Killen is located in Lauderdale County along the north bank of the Tennessee River in northwest Alabama. It owes much of its existence to the canals and locks constructed nearby to ease navigation on the shoals of the river. Killen has a mayor/council form of government.
History


The League of the South, a white nationalist, neo-Confederate organization, is headquartered in Killen, which is the birthplace of founder Michael Hill. The Alabama Wildflower Society is also headquartered in Killen.
Demographics
According to 2016 Census estimates, Killen recorded a population of 1,129. Of that number, 96.1 percent of respondents identified themselves as white, 9.3 percent as Hispanic, and 3.9 percent as African American. The town's median household income was $52,143, and the per capita income was $23,851.
Employment
According to 2016 Census estimates, the workforce in Killen was divided among the following industrial categories:
- Retail trade (20.5 percent)
- Educational services and health care and social assistance (18.5 percent)
- Manufacturing (11.4 percent)
- Construction (9.1 percent)
- Professional, scientific, and management, and administrative and waste management services (8.8 percent)
- Arts, entertainment, and recreation, and accommodation and food services (8.6 percent)
- Transportation and warehousing, and utilities (6.9 percent)
- Wholesale trade (4.1 percent)
- Public administration (3.9 percent)
- Finance and insurance, and real estate and rental and leasing (3.4 percent)
- Other services, except public administration (3.0 percent)
- Information (1.1 percent)
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and extraction (0.7 percent)
Education
Public education in Killen is administered by Lauderdale County Schools. The city has one elementary school and one high school.
Transportation
Killen lies just east of the intersection of State Highway 43 and State Highway 72 that run north-south and east-west, respectively.
Events and Places of Interest
Killen is located just north of Wilson Lake and the Tennessee River, both of which offers numerous recreational activities. Lock Six Day Use Area has access to the waterway. Killen Park provides baseball and tennis facilities. Also nearby is the Turtle Point Yacht and Country Club, which features marina services, golf, swimming, and tennis facilities. Listed on the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage is the Brooks Elementary School (ca. 1935), formerly the local high school.