Talladega, Alabama

22 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1890 and the latest in 2001. It stands in the Talladega census division. It lies in ZIP code area 35160. It lies near College Hill. The Survey maps it on the Talladega quadrangle. 15,861 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 558 feet above sea level.

Research this city

Talladega within Talladega County

On record in Talladega

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 12 of 13 shown

J. L. M. Curry HouseNational Historic Landmark · listed 1966
Swayne HallNational Historic Landmark · listed 1974
Boxwoodlisted 1983
First Presbyterian Churchlisted 1983
Foster Halllisted 1990
Idlewildlisted 1993
Lawler-Whiting Houselisted 1986
Thornhilllisted 1998
Elston Houselisted 1976
Silk Stocking Districtlisted 1979
Talladega College Historic District (Boundary Increase)listed 2021
Talladega Courthouse Square Historic Districtlisted 1972

Every listing in Talladega County

Surveyed buildings and structures 11 records

Burt House, State Road 21, Talladegafederal building survey, 4 photographs
Chambers House, 301 North East Street, Talladegafederal building survey, 13 photographs
Covered Bridge, Spanning Choccolocco Creek, Old Eastabogafederal building survey, 7 photographs
East Alabama Masonic Female Institute, 205 East South Street, Talladegafederal building survey, 28 photographs
Horn Mountain Fire Tower Complex, Horn Mountain Tower Road, Talladegafederal building survey, 1 photograph
James Isbell House, 108 East North Street, Talladegafederal building survey, 11 photographs
King Plantation, Frank Street, Talladegafederal building survey, 7 photographs
Mardis House, U.S. Highway 231, Talladegafederal building survey, 5 photographs
T. L. Plowman House, 511 South East Street, Talladegafederal building survey, 11 photographs
Talladega College, Swayne Hall, Talladegafederal building survey, 10 photographs
Thornhill, State Road 21, Talladegafederal building survey, 7 photographs

Population over time

3 figures

Talladega grew from 1,320 to 15,861 between 1850 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
1850	1,320
2010	15,676
2020	15,861	+185 (+1%)

Topographic sheets covering this place

11 surveys from 22 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.

1890 USGS Talladega quadrangle1:125000
1892 USGS Talladega quadrangle1:125000, 6 printings
1943 USGS Talladega quadrangle1:62500, 2 printings
1946 USGS Talladega quadrangle1:62500, 2 printings
1953 USGS Birmingham quadrangle1:250000, 4 printings
1956 USGS Birmingham quadrangle1:250000
1957 USGS Birmingham quadrangle1:250000
1975 USGS Talladega NE quadrangle1:24000
1984 USGS Birmingham South quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
1987 USGS Talladega quadrangle1:24000
2001 USGS Talladega quadrangle1:24000

Photographs

4 photographs, 1939

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.

Masonic Female Institute, Talladega, Talladega County, Alabama
Johnston, Frances Benjamin, 1939. Library of Congress

Baldwin Fluker House, Talladega Highway, Sylacauga, Talladega County, AL
Photographer not recorded. Library of Congress

East Alabama Masonic Female Institute, 205 East South Street, Talladega, Talladega County, AL
Photographer not recorded. Library of Congress

Fires near this place

352 since 1994

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 352 fires within 5 miles of Talladega between 1994 and 2020, burning about 2,704 acres in total. 4 started naturally. 109 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	122
Arson/incendiarism	109
Missing data/not specified/undetermined	48
Recreation and ceremony	28
Railroad operations and maintenance	17
Equipment and vehicle use	10
Misuse of fire by a minor	9
Natural	4
Smoking	3
Other causes	1
Fireworks	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 2002	Debris and open burning	3.0 acres	Alabama Forestry Commission	not named
8 September 2007	Misuse of fire by a minor	under an acre	Alabama Forestry Commission	not named
8 September 2002	Arson/incendiarism	20 acres	Alabama Forestry Commission	not named
8 September 2002	Arson/incendiarism	3.0 acres	Alabama Forestry Commission	not named
7 September 2002	Natural	20 acres	Alabama Forestry Commission	not named
6 September 2020	Missing data/not specified/undetermined	under an acre	Alabama Forestry Commission	20200906-3
5 September 1995	Recreation and ceremony	under an acre	Alabama Forestry Commission	not named
30 September 2007	Arson/incendiarism	5.0 acres	Alabama Forestry Commission	not named

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Talladega County

Mines and quarries near this place

10 of 12 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 12 workings within 5 miles of Talladega: 8 unknowns, 4 past producers. None of them still produces. What was taken out: Iron, Aluminum. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Site	Commodity	Status	Recorded
Parsons Mine	Aluminum, Iron	Past Producer
Lawson Limonite Banks	Iron	Past Producer	Residual
No Name	Iron	Past Producer	Residual
Poor House Limonite Banks	Iron	Past Producer	Residual
Unnamed	Iron	Unknown
Unnamed	Iron	Unknown
Unnamed	Iron	Unknown
Unnamed	Iron	Unknown
Unnamed	Iron	Unknown
Unnamed	Iron	Unknown

Every working recorded in Talladega County

Storms near this place

60 of 68 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Talladega in 68 storm reports between 1994 and 2026: 40 thunderstorm wind, 22 hail, 2 flash flood, 2 funnel cloud. 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
June 2010	Thunderstorm Wind	Talladega	$250,000	An apparent downburst caused an swath of intense damage across the southern portion of the city of Talladega. Around 100 trees were blown down, with some of them falling onto homes causing varying degrees of damage. In addition, hundreds of limbs were broken off, many of them also large enough to cause damage to homes as they fell. Structural damage not the result of falling trees or limbs was confined to outbuildings containing lumber at a hardware store. The total damage swath was more than 2.5 miles long, and up to 100 yards wide, with peak wind gusts estimated around 80 mph.
July 1999	Thunderstorm Wind	Talladega	$75,000	Two large mobile homes were ripped in half when damaging winds moved along SR 21 in Talladega. A large tent was blown over damaging four automobiles. A few vehicles were also blown off the road while moving. No injuries were reported.
November 2004	Tornado (F0)	Talladega	$50,000	no account filed
May 2006	Hail	Talladega	$20,000	Several cars were damaged by hail in the Wal-Mart parking lot.
June 1996	Thunderstorm Wind	Talladega	$20,000	no account filed
August 2002	Lightning	Talladega	$17,000	A few trees were knocked down in Talladega. One of the trees landed on a home and caused major damage. The trees fell due to lightning strikes. No injuries were reported.
July 2003	Thunderstorm Wind	Talladega	$16,000	Several trees and power lines were blown down across the city of Talladega. One large tree temporarily blocked train tracks.
April 2009	Thunderstorm Wind	Talladega	$15,000	Several trees were blown down in the city of Talladega. At least two trees fell onto houses, and another fell onto a car.
May 2004	Thunderstorm Wind	Talladega	$14,000	Power lines were blown down across the city of Talladega.
August 1995	Thunderstorm Wind	Talladega	$12,000	Shingles were ripped from a structure in the Country Club Estates area near Renfroe about 10 miles west of Talladega. Trees were reported down in Sylacauga along with damage to several signs including one bank sign.
May 2006	Thunderstorm Wind	Talladega	$10,000	A total of 10 trees were blown down in the city. One home was damaged by a fallen tree.
June 2005	Flash Flood	Talladega	$10,000	Several streets were impassable and subsequently closed in Talladega due to flooding.
July 2000	Thunderstorm Wind	Talladega	$10,000	Trees and power lines were knocked down in Talladega. Thousands of customers were without power for several hours. A steeple of a church was blown off and destroyed in Renfroe.
April 2005	Hail	Talladega	$9,000	Large hail up to the size of golf balls fell across northern Talladega County. Some locations that reported large hail include Stemley, Talladega, Lincoln and Munford.
June 1997	Hail	Talladega	$9,000	Quarter to baseball sized hail was reported just north of Talladega.
June 1999	Hail	Talladega	$8,000	Golfball size hail was reported just east of the city of Talladega.
May 1997	Thunderstorm Wind	Talladega	$7,000	Trees and power lines were down throughout the city.
April 2011	Thunderstorm Wind	Talladega	$5,000	Numerous trees were knocked down across the city.
August 2007	Thunderstorm Wind	Talladega	$5,000	Trees and power lines were blown down at Brecon Mobile Home Park, in the city of Talladega.
March 2007	Thunderstorm Wind	Talladega	$5,000	Power lines were blown down along Shocco Springs Road, in the city of Talladega.
June 2002	Hail	Talladega	$5,000	Golf ball size hail was reported in the Brecon community, just south of Talladega.
June 1994	Thunderstorm Wind	Talladega	$5,000	Trees were reported down just south of Talladega on Highway 21.
January 1997	Hail	Talladega	$5,000	no account filed
January 1997	Hail	Talladega	$5,000	no account filed
April 2009	Thunderstorm Wind	Talladega	$3,000	In the city of Talladega, a power line was blown down and caused a minor fire, on Hill Street. Trees and power lines were also blown down in several other locations around the city.
February 1998	Thunderstorm Wind	Talladega	$3,000	A few trees were down in Talladega including one on a car.
June 2009	Thunderstorm Wind	Talladega	$2,000	Trees were blown down and blocked the road, at the intersection of Patricia Avenue and Glenwood Drive, in the city of Talladega.
April 2006	Thunderstorm Wind	Talladega	$2,000	Trees and power lines down on Highway 207 at Alpine Bridge.
July 2004	Thunderstorm Wind	Talladega	$2,000	A few trees were blown down in Talladega.
April 2011	Thunderstorm Wind	Talladega	$1,000	A tree was blown down onto the administration building of an apartment complex on Broadway Avenue, in Talladega.
June 2009	Thunderstorm Wind	Talladega	$1,000	A large tree and power lines were blown on Battle Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, in the city of Talladega.
August 2000	Hail	Talladega	$1,000	Dime to quarter size hail was reported in Talladega.
January 2026	Thunderstorm Wind	Talladega	$500	Trees were downed around Talladega, Alpine, and Munford, including Cheaha Rd, Alpine Winterboro Rd, Renfroe Rd, and Grizzle Ln.
June 2011	Thunderstorm Wind	Talladega	$500	A tree was blown down onto Mountain View Road, just off of AL-77.
June 2009	Thunderstorm Wind	Talladega	$500	A single tree was blown down and blocked Crest Drive, in the city of Talladega.
March 2026	Thunderstorm Wind	Talladega	-	A tree fell on a house in Talladega and another tree fell across Ironaton Rd east of town.
March 2025	Thunderstorm Wind	Talladega	-	Multiple trees and power lines were downed across Talladega County.
March 2025	Thunderstorm Wind	Talladega	-	Several trees and power lines were downed in the south and southeast sides of Talladega, including along Marble Quarry Rd, West Parkway Ave, Mountain View Rd, Mount Olive Cir, Grogan Rd, Gentry Dr, and Ashland Highway.
May 2025	Thunderstorm Wind	Talladega	-	Several trees were downed across Talladega County, including around Talladega and Sylacauga.
May 2025	Thunderstorm Wind	Talladega	-	Several trees were downed across Talladega County, including along Stemley Rd, Chastain Rd, Willingham Rd, Renfroe Rd, and Kentuck Rd.
April 2025	Thunderstorm Wind	Talladega	-	Numerous trees were downed across Talladega.
June 2025	Thunderstorm Wind	Talladega	-	Trees were downed in the Talladega area.
June 2025	Thunderstorm Wind	Talladega	-	Several trees were downed around Talladega County, mainly in and around the city of Talladega.
July 2022	Thunderstorm Wind	Talladega	-	Numerous reports of uprooted trees and downed power lines in the city of Talladega.
January 2020	Thunderstorm Wind	Talladega	-	Roof off house on Grogan Road in the city of Talladega.
March 2017	Thunderstorm Wind	Talladega	-	Numerous trees uprooted at the Timber Ridge Golf Course.
January 2013	Flash Flood	Talladega	-	Flooding was reported along many roads in Talladega. Court St and Mosley St were reported as impassable. Other flooded streets included Isabell Circle, North St E, Scott St, and 8th Ave.
March 2013	Thunderstorm Wind	Talladega	-	Trees were reported down in multiple locations blocking roadways in the city of Talladega. Some of the roads blocked include Cherry Street, Taylors Mill Road, Mountain View Road, and East Street South. Approximately 3 trees fell on houses.
March 2012	Thunderstorm Wind	Talladega	-	Several trees and power lines were blown down.
May 2012	Thunderstorm Wind	Talladega	-	A tree was uprooted and feel across a driveway of a residence.
April 2012	Thunderstorm Wind	Talladega	-	Several trees were blown down in and around Talladega, including along Chaffey Street.
August 2007	Hail	Talladega	-	Quarter size hail was reported on Brecon Access Road, in the city of Talladega.
April 2006	Hail	Talladega	-	Reported in the Providence Community.
July 2006	Funnel Cloud	Talladega	-	Two reports of funnel clouds in and around Waldo.
March 2003	Hail	Talladega	-	Penny size hail was observed in Talladega.
May 2003	Hail	Talladega	-	Penny size hail was observed in the city of Talladega.
May 2003	Hail	Talladega	-	Penny size hail was reported near and around Talladega. Wind gusts were estimated at 58 miles an hour.
May 2003	Hail	Talladega	-	Penny to quarter size hail fell in and around the city of Talladega.
April 2001	Hail	Talladega	-	Dime size hail fell near Talladega and in several other locations in Talladega County.
March 2000	Hail	Talladega	-	Dime size hail was observed in Talladega on SR 21.

Every storm recorded in Talladega 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.

Place	Distance	Sheets
Moorefield	0.9 miles	22
Pulliamville	1.0 miles	22
Jonesville	1.1 miles	22
McCannsville	1.2 miles	22
Brecon	1.8 miles	22
Bemiston	2.0 miles	22
Shocco Springs	2.1 miles	21
Mount Olive Circle	2.1 miles	22

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 Talladega	An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q79975	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 160707. 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.