
History
White settlers began arriving in the Valley Head area by the early nineteenth century; in 1837, the area warranted establishment of a post office. Early settler Col. Vance Larmore, who was instrumental in getting the railroad (possibly the Wills Valley Railroad and later the Alabama and Chattanooga Railroad) to come through Valley Head, making it a shipping center for the area. Sequoyah lived in the Valley Head area when he was working on his Cherokee syllabary. The town incorporated in 1922.
Demographics
According to 2016 Census estimates, Valley Head recorded a population of 713. Of that number, 94.7 percent of respondents identified themselves as white, 4.6 percent as Hispanic, 3.6 percent as two or more races, 0.8 percent as American Indian, and. The town's median household income was $27,188, and the per capita income was $14,604.
Employment
According to 2016 Census estimates, the workforce in Valley Head was divided among the following industrial categories:
- Arts, entertainment, and recreation, and accommodation and food services (24.6 percent)
- Educational services and health care and social assistance (21.2 percent)
- Retail trade (18.5 percent)
- Manufacturing (13.5 percent)
- Professional, scientific, and management, and administrative and waste management services (8.5 percent)
- Other services, except public administration (3.5 percent)
- Wholesale trade (3.5 percent)
- Finance and insurance, and real estate and rental and leasing (3.1 percent)
- Transportation and warehousing, and utilities (2.7 percent)
- Public administration (1.2 percent)
Education
Schools in Valley Head are part of the DeKalb County school system; the town has one high school.
Transportation
County Road 137 bisects Valley Head northeast-southwest. State Highway 117 northeast-northwest and connects the town with Interstate 59 to the west.
Events and Places of Interest

Additional Resources
DeKalb County Heritage Book Committee. Heritage of DeKalb County, Alabama. Clanton, Ala.: Heritage Publishing Consultants, Inc., 1998.