Clio

Clio is located in southwest Barbour County in the southeast corner of Alabama. It has a mayor/council form of government. Clio is the birthplace of Alabama governor George Wallace, Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Don Sutton, and Elton B. Stephens, founder of EBSCO Industries.

History

Blue Springs State Park Originally known as Adkinson’s Head, Clio got its first post office in 1860. By 1869, the town had been given its current name, which is the Latin spelling of Kleio, the Greek word for “to make famous.” By 1889, the Central of Georgia Railway Company had constructed and begun operating a line through Clio, which led to rapid growth of the town. Clio incorporated in 1890. Cotton and cattle production were mainstays of the local economy, as was a fertilizer facility, gins, and a naval stores distillery. The first telephone service was established in 1905, as was the first bank, and the first newspaper began publication in 1906.

Barbour County High School (now located in Clayton) opened in town in 1911. Tragedy struck when a major train wreck occurred, killing a number of townspeople who were on the train. Like many other Alabama towns, the boll weevil infestation devastated the local economy. Diversification into crops such as peanuts helped bring the town economy back. A water and sewage system was established in at least part of the town in 1926. During World War II, Clio hosted a German prisoner-of-war camp.

Demographics

According to 2020 Census estimates, Clio recorded a population of 1,037. Of that number, 46.5 percent of respondents identified themselves as African American, 33.2 percent as Hispanic, 21.5 percent as white, 7.8 percent as two or more races, and 0.2 percent as Asian. The town’s median household income was $22,378, and the per capita income was $12,704.

Employment

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

  • Educational services and health care and social assistance (22.0 percent)
  • Manufacturing (17.6 percent)
  • Construction (15.9 percent)
  • Public administration (9.0 percent)
  • Retail trade (8.1 percent)
  • Arts, entertainment, and recreation, and accommodation and food services (6.8 percent)
  • Other services, except public administration (6.2 percent)
  • Finance and insurance, and real estate and rental and leasing (4.1 percent)
  • Wholesale trade (4.1 percent)
  • Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and extraction (2.7 percent)
  • Transportation and warehousing, and utilities (2.0 percent)
  • Professional, scientific, and management, and administrative and waste management services (1.4 percent)

Education

No public schools are located in Clio; students attend Barbour County Schools.

Transportation

State Highway 51 runs north-south through Clio, and State Highway 10 runs east-west.

Events and Places of Interest

Blue Springs State Park is located just east of the town and offers camping and picnic facilities, swimming in spring-fed pools, and sporting fields.

Additional Resources

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

Hunt, Lee. A Town Called Clio. Montgomery, Ala.: Black Belt Press, 1998.

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