The land on which the town
of Gainesville now stands was originally owned by John Coleman, husband to a Choctaw Indian of the area. He sold the land
to Colonel Moses Lewis, who had the town divided into lots. The town was named for Colonel George Strother Gaines, who was
an American Agent to the Choctaw Indians and had helped negotiate the Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek.
The town grew very rapidly and by 1840 had become the third largest town in
the state of Alabama, with a population of over 4,000. The town had one of the first banks in the state which actually issued
currency. Gainesville was also a major port, shipping 6,000 bales of cotton to Mobile each year by steamboats on the Tombigbee
River.
The Confederate Cemetery in town is the final resting place of 250 Civil War soldiers
who were injured in the Battle of Shiloh and brought to the hospital in the Female Academy in Gainesville.
Gainesville, Alabama
Gainesville, Alabama, in Sumter county, is 43 miles SW of Tuscaloosa, Alabama (center to center) and 194 miles SE of Memphis, Tennessee. About 220 people people live in Gainesville.
The People and Families of Gainesville
In Gainesville, about 36% of adults are married. Single people feel welcome in
Gainesville, and many people make their homes without family or roommates living with them. Singles, rather than married couples,
seem the order of the day in the town.
Wealth and Education
In 2000, Gainesville had a median family income of $13,750.
Gainesville Housing
Of the houses, apartments, etc. in Gainesville, about 85% are lived in by their
owners, not renters. It's not uncommon for visitors to rent vacation houses in the town. Notably, housing in Gainesville tends
to be newer than in most towns.
Commuting
In Gainesville, 92% of commuters drive to work. The town is designed with driving
in mind. It's not a great town for public transportation.
|
