Lexington

Lexington is located in northeastern Lauderdale County in the far northwest part of the state, on the Alabama/Tennessee line. It has a mayor/council form of government.

History

Lexington Town Hall The town of Lexington was originally established on the site of four 40-acre parcels of land purchased by early settler Lewis Marshall, who arrived in 1818. The origin of the town’s name is uncertain; it might have been named after Lexington, Massachusetts, or it might have been named after the Lexington District in South Carolina, as Marshall may have been from there.

The first town center was established around 1853. Lexington suffered badly during the Civil War, with a number of homes, churches, and businesses burned by federal forces. The town recovered economically after Reconstruction. Its first public school was built in 1907 on land donated by local businessman Andrew Lee. The school was superseded by a new building in 1923. Lexington incorporated in 1959.

Demographics

According to 2020 Census estimates, Lexington recorded a population of 809. Of that number, 97.2 percent of respondents identified themselves as white, 1.5 percent as African American, 1.1 percent as American Indian, 0.4 percent as Hispanic, and 0.2 percent as two or more races. The town’s median household income was $53,125, and the per capita income was $21,922.

Employment

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

  • Educational services and health care and social assistance (18.8 percent)
  • Retail trade (17.1 percent)
  • Arts, entertainment, and recreation, and accommodation and food services (14.3 percent)
  • Manufacturing (7.6 percent)
  • Transportation and warehousing, and utilities (7.6 percent)
  • Construction (7.3 percent)
  • Wholesale trade (7.0 percent)
  • Other services, except public administration (5.9 percent)
  • Professional, scientific, and management, and administrative and waste management services (5.3 percent)
  • Finance and insurance, and real estate and rental and leasing (3.9 percent)
  • Public administration (3.4 percent)
  • Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and extraction (0.8 percent)
  • Information (0.8 percent)

Education

Schools in Lexington are part of the Lauderdale County school system; the town has one K-12 school.

Transportation

A. L. Phillips Park State Highway 64 bisects Lexington going east-west and State Highway 101 runs through town roughly north-south. County Road 71 runs southwest from town.

Events and Places of Interest

Wilson Lake and Wheeler Lake are both located about 10 miles south of town. The town maintains two city parks with playground equipment, a city pool, tennis courts, and a walking trail. Lexington holds a Founder’s Day Celebration every September. It also holds an annual horse show.

Additional Resources

Johnson, Fred. I’m from Lexington: Alabama Reunion, ’89. Lexington, Ala.: Town of Lexington, 1989.

Lauderdale County Heritage Book Committee. The Heritage of Lauderdale County. Clanton, Ala.: Heritage Publishing Consultants, 1999.

External Links

Share this Article