Cottondale, Alabama
19 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1899 and the latest in 1984. It stands in the Tuscaloosa census division. It lies in ZIP code area 35453. It stands on Cottondale Creek. The Survey maps it on the Cottondale quadrangle. 3,130 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 344 feet above sea level.
Topographic sheets covering this place
8 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.
- 1899 USGS Brookwood quadrangle1:125000, 4 printings
- 1931 USGS Cottondale quadrangle1:48000
- 1934 USGS Cottondale quadrangle1:62500, 3 printings
- 1953 USGS Birmingham quadrangle1:250000, 4 printings
- 1956 USGS Birmingham quadrangle1:250000
- 1957 USGS Birmingham quadrangle1:250000
- 1969 USGS Cottondale quadrangle1:24000, 3 printings
- 1984 USGS Tuscaloosa quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
Fires near this place
89 since 1994Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 89 fires within 5 miles of Cottondale between 1994 and 2019, burning about 429 acres in total. 2 started naturally. 26 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 | 26 |
| Debris and open burning | 21 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 14 |
| Railroad operations and maintenance | 11 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 7 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 4 |
| Smoking | 3 |
| Natural | 2 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 September 1995 | Recreation and ceremony | 1.0 acres | Alabama Forestry Commission | not named |
| 24 September 1999 | Arson/incendiarism | under an acre | Alabama Forestry Commission | not named |
| 18 September 2007 | Arson/incendiarism | 5.0 acres | Alabama Forestry Commission | not named |
| 16 September 2010 | Smoking | 2.0 acres | Alabama Forestry Commission | not named |
| 16 September 1998 | Debris and open burning | 2.0 acres | Alabama Forestry Commission | not named |
| 10 September 1995 | Debris and open burning | 1.5 acres | Alabama Forestry Commission | not named |
| 9 August 2007 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 4.0 acres | Alabama Forestry Commission | not named |
| 29 August 2017 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | Alabama Forestry Commission | 20170829-1 |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
3 within 5 milesRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 3 workings within 5 miles of Cottondale: 2 producers, 1 past producer. 2 still produce. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Mine | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Unnamed Quarry | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | Quartz | |
| Unnamed Quarry | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | Quartz |
Storms near this place
21 since 1998Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Cottondale in 21 storm reports between 1998 and 2024: 12 thunderstorm wind, 8 hail, 1 lightning. The reports record 2 deaths. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cottondale | 2 killed | A large tree fell on a mobile home located off Hargrove Road East and resulted in two fatalities. |
| June 2007 | Lightning | Cottondale | $25,000 | A house in Cottondale was significantly damaged by a fire caused by a lightning strike. |
| June 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cottondale | $10,000 | A portion of a large billboard was blown down on I-20, exit 77, which struck a vehicle. |
| June 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cottondale | $10,000 | Numerous trees and power lines were blown down in Cottondale and near Druid Hills. |
| May 1998 | Hail | Cottondale | $4,000 | Half dollar size hail was reported in Cottondale. |
| June 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cottondale | $2,000 | Several trees were blown down on US-82, near Duncanville. |
| June 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cottondale | $2,000 | Several trees were blown down on Cold Springs Road, in Cottondale. |
| August 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cottondale | $2,000 | A few trees were knocked down just off Interstate 20/59 near the Travel America Truck Stop. |
| July 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cottondale | $1,000 | A few trees were blown down, and billboards along I-20/59 near Buttermilk Road were damaged. |
| April 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cottondale | $1,000 | Trees and power lines were blown down on US-11 and Buttermilk Road, in Cottondale. |
| March 2000 | Hail | Cottondale | $1,000 | Pea to quarter size hail fell in Cottondale. |
| April 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cottondale | $500 | A tree was blown down on Clements Road, near the Eastern Hills subdivision. |
| May 2024 | Hail | Cottondale | - | Nickel-size hail was reported in the Cottondale area. |
| August 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cottondale | - | Several trees uprooted east of Tuscaloosa. |
| June 2021 | Hail | Cottondale | - | Nickel size hail east of Cottondale. |
| January 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cottondale | - | Numerous trees uprooted between the towns of Cottondale and Coaling. |
| July 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cottondale | - | Trees were blown down across many locations in Tuscaloosa county, including in and around Cottondale. |
| April 2001 | Hail | Cottondale | - | Dime size hail was observed near Cottondale. |
| April 2001 | Hail | Cottondale | - | Quarter size hail was observed in Cottondale. |
| March 2000 | Hail | Cottondale | - | Pea to quarter size hail fell in the Cottondale area. |
| May 2010 | Hail | Cottondale | - | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Norris Estates | 0.2 miles | 19 | |
| Cottonwood Park | 0.3 miles | 19 | |
| Clearview Hills | 0.4 miles | 19 | |
| Norris Circle | 0.5 miles | 19 | |
| Glenwood Park | 0.6 miles | 19 | |
| Hurricane Hills | 0.8 miles | 19 | |
| Old Mill Trace | 1.0 miles | 19 | |
| Banks Villa East | 1.1 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 Cottondale | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q5175765 | 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 116690. 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.







