Rainsville:
fastest growing town in the state during the 1960s
In the 1960s, there was a trend of rapid
growth throughout northeast Alabama. Several towns grew at a
pace that was well above the national average. But Rainsville's
269.5 percent growth between 1960 and 1970 not only outpaced
all of northeast Alabama, but also all incorporated towns and
cities in the state.
The original 1960 census reported Rainsville's
population at a little over 300 people. In March 1963, business
and community leaders suspected that the Census Bureau's official
population estimate for Rainsville was dramatically low. As a
result, Rainsville citizens were being short-changed in regard
to federal government support. Under the supervision of the Federal
Housing Authority (FHA), four members of the Rainsville Home
Demonstration Club Mrs. Marvin Barron, Mrs. Harvey Clifton,
Mrs. Elmer Bailey and Mrs. Milton Turner conducted a recount.
The four women counted 1,020 people and the Census Bureau raised
the official population of Rainsville for 1960 to 568. The gain
convinced the FHA to grant an increase in the number of housing
units in a new federal housing project to be built in the town
from 10 to 18. Proof of a larger population also helped secure
a new Post Office building.
By the 1970 census the population had grown
to 2,099, according to the Census Bureau.
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