Argo

Argo is located in west-central St. Clair County and northeast Jefferson County in the central part of the state; most of the town lies in St. Clair County. It has a mayor/city council form of government. The town of Argo should not be confused with an unincorporated community of the same name in Walker County.

The Argo area was settled as early as 1818, when St. Clair County was created. It was one of the towns located on the Old Georgia Road, which later became U.S. Highway 11. In 1871, a rail line, most likely on the Great Southern Railroad (later part of the Norfolk Southern Railroad) was built through the town. Resident James R. Massey operated several businesses in town in the 1880s, including a grist mill, a blacksmith shop, and a cotton gin. Argo incorporated in February 1987 and elected its first town officials in April of that year.

Argo's population according to the 2010 Census was 4,071. Of that number, 94.1 percent of respondents identified themselves as white, 3.6 percent as African American, 1.3 percent as two or more races, 0.5 percent as Hispanic or Latino, 0.4 percent as Native American, and 0.3 percent as Asian. The town's median household income, according to 2010 estimates, was $61,161, and the per capita income was $23,300.

According to 2010 Census estimates, the work force in Argo was divided among the following industrial categories:

· Retail trade (18.3 percent)
· Educational services, and health care and social assistance (16.9 percent)
· Arts, entertainment, recreation, and accommodation and food services (10.6   percent)
· Transportation and warehousing and utilities (10.1 percent)
· Professional, scientific, management, and administrative and waste   management services (10.0 percent)
· Construction (8.9 percent)
· Manufacturing (8.0 percent)
· Finance, insurance, and real estate, rental, and leasing (6.6 percent)
· Wholesale trade (4.8 percent)
· Public administration (3.2 percent)
· Other services, except public administration (1.7 percent)
· Information (0.7 percent)
· Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and extractive (0.2 percent)

Students in Argo attend St. Clair County schools; no public schools lie within the town limits.

Interstate Highway 59 runs southwest-northeast through Argo; U.S. Highway 11/State Highway 7 runs through town in the same direction. County Road 6 runs southeast from town.

Argo maintains one city park that features a children's area, a running track with varying levels of difficulty, and a pavilion. Argo also has a Senior Center.

Additional Resources

St. Clair County Heritage Book Committee. The Heritage of St. Clair County, Alabama. Clanton, Ala.: Heritage Publishing Consultants, 1998.