The Alexander City Outlook
548 Cherokee Road
Alexander City, AL 35011
256-234-4281
256-234-6550 (fax)
E-mail The Outlook

The Newspaper
The Community

Geographic location
Tallapoosa County is 718 square miles. Alexander City located only 78 miles southeast of Birmingham, 55 miles northeast of Montgomery, 123 miles southwest of Atlanta, and 70 miles northwest of Columbus, Ga. U.S. Highway 280 runs through Alexander City connecting cities from Birmingham to Savannah, Ga., and Interstate highways 85 and 65 are less than an hour away.

Population
Tallapoosa County: 41,475
Coosa County: 12,202
Alexander City: approximately 16,000
Trade area population: approximately 125,000.

Market
Mostly industrial, with some timber and retail, and tourism with Lake Martin.

Economy
Alexander City is home to Russell Corp., a 100-year-old textile and apparel company specializing in athletic and sportswear. Russell is a major international company with corporate offices in Alexander City, where it was founded, and in Atlanta. Russell makes apparel sold in major retailers throughout the U.S. and also makes uniforms for a number of college and pro teams. Other industries include Avondale Mills, a textile company, and Robinson Iron, a family-owned foundry known internationally for its outstanding ironwork. The second largest employer besides Russell, which employs about 5,500 people in Alexander City, is Russell Medical Center. One of the biggest economic assets in the market is Russell Lands, the largest recreational developer in Alabama. Russell Lands has created more than a dozen lake neighborhoods on its 25,000 acres of land holdings around Lake Martin. The company also operates four marinas and number of Russell Do-It and Home Décor centers. In addition, Russell Lands manages the Lake Martin Amphitheater for outdoor concerts on the lake and the not-for-profit Children?s Harbor, which works to strengthen children and families though a variety of programs.

History
Alexander City was the site of one of the early towns of the Tuckabatche, a tribe of the Creek Confederacy. Founded originally as Youngsville, Alexander City was renamed after the Savannah to Memphis Railway was routed through Youngsville in 1873. The railway president was Gen. E.P. Alexander.

Climate
Alexander City typically experiences hot summers and mild winters.

Education
Tallapoosa County has two school systems, the Tallapoosa County School System and the smaller Alexander City School System, which share the Tallapoosa-Alexander City Vocational School, which offers focused instruction in several career clusters. Central Alabama Community College provides a two-year college education to more than 1200 students. The college also offers continuing education courses, and a new Textile and Apparel Technology Center is housed on campus.

Culture
Annual Alexander City Jazz Festival every June; Oktoberfest; Homestead Festival in downtown Alexander City each April; Alexander City Arts Inc. events throughout the year; Sarah Carlisle Towery Art Colony on Lake Martin.

Recreation
Lake Martin, with 750 miles of shoreline and 44,000 acres of water, much of which is in Tallapoosa County, is one of the United StatesÕ largest man-made lakes. The Charles E. Bailey Sr. Sportplex has a football stadium equal to that of a small college. There are also soccer and softball fields, a horse riding arena, gymnasium, swimming pool, picnic area and the Imagination Station playground.

Area information
Alexander City Chamber of Commerce
www.alexandercity.org

Return to the newspaper's section.

Read more BNI community profiles.

© 2013 Boone Newspapers, Inc. All rights reserved.