Sardis City

Kendall Buster Sardis City is located in the northeastern corner of the state largely in northwest Etowah County, with a small portion of the town lying within southeast Marshall County. It has a mayor/city council form of government. Artist Kendall Buster was raised in Sardis City.

History

The earliest land deed for the Sardis City area was issued in 1832, but it is unclear whether the deed was ever acted upon. The first confirmed settler came in 1841. Originally the town was called Fenton, and its first store opened in the early 1880s, with town historians dating its official founding to 1882. The first post office opened in the late 1880s. The first school was built in 1889. Cotton agriculture was the major economic driver in the Sardis City area, and in the early part of the twentieth century a steam-driven gin was built to process the raw cotton. The town was finally incorporated in May 1963, in part so that it could establish a water board and thus have greater control over its water supply. Sardis City remains primarily an agricultural community.

Demographics

According to 2020 Census estimates, Sardis City recorded a population of 1,741. Of that number, 96.9 percent of respondents identified themselves as white, 1.6 as two or more races, 0.9 percent as Hispanic, 0.5 percent as Asian, 0.2 percent as African American, and 0.2 percent as Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander. The town’s median household income was $62,917, and the per capita income was $29,345.

Employment

According to 2020 Census estimates, the workforce in Sardis City was divided among the following industrial categories:

  • Educational services and health care and social assistance (32.6 percent)
  • Manufacturing (16.3 percent)
  • Retail trade (14.2 percent)
  • Construction (6.0 percent)
  • Other services, except public administration (5.9 percent)
  • Transportation and warehousing, and utilities (5.9 percent)
  • Finance and insurance, and real estate and rental and leasing (4.3 percent)
  • Wholesale trade (3.8 percent)
  • Professional, scientific, and management, and administrative and waste management services (3.4 percent)
  • Public administration (3.3 percent)
  • Information (2.7 percent)
  • Arts, entertainment, and recreation, and accommodation and food services (1.7 percent)

Education

Schools in Sardis City are part of the Etowah County School System; the town has one high school.

Transportation

U.S. Highway 431 runs northwest-southeast through the western end of Sardis City. Albertville Municipal Airport, which serves general aviation, is located approximately eight miles to the northwest.

Events and Places of Interest

Since 2005, Sardis City has created a popular corn maze that is open from mid-September to November 1. The maze has taken various shapes, including a map of the world and a map of the state in which the routes were interstate and state highways. Between 8,000-10,000 people visit the maze each year. In addition to the maze itself, the venue features a duck race, hay rides, a pumpkin patch, a playground, and a play barn.

The town also sponsors an annual concert or rodeo, holds Sardis Days in the spring with vendors and live music, and has a July 4 fireworks show.

Additional Resources

Etowah County Heritage Book Committee. Heritage of Etowah County. Clanton, Ala.: Heritage Publishing Consultants, 1999.

Etowah County Centennial Commission. A History of Etowah County, Alabama. Birmingham: Roberts and Son, 1968.

External Links

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