Page Contents for Cleveland, Alabama

Statistics & Facts

Location

History & History-related items

Government

Schools.

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Statistics & Facts

The Alabama state capital is Montgomery.
The population of Cleveland is approximately 739 (1990), 1303 (2010).
The approximate number of families is 303 (1990), 464 (2010).
The amount of land area in Cleveland is 10.96 sq. kilometers.
The amount of surface water is 0.128 sq kilometers.
The distance from Cleveland to Washington DC is 652 miles.
The distance to the Alabama state capital is 114 miles. (as the crow flies)
Cleveland is positioned 33.99 degrees north of the equator and 86.57 degrees west of the prime meridian.

Location

northeast of Birmingham in central Alabama.
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History & History Related Items

Cleveland was first populated in the 1850's and the first commercial business started in 1874. The town name then was Dry Creek Cross Roads. The first business was a store owned by Nute Morris and opened in 1874. The Post Office was about 1 1/2 miles north of the cross roads and named Anderton. Dr. John Bellenger was the first Postmaster, Town Doctor and member of the Alabama State Legislature. By the year 1900, Cleveland was the center of commerce in this area. In 1912, The first bank in Blount county was established in Cleveland, "The Farmers National Bank". It later moved to Oneonta and the name Changed to The Merchants Bank. Later sold to the State National Chain and presently is a Compass branch in Oneonta. For 12 years Cleveland was home to a work camp of convicts leased from the penal system by the Highway department. They build Highway 231 from Arab to Pell City.
During the depression, Mr. Huston Blackwood built a plant in Cleveland to manufacture heads for nail kegs to sell to TCI for use at their Nail Plant in Fairfield, Alabama. The plant employed about 25 men and Mr. Blackwood had a company store and Houses for most of the employees. The people faired rough during this period of history and depended on business people to help support them with jobs and housing. There was mush farming in the area during the first half of this century. Several years the cotton gin in Cleveland would gin over 3,000 bales of cotton per year. (This portion of Cleveland history was taken from a book written by Eldridge J. Bynum in 1988)

Although Cleveland was incorporated in the early 1900's, it did not function as a town. The incorporation was reinstated in 1964. At one time, Cleveland was the center of trade in Blount County, selling hundreds of thousands of dollars in goods.
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Cleveland City Government

Cleveland Town Hall
62732 US Highway 231
Cleveland, AL 35049-3669
Phone: 205-274-9640

Cleveland Schools

Cleveland High School
71 High School St
Cleveland, AL 35049-3691
Phone: 205-274-9915