Vance, in west-central Alabama, is located primarily in Tuscaloosa County, except for a small portion in the south that extends into Bibb County. The town has a mayor/council form of government.
History
In 1872, Trion was renamed Smallwood after Charles Smallwood, who owned a local sawmill; the lumber industry remains important in the area. In 1873, the Alabama Great Southern Railroad built a line through the area, quickly ending the delivery of mail by stagecoach. The town was renamed Vance in 1879, the official year of its founding, after William Vance, a physician who had relocated there from North Carolina, established a long-time medical practice there, and helped found the Lee Institute school in 1873. Vance's daughter Lucy was the postmistress for about 40 years. In 1923, the institute was replaced by a 12-grade school. Vance was incorporated in 1972.
Demographics
The population of Vance at the time of the 2010 Census was 1,529. Of that number, 88.8 percent reported itself as white, 7.2 percent as African American, 5.6 percent as Hispanic or Latino, 1.7 percent as two or more races, 0.6 percent as Asian, and 0.4 percent as American Indian and Alaskan Native. The median household income according to Census estimates is $55,559 and per capita income, $25,607.
Employment
According to 2010 Census estimates, the Vance workforce was divided among the following major industrial categories:
· Manufacturing (19.8 percent)
· Educational services, and health care and social assistance (19.6 percent)
· Retail trade (16.1 percent)
· Professional, scientific, and management, and administrative and waste management services (9.4 percent)
· Transportation and warehousing, and utilities (8.7 percent)
· Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and extractive industries (5.7 percent)
· Public administration (5.7 percent)
· Finance and insurance, and real estate and rental and leasing (5.4 percent)
· Construction (4.3 percent)
· Wholesale trade (4.0 percent)
· Other services, except public administration (1.2 percent)
· Educational services, and health care and social assistance (19.6 percent)
· Retail trade (16.1 percent)
· Professional, scientific, and management, and administrative and waste management services (9.4 percent)
· Transportation and warehousing, and utilities (8.7 percent)
· Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and extractive industries (5.7 percent)
· Public administration (5.7 percent)
· Finance and insurance, and real estate and rental and leasing (5.4 percent)
· Construction (4.3 percent)
· Wholesale trade (4.0 percent)
· Other services, except public administration (1.2 percent)
Education
Public education in Vance is overseen by the Tuscaloosa County School System, which administers one elementary school that enrolls approximately 450 students and employs approximately 50 educators and staff.
Transportation
Vance is accessed by U.S. Route 11/State Highway 7, which runs east-west through the center of the town, and Interstate 59/20, which runs east-west through the northern section of the town. Norfolk Southern Corporation operates a rail line that runs through Vance. The town is convenient to the Tuscaloosa Regional Airport.
Events and Places of Interest
Vance maintains several athletic fields and a nature trail and hosts a community farmers' market at the Vance Civic Center. It also hosts a Christmas celebration, typically the second Saturday in December.
Additional Resources
Hoole, William Stanley, and Elizabeth Hoole McArthur. The Yankee Invasion of West Alabama, March-April, 1865, Including the Battle of Trion (Vance), the Battle of Tuscaloosa, the Burning of the University, and the Battle of Romulus. Tuscaloosa, Ala.: Confederate Publishing Company, 1985.
The Heritage of Tuscaloosa County, Alabama. Clanton, Ala.: Heritage Publishing Consultants, 1999.