Fyffe

Fyffe is located in DeKalb County in the northeast corner of the state. It is noted for alleged mass UFO sightings by many town residents in 1989. The event is now celebrated with an annual festival, and the town has been designated as the UFO Capital of Alabama.

History

Fyffe Soybean Farm Founded in the 1880s, Fyffe had enough population to be awarded a post office around 1900; the U.S. Postal Service suggested the name Fyffe. The town built a high school in 1917, and it achieved accreditation in 1935. The first church was built in 1925. Fyffe incorporated in 1956.

Fyffe was the site of the 1959 United Sacred Harp Musical Convention. Well-known ethnomusicologist Alan Lomax recorded much of the singing at the convention. Fyffe is best known for mass sightings of UFOs, which took place on February 11-12, 1989. Some 50 town residents reported seeing unidentified objects in the skies over the town.

Demographics

According to 2020 Census estimates, Fyffe recorded a population of 1,445. Of that number, 94.5 percent of respondents identified themselves as white, 4.3 percent as American Indian, 1.5 percent as Hispanic, 1.1 percent as two or more races, and 0.1 percent as African American. The town’s median household income was $29,808, and the per capita income was $18,870.

Employment

According to 2020 Census estimates, the workforce in Fyffe was divided among the following industrial categories:

  • Manufacturing (33.8 percent)
  • Educational services, and health care and social assistance (20.5 percent)
  • Retail trade (9.6 percent)
  • Transportation, warehousing, and utilities (8.6 percent)
  • Other services, except public administration (6.6 percent)
  • Wholesale trade (6.6 percent)
  • Construction (4.3 percent)
  • Public administration (2.3 percent)
  • Finance and insurance, and real estate and rental and leasing (2.1 percent)
  • Arts, entertainment, recreation, and accommodation and food services (2.0 percent)
  • Information (1.8 percent)
  • Professional, scientific, and administrative and waste management services (1.8 percent)

Education

Fyffe is part of the DeKalb County Schools and has one K-12 public school.

Transportation

Fyffe is served by State Highway 75, which runs northeast-southwest through the town, as well as County Road 50, which runs northwest-southeast.

Events and Places of Interest

Fyffe Fyffe plays host to an annual UFO (Unforgettable Family Outing) Day Festival, which originated in the alleged mass UFO sighting in 1989. The festival features live music, arts and crafts, and hot-air balloon rides. The D. W. “Dock” Powell Place is listed on the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage.

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