OCR Text |
Show ton, and Montgomery, Ala. These range in size from 23,000 to 106,000. Twenty-eight additional towns have populations exceeding 2,500. Eighty percent of the people live on farms or in the smaller communities, which are fairly evenly distributed throughout the basin except for the sparsely popu- lated area along the lower Alabama River. Notwithstanding a large natural increase in population, the basin population has grown only 6 percent during the past decade. Migration of peo- ple from the area has been heavy. Total increase in population is less than half that for the United States as a -whole (14.5 percent) and somewhat less than for the States of Alabama (8.1 percent) or Georgia (10.3 percent). However, the urban centers have grown appreciably. This is due, in part, to increased war and postwar economic activity in the cities. Loss of rural population was heavy, exceeding 20 percent in some counties. Population of major cities and percentage in- creases are shown in the following tabulation: City Population Increase 1940 1950 Montgomery.............. 78,084 36,975 25,523 26,282 19,834 105,715 55,426 31,150 29,617 22,629 Percent 35 50 22 13 14 Gadsden.... .... Anniston................. Rome.................... Sflrrm. . , Nature of the Economy The early economy of the basin was predomi- nantly agricultural, but other forms of industry have been catching up in recent decades. State- wide data for Alabama show that agriculture accounts for about 20 percent of the income pay- ments from all sources except government; timber production (including growing, harvesting, and manufacturing of timber products), 10 percent; other manufacturing, 18 percent; trades and serv- ices, 29 percent; all other sources, including mining, 23 percent. These same percentages would apply fairly closely- in the Alabama-Coosa Basin. Cotton, corn, livestock, and timber are the major farm products. About 40 percent of the total gain- ful workers are employed in agriculture. How- ever, a large number of farm operators do not earn enough cash farm income to support satisfactory living levels. Small farms, depleted lands, neglect of woodlands, and the one-cash-crop system of farming are factors which contribute to this condition. The abundant resources have stimulated a recent growth of industry. The number of manufactur- ing establishments more than doubled between 1939 and 1947, and the number of production workers increased more than one-third. In 1940, per capita income in the Southeast, of which the Alabama-Coosa Basin is a characteristic part, was $322, or 56 percent of the national average. By 1948, per capita income had increased to $959, or 68 percent of the national average. Industrial growth has contributed substantially to the rela- tively large increase in per capita income in the Southeast. Despite these gains, the area is not yet industrialized to an extent comparable with many other regions, and in most States in the region manufacturing represents a smaller proportion of total income than in the country as a whole. Present Forms of Resource Use Agriculture Although agriculture is a major activity through- out the basin area only 25 percent of the land is cultivated. Another 10 percent is in grass and 60 percent is in forest. Cotton and corn have been the principal farm products, but an increasing acreage is being used for other types of farming. Farm woodland acre- age has increased somewhat in recent years where abandoned fields have reverted to forests. Farmers are becoming increasingly aware that timber can be grown as a crop. In the lower and central parts of the basin, land is being converted to pastures with increased production of beef, dairy, and other livestock products. Montgomery, Ala., is the larg- est terminal livestock market east of the Mississippi and south of the Ohio River. Vegetables and fruits are grown near urban markets. Farms are small; many are too small to serve as economic family units. The average sized farm is approximately 140 acres, of which 28 acres are cultivated. However, this does not present a true 526 |