Abbeville Alabama

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Abbeville Alabama

the City of Dogwoods

Abbeville is a city in Henry County, Alabama. Prior to white settlement, the territory that now includes Abbeville was part of the Creek Nation. The city is the county seat of Henry County.

Abbeville gets its name from the Creek Indian expression “Yatta Atta” which means “reflections of Dogwood trees on the creek” or “grove of Dogwood.”  Each year Abbeville celebrates the beginning of spring and the blooming of Dogwoods with the Yatta Abba Festival filled with entertainment, food, art, and children’s activities.

Abbeville Alabama History

Abbeville is the oldest remaining colonial settlement in East Alabama from Florida to the Tennessee line. It is older than either the county of Henry or the State of Alabama. European Americans set up an active trading post in Abbeville in Alabama Territory early in 1819. The first settler gateway to the wiregrass region was at Franklin, located fourteen miles west of Abbeville.

Locals say that the name derives from the Muscogee name for Abbey Creek, Yatta Abba, meaning “dogwood tree grove.”

Abbeville was designated as the Henry County seat in 1833; the seat had previously been Columbia. It was formally incorporated in 1853.

Abbeville Alabama Demographics

According to 2016 Census estimates, Abbeville recorded a population of 2,627.

At the 2010 census, the population was 2,688.

As of the census of 2000, there were 2,987 people, 1,172 households, and 787 families residing in the city. The population density was 192.0 people per square mile. There were 1,353 housing units at an average density of 86.9 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 56.65% White, 39.94% Black or African American, 0.07% Asian, 2.85% from other races, and 0.50% from two or more races. 3.52% of the population were Hispanic or Latino.

Abbeville Alabama Education

Abbeville schools are administered by the Henry County School District. The city has one elementary school, one middle school, and one high school serving approximately 1,300 students and employing approximately 83 teachers.

Abbeville Alabama Transportation

Abbeville is served by State Highway 95, which runs north-southeast through the city; State Highway 27, which runs southwest from the city; and State Highway 10, which runs east-west through the city. General aviation is served by Abbeville Municipal Airport.

Abbeville Alabama Events and Places of Interest

The city of Abbeville maintains two athletics complexes for residents who are interested in competitive sports. Visitors may also view several historic structures in the town, including the Abbeville Methodist Church (1896), Abbeville Cemetery (dating to 1841), the Bethune-Kennedy House (ca. 1870), the Clendenin mansion (ca. 1882), and the home of Alabama governor William Calvin Oates.
Each May, the town hosts Yatta Abba Day, which features arts and crafts and other forms of entertainment. In December, the city of Abbeville hosts a Christmas parade.

Abbeville Alabama Contact Information

101 E Washington St
Abbeville, AL 36310

PO Box 427
Abbeville, AL 36310
(334) 585-6444