New Site

Christopher Maloney, Auburn University
New Site is located in north-central Tallapoosa County in east-central Alabama. It has a mayor/council form of government.
History
New Site Town Hall and Community Center
There are few records of New Site's early history prior to 1900. The New Salem Baptist Church was erected around 1848 and the town dates its founding to 1849, however. A Masonic Lodge was established in 1858. By the turn of the twentieth century, the town boasted a gristmill, post office, ginning house, telephone service, and a variety of stores. At some point, a three-room schoolhouse replaced a one-room log facility; it in turn was replaced in 1929 with a new facility. Much of the town burned in a 1927 fire, with the Masonic Lodge being among the buildings spared. In 1957, an attempt to incorporate the town as Horseshoe Bend failed, and the town was later incorporated as New Site in 1965.
Demographics
According to 2016 Census estimates, New Site recorded a population of 790. Of that number, 89.4 percent of respondents identified themselves as white, 10.0 percent as African American, 0.6 percent as two or more races, and 0.5 percent as Hispanic. The town's median household income was $48,958, and the per capita income was $23,254.
Employment
According to 2016 Census estimates, the workforce in New Site was divided among the following industrial categories:
  • Educational services and health care and social assistance (24.8 percent)
  • Manufacturing (19.9 percent)
  • Professional, scientific, and management, and administrative and waste management services (10.3 percent)
  • Retail trade (9.1 percent)
  • Construction (6.3 percent)
  • Transportation and warehousing, and utilities (5.7 percent)
  • Public administration (5.4 percent)
  • Other services, except public administration (5.1 percent)
  • Finance and insurance, and real estate and rental and leasing (4.8 percent)
  • Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and extraction (4.0 percent)
  • Information (1.7 percent)
  • Wholesale trade (0.9 percent)
Education
Public education in New Site is overseen by the Tallapoosa County Board of Education which administers a K-12 school.
Transportation
New Site is accessed by State Highway 22, which runs east-west, and State Highway 49, which runs north-south.
Events and Places of Interest
New Site Sports Fields
The New Site town hall has space available to rent for gatherings, a pavilion adjacent for outdoor gatherings, and a senior's center. The town supports several baseball and softball fields at Barnes Memorial Park. Since the late 1990s, the city has held a custom car show at the town hall in mid- to late-April. New Site is close to Horseshoe Bend National Military Park, which provides educational and recreational opportunities, and nearby Wind Creek State Park and Lake Martin offer numerous aquatic activities.

Additional Resources

Tallapoosa County Bicentennial Committee. Tallapoosa County: A History. Alexander City, Ala.: Service Printing Company, 1976.
Published:  August 26, 2013   |   Last updated:  October 2, 2020