Sylvania, Alabama

Sylvania, Alabama
Sylvania, Alabama
Town
	Sylvania Rams water tower
	Location of Sylvania in DeKalb County, Alabama.
	Coordinates: 34°33′30″N 85°47′46″W / 34.55833°N 85.79611°W
Country	United States
State	Alabama
County	DeKalb
Area
• Total	8.61 sq mi (22.30 km2)
• Land	8.52 sq mi (22.06 km2)
• Water	0.10 sq mi (0.25 km2)
Elevation	1,352 ft (412 m)
Population (2020)
• Total	1,790
• Density	210.19/sq mi (81.16/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	35988
Area code	256
FIPS code	01-74400
GNIS feature ID	2406707
Website	www.sylvaniaalabama.com

Sylvania is a town in DeKalb County, Alabama, United States. It incorporated in October 1967.^[3] At the 2010 census the population was 1,837,^[4] up from 1,186 in 2000. Sylvania is located atop Sand Mountain. Sylvania was incorporated in 1967. The post office /town hall was built in 1977.

Geography

Sylvania is located north of the center of DeKalb County at 34°33′30″N 85°47′46″W / 34.55833°N 85.79611°W / 34.55833; -85.79611 (34.558304, -85.796154).^[5] Alabama State Route 75 passes through the town limits, leading northeast to Henagar and southwest to Rainsville.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Sylvania has a total area of 8.6 square miles (22.2 km²), of which 8.5 square miles (21.9 km²) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.3 km²), or 1.16%, is water.^[4]

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1970	476	—
1980	1,156	142.9%
1990	932	−19.4%
2000	1,186	27.3%
2010	1,837	54.9%
2020	1,790	−2.6%
U.S. Decennial Census^[6] 2013 Estimate^[7]

2000 census

At the 2000 census there were 1,186 people, 485 households, and 354 families living in the town. The population density was 161.9 inhabitants per square mile (62.5/km²). There were 517 housing units at an average density of 70.6 per square mile (27.3/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 96.37% White, 0.08% Black or African American, 1.18% Native American, 0.08% Asian, 0.51% from other races, and 1.77% from two or more races. 0.67% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.^[8] Of the 485 households 34.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.2% were married couples living together, 10.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.0% were non-families. 25.2% of households were one person and 11.8% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.89.

The age distribution was 24.3% under the age of 18, 9.8% from 18 to 24, 27.5% from 25 to 44, 25.3% from 45 to 64, and 13.2% 65 or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.7 males.

The median household income was $28,553 and the median family income was $35,000. Males had a median income of $28,681 versus $19,620 for females. The per capita income for the town was $15,561. About 13.6% of families and 16.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.9% of those under age 18 and 30.7% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census

At the 2010 census there were 1,837 people, 674 households, and 505 families living in the town. The population density was 248.2 inhabitants per square mile (95.8/km²). There were 750 housing units at an average density of 101.3 per square mile (39.1/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 86.7% White, 0.2% Black or African American, 0.8% Native American, 0.2% Asian, 7.5% from other races, and 4.4% from two or more races. 11.2% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.^[9] Of the 674 households 36.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.9% were married couples living together, 13.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.1% were non-families. 21.2% of households were one person and 6.7% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.73 and the average family size was 3.18.

The age distribution was 27.8% under the age of 18, 10.0% from 18 to 24, 26.6% from 25 to 44, 24.7% from 45 to 64, and 10.9% 65 or older. The median age was 33.8 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.5 males.

The median household income was $34,079 and the median family income was $40,648. Males had a median income of $35,417 versus $27,857 for females. The per capita income for the town was $17,793. About 22.3% of families and 24.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 34.1% of those under age 18 and 18.0% of those age 65 or over.

2020 census

Sylvania racial composition^[10]
Race	Num.	Perc.
White (non-Hispanic)	1,471	82.18%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)	9	0.5%
Native American	15	0.84%
Asian	1	0.06%
Other/Mixed	90	5.03%
Hispanic or Latino	204	11.4%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 1,790 people, 829 households, and 648 families residing in the town.

Education

Sylvania High School, a member of the DeKalb County School System. Their mascot is “The Rams”, with gold and green as their school colors. The current Principal is Heath Kirby.