Altoona

Altoona is located in western Etowah County in northeast Alabama, with a small portion of the town crossing into Blount County, to the west. It has a mayor/council form of government.

History

Tumlin Gap Tunnel The town of Altoona developed around coal mines opened by W. T. Underwood, brother of U.S. Senator Oscar Underwood, in 1900. The first telephone company was established in Altoona in 1907, but it later moved to nearby Walnut Grove. By that time, the town had grown enough for its residents to pursue incorporation, and the town was granted a charter in either 1908 or 1912.

About this time, Underwood sold his mines to a group of investors from Gadsden who in turn sold them to Republic Steel. Like many mining towns, Altoona (named after the Pennsylvania city by coal miners from that area who relocated to Alabama to find work) was a boom town, boasting two banks and a population of more than 2,000 by 1916. Altoona also was situated on a branch, known as the “Mineral Line,” of the Louisville and Nashville Railroad.

In 1932, the mines closed, and by 1940 Altoona’s population had fallen to 998. Although some returned to the area, it never provided significant employment again. A strip mine was in operation in the area as late as 1968 but is now abandoned. In 1966, the county consolidated the Altoona and Walnut Grove schools, with Altoona retaining the elementary school and Walnut Grove the high school. Altoona’s residents generally commute to surrounding cities such as Huntsville, Gadsden, and Oneonta for employment.

Demographics

According to 2020 Census estimates, Altoona recorded a population of 1,250. Of that number, 96.8 percent of respondents identified themselves as white, 1.7 percent as African American, 1.1 percent as two or more races, 0.4 percent as Hispanic, and 0.2 percent as Asian. The town’s median household income was $31,961, and the per capita income was $18,247.

Employment

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

  • Construction (31.2 percent)
  • Educational services and health care and social assistance (16.1 percent)
  • Retail trade (12.8 percent)
  • Other services, except public administration (9.6 percent)
  • Manufacturing (7.7 percent)
  • Arts, entertainment, and recreation, and accommodation and food services (6.9 percent)
  • Information (4.7 percent)
  • Wholesale trade (4.4 percent)
  • Public administration (3.9 percent)
  • Finance and insurance, and real estate and rental and leasing (1.3 percent)
  • Transportation and warehousing, and utilities (1.2 percent)
  • Professional, scientific, and management, and administrative and waste management services (0.3 percent)

Education

Schools in Altoona are part of the Etowah County School system; the town has one elementary school.

Transportation

State Highway 132 runs through Altoona northeast-southwest; County Road 41 dead-ends in town from the northwest.

Events and Places of Interest

Altoona holds an Altoona Day celebration in May featuring music, arts and crafts vendors, food vendors, a classic car show, and celebrity guests. Altoona also holds an annual Christmas Parade.

The Tumlin Gap Tunnel and Trestle are on the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage.

Further Reading

  • Etowah County Centennial Committee. A History of Etowah County, Alabama. Birmingham, Ala.: Roberts and Sons, 1968.
  • Etowah County Heritage Book Committee. Heritage of Etowah County, Alabama. Clanton. Ala.: Heritage Publishing Consultants Inc., 1999.

External Links

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