Detroit, Alabama
10 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1956 and the latest in 1984. It stands in the Sulligent census division. It lies in ZIP code area 35552. It stands on Reedy Branch. The Survey maps it on the Detroit quadrangle. 230 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 363 feet above sea level.
Population over time
3 figuresDetroit fell from 247 to 230 between 2000 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 247 | |
| 2010 | 237 | -10 (-4%) |
| 2020 | 230 | -7 (-3%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
5 surveys from 10 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.
- 1956 USGS Tupelo quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1958 USGS Tupelo quadrangle1:250000
- 1967 USGS Detroit quadrangle1:24000, 3 printings
- 1984 USGS Tupelo quadrangle1:250000, 3 printings
- 1984 USGS Tupelo quadrangle1:100000
Fires near this place
68 since 1992Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 68 fires within 5 miles of Detroit between 1992 and 2019, burning about 796 acres in total. 1 started naturally. 16 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 |
|---|---|
| Debris and open burning | 17 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 16 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 15 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 10 |
| Smoking | 5 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 3 |
| Other causes | 1 |
| Natural | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 September 2000 | Equipment and vehicle use | 2.0 acres | Alabama Forestry Commission | not named |
| 27 September 2019 | Debris and open burning | 1.0 acres | Alabama Forestry Commission | 20190927-10 |
| 27 September 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Alabama Forestry Commission | NWR-20140927-003 |
| 2 September 2000 | Smoking | 1.5 acres | Alabama Forestry Commission | not named |
| 18 September 1999 | Arson/incendiarism | 2.8 acres | Alabama Forestry Commission | not named |
| 15 September 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 20 acres | Alabama Forestry Commission | NWR-20140915-002 |
| 10 September 1999 | Smoking | 35 acres | Mississippi Forestry Commission | not named |
| 31 August 2011 | Debris and open burning | 8.0 acres | Alabama Forestry Commission | 2057 CR 19, AL |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Storms near this place
48 since 1995Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Detroit in 48 storm reports between 1995 and 2026: 29 thunderstorm wind, 13 hail, 3 flash flood, 2 tornado. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 2004 | Tornado (F1) | Detroit | $300,000 | no account filed |
| May 2003 | Hail | Detroit | $100,000 | Golf ball size hail fell in and near the town of Detroit. Several automobiles received broken windows and dents from the hail. The hail may have been larger in the surrounding rural areas. A few trees were also blown down in the area. Very little rain fell during the storm. |
| June 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Detroit | $20,000 | Numerous trees were blown down across Lamar County, starting near Detroit in the north, continuing through the city of Vernon, all the way to Kennedy in the south. |
| May 2003 | Hail | Detroit | $14,000 | Golf ball size hail was reported from Detroit to Henson Springs. |
| July 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Detroit | $7,000 | Numerous trees were blown down in and around Detroit. |
| April 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Detroit | $5,000 | Numerous trees were blown down in and around Detroit. |
| May 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Detroit | $3,000 | Numerous trees were knocked down along CR 16 just east of Detroit. |
| August 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Detroit | $2,000 | Several trees down along State Highway 17. |
| June 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Detroit | $2,000 | A few trees were blown down near the Detroit community. |
| June 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Detroit | $2,000 | A few trees were blown down near the Henson Springs community. |
| June 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Detroit | $2,000 | Several trees were blown down in and around Detroit, completely blocking AL-17. |
| December 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Detroit | $2,000 | Several trees were blown down just north of Detroit along SR 17. |
| June 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Detroit | $1,000 | A tree was blown down blocking Highway 17. |
| October 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Detroit | $1,000 | Several trees were blown down on River Road, in the northern part of the county. |
| April 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Detroit | $1,000 | Trees and power lines were blown down on CR-16, near Detroit. |
| April 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Detroit | $1,000 | Several trees were blown down near Detroit. |
| December 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Detroit | $1,000 | Several trees were blown down on AL-17, near the Detroit Community. |
| April 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Detroit | $500 | A tree was blown down across AL-17, near the Fayette County line. |
| April 2026 | Hail | Detroit | - | Nickel-size hail fell in Detroit. |
| June 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Detroit | - | Trees and power lines were downed in the Detroit area. |
| February 2022 | Flash Flood | Detroit | - | Multiple roads in the city of Sulligent impassable due to flooding. |
| March 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Detroit | - | Several trees uprooted in the city of Detriot. |
| June 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Detroit | - | Several trees uprooted in the town of Detroit. |
| June 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Detroit | - | Several trees uprooted along River Road. |
| July 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Detroit | - | Numerous trees uprooted in and around the town of Detroit. |
| April 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Detroit | - | Numerous trees were blown down between Detroit and Sulligent. |
| April 2014 | Flash Flood | Detroit | - | Two to three inches of heavy rainfall fell across Lamar County, resulting in many roads across the county becoming impassable due to water covering the roadway. |
| April 2014 | Flood | Detroit | - | After heavy rainfall ended, waters were slow to recede. Approximately 20 roads remained impassable until Tuesday morning, April 8th. |
| July 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Detroit | - | Several trees were uprooted in northern Lamar County. |
| March 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Detroit | - | Several trees were blown down in Henson Springs. |
| March 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Detroit | - | Trees were snapped and uprooted along County Road 8 at Highway 17, with several people trapped in a storm shelter. |
| May 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Detroit | - | Widespread tree damage occurred along County Road 16 between Henson Springs and Detroit. |
| May 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Detroit | - | Many trees were blown down west and southwest of Detroit, including along Hatley-Detroit Rd and along Alabama Highway 17. This resulted in widespread power outages across the area. |
| July 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Detroit | - | Tin roofing was removed off a building in downtown Detroit. |
| January 2011 | Flash Flood | Detroit | - | Several roads across the county were washed out or impassable. |
| April 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Detroit | - | A box truck was blown off of State Route 17, just south of Detroit. |
| July 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Detroit | - | Several trees were blown down in the Detroit community. |
| May 2006 | Hail | Detroit | - | Penny to golf ball sized hail fell for several minutes. |
| November 2004 | Hail | Detroit | - | Half dollar size hail fell near the town of Detroit in northern Lamar County. |
| April 1995 | Hail | Detroit | - | Quarter-size hail was reported by the fire department at Detroit in the northwest corner of Lamar County. |
| July 1995 | Tornado (F0) | Detroit | - | A tornado was reported at Henson Springs in northern Lamar County. The tornado occurred in the open with no damage reported. |
| March 2012 | Hail | Detroit | - | no account filed |
| March 2012 | Hail | Detroit | - | no account filed |
| March 2012 | Hail | Detroit | - | no account filed |
| March 2011 | Hail | Detroit | - | no account filed |
| April 2011 | Hail | Detroit | - | no account filed |
| July 2006 | Hail | Detroit | - | no account filed |
| May 2003 | Hail | Detroit | - | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Henson Springs | 5.6 miles | 8 | |
| Pine Springs | 6.0 miles | 12 | |
| Sulligent | 8.9 miles | 12 | |
| Crews | 9.2 miles | 12 | |
| Beaverton | 10.4 miles | 12 | |
| Moscow | 11.5 miles | 12 | |
| Mansfield | 15.9 miles | 11 | |
| Bedford | 16.1 miles | 12 |
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 Detroit | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q68232 | 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 117242. 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.
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.




