Fort Payne, Alabama

Fort Payne is the seat of DeKalb County in northeast Alabama, set in a valley between Sand Mountain and Lookout Mountain. Its 2020 population was 14,877 according to Wikipedia (the Encyclopedia of Alabama lists 14,063). Once the centre of the U.S. hosiery industry, it also hosts the headquarters of Little River Canyon National Preserve and is the home of the country band Alabama.[1][2]

History

The valley was Cherokee territory, part of Big Will’s Valley, and the Cherokee leader Sequoyah lived in the area and had devised the Cherokee syllabary by 1821. The town takes its name from a fort that U.S. Army officer John Payne oversaw in 1838, used to hold Cherokee people before their removal. Voters chose Fort Payne as county seat on May 5, 1878, replacing Lebanon, and the town was incorporated on February 28, 1889.[1][2]

In 1889 the Fort Payne Coal and Iron Company, backed by New England investors, set off a boom that lasted about four years before collapsing, as the coal and iron deposits proved much smaller than expected. A hosiery mill that opened in 1907 (the Florence Knitting Company or the W. B. Davis mill, depending on the source) became the lasting industrial base.[1][2]

The sock industry

By the 1990s local mills made more than three million pairs of socks a week and employed about 5,000 people. At the start of the twenty-first century about 7,000 workers staffed more than 100 mills, and hosiery makers produced more than half of the socks sold in the United States. Imports after NAFTA and CAFTA cut employment to about 5,500 by 2005, and most large manufacturers moved overseas. Local firms have since diversified into athletic, boutique and medical socks.[1][2]

Economy and population

Education, health care and social assistance employ 25.2 percent of workers and manufacturing 22.6 percent. Median household income was $42,200 and per capita income $22,089 in the Encyclopedia of Alabama’s 2020 data.[1]

Nature and culture

Little River Canyon National Preserve, a 14,000-acre area on Lookout Mountain authorized by Congress in 1992, has its National Park Service headquarters in Fort Payne. DeSoto State Park nearby has a lodge, restaurant, cabins and river access. The Alabama Fan Club and Museum honours the band founded by Jeff Cook, Teddy Gentry and Randy Owen. Other attractions include the Hosiery Museum, the Fort Payne Opera House and the 1891 pink sandstone depot, now a local history museum. Events include the DeKalb County Fiddlers Convention (August), Boom Days (September) and Christmas in the Park.[1][2]

Climate, education and transport

The climate is humid subtropical with 58 inches of rain a year; the 1993 “Storm of the Century” left more than 20 inches of snow. Fort Payne City Schools run two elementary schools, a middle school and a high school. Interstate 59 connects the city with Birmingham, Gadsden and Chattanooga, and Isbell Field has a 5,000-foot runway.[1][2]

Notable people

Notable people include the members of the band Alabama, folk artist Howard Finster, aviators Katherine and Edward Stinson, NASCAR drivers Bob, Fonty and Tim Flock, golfer Larry Nelson, NFL kicker Evan McPherson and Air Force general Forrest McCartney.[2]

FAQs

Why is Fort Payne the Sock Capital? Its hosiery mills once made more than half of U.S. socks.

What band is from Fort Payne? Alabama.

What is near Fort Payne? Little River Canyon National Preserve and DeSoto State Park.

Sources

1. Encyclopedia of Alabama: Fort Payne
2. Wikipedia: Fort Payne, Alabama

Editorially reviewed by Specialty Digest Editorial TeamLast reviewed November 10, 2026Researched and drafted with AI assistanceReport an issue