Alabama
These were Alabama’s 10 fastest-shrinking cities in 2023
Most of the fastest-shrinking Alabama cities in 2023 were in the Birmingham metro area – continuing the trend of a declining population around what was long the state’s largest city.
But the Jefferson County cities aren’t losing population as fast as Selma, the Black Belt’s iconic civil rights town, which was the fastest-shrinking city from 2022 to 2023, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
From July 1, 2022 to July 1, 2023, Selma lost 341 residents, bringing its official population estimate to 16,666. That’s a decline of 2% in a single year – the largest drop among Alabama cities with more than 10,000 residents.
The second fastest-shrinking city, Center Point, saw a 1.1% decrease. Located in Jefferson County, Center Point is now home to 15,705.
Six other cities in Jefferson County, home of Birmingham, were among the 10 fastest-shrinking. The city of Birmingham lost 243 people in a single year and now has 196,444 residents. But Montgomery is shrinking much faster. And Birmingham slipped ahead of Montgomery at this latest count and is once again the second most populous city in Alabama. For now.
Like Birmingham, both Mobile and Montgomery shrank in population. Mobile lost 695 people and Montgomery dropped 1,657, to fall behind Birmingham. However, Mobile recently voted to add nearly 20,000 new residents to the city limits. At this time next year, when the next federal estimates come out, Mobile will officially be the second largest city in Alabama.
Huntsville, the most populous city in Alabama, grew by 3,534 residents from 2022-2023 for a total population of 225,564.
(Can’t see the chart? Click here.)
While Alabama saw population decreases in the Black Belt and three of the four major cities – the state’s beach and college towns grew rapidly.
- Selma -2% The Dallas County city now has a total population of 16,666 after losing 341 residents in 2023.
- Center Point -1.1% Jefferson County’s fastest-shrinking city lost 175 people in 2023 bringing the total population to 15,705.
- Alexander City -1% Located in Tallapoosa County, the city now has 14,470 residents. In 2023, it lost 150 people.
- Bessemer -1% Also in Jefferson County, the North Birmingham city lost 251 residents, bringing the total population to 25,037
- Hueytown -.9% Another Jefferson County city to dwindle in population, Hueytown lost 154 people in 2023. The city now has a population of 16,202.
- Mountain Brook -.9% The affluent city now has a population of 21,737 after losing 204 residents.
- Montgomery -.8% Alabama’s capital city lost 1,657 people in 2023 and now has a population of 195,287.
- Gardendale -.7% Another Jefferson County city to see a decline, Gardendale lost 117 residents for a 2023 population of 16,096.
- Vestavia Hills -.7% Vestavia’s population of 38,020 came after the city lost 266 in 2023.
- Eufaula – .7% Located in southeastern Barbour County, Eufaula lost 84 people for a population of 12,451.
See if your city grew from 2022 to 2023.
(Can’t see the map? Click here.)
Alabama
Small Plane Makes Emergency Landing In Peanut Field Near Florida-Alabama Line : NorthEscambia.com
A single-engine plane made an emergency landing in an Alabama peanut field near the Florida state line on Friday afternoon.
The pilot and a student made the landing in the field after experiencing engine trouble, approximately 0.7 miles south-southwest of the runway at the Atmore Municipal Airport. There were no injuries.
The 2023 Diamond DA 40 NG plane belonging to Skywarrior Flight Training of Pensacola did not sustain any apparent damage.
For more photos, click here.
The incident occurred just north of Old Bratt Road, which is also known as State Line Road in Florida. The Florida-Alabama state line is generally considered to be along the middle of the roadway.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
The 2026 Major League Baseball Draft begins Saturday, and Alabama Crimson Tide shortstop Justin Lebron has consistently been touted as one of the first 10-20 overall picks among analysts’ various mock drafts.
On Friday, CBS Sports released its final mock ahead of this weekend’s festivities in Philadelphia. Analyst Mike Axisa sees Lebron going to the Texas Rangers with the 16th overall selection.
Among college players, Lebron lands between Arkansas catcher Ryder Helfrick at No. 14 and one spot above Texas A&M second baseman Chris Hacopian in CBS Sports’ final analysis.
Axisa said of the possible Rangers-Lebron fit:
“The Rangers have a thing for ‘famous’ prospects in the draft (think Jack Leiter and Kumar Rocker), and Lebron is one of the most famous prospects available this summer. About 18 months ago, he was the favorite to go No. 1 overall, but some uneven performances (and Cholowsky’s breakout) cooled that talk. Lebron has some of the loudest tools in the draft class. We’re talking speed, power, athleticism, the works. Approach and plate discipline concerns have held him back, though.”
ESPN sees Alabama’s Justin Lebron among top 12 MLB draft picks
In the final MLB mock draft by ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel on Friday, Lebron goes 12th overall to the Los Angeles Angels. LSU outfielder Derek Curiel is taken one pick above Lebron by the Washington Nationals in McDaniel’s draft forecast.
“With a new interim head of baseball operations in John Mozeliak, who is mostly hands-off with the draft, the belief is that the scouts will get to make this pick. That doesn’t mean all prep upside because that’s not really what the board is giving them, but I could see the Angels selecting a college hitter with less polish and more upside, such as Lebron, who is a nice value here.” –Kiley McDaniel, ESPN.com.
Could Justin Lebron be a top-10 pick in 2026 MLB draft?
For The Win, part of the USA TODAY Sports Media Group, unveiled its 2026 mock draft on Friday. Wajih AlBaroudi has Lebron going as high as No. 8 overall to the Athletics and said:
“Lebron is a dynamic athlete whose only glaring flaw is his patience at the plate. If he can clean that up, he’ll be a fixture atop the A’s lineup.”
Keith Law’s final mock draft for The Athletic (subscription required for full access) has Lebron taken with the 15th overall pick by the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Justin Lebron career stats at Alabama
Lebron batted .313 with a .414 on base percentage, 45 home runs, 39 doubles and 158 RBIs in three seasons for the Crimson Tide. He stole 69 bases in his collegiate career. This past season, Lebron hit .277 with 16 homers and 13 doubles as Alabama won 42 games and reached the College World Series for the first time since 1999.
Where to watch the 2026 MLB draft: time, TV channel, streaming
The 2026 Major League Baseball Draft begins Saturday in Philadelphia. Per Major League Baseball, rounds 1-4 start at noon CT. The first 10 picks will be televised on NBC and will stream on Peacock. Picks 11-40 can be seen on MLB Network beginning at 1:30 p.m. Saturday.
Rounds 5-20 begin Sunday at 10:30 a.m. CT and can be seen on MLB.com.
Follow us at @RollTideWire on X, and like our page on Facebook, for ongoing coverage of Alabama Crimson Tide news, notes and opinions.
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