Alexander City
| Alexander City, Alabama | ||
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| City | ||
The Alexander City Commercial Historic District was added to the National Register of Historic Places on June 22, 2000.
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| Nickname(s): Alex City | ||
| Motto: Hope. Courage. Pride. | ||
 Location of Alexander City in Tallapoosa County, Alabama. |
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 Alexander City, Alabama
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| Coordinates: 32°55′59″N 85°56′10″W / 32.93306°N 85.93611°W | ||
| Country | United States | |
| State | Alabama | |
| County | Tallapoosa | |
| Founded | 1872 | |
| Government | ||
| • Mayor | James Nabors (R) | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 42.28 sq mi (109.50 km2) | |
| • Land | 41.99 sq mi (108.76 km2) | |
| • Water | 0.29 sq mi (0.74 km2) | |
| Elevation | 705 ft (215 m) | |
| Population (2010) | ||
| • Total | 14,875 | |
| • Estimate (2016) | 14,773 | |
| • Density | 349.41/sq mi (134.91/km2) | |
| Time zone | CST (UTC-6) | |
| • Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) | |
| ZIP code | 35010-35011 | |
| Area code(s) | 256 | |
| FIPS code | 01-01132 | |
| GNIS feature ID | 0112981 | |
| Website | www |
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Alexander City, known to locals as "Alex City", is a city in Tallapoosa County, Alabama, United States, with a population of some 14,875. It is known for Lake Martin with its 750 miles (1,210 km) of wooded shoreline and 44,000 acres (180 km2) of water. Lake Martin stands on the Tallapoosa River and offers boating, swimming, fishing, golfing, and camping. Many neighborhoods and luxury homes are located on the lake.
The city's economy was traditionally based on the textile industry, but in recent times its economic base has become more diversified as textile jobs have gone elsewhere.
Alexander City was incorporated in 1872 as Youngsville, after its founder James Young. In 1873, the Savannah and Memphis Railroad came to the city. The city was renamed in honor of the railroad's President Edward Porter Alexander, hero of the Battle of Gettysburg for the Confederate States.
On June 13, 1902, at 1 pm, a fire broke out in the Alexander City Machine shop and destroyed much of the town. At the time, Alexander City did not have a water system and all buildings, including the telegraph office, post office and three banks were burned.
The Southern Poverty Law Center reached a $680,000 settlement in March, 2017, in its lawsuit against the Alabama city of Alexander and its police chief Willie Robinson. The settlement was for depriving 190 of its residents their rights to due process (6th Amendment) and the unlawful seizure of their property (4th Amendment). Sheriff Robinson has even been asked to resign by lawyers representing their client, and was effectively fired by the City Council in January 2017.
Each one of the 190 individuals will receive $500 cash from the city for jailing them for being too poor to pay the fines imposed on them by the town. As reported by AL.com, “Hundreds of impoverished residents have faced unconstitutional and unjust treatment in Alexander City simply because they were too poor to pay fines and fees,” said Sam Brooke, in a press release. Brooke is the SPLC’s deputy legal director. He added, “The shuttering of this modern-day debtors’ prison, along with the monetary award, brings justice to many of the people who were unfairly targeted for being poor.” A resident would receive a speeding ticket, for example. If they were unable to pay, they were arrested, taken to jail, and forced to remain there. While in jail, they would earn $20 a day for just being in jail, and $40 a day for doing laundry, cleaning, or washing police cruisers, until the total sum of the fine was paid in full. Each person was NOT allowed to go before a judge, nor to have a lawyer present to help in aid in their defense.
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