Prattville

Prattville is a city in Autauga and Elmore counties in the U.S. state of Alabama. As of 2006 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 31,119. Nicknamed "The Fountain City" due to the many artesian wells in the area, Prattville is part of the Montgomery metropolitan statistical area and serves as the county seat of Autauga County.
==History==
Prattville was founded in 1839 by industrialist and architect Daniel Pratt. The area was largely inhabited by native Americans and a few settlers when Pratt, a native of Temple, New Hampshire, first observed the Autauga Creek in the 1830s. He purchased approximately 1,000 acres (4 km²) from Joseph May at $21.00 an acre, and set out to build his manufacturing facilities and the town along the banks of the Autauga creek. The location was chosen because the creek could supply power to the cotton gin manufacturing equipment. The town became an industrial center and rapidly grew. In 1868, it was named the county seat for Autauga County.
Prattville contains several sites on the National Register of Historic Places, including the Daniel Pratt Historic District, Bell House, and Buena Vista.
===Severe weather===
On February 17, 2008, Prattville was hit by an F3 tornado which destroyed more than 45 homes and businesses and damaged over 700. Twenty-nine people were injured. Preliminary estimates put the damage at $85 million in insured and uninsured damages.
== Geography ==
Prattville is located at 32°27'32.886" North, 86°27'4.698" West (32.459135, -86.451305). According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of of which is land and (3.09%) is water.
== Demographics ==
As of the census of 2000, there were 24,303 people, 8,939 households, and 6,918 families residing in Prattville. The population density was . There were 9,562 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 83.09% White, 14.42% Black or African American, 0.42% Native American, 0.64% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.53% from other races, and 0.84% from two or more races. 1.71% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 8,939 households out of which 38.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.6% were married couples living together, 13.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.6% were non-families. 19.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.5% had someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.70 and the average family size was 3.10.
In the city the population is spread out with 28.5% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 31.0% from 25 to 44, 22.3% from 45 to 64, and 10.6% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 91.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $45,728, and the median income for a family was $51,774. Males had a median income of $36,677 versus $22,978 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,832. 8.3% of the population and 6.4% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 9.3% of those under the age of 18 and 9.2% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.
Year	Population
1900	1,900
1940	2,700
1950	4,400
1960	6,600
1970	13,100
1980	18,600
1990	19,800
2000	24,303
==Education==
Prattville is part of the Autauga County School System and has eight schools, including Prattville High School and the Autauga County Technology Center.
==Media==
Prattville is part of the Montgomery, Alabama television market. The local radio station is WIQR 1410 AM, airing a sports radio format and featuring programming from Sporting News Radio. Prattville is also served by two news publications, the twice-weekly Prattville Progress newspaper and the Our Prattville web magazine.
==Recreation==
The town has become a popular golf destination, featuring the Capitol Hill course (part of the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail).
==Notable residents==
*Marlon Anderson, Major League Baseball player
*Bobby Jon Drinkard, contestant on Reality television shows Survivor: Palau and Survivor: Guatemala
*Roman Harper, NFL player. 
*Wilson Pickett (March 18, 1941 – January 19, 2006), R&B and soul singer and songwriter
*Kevin Turner, NFL player
==Popular culture==
The rock band Trust Company originated in Prattville.
==References ==
== External links ==
*Official City of Prattville Website
*Elmore County Tourism website
Category:Index
Category:Cities
Category:County seats
Category:Autauga County
Category:Montgomery metropolitan area
Category:Elmore County