Fort Payne, Alabama
Fort Payne is a city in and county seat of DeKalb County, in northeastern Alabama, United States. At the 2020 census, the population was 14,877.
Fort Payne | |
|---|---|
Gault Avenue in downtown Fort Payne | |
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Flag logo | |
| Nickname: Official Sock Capital of the World | |
Location of Fort Payne in DeKalb County, Alabama. | |
| Coordinates: 34°27′13″N 85°42′23″W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Alabama |
| County | DeKalb |
| Government | |
| • Type | Mayor-Council (5 members) |
| • Mayor | Brian Baine |
| Area | |
| • Total | 56.76 sq mi (147.01 km2) |
| • Land | 56.41 sq mi (146.09 km2) |
| • Water | 0.35 sq mi (0.92 km2) |
| Elevation | 1,079 ft (329 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
| • Total | 14,877 |
| • Density | 263.75/sq mi (101.83/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| ZIP code | 35967-35968 |
| Area code | 256 |
| FIPS code | 01-27616 |
| GNIS feature ID | 2403645 |
| Website | www |
The city developed around a fort of the same name, built in the 1830s to intern Cherokee people who were being rounded up by the military before being forcibly removed to Indian Territory in 1838 on what they called the Trail of Tears.
European-American settlers gradually developed a community around the former fort. It grew rapidly in the late 19th century based on industrial resources, and manufacturing increased in the early 20th century. At the beginning of the 21st century, it still had 7000 workers in 100 mills producing varieties of socks, nearly half the world production. The volume of production has declined because of competition from China.