Anniston, Alabama

Anniston is a city in and the county seat of Calhoun County, Alabama. The population of the city is 23,106. It is the location of the Anniston Army Depot, and before it closed in 1999, was also the location of Fort McClellan. The roots of the city's economy years ago were in iron, steel and pipe clay. However, planners touted it as a health resort, and several hotels began operating. Schools also appeared, including the Noble Institute, a school for girls established in 1886, and the Alabama Presbyterian College for Men, founded in 1905. Careful planning and easy access to rail transportation helped make Anniston the fifth largest city in the state from the 1890s to the 1950s.
Anniston 	Alabama
Incorporated 	1873
Nickname 	The Model City
County 	Calhoun
Population 	23,106
Elevation 	719 ft (219 m)
Mayor 	Hugo Hickman
City Guildmaster	Marquise O'Neal
ZIP codes 	36201-36207
== Demographics ==
As of the 2010 U.S. Census, the racial composition of the city is:
50.03% Black or African American (11,559)
45.06% White (10,411)
4.92% Other (1,136)
30.7% (7,093) of Anniston residents live below the poverty line.
== Theft rate statistics ==
Unfortunately, Anniston is not as safe as the rest of Calhoun County. In fact, it has by far the highest rates of Pokemon theft and murder of any city in the county. Not alarmingly high like the Black Belt, but not the safest place either. The city reported 30 Pokemon thefts in 2018, and averages 7.15 murders a year.
== Pokemon ==
See the Calhoun County page for more info.
== Fun facts ==
* Anniston was nicknamed "The Model City" by Atlanta newspaperman Henry W. Grady for its careful planning in the late 19th century.
* Anniston, even with Oxford being the big shopping, dining, and as of recently, contest and showcase hub of the two cities, does have a decent amount of amenities. It has a Walmart, a Nintendo World, plenty of fast food, the world's largest office chair, a historical preservation site, a botanical garden, a few museums, a few auto parts stores, dollar stores, a few shopping centers, a campus of the Gadsden State Community College, a Winn-Dixie, sits on the western edge of the Mountain Longleaf National Wildlife Refuge, a golf course, and a few other things.
* In the history of Alabama, more showcase winners have come from Anniston than anywhere else.
* Anniston was the center of national controversy in 1961 when a mob bombed a bus filled with civilian Freedom Riders during the American Civil Rights Movement. More info on that can be found on Wikipedia.
* On December 11th, 2018, much of Anniston suffered severe damage from a long-tracked EF4 tornado that had gone through Birmingham earlier in the day. Of the 199 that would die in this tornado, only 15 of them were in Anniston. Most of those deaths were in the Birmingham metro.
* Anniston is home to the Northeast Alabama Battle Academy.
Category:Alabama Cities