Locust Fork

Locust Fork is located in Blount County in the northeastern portion of the state. It has a mayor/city council form of government.

Local lore states that General Andrew Jackson camped with his forces in the area and carved his name in a locust tree by a fork in the Warrior River, giving the area its name. The first settlers came to the area around 1819. A school building was constructed in 1921 and expanded in 1928. The federal Works Progress Administration built a new high school in 1937, which burned in 1961 and was replaced on the same site. Locust Fork incorporated in January 1977.

According to the 2010 Census, Locust Fork had a population of 1,186. Of that number, 97.0 percent of respondents identified themselves as white, 2.4 percent as Hispanic, 0.8 percent as Native American, 0.6 percent as African American, and 0.6 percent as two or more races. The town's median household income, according to 2010 Census estimates, was $55,313, and the per capita income was $21,356.

According to 2010 Census estimates, the work force in Locust Fork was divided among the following industrial categories:

· Educational services, and health care and social assistance (26.8   percent)
· Manufacturing (14.7 percent)
· Retail trade (12.5 percent)
· Professional, scientific, and administrative and waste management   services (9.3 percent)
· Transportation, warehousing, and utilities (7.7 percent)
· Finance and insurance, and real estate and rental and leasing (5.8   percent)
· Construction (5.6 percent)
· Arts, entertainment, and recreation and accommodation and food   services (4.6 percent)
· Public administration (4.2 percent)
· Other services, except public administration (3.8 percent)
· Wholesale trade (3.6 percent)
· Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and extractive (0.6 percent)
· Information (0.6 percent)

Public education in Locust Fork is overseen by the Blount County Public Schools; one elementary school and one high school together enroll approximately 1,350 students and employ approximately 75 teachers.

Locust Fork lies on State Highway 79, which runs northeast-southwest through the town, and County Highway 13, which runs west.

Locust Fork Community Park is located downtown and offers a walking trail, playground, picnic facilities, and several ball fields.

Additional Resources

Blount County Heritage Book Committee. The Heritage of Blount County, Alabama. Clanton, Ala.: Heritage Publishing Consultants, 1999.