Iron City

History

Iron City gets its name from an iron foundry that operated in its vicinity in the late 19th century. While iron ore was mined in southwestern Lawrence County as early as the 1830s, the industry really began to thrive in 1886, when a branch railroad line to the area was completed. Iron City incorporated the following year. This legislative change moved all territory south and east of that road into Lawrence County, effectively placing the entirety of Iron City within Lawrence County before its official incorporation. The community has since remained in Lawrence County. At its height, Iron City supported a population of about 1,000 and included two hotels and two banks.

Geography

Iron City is situated in the Shoal Creek Valley, north of the Tennessee-Alabama state line. Iron City is surrounded by rugged hills on the north, south, and west, and by the creek on the east. State Route 227 passes east-to-west through Iron City, connecting it to St. Joseph across the hills to the east and State Route 13 south of Collinwood to the west. State Route 242, which intersects SR 227 in Iron City, connects the community with Westpoint and Lawrenceburg to the northeast. Poplar Street/Pruitton Road connects Iron City with Lauderdale County, Alabama, to the south, becoming County Road 61 at the state line. According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 0.9 square miles (2.4 km2), all land.

Race & ethnicity