Webb

Webb is located in north-central Houston County in the extreme southeastern corner of the state. It has a mayor/city council form of government.

History

Webb is largely built on land sold or donated by plantation owner B. F. Webb, who settled in the area around 1890. The town is also named after him. The area was sparsely populated until 1899, when the Central of Georgia Railroad built a line on Webb’s land; he donated 23 acres for a depot.

The first post office opened in 1900. Two stores were built in the area, and Webb and his son began laying out a town and selling one-acre lots. A school was constructed in 1901. The town was incorporated in 1903.

A new four-room schoolhouse was constructed in 1909; it burned and was replaced in 1935. On January 18, 1918, a tornado struck the town, killing two and damaging a number of structures. The same tornado killed nine people in nearby Cowarts. A new water system was completed in 1965. In 1995, Webb built a new senior center.

Demographics

According to 2020 Census estimates, Webb recorded a population of 1,437. Of that number, 79.4 percent of respondents identified themselves as white, 19.3 percent as African American, 5.9 percent as Hispanic or Latino, 1.1 percent as American Indian, 0.1 as Asian, and 0.1 percent as two or more races. The town’s median household income, according to 2010 estimates, was $38,309, and the per capita income was $19,843.

Employment

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

  • Educational services and health care and social assistance (22.5 percent)
  • Wholesale trade (12.9 percent)
  • Arts, entertainment, and recreation, and accommodation and food services (11.7 percent)
  • Professional, scientific, and management, and administrative and waste management services (8.0 percent)
  • Manufacturing (7.8 percent)
  • Construction (7.6 percent)
  • Retail trade (6.0 percent)
  • Other services, except public administration (5.8 percent)
  • Transportation and warehousing, and utilities (5.2 percent)
  • Finance and insurance, and real estate and rental and leasing (3.6 percent)
  • Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and extraction (3.4 percent)
  • Information (3.2 percent)
  • Public administration (2.0 percent)

Education

Schools in Webb are part of the Houston County Schools; the town has one elementary school.

Transportation

State Highway 52 runs northeast-southwest through Webb, and County Road 48 runs east-west through the town.

Events and Places of Interest

The Dexter and Main Street Historic District and the Ivey Family Home are listed on the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage.

Additional Resources

Houston County Heritage Book Committee. The Heritage of Houston County, Alabama. Clanton, Ala.: Heritage Publishing Consultants, 2003.

Watson, Fred S. Hub of the Wiregrass: A History of Houston County, Alabama, 1903-1972. Anniston, Ala.: Higginbotham, Inc., 1972.

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