mi to the northwest via Highway 14.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Eutaw has a total area of 31.1 km2, of which 30.9 km2 is land and 0.2 sqkm, or 0.63%, is water. The center of town is 3 mi west of the Black Warrior River, accessible to boats at Finches Ferry Public Use Area.

Climate
The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Eutaw has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.

2020 census
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 2,937 people, 1,041 households, and 551 families residing in the town.

2010 census
At the 2010 census there were 2,934 people in 1,203 households, including 760 families, in the city. The population density was 408.3 PD/sqmi. There were 1,355 housing units at an average density of 294.6 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 80.2% Black or African American, 18.1% White, 0.1% Native American, 0.4% Asian, and 0.6% from two or more races. 1.3% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Of the 1,203 households 25.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 30.8% were married couples living together, 28.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.8% were non-families. 34.2% of households were one person and 15.5% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 3.10.

The age distribution was 25.8% under the age of 18, 9.2% from 18 to 24, 19.8% from 25 to 44, 28.4% from 45 to 64, and 16.8% 65 or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 82.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 77.5 males.

The median household income was $29,196 and the median family income was $39,722. Males had a median income of $43,125 versus $28,077 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,126. About 27.4% of families and 28.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 38.7% of those under age 18 and 17.0% of those age 65 or over.

2000 census
At the 2000 census there were 1,878 people in 778 households, including 504 families, in the city. The population density was 411.1 PD/sqmi. There were 899 housing units at an average density of 196.8 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 33.01% White, 66.03% Black or African American, 0.27% Native American, 0.21% Asian, and 0.48% from two or more races. 0.37% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Of the 778 households 24.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.5% were married couples living together, 21.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.1% were non-families. 33.5% of households were one person and 15.4% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.95.

The age distribution was 22.4% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 22.6% from 25 to 44, 24.4% from 45 to 64, and 22.5% 65 or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females, there were 84.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 75.9 males.

The median household income was $23,056 and the median family income was $32,946. Males had a median income of $30,284 versus $18,869 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,573. About 24.7% of families and 28.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 39.4% of those under age 18 and 22.5% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

 * Benjamin F. Alexander, state representative during the Reconstruction era
 * Oliver H. Cross, U.S. Representative from Texas
 * Edward deGraffenried, U.S. Representative from Alabama's 6th congressional district
 * Cob Jarvis, basketball player and head basketball coach for the University of Mississippi
 * Bill Lee, professional football player
 * Matthew Leonard, Sergeant First Class who posthumously received the Medal of Honor and Purple Heart for his actions in the Vietnam War
 * James McQueen, president of Sloss-Sheffield Steel & Iron Company
 * Willie Powell, baseball pitcher in the Negro leagues
 * Bo Scarbrough, professional football player

In popular culture
Eutaw is the home town of the protagonist in the 2004 Old Crow Medicine Show song "Big Time in the Jungle". The band also released a 2001 album entitled Eutaw. In addition, the town's name is referenced in the song "Don't Ride That Horse," among the other cities of Winnipeg, Joliet, Saskatoon, and Wawa.

The 1981 horror film Jaws of Satan takes place in Eutaw.

title: Eutaw, Alabama


text:
Forkland, Alabama

Forkland is a town in Greene County, Alabama, United States. At the 2020 census, the population was 445. It was incorporated around 1974.

History
Forkland has one site on the National Register of Historic Places, St. John's-In-The-Prairie, built in 1859, and two sites nearby, Rosemount and Thornhill.

Geography
Forkland is located in southern Greene County at 32.64778°N, -87.86722°W (32.647702, -87.867236), between the Black Warrior River 4 mi to the east and the Tombigbee River 2 mi to the west. The Black Warrior joins the Tombigbee 9 mi to the south of Forkland, just north of Demopolis. U.S. Route 43 passes through Forkland, leading north 14 mi to Eutaw, the county seat, and south 10 mi to Demopolis.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Forkland has a total area of 9.1 km2, of which 0.03 km2, or 0.32%, is water.

2000 Census
As of the census of 2000, there were 629 people, 245 households, and 161 families residing in the town. The population density was 180.2 PD/sqmi. There were 309 housing units at an average density of 88.5 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the town was 10.65% White, 89.19% Black or African American, and 0.16% from two or more races.

There were 245 households, out of which 36.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.5% were married couples living together, 27.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.9% were non-families. 32.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.32.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 31.8% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 26.1% from 25 to 44, 24.5% from 45 to 64, and 10.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 77.3 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $18,698, and the median income for a family was $22,115. Males had a median income of $24,375 versus $16,544 for females. The per capita income for the town was $9,314. About 29.5% of families and 31.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 38.2% of those under age 18 and 31.0% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

 * Maxie Baughan, former NFL player
 * Charlotte Durante, first African American female city commissioner in Delray Beach, Florida
 * Bobo Jenkins, born in Forkland, electric blues guitarist and songwriter, who later owned his own recording studio and record label in Detroit
 * Lloyd Leftwich, state senator during the Reconstruction era

Gallery
Photographs of Forkland structures were taken for the Historic American Buildings Survey in 1933:

title: Forkland, Alabama


text:
Union, Alabama

Union is a town in rural Greene County, Alabama, United States. Per the 2020 census, the population was 180. According to the 1980 U.S. Census, it was incorporated in the 1970s.

Geography
Union is located in northern Greene County at 32.99417°N, -87.90528°W (32.994164, -87.905313). It is 11 mi north of Eutaw, the county seat, via U.S. Route 11/43 and Martin Luther King Highway.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.8 sqmi, all land.

2000 Census
As of the census of 2000, there were 227 people, 85 households, and 53 families residing in the town. The population density was 276.8 PD/sqmi. There were 103 housing units at an average density of 125.6 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the town was 7.93% White and 92.07% Black or African American.

There were 85 households, out of which 32.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.2% were married couples living together, 18.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.6% were non-families. 35.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.67 and the average family size was 3.58.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 27.8% under the age of 18, 11.5% from 18 to 24, 27.3% from 25 to 44, 21.6% from 45 to 64, and 11.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 106.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.9 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $22,031, and the median income for a family was $28,125. Males had a median income of $30,625 versus $17,083 for females. The per capita income for the town was $10,842. About 36.4% of families and 32.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 42.5% of those under the age of eighteen and 60.0% of those 65 or over.

title: Union, Alabama


text:
Akron, Alabama

Akron is a town in Hale County, Alabama, United States. In 1906, the owner of a large plantation, Waller Evan Wedgworth, sold part of his land to developers, and a construction boom followed. The town was incorporated in March 1918. At the 2010 census the population was 356, down from 521 at the 2000 census. Akron has one site on the National Register of Historic Places, the Greek Revival cottage known as Tanglewood.

Geography
Akron is located in northwestern Hale County at 32.87639°N, -87.74111°W (32.876425, -87.740978), 3 mi southeast of the Black Warrior River and 1 mi northwest of Alabama State Route 60. Greensboro, the Hale County seat, is 17 mi to the southeast. Eutaw is 14 mi by road to the southwest, and Moundville is the same distance to the northeast.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town of Akron has a total area of 1.8 km2, of which 0.01 sqkm, or 0.77%, is water.

Demographics
Akron first appeared on the 1920 U.S. Census as an incorporated town. It was also the same name as its precinct/census division, which preceded it in reporting on the census since 1900 (See Akron Precinct below).

2020 census
As of the 2010 Census Akron had a population of 356. The racial and ethnic composition of the population was 86.5% black or African American, 13.2% white, 0.3% reporting two or more races and 0.3% Hispanic or Latino of any race.

As of the census of 2000, there were 521 people, 207 households, and 142 families residing in the town. The population density was 939.2 PD/sqmi. There were 239 housing units at an average density of 430.8 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the town was 17.85% White, 81.00% Black or African American, and 1.15% from two or more races. 1.54% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 207 households, out of which 36.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 34.8% were married couples living together, 30.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.4% were non-families. 28.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.15.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 29.4% under the age of 18, 9.8% from 18 to 24, 25.3% from 25 to 44, 20.9% from 45 to 64, and 14.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 81.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 68.8 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $19,875, and the median income for a family was $21,250. Males had a median income of $22,396 versus $18,500 for females. The per capita income for the town was $10,929. About 37.1% of families and 40.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 60.2% of those under age 18 and 32.7% of those age 65 or over.

Akron Precinct (1900-50)/Stewart-Akron Division (1960-)
Akron first appeared as the 2nd precinct of Hale County in 1900. Prior to this, from 1870 to 1890, the beat/precinct was previously known as New Prospect. In 1910, the 2nd precinct name was changed to "Evans", but reverted to Akron in 1920 and continued to report until 1950. In 1960, as part of a general reorganization of counties, Akron precinct was consolidated with others, including precinct 16, Stewart's Station, and was renamed the Stewart-Akron Census Division. Although the town of Akron has a heavily Black population, as did the former Akron precinct when it reported racial demographics in 1930–40, and in the Stewart-Akron division from 1960 to 1980, in 1990 it reported only a Black plurality. In 2000, it transitioned to a White plurality and in 2010, became a White majority for the first time.

Notable person

 * Riggs Stephenson, (1898–1985) was a left fielder in Major League Baseball for Chicago Cubs, Nicknamed Old Hoss.

title: Akron, Alabama


text:
Greensboro, Alabama

Greensboro is a city in Hale County, Alabama, United States. At the 2010 census the population was 2,497, down from 2,731 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Hale County, Alabama, which was not organized until 1867. It is part of the Tuscaloosa, Alabama Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History
Greensboro was incorporated as a town in December 1823 as "Greensborough". It was named in honor of American Revolutionary War general Nathanael Greene. The name was soon simplified to "Greensboro". The community was known as "Troy" prior to incorporation.

Reflecting the history of the antebellum years and a culture built on cotton plantations to produce the commodity crop, several sites on the National Register of Historic Places in or near Greensboro are connected to this past. These include Glencairn, the Greensboro Historic District, Magnolia Grove, the McGehee-Stringfellow House, Millwood, and the Payne House.

One hundred years later, African Americans in Greensboro were among those in the state continuing to work to regain their civil rights after years of second-class status under Jim Crow.

Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., leader of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, visited Greensboro in the course of his civil rights projects in the state. In 1968, after speaking in Greensboro, he hid from Ku Klux Klan members in what is now operated as the Safe House Black History Museum, then a private home owned by the Burroughs family, local activists and longtime family friends.

On May 27, 1973, a violent tornado struck the city, causing major damage across the area.

The southern part of the city was heavily damaged by a low-end EF2 tornado on January 12, 2023.

Geography
Greensboro is slightly southeast of the center of Hale County and is crossed by Alabama State Routes 14, 25, and 69. SR 14 leads northwest 21 mi to Eutaw and east 19 mi to Marion. SR 25 leads northeast through Talladega National Forest 36 mi to Brent and south 32 mi to Thomaston. SR 69 leads north 38 mi to Tuscaloosa and southwest 33 mi to Linden. Demopolis is 25 mi to the southwest via SR 69 and U.S. Route 80.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Greensboro has a total area of 6.2 km2, of which 0.02 km2, or 0.40%, are water.

Climate
The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Greensboro has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.

2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 2,731 people, 1,026 households, and 688 families living in the city. The population density was 1,146.5 PD/sqmi. There were 1,142 housing units at an average density of 479.4 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 38.30% White, 60.89% Black or African American, 0.04% Native American, and 0.77% from two or more races. 0.88% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 1,026 households, of which 32.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.1% were married couples living together, 27.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.9% were non-families. 31.2% of households were one person and 14.6% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.21.

The age distribution was 28.6% under the age of 18, 10.5% from 18 to 24, 20.9% from 25 to 44, 20.5% from 45 to 64, and 19.4% 65 or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 74.6 males.

The median household income was $22,930 and the median family income was $28,990. Males had a median income of $36,071 versus $23,224 for females. The per capita income for the city was $13,271. About 27.2% of families and 35.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 47.1% of those under age 18 and 26.2% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 2,497 people, 1,045 households, and 629 families living in the city. The population density was 1,040.4 PD/sqmi. There were 1,195 housing units at an average density of 497.9 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 66.5% Black or African American, 32.0% White, 0.2% Native American, and 0.6% from two or more races. 0.5% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 1,045 households, of which 25.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 30.4% were married couples living together, 25.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.8% were non-families. 37.0% of households were one person and 15.9% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 3.07.

The age distribution was 24.9% under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 20.5% from 25 to 44, 26.8% from 45 to 64, and 19.9% 65 or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 81.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.3 males.

The median household income was $30,082 and the median family income was $36,379. Males had a median income of $28,869 versus $22,528 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,277. About 19.0% of families and 23.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 34.9% of those under age 18 and 23.7% of those age 65 or over.

2020 census
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 2,218 people, 1,214 households, and 648 families residing in the city.

Government and infrastructure
The city of Greensboro has a mayor-council form of government. There is a full-time police force with approximately 13 officers. The city has a volunteer fire department.

Greensboro is served by one public K-12 public school, Greensboro Public School, with two campuses. There is one private K-12 school, Southern Academy.

Notable people

 * Anthony Bryant, defensive tackle in the NFL
 * Scott Burton, sculptor and performance artist
 * Theresa Burroughs, civil rights activist and founder of Greensboro's Safe House Museum
 * Alfred Chapman, Los Angeles real estate attorney and investor, and one of the founders of Orange, California
 * John Gayle, seventh governor of the U.S. state of Alabama (1831–1835)
 * Amelia Gayle Gorgas, former librarian for the University of Alabama and mother of Surgeon General William C. Gorgas
 * Richmond Pearson Hobson (1870–1937), member of the United States House of Representatives and Medal of Honor recipient
 * Grady Jackson, professional football player
 * Pete Jarman (1892–1955), member of the United States House of Representatives and former United States Ambassador to Australia
 * Herb Jones (1998-), New Orleans Pelicans basketball player, former Alabama Crimson Tide Basketball player.
 * Andrew Killgore (1919–2016), United States Foreign Service Officer and ambassador to Qatar
 * Thomas E. Knight, 13th Lieutenant Governor of Alabama and 19th Attorney General of Alabama
 * Hedgemon Lewis, boxer, former world title contender
 * Sydenham Moore, (1817-1862), lawyer, judge, officer Mexican-American War & Confederate Army, Brig General of Alabama State militia, US Congressman elected to represent Alabama, 1857 to 1861. Colonel and commander of the 11th Alabama Infantry of the Confederate States Army, shot Battle of Seven Pines, Virginia, on May 31, 1862, dying August 1862. “Greenwood” was built by him.
 * William Burns Paterson, teacher, founder of Tullibody Academy and Alabama State University
 * Israel Pickens, third governor of Alabama (1821–1825)
 * Eugene Sawyer, 53rd mayor of Chicago (1987-1989)
 * Thomas Seay, 27th governor of Alabama (1886–1890)
 * Armistead I. Selden, Jr. (1921–1985), member of the United States House of Representatives and former United States Ambassador to New Zealand, Fiji, the Kingdom of Tonga, and Western Samoa
 * Little Sonny, electric blues musician and songwriter
 * Barry Wagner, former wide receiver/linebacker in the Arena Football League
 * Bob Wiggins, outfielder in the Negro American League
 * Henry Williams, former NFL defensive back
 * Lamanzer Williams, former NFL defensive end
 * Cedric Harris, Educator, Innovator, Youth Mentor

title: Greensboro, Alabama


text:
Moundville, Alabama

Moundville is a town in Hale and Tuscaloosa counties in the U.S. state of Alabama. It was incorporated on December 22, 1908. From its incorporation until the 1970 census, it was wholly within Hale County. At the 2010 census the population was 2,427, up from 1,809 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Tuscaloosa Metropolitan Statistical Area. Within the town is Moundville Archaeological Site, the location of a prehistoric Mississippian culture political and ceremonial center.

Geography
Moundville is located in northern Hale County at 32.99861°N, -87.62611°W (32.998521, -87.626006), on the south side of the Black Warrior River. The town limits extend north into Tuscaloosa County. Alabama State Route 69 passes through the east side of the town, leading north 16 mi to Tuscaloosa and south 22 mi to Greensboro, the Hale County seat.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Moundville has a total area of 12.0 sqkm, of which 0.15 sqkm, or 1.26%, are water.

Climate
According to the Köppen climate classification, Moundville has a humid subtropical climate (abbreviated Cfa).

2000 census
At the 2000 census, there were 1,809 people, 809 total housing units with 688 being occupied households, and 479 families living in the town. The population density was 458.7 PD/sqmi. There were 780 housing units at an average density of 197.8 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the town was 61.30% White, 35.16% Black or African American, 0.66% Native American, 0.94% Asian, 0.83% from other races, and 1.11% from two or more races. 1.55% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 688 households, of which 35.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.3% were married couples living together, 19.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.4% were non-families. 27.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.08.

29.47% of the population were under the age of 19, 6.63% from 20 to 24, 27.7% from 25 to 44, 20.67% from 45 to 64, and 15.54% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35.9 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.4 males.

The median household income was $31,944 and the median family income was $36,000. Males had a median income of $30,625 compared with $25,231 for females. The per capita income was $13,014. About 21.2% of families and 20.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.6% of those under age 18 and 16.7% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census
At the 2010 census, there were 2,427 people, 1,003 total housing units with 894 being occupied households, and 652 families living in the town. The population density was 622.3 PD/sqmi. There were 1,003 housing units at an average density of 257.2 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the town was 56.2% White, 40.4% Black or African American, 0.7% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 0.6% from other races, and 1.4% from two or more races. 1.8% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 894 households, of which 37.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.7% were married couples living together, 18.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.1% were non-families. 23.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.11.

27.7% of the population were under the age of 19, 7.6% from 20 to 24, 29.0% from 25 to 44, 23.5% from 45 to 64, and 12.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34.7 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.2 males.

The median household income was $43,083 and the median family income was $55,821. Males had a median income of $50,893 compared with $29,375 for females. The per capita income was $17,574. About 14.5% of families and 17.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.0% of those under age 18 and 24.1% of those age 65 or over.

2020 census
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 3,024 people, 1,072 households, and 803 families residing in the town.

Moundville Archaeological Park
The Moundville Archaeological Park is a National Historic Landmark. The 320 acre park contains 26 prehistoric, Mississippian culture-era Native American earthwork mounds, burial sites and artifacts.

The largest mounds are located near the Black Warrior River. Mounds become smaller as one goes farther from the river. This might be an indication of the relative ranks of the people who built and maintained the mounds.

A palisade was built around three sides of the center of the Moundville site, surrounding the mounds, a plaza and residential areas. This palisade was rebuilt at least six times during the site's occupation.

Education
Residents of Hale County are in the Hale County School District. Residents of Tuscaloosa County are in Tuscaloosa County School District.

Airport
Moundville Airport is a privately owned, public-use airport located two nautical miles (2.3 mi, 3.7 km) south of the central business district of Moundville.

Notable person

 * Rufus Deal, former Auburn University and professional football player

Work of Walker Evans and James Agee
In the 1930s, the photographer Walker Evans and writer James Agee documented the lives of tenant farmers living in this area in the books Let Us Now Praise Famous Men (1941) and the posthumously published Cotton Tenants (2013).

title: Moundville, Alabama


text:
Newbern, Alabama

Newbern is a town in Hale County, Alabama, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the town was 133.

History
The area was originally known as Cane Brake due to the large amount of canebrakes in the area. The earliest known settler came to the area in 1816. The first grist mill was built in 1818, and the first store in 1829.

F.A. Borden built the first post office in 1832, and became the first postmaster. Two of Borden's brothers came from North Carolina in 1834, and bought most of the land in the area. They organized a town named after New Bern, North Carolina. It incorporated in 1854. A railway running from Uniontown to Newbern started operation in 1859.

The 9th Alabama Infantry Regiment was organized in the town in November 1861, to fight in the American Civil War. People from the town also fought in the Fifth, Eleventh, and Twentieth regiments. The town's economy was centered around sharecropping until the Great Depression.

The Rural Studio of Auburn University was created in 1993.

Mayoral dispute
Patrick Braxton was the only person to file to run in the 2020 mayoral election, with incumbent mayor Woody Stokes III failing to file. Jude Arthur Crawford, the election official for Hale County, informed Braxton that he won by default and would need to appoint a city council due to there being no candidates in the local elections. Braxton was the first black mayor and appointed the first majority black council in the town's history. Braxton received the key to town hall from Stokes, but all of the records had been removed from the building.

Braxton changed the locks to the building as Stokes gave keys out to friends. However, Stokes changed the locks and locked Braxton and the city council out of the town hall. Stokes and his allies refused to acknowledge Braxton as mayor and restricted his access to city mail and funds.

Before Braxton was sworn in as mayor, Stokes and the city council held a secret meeting in which they held a special election and declared themselves the winners by default ten days later. No notice of the election was published. Stokes claims that they were "attempting to rectify a decades-old mistake by holding a special election". This council held meetings without Braxton's knowledge and removed him as mayor and appointed Stokes to replace him.

Braxton and his city council filed a federal civil rights lawsuit in November 2022, stating that Stokes and his allies were conspiring to prevent him from governing the town due to his race. Braxton and his allies requested a special election to occur alongside the 2024 presidential election, but Judge Kristi DuBose ruled against them although she stated that they were "likely to succeed on the merits of their constitutional claim". A bench trial is scheduled for September.

Elections were not held in the town for decades and Stokes' lawyers stated that they had not occurred for 60 years. They stated that the mayoralty "has simply been passed from individual to individual to anyone who would agree to be Mayor without regard to elections".

On June 21, 2024, a settlement was reached in which Braxton would return to his mayoral duties.

Geography
Newbern is located at 32.59472°N, -87.53556°W (32.594818, -87.535431).

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1.2 sqmi, all land.

The town is located in the geographic region known as the Black Belt, related to the fertile soil which attracted developers of cotton plantations in the antebellum years, and also to the population of enslaved African Americans who worked at those sites. Many areas of the rural Black Belt are still majority African American in population.

2020 census
Newbern is part of the Tuscaloosa, Alabama Metropolitan Statistical Area.

2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 231 people, 91 households, and 59 families residing in the town. The population density was 198.5 PD/sqmi. There were 110 housing units at an average density of 94.5 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the town was 22.94% White and 77.06% Black or African American.

There were 91 households, out of which 38.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.4% were married couples living together, 25.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.1% were non-families. 33.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.28.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 32.0% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 26.0% from 25 to 44, 18.6% from 45 to 64, and 16.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 83.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.5 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $20,682, and the median income for a family was $31,042. Males had a median income of $25,625 versus $11,875 for females. The per capita income for the town was $9,476. About 17.5% of families and 31.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 40.0% of those under the age of eighteen and 33.3% of those 65 or over.

Education
All residents in the county are in the Hale County School District.

Notable people

 * Frank Allen, former Major League Baseball player
 * Henry Watson Jr., owned a cotton plantation in Newbern

Gallery
The below photographs were taken in Newbern as part of the Historic American Buildings Survey in the 1930s:

title: Newbern, Alabama


text:
Abbeville, Alabama

Abbeville is a city in and the county seat of Henry County, in the southeast part of Alabama, United States. It is part of the Dothan, Alabama Metropolitan Statistical Area. At the 2020 census, the population was 2,358.

History
European Americans set up an active trading post in Abbeville in Alabama Territory early in 1819. The first settler gateway to the wiregrass region was at Franklin, located fourteen miles west of Abbeville.

Locals say that the name derives from the Muscogee name for Abbey Creek, Yatta Abba, meaning "dogwood tree grove."

Abbeville was designated as the Henry County seat in 1833; the seat had previously been Columbia. It was formally incorporated in 1853.

20th century to present
Abbeville suffered a catastrophic tragedy that wiped out most of the town when an arsonist almost burned the whole town to the ground on May 20, 1906. An entire block of Kirkland Street, the major portion of the business district, was destroyed. The nearby courthouse was almost lost but was saved through the efforts of the "bucket brigade" firefighters, who kept pouring water on the flat roof. During the week of June 28, 1906, a mechanic named Ward was arrested and charged with arson and starting the fire. His bond was set at $500. After his bail was paid, Ward fled Abbeville and the county and was never heard from again. Brick buildings were erected to replace the wooden structures that had been lost in the fire.

In February 1937, Wes Johnson, an 18-year-old African-American man, was accused of attacking a white woman and was arrested. He was abducted from the Henry County jail by a mob of 100 white men and lynched: shot and hanged to death. His body was found "bullet marked" and "swinging from a tree." As was typical of lynchings, none of the members of the mob was charged with a crime. It has been suggested by local historians that Johnson and the white woman were engaged in a consensual sexual relationship, and the accusation of assault was merely a manufactured pretext for the lynching. Howell was featured on 60 Minutes on April 8, 2018, during an episode featuring Oprah Winfrey touring the new National Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery, Alabama. Johnson is among the lynching victims memorialized there. Henry County is noted as among the 805 counties where lynchings took place. It had a total of 13 lynchings during the decades when this was frequent. In 1937 the Alabama Attorney General filed an impeachment against the Henry County sheriff for his failure to protect Johnson. An appeal was heard by the Alabama Supreme Court, which overturned the impeachment in June 1937. The Alabama Attorney General openly declared that Johnson was innocent of the charges against him.

In 1944, Recy Taylor, an African-American woman, was gang-raped by seven white men. Although the men admitted the rape to authorities, two grand juries subsequently declined to indict them. From a historic point of view, "the Recy Taylor case brought the building blocks of the Montgomery bus boycott together a decade earlier" than that event.

On November 5, 2002, Kirkland Street was hit by an F2 tornado. The tornado destroyed several single-family homes, mobile homes and many other homes and businesses. The damage at the Abbeville High School was deemed too costly to repair and was rebuilt in a new location. Downed power lines and uprooted trees were numerous and widespread. The Old Pioneer Cemetery was especially hard-hit.

Geography
Abbeville is located at 31.56639°N, -85.25139°W (31.566367, -85.251300).

The city is located in southeastern Alabama along U.S. Route 431, Alabama State Route 10, and Alabama State Route 27. U.S. 431 runs from north to south along the western side of the city as a four-lane divided highway, leading north 27 mi to Eufaula and southwest 27 mi to Dothan. AL-10 runs from west to east through the center of town as Washington Street, and leads east 13 mi to the Georgia state line near Fort Gaines and northwest 17 mi to Blue Springs. AL-27 leads southwest from the city 31 mi to Ozark.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 15.6 sqmi, of which 15.6 sqmi is land and 0.1 sqmi (0.32%) is water.

Climate
The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Abbeville has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.

2020 census
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 2,358 people, 1,029 households, and 604 families residing in the city.

Abbeville first appeared on the 1850 U.S. Census. Although it did not report a separate population as a town from 1860–1880, it returned again in 1890 and has returned on every successive census to date. See also Abbeville precinct below, which includes the population of the city and surrounding area since 1860.

As of the census of 2000, there were 2,987 people, 1,172 households, and 787 families residing in the city. The population density was 192.0 PD/sqmi. There were 1,353 housing units at an average density of 86.9 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 56.65% White, 39.94% Black or African American, 0.07% Asian, 2.85% from other races, and 0.50% from two or more races. 3.52% of the population were Hispanic or Latino.

There were 1,172 households, out of which 27.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.8% were married couples living together, 17.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.8% were non-families. 30.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 3.01.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 22.9% under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 22.1% from 25 to 44, 22.8% from 45 to 64, and 23.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 82.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $23,266, and the median income for a family was $37,917. Males had a median income of $26,250 versus $20,603 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,215. About 17.3% of families and 21.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.1% of those under age 18 and 29.6% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 2,688 people, 1,077 households, and 699 families residing in the city. The population density was 192.0 PD/sqmi. There were 1,255 housing units at an average density of 80.4 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 54.4% White, 41.4% Black or African American, 1.0% Asian, 2.0% from other races, and 1.2% from two or more races. 3.1% of the population were Hispanic or Latino.

There were 1,077 households, out of which 24.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.1% were married couples living together, 19.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.1% were non-families. 32.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.94.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 22.0% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 21.3% from 25 to 44, 25.5% from 45 to 64, and 23.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44.3 years. For every 100 females, there were 85.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $28,533, and the median income for a family was $39,167. Males had a median income of $36,630 versus $25,302 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,756. About 16.2% of families and 18.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.2% of those under age 18 and 17.8% of those age 65 or over.

Government
Abbeville is governed via a mayor-council government. The mayor is elected at-large. The city council consists of five members who are each elected from single-member districts.

Education
Abbeville is a part of the Henry County Public Schools system. It operates the Abbeville High School and the Abbeville Elementary School.

Abbeville Christian Academy is a private high school in the city and one of the last “unofficially” segregated high schools in the country.

Transportation
Intercity bus service is provided by Greyhound Lines.

Media
Abbeville is served by one radio station, WESZ-LP.

Abbeville is served by a weekly newspaper, the Abbeville Herald, which has been in operation since 1915.

Notable people

 * Leroy Cook, former defensive end for the Dallas Cowboys
 * Sharlene Newman, Cognitive Neuroscientist, AAAS Fellow
 * William Oates, Civil War and Spanish–American War veteran
 * Chris Porter, former Auburn University basketball player and professional basketball player
 * Jimmy Rane, founder / chairman / CEO of Great Southern Wood Preserving
 * Al Richardson, former American football linebacker for the Atlanta Falcons
 * Recy Taylor, an African-American woman activist whose rape in Abbeville by six white men was a catalyst for renewed actions of the nationwide Civil Rights Movement.
 * Edward Vaughn, Black Power activist, bookstore owner, and member of the Michigan House of Representatives

title: Abbeville, Alabama


text:
Haleburg, Alabama

Haleburg is a town in Henry County, Alabama, United States. It is part of the Dothan, Alabama Metropolitan Statistical Area. At the 2020 census, the population was 112. Established in 1885 as "Halesburgh", the town was incorporated in September 1911, as "Halesburg". Since then, for reasons unknown, it has become known as the current "Haleburg".

Geography
Haleburg is located in southeastern Henry County at 31.40889°N, -85.13611°W (31.408960, -85.136035). Alabama State Route 95 passes through the town, leading north 14 mi to Abbeville and south 8 mi to Columbia. Haleburg is 4 mi west of the Chattahoochee River, which forms the Alabama–Georgia border.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 9.9 km2, all land.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 108 people, 48 households, and 36 families residing in the town. The population density was 28.1 PD/sqmi. There were 60 housing units at an average density of 15.6 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the town was 77.78% White, 18.52% Black or African American, and 3.70% from two or more races. 0.93% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 48 households, out of which 22.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.3% were married couples living together, 10.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.0% were non-families. 25.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.25 and the average family size was 2.67.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 20.4% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 23.1% from 25 to 44, 28.7% from 45 to 64, and 21.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.5 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $25,500, and the median income for a family was $28,750. Males had a median income of $30,417 versus $21,250 for females. The per capita income for the town was $11,657. There were 14.3% of families and 23.3% of the population living below the poverty line, including 35.7% of under eighteens and 18.5% of those over 64.

Notable people

 * Grover C. Hall, newspaper editor
 * Monte Irvin, former Negro league and Major League Baseball player. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1973. On June 26, 2010, the San Francisco Giants retired his number 20 uniform.
 * Curley Money, rockabilly musician inducted into the Rockabilly Hall of Fame in 2003

title: Haleburg, Alabama