Attalla

History

The town developed on the area of a former Muscogee (Creek) village that was important during the Creek War. Most of the Creek people were forced out under the Indian Removal Act of 1830. White European migrants from the coastal areas came into this area to acquire land. The wealthier ones developed cotton plantations based on the labor of enslaved African Americans. Cherokee people had also lived in this area, after being encroached on in Tennessee and western North Carolina. David Brown (Cherokee) was assisted by the Rev. D. S. Butterick in preparing the Cherokee Spelling Book while he lived here. Attalla was not founded until 1870; it was established on land donated by W. C. Hammond, a plantation owner. It was incorporated as a city government on February 5, 1872. The town was officially named "Attalla" in 1893, derived from the Cherokee language word otali meaning "mountain". Railroads served the town and connected it to other markets. When the railroads went into bankruptcy, Attalla's prosperity declined in the late 19th century financial troubles. Attalla is the site of the first hydroelectric dam constructed to provide electricity for a city; it was built in 1887. William Lewis Moore, a white U.S. postman and civil rights activist, was murdered here on April 23, 1963. He was walking from Chattanooga, Tennessee, to Jackson, Mississippi to publicize his support of civil rights with a letter for Mississippi Governor Ross Barnett. The suspected killer, Floyd Simpson, was never charged with the crime.

Geography

Attalla is in Etowah County and is bordered to the east by the city of Gadsden, the county seat, and at its southernmost point by Rainbow City. Interstate 59 runs along the eastern edge of the city, with access from Exits 181 and 183. U.S. Route 11 passes through the center of town as Third Street and runs generally parallel to I59, leading northeast to Fort Payne and southwest to Birmingham. U.S. Routes 278 and 431 also pass through the center of Attalla, leading east to downtown Gadsden. US 431 runs north to Albertville, while US 278 leads west to Cullman. Alabama State Route 77 passes through the southern section of Attalla, leading north to US 431 and southeast to Rainbow City. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land. Big Wills Creek, a tributary of the Coosa River, flows southeasterly through the city. The southern end of Lookout Mountain rises to the east overlooking the city.

Race & ethnicity

Largest nearby schools

• Gadsden City High School
  High · Gadsden · 1,318 students · 15.7:1 ratio
• Southside High School
  High · Southside · 770 students · 18.3:1 ratio
• John S Jones Elementary School
  Elementary · Rainbow City · 739 students · 16.1:1 ratio
• Attalla Elementary School
  Elementary · Attalla · 700 students · 20.6:1 ratio
• Rainbow Middle School
  Middle · Rainbow City · 625 students · 19.5:1 ratio
• Southside Elementary School
  Elementary · Southside · 570 students · 17.3:1 ratio
• Etowah High School
  High · Attalla · 472 students · 16.3:1 ratio
• Gadsden Middle School
  Middle · Gadsden · 464 students · 20.2:1 ratio