BlockBefore

Samson, Alabama

8 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1953 and the latest in 1986. It stands in the Samson census division. It lies in ZIP code area 36477. The Survey maps it on the Samson quadrangle. 1,874 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 202 feet above sea level.

Samson within Geneva County

Population over time

2 figures

Samson fell from 1,940 to 1,874 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.

YearPeople Change
20101,940
20201,874-66 (-3%)

Topographic sheets covering this place

4 surveys from 8 printed sheets

Matched 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.

Fires near this place

46 since 1994

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 46 fires within 5 miles of Samson between 1994 and 2020, burning about 467 acres in total. 2 started naturally. 8 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 burning17
Missing data/not specified/undetermined12
Arson/incendiarism8
Smoking3
Equipment and vehicle use3
Natural2
Other causes1

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
30 September 2019Debris and open burning6.0 acresAlabama Forestry Commission20190930-17
19 September 2014Missing data/not specified/undetermined3.0 acresAlabama Forestry CommissionSER-20140919-001
16 September 1999Debris and open burning1.5 acresAlabama Forestry Commissionnot named
31 August 2000Arson/incendiarismunder an acreAlabama Forestry Commissionnot named
1 August 2010Arson/incendiarism27 acresAlabama Forestry Commissionnot named
7 July 2010Debris and open burning3.5 acresAlabama Forestry Commissionnot named
29 July 2000Natural2.0 acresAlabama Forestry Commissionnot named
13 July 2000Natural17 acresAlabama Forestry Commissionnot named

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Geneva County

Mines and quarries near this place

3 within 5 miles

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 3 workings within 5 miles of Samson: 2 unknowns, 1 prospect. None of them still produces. What was taken out: Iron, Clay. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Gen 5 Clay ProspectClayProspect
UnnamedIronUnknown
UnnamedIronUnknown

Every working recorded in Geneva County

Storms near this place

37 since 1996

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Samson in 37 storm reports between 1996 and 2025: 25 thunderstorm wind, 4 hail, 3 flash flood, 2 tornado. The reports record 3 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.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
September 1998Tornado (F1)Samson3 hurt, $100,000An F1 tornado touched down five miles northeast of Samson off CR 8. One mobile was lifted 50 feet off its foundation and destroyed. The three occupants sustained minor injuries.
September 1998Flash FloodSamson$1,500,000Torrential rains produced considerable flash flooding of city and residential streets.
April 2000Thunderstorm WindSamson$75,000Several downed trees and power lines. A house and nearby vehicle were damaged by a fallen tree. Reported by the Geneva County EMA.
March 2012LightningSamson$35,000The Geneva County Reaper newspaper reported that lightning struck Samson High School, burning a hole in the wall of the gym. No injuries were reported. Monetary damage was estimated.
July 2006Thunderstorm WindSamson$25,000The Geneva County EMA reported downed trees and a barn destroyed just north of Mims Hill.
June 2006Thunderstorm WindSamson$20,000The Geneva County EMA reported a few downed trees and power lines, minor roof damage to a church, and a damaged pump house.
January 2019Thunderstorm WindSamson$15,000A large tree blew down across County Road 16 West, and a car ran into it.
June 2025Thunderstorm WindSamson$10,000Numerous trees and power lines were blown down near Samson. At least one auto accident occurred due to a tree in the roadway. No injuries were reported. Trees were also down along Highway 87.
September 2012Tornado (EF0)Samson$10,000A brief EF0 tornado touched down between South Canal and South Broad Street in Samson. Several trees and power lines were blown down, including at least one tree on a house as well as roof damage to another house. Law enforcement initially reported seeing a funnel cloud in the area and later confirmed the funnel cloud briefly touched down as a tornado. Max winds were estimated around 80 mph. Monetary damage was estimated.
January 2013Thunderstorm WindSamson$5,000Numerous trees were blown down across much of Geneva county. Monetary damage was estimated.
March 2001Flash FloodSamson$5,000Armstrong, Azela, and County Roads 153 and 9 under water. Reported by the Geneva County EMA.
December 1996Thunderstorm WindSamson$5,000no account filed
March 2024Thunderstorm WindSamson$2,000A line was reported down in the Samson area.
July 2018Thunderstorm WindSamson$2,000Strong winds blew a tree onto power lines near Chase and Hornsby roads, resulting in a power outage.
June 2017Thunderstorm WindSamson$2,000Power lines were blown down in the Samson area.
August 2015Thunderstorm WindSamson$2,000A power line was blown down in Samson.
May 2014Thunderstorm WindSamson$2,000Multiple trees were blown down near Samson with a large tree blocking the road.
May 2004Thunderstorm WindSamson$1,000Numerous downed trees reported by the Geneva Fire Department.
May 2014Thunderstorm WindSamson$500The public submitted a picture on social media of a large tree down 2 miles south of Samson on Highway 87.
May 2000Thunderstorm WindSamson$500Several trees down reported by the Geneva County Sheriff.
February 2025Thunderstorm WindSamson-Several trees were blown down in Samson.
May 2024Flash FloodSamson-Flooding of streets occurred in Samson.
June 2023Thunderstorm WindSamson-Trees were blown down in the Samson area.
June 2023Thunderstorm WindSamson-Several trees were blown down in Geneva county.
August 2023Thunderstorm WindSamson-Trees were blown down near Samson.
January 2020Thunderstorm WindSamson-Two downed trees were reported between mile markers 25 and 26 on Highway 52 West.
June 2018Thunderstorm WindSamson-Trees were blown down in the Samson area.
January 2017Thunderstorm WindSamson-Trees were blown down in the Samson area.
June 2016Thunderstorm WindSamson-Trees were blown down in the Samson area.
June 2015Thunderstorm WindSamson-Trees were blown down around Samson.
November 2015Funnel CloudSamson-There were several sightings of a funnel cloud near Samson.
April 2014FloodSamson-Several roads around Samson were closed due to flooding from a prolonged period of moderate to heavy rain and saturated conditions already in place from previous heavy rain earlier in the month.
June 2009Thunderstorm WindSamson-Several trees were down just west of Samson.
April 2009HailSamson-Penny size hail was reported in Samson.
March 2009HailSamson-Quarter sized hail was reported in Samson.
March 2020HailSamson-no account filed
March 2018HailSamson-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Geneva County

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 PlaceDistance Sheets
Sellersville2.5 miles8
Pera2.9 miles8
Ganer3.8 miles8
Marl3.8 miles12
Piney Grove3.9 miles8
Spears3.9 miles12
Earlytown4.5 miles8
Weeks4.5 miles8

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 SamsonAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q79319The 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 153310. 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.