Cordova, Alabama
19 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1893 and the latest in 1984. It stands in the Cordova census division. It lies in ZIP code area 35550. It lies near Reservoir Hill. The Survey maps it on the Cordova quadrangle. 1,728 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 303 feet above sea level.
On record in Cordova
Buildings and businesses the archive holds for this place. Each opens its own page, with the source record it came from.
On the National Register 1 record
- Gilchrist Houselisted 1972
Surveyed buildings and structures 3 records
- Alabama State Docks, Warrior River, Cordovafederal building survey, 1 photograph
- Main Street (Commercial Streetscapes), Cordovafederal building survey, 1 photograph
- Sardis Baptist Church, Sanders' Ferry, Wilson's Crossing, Warrior River, Cordovafederal building survey, 2 photographs
Population over time
2 figuresCordova fell from 2,095 to 1,728 between 2010 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.
| Year | People | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 2,095 | |
| 2020 | 1,728 | -367 (-18%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
7 surveys from 19 printed sheetsMatched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.
- 1893 USGS Jasper quadrangle1:125000, 5 printings
- 1949 USGS Cordova quadrangle1:24000, 4 printings
- 1951 USGS Cordova quadrangle1:24000, 2 printings
- 1953 USGS Birmingham quadrangle1:250000, 4 printings
- 1956 USGS Birmingham quadrangle1:250000
- 1957 USGS Birmingham quadrangle1:250000
- 1984 USGS Jasper quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
Photographs
1 photograph,Taken for the Office of War Information and the Farm Security Administration, who photographed the country between 1935 and 1944. Works of United States government photographers, with no known restriction on use. Each opens its catalogue record.
Photographer not recorded. Library of Congress
Fires near this place
353 since 1994Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 353 fires within 5 miles of Cordova between 1994 and 2020, burning about 5,300 acres in total. 2 started naturally. 186 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Arson/incendiarism | 186 |
| Debris and open burning | 99 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 32 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 12 |
| Railroad operations and maintenance | 8 |
| Other causes | 4 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 3 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 3 |
| Smoking | 3 |
| Natural | 2 |
| Power generation/transmission/distribution | 1 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 September 1995 | Debris and open burning | 4.0 acres | Alabama Forestry Commission | not named |
| 7 September 2003 | Arson/incendiarism | 3.5 acres | Alabama Forestry Commission | 1768 NEW PARRISH HWY, AL |
| 6 September 1999 | Debris and open burning | 1.2 acres | Alabama Forestry Commission | not named |
| 5 September 1995 | Recreation and ceremony | under an acre | Alabama Forestry Commission | not named |
| 5 September 1995 | Debris and open burning | 3.0 acres | Alabama Forestry Commission | not named |
| 4 September 2019 | Arson/incendiarism | 12 acres | Alabama Forestry Commission | 20190904-5 |
| 4 September 2000 | Arson/incendiarism | 10 acres | Alabama Forestry Commission | not named |
| 4 September 2000 | Smoking | 5.0 acres | Alabama Forestry Commission | not named |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
5 within 5 milesRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 5 workings within 5 miles of Cordova: 5 producers. All of them still produce. What was taken out: Clay, Fire Clay (Refractory), Coal. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cordova Fire Clay District | Fire Clay (Refractory), Coal | Producer | SEDIMENTARY | |
| Cordova Mine | Clay | Producer | ||
| Cordova Pit | Clay | Producer | ||
| Drummond Coal Co., Pit | Clay | Producer | ||
| Shale Pit | Clay | Producer |
Storms near this place
29 since 1997Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Cordova in 29 storm reports between 1997 and 2026: 16 thunderstorm wind, 10 hail, 2 flash flood, 1 tornado. The reports record 2 injuries. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cordova | 2 hurt, $50,000 | A diseased tree was blown over and onto a house. Two people inside were injured, and were treated and released from a nearby hospital. One person suffered a broken arm and collarbone, while the other sustained minor injuries. Time of occurrence was estimated. |
| May 2009 | Tornado (EF1) | Cordova | $260,000 | The tornado touched down on the west side of Cordova along South Street. It then moved east-northeastward through the city of Cordova, and lifted shortly after it crossed near the intersection of Disney Street and Mass Avenue, near Cane Creek. Numerous trees were snapped off or were uprooted along the path. At least 15 homes were damaged by the fallen trees. One of the trees fell on a train and damaged some of the cars but the train did not derail. |
| May 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cordova | $20,000 | At least two vehicles were flipped on future I-22, near the Cordova/Parrish exit. |
| April 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cordova | $10,000 | A tree fell down on a car and power lines were downed. |
| May 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cordova | $5,000 | Four trees were blown down within the city limits of Cordova, in the eastern part of the county, requiring clean up. |
| May 2003 | Hail | Cordova | $5,000 | no account filed |
| July 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cordova | $3,000 | Multiple trees were blown down between Lynns Park and Cordova, along River Road. |
| July 2001 | Flash Flood | Cordova | $3,000 | Several roads were covered with water and temporarily impassable in and around the city of Cordova. |
| March 2000 | Hail | Cordova | $3,000 | Quarter size hail fell in Cordova. |
| May 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cordova | $3,000 | no account filed |
| September 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cordova | $2,000 | Trees and powerlines were reported down in and around Cordova. |
| April 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cordova | $2,000 | Trees and power lines were blown down in and around Cordova. |
| September 2009 | Flash Flood | Cordova | $2,000 | Several roads in the city of Cordova had to be closed due to flooding. |
| February 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cordova | $2,000 | Several trees were blown down in Cordova. |
| April 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cordova | $2,000 | no account filed |
| April 2000 | Hail | Cordova | $2,000 | no account filed |
| August 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cordova | $1,000 | A tree was knocked down onto powerlines in Cordova. |
| March 2026 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cordova | - | Trees were downed in the Cordova area. |
| June 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cordova | - | Several trees uprooted along Twin Pines Road. |
| March 2017 | Hail | Cordova | - | Quarter size hail along I-22 in the town of Cordorva. |
| June 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cordova | - | Several trees uprooted in the town of Cordova. |
| February 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cordova | - | Several trees were blown down near the intersection of Highway 78 and Evans Rd. |
| November 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cordova | - | A car was blown off the road by winds estimated around 60 mph, at the Cordova exit on future Interstate 22. |
| March 2005 | Hail | Cordova | - | Ham Radio operators reported nickel size hail in and around Cordova. |
| April 2012 | Hail | Cordova | - | no account filed |
| April 2012 | Hail | Cordova | - | no account filed |
| April 2011 | Hail | Cordova | - | no account filed |
| April 2010 | Hail | Cordova | - | no account filed |
| December 2008 | Hail | Cordova | - | no account filed |
Nearest settlements
The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.
| Map | Place | Distance | Sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ruby (historical) | 0.9 miles | 23 | |
| Benoit | 1.4 miles | 19 | |
| Gobblers Crossing | 1.9 miles | 19 | |
| Corinth | 2.0 miles | 19 | |
| Dovertown | 2.2 miles | 23 | |
| Deason Hill | 2.4 miles | 23 | |
| Big Ridge | 3.0 miles | 23 | |
| Mount Hope | 3.1 miles | 19 |
Elsewhere
Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.
| Wikipedia article on Cordova | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q79249 | The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0). |
Provenance
This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 116626. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.






