Auburn, Alabama

Auburn, Alabama
City
City of Auburn
Campus of Auburn University, downtown Auburn, one of Auburn's many biking and walking trails, and Auburn City Hall.
FIPS code		01-03076
GNIS feature ID	0113277
Website	auburnalabama.org

Auburn is a city in Lee County, Alabama, United States. It is the largest city in eastern Alabama. The population was 76,143 at the 2020 census.^[3] It is a principal city of the Auburn-Opelika Metropolitan Area. The Auburn-Opelika, AL MSA with a 2020 population of 193,773, along with the Columbus, GA-AL MSA and Tuskegee, Alabama, comprises the greater Columbus-Auburn-Opelika, GA-AL CSA, a region home to 563,967 residents as of 2020.^[5]

Auburn is a historic college town and is the home of Auburn University. It is Alabama's fastest-growing metropolitan area and the 19th-fastest-growing metro area in the United States as measured since 1990.^[6] U.S. News ranked Auburn among its top ten list of best places to live in the United States for the year 2009.^[7] The city's unofficial nickname is "The Loveliest Village on the Plains," taken from a line in the poem The Deserted Village by Oliver Goldsmith: "Sweet Auburn! Loveliest village of the plain..."^[8]

History

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Inhabited in antiquity by the

. These settlers, led by Judge John J. Harper, intended to build a town that would be the religious and educational center for the area.

Auburn was incorporated on February 2, 1839, in what was then

for boys and girls were established in addition to the primary school. This concentration of educational institutions led to a rapid influx of families from the planter class into Auburn in the 1840s and 1850s. By 1858, of the roughly 1,000 free residents of Auburn, some 500 were students.

In 1856, the state legislature chartered a Methodist college, the East Alabama Male College in Auburn. This college, now

liberal

education.

With the advent of the Civil War in 1861, Auburn quickly emptied. All of the schools closed, and most businesses shuttered. Auburn was the site of a hospital for Texan Confederate soldiers, but only saw direct combat with the raids of Rousseau in 1864 and Wilson in 1865.

After the Civil War, Auburn's economy entered a prolonged depression that would last the remainder of the century. Public schools did not reopen until the mid-1870s, and most businesses remained closed. A series of fires in the 1860s and 1870s gutted the downtown area. East Alabama Male College was turned over to the state in 1872, and with funds from the federal

in 1887 allowed for expansion of agricultural research facilities on campus.

In 1892, the college became the first four-year college in Alabama to

championships won by the Auburn college's football team brought attention and support to Auburn, and helped fill the city's coffers.

Fortunes were quickly reversed with the collapse of cotton prices in the early 1920s and the subsequent

barter economy

to support themselves.

Money began to flow into Auburn again with America's entry into World War II. Auburn's campus was turned into a training ground for technical specialists in the armed forces. After the war, Auburn was flooded by soldiers returning to school on the G.I. Bill.

Primarily due to this influx of students, Auburn began a period of growth that lasted through the 1950s and 1960s. A considerable amount of residential and business construction pushed Auburn's growth outside of the original boundaries of the city, leading to a series of large annexations which expanded Auburn to nearly 24 square miles (62 km²). Construction of

opened as "Village Mall" in 1973.

Growth slowed somewhat in the 1970s, and a series of budget cuts made it clear that Auburn's sole economic reliance on Auburn University put the city in a tenuous position.

Backlash against what was seen as an ineffectual city council led to the election of Jan Dempsey as mayor in 1980 and the removal of the previous city government system in favor of a

. With a new government in place, the city began aggressively pursuing industry, leading to a nearly 1,200% increase in the number of industrial jobs over the next twenty years. As public satisfaction with the city administration reached record levels, Auburn began very rapid residential growth.

A series of reports in the 1980s and 1990s ranking the Auburn public school system among the top in the state and nation convinced thousands of new residents to move to Auburn over the past 25 years. Between 1980 and 2003, Auburn's population grew by 65%, and Auburn's economy expanded by 220%.

The population growth has only accelerated into the 21st century, both organically within the city and through annexation and incorporation of surrounding portions of Lee County. Auburn's population has grown over 77% from 2000 to the latest 2020 decennial census figures. With the continued rapid growth comes issues of urban sprawl and expansions to infrastructure, which have become two of Auburn's primary political issues.

Geography

The city of Auburn lies in western Lee County and is bordered by the city of Opelika to the northeast and by Chambers County to the north. The city stretches south to the Macon County line in the southwest.

Auburn sits on the

in southern Auburn. As a result of these three varied physical environments, Auburn has an extremely diverse geology.

The southwest and west regions of the city on the plateau are marked by rolling

Auburn sits near the divide between the Chattahoochee and Tallapoosa River watersheds, though the vast majority of the city resides in the latter. Auburn is drained by three main creek systems: in the south, by the Chewacla/Opintlocco Creek system; in the north, by the Saugahatchee Creek system; and in the extreme northern reaches of Auburn by Sandy Creek. The dividing line between the Chewacla and Saugahatchee watersheds roughly follows railroad line east–west through the center of town.

Auburn is located at 32°35′52″N 85°28′51″W / 32.59778°N 85.48083°W / 32.59778; -85.48083 (32.597684, −85.480823)^[10] and according to the United States Census Bureau in 2000, the city has a total area of 39.6 square miles (103 km²), of which, 39.1 square miles (101 km²) of it is land and 0.4 square miles (1.0 km²) of it (1.11%) is water. The elevation of Auburn at City Hall is 709 ft (216 m) above sea level; though due to Auburn's diverse topography, elevation ranges from 386 ft (118 m) above sea level where Chewacla Creek crosses Sand Hill Road to 845 ft (258 m) above sea level in northern Auburn near the Chambers County line.

Climate

Typical of the Deep South, Auburn has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa), marked by mild winters, early springs, long, hot, muggy summers, and warm autumns. Due to its position near the Gulf of Mexico, the city receives a significant amount of rainfall—on average, 52.6 inches (1,340 mm) per year—though there is a distinct dry season in the late summer and early fall. Severe storm activity – thunderstorms producing damaging winds and/or large hail – is common from the late winter through early summer. There is the risk of tornadoes. Owing to its proximity to the Gulf, Auburn is also subject to fringe effects from tropical storms and hurricanes in the summer and fall. Hurricanes Opal in 1995 and Ivan in 2004 are among two of the most notable tropical systems to affect the Auburn area in recent memory, bringing torrential rains and high winds.

Winters are typically mild, with an average 0.7 inches (1.8 cm) of snowfall, though more than three-fourths of all seasons do not have any measurable snow.^[11] Most days have 50 °F (10 °C)+ highs, and from December to February, an average total of 10–11 days of 70 °F (21 °C)+ highs, while it rarely stays below freezing all day.^[11] However, the city straddles the border between USDA Plant Hardiness Zones 7B and 8A,^[12] and there are an average of 5.6 nights with sub-20 °F (−7 °C) lows.^[11] On the other end, summers are long, hot, and humid, with 57 days of 90 °F (32 °C)+ highs.^[11] Although the actual air temperature reaching 100 °F (38 °C) is uncommon (1.2 days annually),^[11] high humidity can push daytime heat indices over that mark.

The record high for Auburn is 103 °F (39 °C), set on July 15, 1980 (needs updating), and August 10, 1980, while the record low was −7 °F (−22 °C), set on

Climate data for Auburn, Alabama (Auburn University)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Mean daily maximum °F (°C)	56.1 (13.4)	60.4 (15.8)	67.9 (19.9)	74.6 (23.7)	82.6 (28.1)	88.3 (31.3)	90.8 (32.7)	89.8 (32.1)	85.7 (29.8)	76.8 (24.9)	67.8 (19.9)	58.2 (14.6)	75.0 (23.9)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C)	33.8 (1.0)	37.3 (2.9)	44.2 (6.8)	51.3 (10.7)	60.2 (15.7)	67.0 (19.4)	70.3 (21.3)	70.5 (21.4)	64.6 (18.1)	54.8 (12.7)	45.0 (7.2)	36.3 (2.4)	53.0 (11.7)
Average precipitation inches (mm)	4.54 (115)	4.36 (111)	5.85 (149)	3.84 (98)	3.25 (83)	4.61 (117)	6.09 (155)	3.22 (82)	4.44 (113)	3.19 (81)	4.28 (109)	4.88 (124)	52.55 (1,337)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in)	10.8	9.7	9.5	8.6	8.3	10.1	12.8	10.2	8.0	6.8	8.5	9.7	113.0
Source: NOAA[11]

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1870	1,018		—
1880	1,161		14.0%
1890	1,440		24.0%
1900	1,447		0.5%
1910	1,408		−2.7%
1920	2,143		52.2%
1930	2,800		30.7%
1940	4,652		66.1%
1950	12,939		178.1%
1960	16,261		25.7%
1970	22,767		40.0%
1980	28,471		25.1%
1990	33,830		18.8%
2000	42,987		27.1%
2010	53,380		24.2%
2020	76,143		42.6%
2022 (est.)	80,006	[4]	5.1%
U.S. Decennial Census[14] 2020 Census[3]

Auburn first appeared on the 1870 U.S. Census as an incorporated town.[15] See precinct below.

2020 census

Auburn racial composition^[16]

Race	Number	Percent
White (non-Hispanic)	48,132	63.21%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)	13,924	18.29%
Native American	128	0.17%
Asian	7,397	9.71%
Pacific Islander	31	0.04%
Other/Mixed	2,912	3.82%
Latino	3,619	4.75%

As of the census of 2020, there were 76,143 people, 26,156 households, and 13,269 families residing in the city.

2010 census

As of the

There were 22,111 households, out of which 22.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 32.4% were married couples living together, 8.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 55.2% were non-families. 33.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was 2.99.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 17.5% under the age of 18, 38.0% from 18 to 24, 23.1% from 25 to 44, 14.6% from 45 to 64, and 6.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 23.3 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.4 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $35,857, and the median income for a family was $72,771. Males had a median income of $51,644 versus $36,898 for females. The per capita income for the city was $24,656. About 9.2% of families and 25.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.0% of those under age 18 and 3.6% of those age 65 or over. The reason for this enormous inequality between households and families is due to the large number of students living in the area.

Auburn Precinct/Division (1870–1970)

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1870	3,822		—
1880	2,951		−22.8%
1890	3,001		1.7%
1900	3,615		20.5%
1910	3,381		−6.5%
1920	3,840		13.6%
1930	5,177		34.8%
1940	8,297		60.3%
1950	15,882		91.4%
1960	16,261		2.4%
1970	22,767		40.0%
U.S. Decennial Census[14]

The Auburn Beat (Lee County 2nd Beat) first appeared on the 1870 U.S. Census. In 1890, "beat" was changed to "precinct." In 1870, 1930 and 1940 when racial demographics were reported, it showed a Black majority. In 1960, the precinct was changed to "census division" as part of a general reorganization of counties.[18] The city boundaries and that of the census division were contiguous by that census. In 1980, the census divisions of Auburn and Opelika, along with parts of Loachapoka-Roxana, Opelika Rural-Pepperell were consolidated into the new division of Auburn-Opelika.^[19]

Auburn-Opelika Census Division (1980–)

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1980	55,511		—
1990	60,814		9.6%
2000	71,027		16.8%
2010	80,779		13.7%
2020	103,453		28.1%
U.S. Decennial Census[14] 2020 Census[20]

The Auburn-Opelika Census Division was created in 1980 by the merger of Auburn and Opelika census divisions and parts of Loachapoka-Roxana, Opelika Rural-Pepperell divisions.

Law and government

Auburn has a

led by an eight-member city council, a mayor, and an appointed city manager.

The

acts as a legislative body of the city, passing laws and regulations and appointing citizens to the city's various boards, including the Auburn City Board of Education. Each member of the city council is elected for a four-year term from one of eight geographic wards.

Members of the current Auburn City Council are:

• Ward 1 – Connie Fitch Taylor
• Ward 2 – Kelley Griswold
• Ward 3 – Beth Witten (Mayor Pro Tem)
• Ward 4 – Tyler Adams
• Ward 5 – Sonny Moreman
• Ward 6 – Bob Parsons
• Ward 7 – Max Coblentz
• Ward 8 – Tommy Dawson^[21]

The mayor of Auburn is elected in the city at-large to a four-year term. The duties of the mayor are, per State Code: 1) ceremonial, 2) to serve as the Governor's contact in the event of an emergency and 3) to conduct Council meetings, and to be the tie breaking vote for the city council legislative body. The Mayor has no administrative duties, as the City Manager serves as the CEO. As such, the position of mayor in Auburn is primarily symbolic. The current mayor of Auburn is Ron Anders, elected in 2018 and re-elected in 2022.^[22]

The day-to-day operations of Auburn are run by the

. The City Manager is appointed by and serves at the leisure of the City Council. The City Manager is responsible for the appointment and dismissal of all department heads, advises the council on policy matters, and creates and administers the city budget. The current City Manager of Auburn is Megan McGowen Crouch.

The United States Postal Service operates a post office at 300 Opelika Road, Auburn, Alabama.

Economy

Auburn's economy is centered on Auburn University and providing university-affiliated services. Auburn University employs 4,300 people, which is roughly one-quarter of the city's total workforce. In addition, 2,400 Auburnites are employed by the federal and state government in positions which are generally connected with the university. Some 8,500 are employed in

jobs.

Auburn's

scanner. Overall, the manufacturing sector accounts for some 5,000 jobs in Auburn.

Auburn is located between the Kia and Hyundai automobile manufacturing facilities with the

manufacturing plant about 55 miles (89 km) west on I-85/I-65.

Public safety

The Public Safety Department has five divisions: Police, Fire, Communications, Codes Enforcement, and Administration. The department provides all law enforcement, public safety services, and emergency 911 response and dispatch services for the City of Auburn and the campus of Auburn University. Construction activities in the city are monitored and inspected by the Codes Enforcement Division. Ambulance services are provided via a contract with East Alabama Medical Center.

Education

Auburn, as a college town, is largely driven by the influence of education. Auburn has one post-secondary school, Auburn University, which has an enrollment of 31,526 as of 2021–2022.^[24] Auburn University is a land-grant university and a sea and space grant university with traditionally strong programs in business, engineering, agriculture, and veterinary medicine. The university is largely focused on undergraduate education, with a graduate program of 5,000. Auburn University is a research institution, with primary areas of research focus including wireless engineering, molecular biosciences, transportation, aquaculture, and forest sustainability.

Auburn is also home to several research centers, including the

.

Auburn's

public high school in Alabama, and one of the top 30 in the United States. Auburn has the Auburn Public Library.[25]

The Auburn City Schools public school system is currently served by one high school for the entire city, a 350,000 square-foot, $72 million facility that opened in 2017 and houses students in 10th through 12th grade. As of the 2021–22 school year, the student population at Auburn High is the most of any high school in the state of Alabama. After the completion of the new high school facility, the old Auburn High School site was converted into a Junior High School, serving students in 8th and 9th grade. The old Auburn Junior High School became East Samford School, a 7th grade academy, while Drake Middle School hosts all 6th graders in the city school system. Elementary school zones are in pairs throughout the city; one school in the zone houses kindergarten through 2nd grade, while the other school serves grades 3 through 5. While official construction plans have yet to materialize, a second high school is in the Auburn City Schools facilities master plan, slated to open in the mid-2020s.

Transportation

Auburn is located in the southeastern part of

.

There is daily ground transportation between Auburn and the Atlanta airport. Tiger Taxi, Eagle Town Taxi, Spirit Town Taxi all provide both local taxi service and flat-rate transportation service to other cities. Auburn University provides the Tiger Transit bus system, which runs near the campus and to area apartment complexes part of the year. Lee-Russell Public Transit (LRPT) offers Dial-A-Ride services in Lee and Russell counties. Hail-a-ride apps available: Gata Hub.

There are few sidewalks and no city bus system in Auburn. It is a heavily car-dependent community. It has received an award for being a bike friendly town from the League of American Bicyclists. The Auburn Bike Committee posts a list of bike rides and events.^[26]

Arts, culture, and recreation

Auburn is the home to the

's Amber Luster Chandelier.

Also in Auburn is the Telfair Peet Theatre, which performs a series of plays and musicals each year. The Auburn Community Orchestra, as well as the bands of Auburn University and the Auburn High School Honors Band perform dozens of yearly concerts, including a series of outdoor concerts in the fall at Kiesel Park. Other musical series in Auburn include that of the Auburn Knights Orchestra, a big band jazz orchestra, and the Sundilla Acoustic Concert Series. The theatre is rumoured to be haunted by a ghost named Sydney, who the theatre department appeases before every performance with an offering of orange and blue M&M's.

Auburn is also home to Auburn Area Community Theater (AACT), a community-based organization that puts on three productions a year, including a spring children's show. All performances are rehearsed and performed at the Jan Dempsey Community Arts Center.

There are a number of dance schools in the city that give classes in a variety of dance styles, such as ballet, jazz, hip-hop, ballroom, and even Irish dancing, which is supported by the Drake School of Irish Dance.

Recreational opportunities in Auburn include 16 parks, highlighted by

and several lakes.

Sports

Auburn has no professional sports teams, but nonetheless has a vibrant sports culture due to the presence of Auburn University's

sports offer citizens a variety of other opportunities for viewing competition at virtually the highest level.

Home football games particularly change the face of Auburn for several weekends a year. Tens of thousands of fans flood the campus hours—sometimes days—before the game to tailgate, creating a festival-like atmosphere throughout the weekend. Football games in Auburn are played in 87,451 seat Jordan–Hare Stadium, which sits on the main campus, just a few blocks from downtown.

. More Olympic swimmers have come from Auburn's swimming program than any other university swimming program.

The

-designed Grand National course in the Auburn metro is often cited as one of the top public courses in the nation. Because of this, in 2005, the Auburn Metro Area was ranked number 1 in the United States for golf by Golf Digest.

Media

Auburn is served by the

television including both local and national channels. The On-Campus television station, Eagle Eye TV, is broadcast twenty-four hours a day for residents living on-campus and the immediate surrounding areas.

Radio stations WEGL and WAUD are licensed to Auburn and broadcast from the city. Radio station WKKR is licensed to Auburn and broadcasts from nearby Opelika.

Newspapers serving the city include The Opelika-Auburn News,^[28] The Auburn Villager,^[29] and The Auburn Plainsman.^[30]

Notable people

Auburn has had many notable citizens in its 170-year history, including Nobel Prize winners such as

, is a graduate of Auburn High School.

Photo Gallery

• 
  Lee County Courthouse Auburn Satellite Office
• 
  East Samford School
• 
  Auburn Junior High School, 1899
• 
  Auburn Junior High School
• 
  1890s Samford Hall, Auburn
• 
  Hargis Hall, Auburn
• 
  Auburn University Chapel
• 
  Old Main Building, Auburn, 1883
• 
  Mary E. Martin Hall Auburn, 1910
• 
  Ross Chemistry Laboratory, Auburn University
• 
  Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art, Auburn University
• 
  Auburn Female College chapel, c1883
• 
  Auburn Post Office
• 
  Old Main and Church Street Historic District, Auburn
• 
  Aerial View of Auburn, 1940s
• 
  Aerial View of Auburn University, 1930s
• 
  Aerial View of Auburn University, 1930s
• 
  Sunny Slope, Auburn
• 
  Auburn-Opelika Robert G. Pitts Airport
• 
  Downtown Auburn
• 
  Downtown Auburn
• 
  Holliday-Carey House, Auburn
• 
  McElhaney House, Auburn
• 
  Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church, Auburn

Nearby cities/communities

• Opelika, Alabama
• Loachapoka, Alabama
• Waverly, Alabama
• Beauregard, Alabama
• Beulah, Alabama
• Gold Hill, Alabama
• Bee Hive, Alabama
• The Bottle, Alabama
• Notasulga, Alabama
• Tuskegee, Alabama

See also

•  United States portal
• Kinnucan's

References

Notes

References

Sources

External links

• City of Auburn, AL