| Official Name: | Valley Grande |
| Settlement Type: | City |
| Pushpin Map: | Alabama |
| Pushpin Label: | Valley Grande |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in Dallas County and the state of Alabama |
| Coordinates: | 32.4858°N -87.0304°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Type2: | County |
| Subdivision Name2: | Dallas |
| Established Title2: | Incorporated |
| Established Date2: | 2003 |
| Government Type: | Mayor-council government |
| Leader Title: | Mayor |
| Leader Name: | Wayne Labbe |
| Unit Pref: | Imperial |
| Area Footnotes: | [1] |
| Area Total Km2: | 87.59 |
| Area Land Km2: | 86.78 |
| Area Water Km2: | 0.81 |
| Elevation Footnotes: | [2] |
| Elevation Ft: | 259 |
| Population Total: | 4190 |
| Population As Of: | 2020 |
| Population Density Km2: | 48.29 |
| Population Density Sq Mi: | 125.06 |
| Timezone1: | Central (CST) |
| Utc Offset1: | -6 |
| Timezone1 Dst: | CDT |
| Utc Offset1 Dst: | -5 |
| Postal Code Type: | ZIP codes |
| Postal Code: | 36701, 36703 |
| Area Code: | 334 |
| Blank Name Sec1: | FIPS code |
| Blank Info Sec1: | 01-01047[3] |
| Blank1 Name Sec1: | GNIS feature ID |
| Blank1 Info Sec1: | 2405635 |
| Blank Name: | FIPS code |
| Blank Info: | 01-78232 |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 33.82 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 33.51 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 0.31 |
Valley Grande is a city in Dallas County, Alabama, United States, just north of Selma. Incorporated in early 2003, Valley Grande has a mayor-council form of government.[4] The city's population was 4,020 at the time of the 2010 census.[5]
Valley Grande encompasses the historic community of Summerfield. Established in 1819 as "Valley Creek", the town was renamed "Summerfield" in 1845 to honor the noted Methodist preacher John Summerfield. In 1829, the first academy in Dallas County was chartered in Valley Creek. In 1842, the Alabama Conference of the Methodist Church opened the Methodist Centenary Institute, a coeducational institution chartered by the Alabama Legislature on January 2, 1841. At its peak when cotton production was profitable, Summerfield was a very prosperous community of planters, doctors, merchants, ministers, and educators. The historical core of Summerfield has survived intact and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a historic district encompassing 56.12acres.. On January 9, 2003, the people of Valley Grande voted 9 to 1 for incorporation as the Town of Valley Grande. After the election of a mayor and five-member town council the vast majority of the Summerfield area was voluntarily annexed as part of Valley Grande.[6]
Valley Grande is located in northeastern Dallas County at 32.486872, -87.032773.[7] It is bordered to the south by the city of Selma, the county seat.
According to the United States Census Bureau, Valley Grande has a total area of 87.6sqkm, of which 86.8sqkm is land and 0.8sqkm is water.[5]
As of the census of 2010, there were 4,020 people, 1,559 households, and 1,173 families residing in the city. The population density was 118.9sp=usNaNsp=us. The racial makeup of the city was 75.2% White, 23% Black or African American, 0.4% Native American, 0.4% Asian, 0.2% from other races, and 0.8% from two or more races.[8]
There were 1,559 households, out of which 33.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them; 34.2% were married couples living together, 10.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.8% were non-families. 21.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 3.00.[8]
The median income for a household in the city was $57,432, and the median income for a family was $64,461. Males had a median income of $42,456 versus $37,722 for females. The per capita income for the city was $25,767. About 8.7% of families and 8.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.1% of those under age 18 and 6.4% of those age 65 or over.[8]
| White (non-Hispanic) | 2,773 | 66.18% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 1,272 | 30.36% |
| Asian | 24 | 0.57% |
| Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander | 1 | 0.02% |
| Native American | 6 | 0.14% |
| Other/Mixed | 114 | 2.72% |
The city government is composed of a mayor and five at-large council members. The current mayor is Wayne Labbe. The city council members are Tim White, Ronald Sawyer, Lamar Morgan, Tammy Troha and Jimmy Johnson.
Residents are zoned to schools in Dallas County Schools. Valley Grande Elementary School and Martin Middle School, within the city, serve the county.[10] [11] Most high school-aged students attend the public Dallas County High School, located in Plantersville, a nearby unincorporated area.[10]
