Best Small Towns in Alabama Index

Best Small Towns in Alabama Index

You’ve seen these lists before:

Best places to live in Alabama, Alabama’s Most Beautiful Downtowns, Most Historic Places in Alabama, etc., etc. But most of these lists have some type of agenda. A lot of them focus on major cities and towns in the Heart of Dixie and no one pays attention to the little guy.

Well, that’s all about to change as we put together a list of the best small towns in Alabama based on … well, lots and lots of research. The down in the dirt, nitty-gritty of small town Alabama our staff is known for. And, as an added bonus, we often visit small towns to absorb the vibes of the place. There’s nothing like old-fashioned, boots-on-the-ground journalism.

How about some definitions to get us started?

Boots-on-the-Ground: More and more, the phrase boots on the ground is coming to mean a group of people who are doing the mundane but necessary work in a situation.

Nitty-gritty: The most important aspects or practical details of a subject or situation.

Down in the Dirt: This phrase is used to describe that a person is not so high and mighty that they are not afraid to do the dirty work. It might refer to say a boss who works alongside his laborers.

We begin with a list of very small towns in Alabama that we hope to visit. They’re not all on our best towns list yet, just small – really small.

Addison Alabama

Population: 749

Addison is a town in Winston County. It incorporated in December 1949. At the 2010 U.S. Census, it had a population of 758, up from 723 in 2000.

As of the 2010 Census Addison had a population of 757. The population was 99.1% white, 0.1% black or African American, 0.1% Asian, 0.7% from two or more races and 0.4% Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Altoona Alabama

Population: 928

Altoona is a town in Etowah County with a small portion in Blount County.

Bayou La Batre Alabama

Haleburg Alabama (Henry County) – Population 119

Haleburg is a town in Henry County. Established in 1885 as “Halesburgh”, the town was incorporated in September, 1911, as “Halesburg”. Since then, for reasons unknown, it has become known as the current “Haleburg”.

At the 2010 census the population was 103 and the racial makeup of the town was 77.78% White, 18.52% Black or African American, and 3.70% from two or more races. 0.93% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Alabama State Route 95 passes through the town, leading north 14 miles to Abbeville and south 8 miles to Columbia. Haleburg is 4 miles west of the Chattahoochee River, which forms the Alabama–Georgia border.

Blue Springs Alabama (Barbour County) – Population 91

Blue Springs is a town in Barbour County. At the 2010 census the population was 96. The racial makeup of the town was 99.17% white and 0.83% black or African American.
The town is the home of Blue Springs State Park.

Blue Springs is rated by Digital Alabama as one of the Best Small Towns in Alabama.

Bryant Alabama

Bryant is an unincorporated community in Jackson County, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 3,295.

Childersburg Alabama

 

Grant Alabama

Grant is a town in Marshall County.
Digital Alabama identifies Grant as one of the Best Small Towns in Alabama.

Hamilton Alabama

Hamilton is a city in Marion County. It incorporated in 1896.

At the 2010 census the population was 6,885. The city is the county seat of Marion County and since 1980 has been its largest city, surpassing Winfield. It had previously been the largest town in 1910.

Mount Olive Alabama

Mount Olive, also spelled Mt. Olive is an unincorporated community and a census-designated place (CDP) in Jefferson County, Alabama. Its location is in the suburbs of Birmingham.

Trussville Alabama

Nestled in northeast Jefferson County, Trussville is one of the fastest growing cities in the State of Alabama, having grown to a population of close to 25,000. Trussville affords her residents a small town hospitality along with the large city conveniences.

Springville Alabama

 

Needham Alabama (Choctaw County)- Population 89

Needham is a town in central Choctaw County in the southwestern part of the state near the Alabama and Mississippi border. The railroad and depot in the area now known as Needham was originally called Bogueloosa, like the creek that runs through the town.

 

Union Grove Alabama (Marshall County)- Population 79 

Union Grove is a town in Marshall County. Union Grove is located approximately 3 miles from Guntersville Lake and 6 miles from Arab.  

Petrey Alabama (Crenshaw County) – Population 58

Mooresville Alabama (Limestone County)- Population 58

Goldville Alabama (Tallapoosa County) – Population 53

Emelle Alabama (Sumter County) – Population 50

Dayton Alabama (Marengo County) – Population 49

Benton Alabama (Lowndes County)- Population 46

Natural Bridge Alabama (Winston County)- Population 36

Memphis Alabama (Pickens County) – Population 28

Oak Hill Alabama (Wilcox County)- Population 25

McMullen Alabama (Pickens County) – Population 9

Red Bay Alabama

Haleburg Alabama (Henry County) – Population 119

Waterloo Alabama ( Lauderdale County) – Population 203

Highland Lake Alabama (Blount County) – Population 412