Decatur

History

Initially, the area was known as "Rhodes Ferry Landing", named for Dr. Henry W. Rhodes, an early landowner who operated a ferry that crossed the Tennessee River in the 1810s at the present-day location of Rhodes Ferry Park. The city was incorporated as Decatur in 1821. It was named in honor of Stephen Decatur; after he was killed in a duel in 1820, President Monroe directed that the Alabama town be named for him. In the early 1830s, Decatur was the eastern terminus of the Tuscumbia, Courtland and Decatur Railroad, the first railway built west of the Appalachian Mountains. In 1850, the Tuscumbia, Courtland and Decatur was incorporated into the Memphis & Charleston Railroad. Because of its location on the Tennessee River at the strategically important crossing of two major railroads, Decatur was the site of several encounters during the American Civil War. When the Union Army occupied the city early in the war, the commanding general ordered all but four buildings in the town to be destroyed. Bricks from some of the churches in town were used to build stoves and chimneys for the buildings that housed soldiers. Three of the buildings that remained are still standing - the Old State Bank, the Dancy-Polk House, and the Burleson-Hinds-McEntire House. After the Union victory in the Battle of Atlanta, a Confederate army under the command of General John Bell Hood briefly sparred with a vastly outmanned garrison during the 1864 Battle of Decatur, when the city was referred to as "A Tough Nut to Crack." While the city was under Confederate control, plans for the Battle of Shiloh were mapped out within the Burleson-Hinds-McEntire House. These activities make the house one of the most historic buildings in Decatur. New Decatur was a city that rose out of the ashes of former…

Geography

The Tennessee River has traditionally been the northern border of the city and Morgan County, but a small portion of the city extends across the river into Limestone County between U.S. 31 and I-65. Major bodies of water in the city include Wheeler Lake on the Tennessee River itself, plus Flint Creek, and Dry Branch, tributaries of the Tennessee River. The city extends to the other side of Flint Creek and the Refuge in the Indian Hills and Burningtree subdivision areas. The northern portion of Decatur sits on top of a short hill that overlooks the Tennessee River; this creates a very steep drop-off to the river shore at Rhodes Ferry Park. This hill allows the "Steamboat Bill" Memorial Bridge to leave the mainland at grade without any major sloping required to cross the river while not interfering with Decatur's heavy barge traffic. This hill extends from the banks of the river about south to the 14th St./Magnolia St. intersection with 6th Avenue (US 31). South past the 14th St. and 6th Ave. intersection, land remains flat. South, and also west, past S.R. 67 there are a few minor ridges that sit within the city limits. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and , is water. Winters usually do not produce much snow; a large amount of snow is rare within the city limits. A small, measurable amount of snow can be experienced a few times each year. In 2011, Decatur received up to of snow in a single storm. It tied for the most since 1963. Summers are hot and humid with a July daily average temperature of . There are 51–52 days of + highs annually and 1.7 days of + highs. |date=August 2010 }} * Athens (north) - Limestone County * Hartselle (south) - Morgan County * Hillsboro (west) - Lawrence County * Huntsville…

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  6,940
• Carolina Wren

  Thryothorus ludovicianus (Latham, 1790) · Aves
  5,897
• Great Blue/Cocoi Heron

  Ardea herodias Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  5,499
• Great Egret

  Ardea alba Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  5,356
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  5,267
• Tufted Titmouse

  Baeolophus bicolor (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  5,184
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  5,144
• Red-bellied Woodpecker

  Melanerpes carolinus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  5,122

Largest nearby schools

• Decatur High School
  High · Decatur · 1,040 students · 17:1 ratio
• Hartselle High School
  High · Hartselle · 1,031 students · 15.2:1 ratio
• Austin High School
  High · Decatur · 1,025 students · 15.3:1 ratio
• Decatur Middle School
  Middle · Decatur · 815 students · 15.1:1 ratio
• Austin Junior High School
  Other · Decatur · 773 students · 16.8:1 ratio
• Austin Middle School
  Middle · Decatur · 714 students · 15.2:1 ratio
• Priceville Elementary School
  Elementary · Priceville · 667 students · 18.5:1 ratio
• West Morgan Elementary School
  Elementary · Trinity · 616 students · 20.5:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 2.53 — 2026-04-27
  12 km NNE of Trinity, Alabama
• M 2.66 — 2022-08-13
  6 km NW of Hazel Green, Alabama
• M 2.62 — 2020-11-01
  13 km SE of Triana, Alabama
• M 2.53 — 2020-02-08
  13 km S of Moulton, Alabama
• M 2.79 — 2018-07-06
  0 km WSW of Muscle Shoals, Alabama
• M 2.69 — 2017-12-20
  7 km WSW of Scottsboro, Alabama