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Sterling, Alabama

19 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1893 and the latest in 1981. It stands in the Cedar Bluff-Gaylesville census division. It lies in ZIP code area 35959. The Survey maps it on the Cedar Bluff quadrangle. The federal gazetteer marks this settlement historical: it is no longer a populated place, though the surveys that recorded it still are.

Sterling within Cherokee County

Topographic sheets covering this place

9 surveys from 19 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

274 since 1992

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 274 fires within 5 miles of Sterling (historical) between 1992 and 2020, burning about 4,208 acres in total. 3 started naturally. 188 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/incendiarism188
Debris and open burning53
Missing data/not specified/undetermined20
Equipment and vehicle use5
Natural3
Misuse of fire by a minor2
Smoking2
Recreation and ceremony1

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
28 September 2016Debris and open burningunder an acreGeorgia Forestry CommissionFY2017-FLOYD-017
25 September 2016Missing data/not specified/undetermined17 acresAlabama Forestry Commission20160925-10
25 September 1999Arson/incendiarismunder an acreGeorgia Forestry Commissionnot named
25 September 1999Arson/incendiarismunder an acreAlabama Forestry Commissionnot named
22 September 2020Missing data/not specified/undetermined44 acresAlabama Forestry Commission20200922-5
21 September 1997Debris and open burningunder an acreAlabama Forestry Commissionnot named
17 September 2000Arson/incendiarismunder an acreAlabama Forestry Commissionnot named
16 September 2016Debris and open burning20 acresAlabama Forestry Commission20160916-6

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Cherokee County

Mines and quarries near this place

8 within 5 miles

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 8 workings within 5 miles of Sterling (historical): 4 unknowns, 3 past producers, 1 occurrence. None of them still produces. What was taken out: Iron. 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
Gaylesville AreaIronPast ProducerHematite
UnnamedIronUnknown
UnnamedIronUnknown
UnnamedIronUnknown
UnnamedIronUnknown
Unnamed MineIronPast Producer
Unnamed MineIronPast Producer
Unnamed ProspectIronOccurrence

Every working recorded in Cherokee 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
Farill0.7 miles17
Lawrence1.5 miles19
Alpine Shores2.1 miles19
Hall Valley2.1 miles16
Waterhouse2.7 miles17
Meadows Estates2.9 miles19
Gaylesville3.2 miles20
Fullerton3.7 miles16

Provenance

This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 1926422. 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.