| Official Name: | Union Springs |
| Settlement Type: | City |
| Mapsize: | 250px |
| Nickname: | Bird Dog Field Trial Capital of the World; The Serendipity Center of the South |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Type2: | County |
| Subdivision Name: | United States |
| Subdivision Name1: | Alabama |
| Subdivision Name2: | Bullock |
| Established Title1: | Settled |
| Established Date1: | 1835 |
| Established Title2: | Incorporated |
| Established Date2: | 1844 |
| Government Type: | Mayor/Council |
| Leader Title: | Mayor |
| Leader Name: | Saint T. Thomas, Jr. |
| Area Total Km2: | 17.33 |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 6.69 |
| Area Land Km2: | 17.17 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 6.63 |
| Area Water Km2: | 0.15 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 0.06 |
| Elevation Ft: | 522 |
| Elevation M: | 159 |
| Population As Of: | 2020 |
| Population Total: | 3358 |
| Population Density Km2: | 195.56 |
| Population Density Sq Mi: | 506.49 |
| Timezone: | Central (CST) |
| Utc Offset: | -6 |
| Coordinates: | 32.14°N -85.7128°W |
| Timezone Dst: | CDT |
| Utc Offset Dst: | -5 |
| Postal Code Type: | ZIP code |
| Postal Code: | 36089 |
| Area Code: | 334 |
| Area Code Type: | Area code |
| Blank Name: | FIPS code |
| Blank Info: | 01-77880 |
| Blank1 Name: | GNIS feature ID |
| Blank1 Info: | 0128349 |
| Unit Pref: | Imperial |
| Area Footnotes: | [1] |
Union Springs is a city in and county seat of Bullock County, Alabama, United States.[2] The population was 3,980 at the 2010 census.[3]
The area that became Union Springs was first settled by white men after the Creek Indian removal of the 1830s. Twenty-seven springs watered the land, giving rise to the name of Union Springs. The city was incorporated on January 13, 1844. Voters selected Union Springs as the county seat when Bullock County was formed in 1866.[4]
Union Springs is located in southeastern Alabama near the center of Bullock County at 32°8'24.407" North, 85°42'46.094" West (32.140113, -85.712804).[5] The source of the Conecuh River is within the city limits.
The city is located at the intersection of U.S. Route 82 and U.S. Route 29. Route 82 leads east to Eufaula and northwest to Montgomery, the state capital. Route 29 leads north to Tuskegee and southwest to Troy.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Union Springs has a total area of 17.3sqkm, of which 17.2sqkm is land and 0.2sqkm, or 0.93%, is water.[3]
The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Union Springs has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.[6]
| White (non-Hispanic) | 318 | 9.47% | |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 2,548 | 75.88% | |
| Asian | 5 | 0.15% | |
| Pacific Islander | 2 | 0.06% | |
| Other/Mixed | 73 | 2.17% | |
| Hispanic or Latino | 412 | 12.27% |
As of the census[8] of 2010, there were 3,980 people, 1,461 households, and 915 families residing in the city.The population density was . There were 1,664 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 71.8% Black or African American, 12.9% White, 0.2% Native American, 0.4% Asian, 1.1% Pacific Islander, 12.8% from other races, and .8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 17.0% of the population.
There were 1,461 households, out of which 32.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 24.4% were married couples living together, 32.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.4% were non-families. 33.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 3.27.
In the city, the age distribution of the population shows 29.5% under the age of 18, 10.5% from 18 to 24, 23.6% from 25 to 44, 22.6% from 45 to 64, and 13.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30.5 years. For every 100 females, there were 85.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.7 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $22,476, and the median income for a family was $26,167. Males had a median income of $37,689 versus $21,372 for females. The per capita income for the city was $20,485. About 39.0% of families and 44.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 73.9% of those under age 18 and 19.4% of those age 65 or over.
From 1845 to 1872, the leader of the town was the intendant.[9] A new charter, which created a six-member council and mayor, for the town was approved on March 1, 1870. Henry Clay Tompkins was elected as the town's first mayor in January 1872. William Owen Baldwin was elected mayor in 1881, but died in 1883. James Blackmon Powell was appointed by the governor to fill the vacancy and served until 1885.[10]
| Party | Mayor | Term start | Term end | Note | Reference | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | William Hill Waugh | 1845 | 1848 | First intendant | |||
| 2 | Micajah Norfleet Eley | 1848 | 1850 | ||||
| 3 | John B. Coleman | 1850 | 1851 | ||||
| 4 | Francis A. Rutherford | 1851 | 1852 | ||||
| 5 | Thomas Hill Mabson | 1852 | 1853 | ||||
| 6 | James W. Hunter | 1853 | 1854 | ||||
| 7 | William H. Todd | 1854 | 1855 | ||||
| 8 | Henry H. Smith | 1855 | 1856 | ||||
| 9 | Thomas H. Ellis | 1856 | 1858 | ||||
| 10 | Richard Holmes Powell | 1858 | 1867 | ||||
| 11 | Thomas Pullman | 1867 | 1870 | ||||
| 12 | Isiah A. Wilson | 1848 | 1850 | Last intendant | |||
| 13 | Henry Clay Tompkins | 1872 | 1874 | First mayor | |||
| 14 | Isiah A. Wilson | 1874 | 1875 | ||||
| 15 | Noah B. Feagin | 1875 | 1876 | ||||
| 16 | Robert G. Wright | 1876 | 1877 | ||||
| 17 | Fleming Law | 1877 | 1879 | ||||
| 18 | Shep W. King | 1879 | 1881 | ||||
| 19 | William Owen Baldwin | 1881 | October 1883 | Died in office | |||
| 20 | James Blackmon Powell | November 1883 | 1885 | Appointed by governor | |||
| 21 | James Bennett Hunter | 1885 | 1886 | Son of James Hunter | |||
| 22 | James A. Paulk | 1886 | 1887 | ||||
| 23 | James Dean Norman | 1887 | 1890 | ||||
| 24 | David Shaw Bethune | 1890 | 1894 | ||||
| 25 | Donald Frederick Sessions | 1894 | 1898 | ||||
| 26 | Alonzo D. Fielder | 1898 | 1900 | ||||
| 27 | Alexander Edward Singleton Jr. | 1900 | 1902 | ||||
| 28 | Bennett Tilman Eley | 1902 | 1904 | ||||
| 29 | R.E.L. Cope | 1904 | 1906 | ||||
| 30 | L.M. Mosely | 1906 | 1910 | ||||
| 31 | J.D. Norman | 1910 | 1912 | ||||
| 32 | W.C. Thompson | 1912 | 1916 | ||||
| 33 | C.B. Feagin | 1916 | 1920 | ||||
| 34 | G.M. Edwards | 1920 | 1926 | ||||
| 35 | R.C. Keller | 1926 | 1932 | ||||
| 36 | Chester A. May | 1932 | 1940 | ||||
| 37 | R.W. Lawrence | 1940 | 1944 | ||||
| 38 | James William Chappell Jr. | 1948 | 1951 | ||||
| 39 | K.M. Varner | 1951 | 1952 | ||||
| 40 | D.G. Gwin | 1952 | 1960 | ||||
| 41 | Frank Hunter Anderson | 1960 | 1976 | ||||
| 42 | Sam Rainer | 1976 | 1980 | ||||
| 43 | Tony Gibson | 1980 | 1984 | ||||
| 44 | John G. McGowan | 1984 | 1988 | ||||
| 45 | Wayne Chancey | 1988 | 1992 | ||||
| 46 | William Durden Dean | 1992 | ? |
Union Springs is served by the Bullock County School District. There are two high schools in the city: Bullock County High School and Bullock County Career Technical Center. There is one middle school, South Highlands Middle School, and one elementary school, Union Springs Elementary.
Conecuh Springs Christian School is a private school for grades K through 12.
The United States Postal Service operates the Union Springs Post Office.[11] The Alabama Department of Corrections operates the Bullock Correctional Facility in an Unincorporated community in Bullock County, east of Union Springs.[12] [13]
A cotton growing region, the arrival of the railroad spurred new economic growth after the Civil War. By the early 1900s, many of the old cotton plantations had become hunting preserves, attracting tourists. The city remains the economic hub of the surrounding agricultural counties.[4]
A major employer in the city is Bonnie Plants, Inc., a plant wholesaler founded in 1918 with revenue exceeding over $250 million by 2020.[14]
Union Springs hosts annual field trials for hunting dogs. These trials take place between October and March and attract participants from around the country.[15]