Grimes

Grimes is located in the southeastern corner of Dale County in the southeastern corner of the state. It has a mayor/city council form of government.

History

Grimes was originally called Abbeville Junction. The name changed to Grimes in 1893 after a railroad depot was established, connecting it to Abbeville via the Abbeville Southern Railway. This short-line railway (in this case less than 27 miles long) was immediately transferred to the Alabama Midland Railroad upon its completion. Grimes was first incorporated in May 1912, but it never actually formed a city government. Its articles of incorporation were dissolved in November 1947. The town was at its peak during the 1920s, but the Great Depression dealt it a severe blow. Moreover, the railroad depot fell into disuse after the completion of roads in nearby towns that also steered automobile traffic and businesses to other towns, including Dothan, Midland City, and Napier Field.

Demographics

According to 2020 Census estimates, Grimes recorded a population of 665. Of that number, 58.9 percent of respondents identified themselves as white, 37.3 percent as African American, 2.8 percent as two or more races, 2.3 percent as Hispanic or Latino, and 0.5 percent as Asian. The town’s median household income was $38,654, and the per capita income was $22,316.

Employment

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

  • Retail trade (20.7 percent)
  • Transportation and warehousing and utilities (20.4 percent)
  • Educational services, and health care and social assistance (17.5 percent)
  • Public administration (13.5 percent)
  • Other services, except public administration (9.8 percent)
  • Arts, entertainment, recreation, and accommodation and food services (6.2 percent)
  • Information (3.3 percent)
  • Construction (2.9 percent)
  • Manufacturing (2.9 percent)
  • Professional, scientific, management, and administrative and waste management services (2.2 percent)
  • Finance, insurance, and real estate, rental, and leasing (0.7 percent)

Education

Students in Grimes attend Dale County schools; no public schools are located within the town limits. Wallace Community College is located just north of Grimes.

Transportation

County Highway 112 bisects Grimes running north-south, and County Highway 10 and County Highway 25 run through town going east-west. U.S. Highway 231 running northwest-southeast lies less than a mile southwest of town. The Dothan Regional Airport is located less than a mile north of Grimes. CSX Transportation, Inc. and the Bay Line Railroad, L.L.C., a subsidiary of Genesee & Wyoming Inc., operate lines in Grimes.

Events and Places of Interest

Grimes is located less than a mile from the city of Dothan, and the Kelly Springs Recreational Area lies about a mile due south of the town.

Additional Resources

Dale County Heritage Book Committee. Heritage of Dale County, Alabama. Clanton, Ala.: Heritage Publishing Consultants, Inc., 2001.

Watson, Fred S. Forgotten Trails: A History of Dale County, Alabama,1824-1966. Birmingham, Ala.: Banner Press, 1968.

Watson, Fred S. Piney Woods Echoes: A History of Dale and Coffee Counties, Alabama. Elba, Ala.: The Elba Clipper, 1949.

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