Elmore

Elmore County Church Elmore is located in west-central Elmore County in the east-central corner of the state. It has a mayor/city council form of government.

History

Elmore was founded by Gen. John Archer Elmore, who fought in the American Revolution and moved to the area from Virginia in 1819, and future governor Benjamin Fitzpatrick, who had married Elmore’s daughter in 1827. By 1870, the town had its own school, and the first post office was established in a local home in 1873.

In 1878, the Louisville & Nashville Railroad connected the town to nearby river port city Wetumpka, and Elmore became a shipping center for the surrounding farmers. The L&N built a depot in the town in 1900, and the town remained large enough to support a number of stores in the town center. Elmore incorporated in 1906.

In 1956, a post office building was constructed. The last passenger train ran in 1969. In 1997, after being threatened with losing the funding for its volunteer fire department for lack of municipal elections, the town reincorporated and held elections for the mayor’s office and the town council.

Demographics

According to 2020 Census estimates, Elmore recorded a population of 1,334. Of that number, 60.7 percent of respondents identified themselves as white, 30.4 percent as African American, 12.4 percent as Hispanic or Latino, and 2.9 percent as two or more races. The town’s median household income was $17,218, and the per capita income was $13,911.

Employment

According to 2020 Census estimates, the work force in Elmore was divided among the following industrial categories:

  • Arts, entertainment, recreation, and accommodation and food services (38.8 percent)
  • Educational services, and health care and social assistance (15.0 percent)
  • Retail trade (13.1 percent)
  • Transportation and warehousing and utilities (9.6 percent)
  • Manufacturing (9.2 percent)
  • Public administration (5.4 percent)
  • Other services, except public administration (4.5 percent)
  • Professional, scientific, management, and administrative and waste management services (3.9 percent)
  • Construction (0.6 percent)

Education

Students in Elmore attend schools in the Elmore County School system; no public schools are located within the city limits.

Transportation

State Highway 143 runs north from Elmore, and State Highway 14 runs northeast-southwest. Interstate Highway 65 is located approximately 5 miles west of town.

Events and Places of Interest

Elmore’s Carmichael-Mercer Community Center is available for group functions. Hickory Knoll, a house built in 1892, and the Peterson and Peterson Store are listed on the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage.

Additional Resources

Elmore County Heritage Book committee. Heritage of Elmore County, Alabama. Clanton, Ala.: Heritage Publishing Consultants Inc., 2002.

External Links

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