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Luverne, AL

Luverne, Alabama
City
Luverne in 2012
Luverne in 2012
Nickname(s): "Friendliest City in the South"
Location of Luverne in Crenshaw County, Alabama.
Location of Luverne in Crenshaw County, Alabama.
Coordinates: 31°42′52″N 86°15′48″W / 31.71444°N 86.26333°W / 31.71444; -86.26333Coordinates: 31°42′52″N 86°15′48″W / 31.71444°N 86.26333°W / 31.71444; -86.26333
Country United States
State Alabama
County Crenshaw
Founded 1889
Incorporated February 6, 1891
Founded by M.P. Legrand, S.D. Hubbard, and George A. Folmar
Government
 • Type Mayor/City Council
 • Mayor Ed Beasley
Area
 • Total 15.67 sq mi (40.60 km2)
 • Land 15.65 sq mi (40.53 km2)
 • Water 0.03 sq mi (0.07 km2)
Elevation 354 ft (108 m)
Population (2010)
 • Total 2,800
 • Estimate (2016) 2,825
 • Density 180.55/sq mi (69.71/km2)
Time zone Central (CST) (UTC-6)
 • Summer (DST) CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP code 36049
Area code(s) 334
FIPS code 01-44728
GNIS feature ID 0122110
Website www.luverne.org

Luverne is a city in and the county seat of Crenshaw County, Alabama, United States. The community bills itself as "The Friendliest City in the South" despite the 1940 lynching. At the 2010 census the population was 2,800.

The town of Luverne was one of numerous towns developed in the state as a result of railroad construction. It was founded in 1889 in the central part of Crenshaw County in association with the construction of the Montgomery and Florida Railroad; it was intended as the terminus. The new railroad station attracted related development and the town grew. It incorporated in 1891. This was a center of timbering in the piney woods, as the land was not suitable for large-scale agriculture.

In 1893, the citizens of Crenshaw County voted to move the county seat from Rutledge to the more populous Luverne.

According to the Equal Justice Initiative, "In 1940, [an African-American man called] Jesse Thornton was lynched in Luverne, Alabama, for referring to a white police officer by his name without the title of “mister.""

Luverne is located at 31°42′52″N 86°15′48″W / 31.714427°N 86.263323°W / 31.714427; -86.263323. The town of Rutledge lies along Luverne's western border.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 15.7 square miles (40.6 km2), of which 15.6 square miles (40.5 km2) is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km2), or 0.17%, is water.

As of the census of 2000, there were 2,635 people, 1,107 households, and 710 families residing in the city. The population density was 212.7 inhabitants per square mile (82.1/km2). There were 1,249 housing units at an average density of 100.8 per square mile (38.9/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 70.25% White, 28.43% Black or African American, 0.08% Native American, 0.15% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.11% from other races, and 0.95% from two or more races. 0.68% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.


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