Hartselle is located in north-central Alabama in Morgan County. It has a mayor/council form of government. Hartselle has been included in the book The 100 Best Small Towns in America. It is the birthplace of novelist and journalist William Bradford Huie and noted progressive U.S. congressman and senator John J. Sparkman.
History

One of the primary industries that sustained the city, especially after the railroad came through, was logging and timber processing. Peaking at the turn of the century, it began a gradual decline and was no longer a significant industry by 1932. Hartselle also was a cotton-ginning center for the county.

Hartselle's population expanded with the growth of industrial areas of Decatur and Huntsville, as it became a popular location for commuters.
Demographics
According to 2016 Census estimates, Hartselle recorded a population of 14,255. Of that number, 91.5 percent identified themselves as white, 4.3 percent as African American, 2.5 percent as Hispanic, 1.7 percent as two or more races, 0.8 percent as Native American, and 0.4 percent as Asian. The city's median household income was $54,248, and per capita income was $25,916.
Employment
According to 2016 Census estimates, the workforce in Hartselle was divided among the following industrial categories:
· Educational services, and health care and social assistance (23.3 percent)
· Manufacturing (19.1 percent)
· Retail trade (14.4 percent)
· Construction (7.9 percent)
· Professional, scientific, management, and administrative and waste management services (7.7 percent)
· Arts, entertainment, recreation, and accommodation and food services (7.0 percent)
· Finance, insurance, and real estate, rental, and leasing (5.7 percent)
· Other services, except public administration (5.7 percent)
· Public administration (3.9 percent)
· Transportation and warehousing and utilities (2.4 percent)
· Wholesale trade (1.9 percent)
· Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and extractive (0.6 percent)
· Information (0.4 percent)
· Manufacturing (19.1 percent)
· Retail trade (14.4 percent)
· Construction (7.9 percent)
· Professional, scientific, management, and administrative and waste management services (7.7 percent)
· Arts, entertainment, recreation, and accommodation and food services (7.0 percent)
· Finance, insurance, and real estate, rental, and leasing (5.7 percent)
· Other services, except public administration (5.7 percent)
· Public administration (3.9 percent)
· Transportation and warehousing and utilities (2.4 percent)
· Wholesale trade (1.9 percent)
· Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and extractive (0.6 percent)
· Information (0.4 percent)
Education
Schools in Hartselle are part of the Hartselle City School District; the city has approximately 3,065 students and 194 teachers in three elementary, one junior, and one high school. There is one private school with approximately 119 students and 11 teachers.
Transportation

Events and Places of Interest
Hartselle features four municipal parks, a municipal swimming pool, and a civic center. Sparkman Park, an 80-acre complex named for John Sparkman, includes baseball, softball, and soccer fields, basketball courts, an 18-hole golf course, walking trails, and picnic areas and pavilions. It is also home to the Military Order of the Purple Heart Memorial.

Downtown Hartselle is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Hartselle Downtown Commercial Historic District. The area hosts more than 30 antique and gift shops. The city is a stop on the Southern Literary Trail.
Additional Resources
The Heritage of Morgan County, Alabama. Clanton, Ala.: Heritage Publishing Consultants, 1998.
Additional Resources
The Heritage of Morgan County, Alabama. Clanton, Ala.: Heritage Publishing Consultants, 1998.
Knox, John. A History of Morgan County, Alabama. Decatur, Ala.: Morgan County Board of Revenue, 1967.