Dothan

Sister cities

• Alajuela
• Sakado

History

Between 1763 and 1783, the region that is now Dothan was part of the colony of British West Florida. European-American settlers moving through the area during the late 18th and early 19th centuries discovered the Indian spring, naming it "Poplar Head". Most felt that the sandy soil common to this region would be unsuitable for farming, so they moved on. A crude stockade was constructed on the Barber Plantation, where settlers could take refuge whenever they felt threatened. Gradually the area received more white settlers. This fort disappeared by the 1840s, after the end of the Indian Wars in Alabama and Indian Removal in the 1830s, when most members of the Five Civilized Tribes were forcibly taken to Indian Territory west of the Mississippi River. Those members of the tribe who stayed in the southeast were considered to have given up their tribal memberships and became state and U.S. citizens. The first permanent white settlers consisted of nine families who moved into the area during the early 1830s to harvest the abundant timber. Their settlement, named Poplar Head after the spring, failed to thrive. It was all but abandoned by the time of the Civil War. After the war, a local Pony Express route was founded; together with other developments during the Reconstruction Era, the town began to grow. On November 11, 1885, the citizens voted to incorporate, naming their new city Dothan at the suggestion of a local clergyman after discovering that "Poplar Head" was already registered with the U.S. post office for a town in northern Alabama. Dothan was the scene of a deadly altercation resulting from a dispute over a tax levied on wagons operating within city limits. Local farmers opposed the levy and united in a body called the "Farmers Alliance". The arrest of some of…

Geography

Dothan is in northwestern Houston County in southeastern Alabama. The city limits extend north into Henry County and northwest into Dale County. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has an area of , of which is land and , or 0.36%, is water. It is located in the Wiregrass region of southeastern Alabama, near both the Florida and Georgia state lines. The topography is generally flat and forested, with few small hills that gradually slope downward towards the Chattahoochee River to the east and the gulf coastal plain to the south. Dothan has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa). This produces hot, humid summers and generally mild winters, with daily average temperatures ranging from in the summer to during winter. Precipitation is plentiful throughout the year, ranging from in August, the wettest month, to in October, the driest month. Snowfall is extremely rare; a two-inch snowfall occurs about once every ten years, which results in a yearly average of ; the last major snow event occurred on January 21, 2025. Other significant snow events in the city's history occurred in 1973, 1977, 1989, 1993, and 2010. Tornadoes are a frequent risk during the spring, summer and fall; the city's tornado activity is slightly below the Alabama state average, but 79% above the U.S. average.

Race & ethnicity

Largest nearby schools

• Dothan High School
  High · Dothan · 1,454 students · 18.4:1 ratio
• Rehobeth Elementary School
  Elementary · Rehobeth · 1,174 students · 18.6:1 ratio
• Dothan Preparatory Academy
  Middle · Dothan · 1,133 students · 18.9:1 ratio
• Rehobeth High School
  High · Dothan · 788 students · 21.3:1 ratio
• Rehobeth Middle School
  Middle · Rehobeth · 626 students · 21.6:1 ratio
• Highlands Elementary School
  Elementary · Dothan · 565 students · 20.2:1 ratio
• Carver 9th Grade Academy
  Other · Dothan · 543 students · 18.1:1 ratio
• Kelly Springs Elementary School
  Elementary · Dothan · 533 students · 19.7:1 ratio