Luverne, Alabama

Luverne is a city in and the county seat of Crenshaw County, Alabama, United States. The community bills itself as "The Friendliest City in the South" despite the 1940 lynching. At the 2010 census the population was 2,800.HistoryThe town of Luverne was one of numerous towns developed in the state as a result of railroad construction. It was founded in 1889 in the central part of Crenshaw County in association with the construction of the Montgomery and Florida Railroad; it was intended as the terminus. The new railroad station attracted related development and the town grew. It incorporated in 1891. This was a center of timbering in the piney woods, as the land was not suitable for large-scale agriculture.In 1893, the citizens of Crenshaw County voted to move the county seat from Rutledge to the more populous Luverne.According to the Equal Justice Initiative, "In 1940, Jesse Thornton was lynched in Luverne, Alabama, for referring to a white police officer by his name without the title of “mister.""GeographyLuverne is located at. The town of Rutledge lies along Luverne's western border.According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 40.6sqkm, of which 40.5sqkm is land and 0.1sqkm, or 0.17%, is water.DemographicsAs of the census of 2000, there were 2,635 people, 1,107 households, and 710 families residing in the city. The population density was. There were 1,249 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the city was 70.25% White, 28.43% Black or African American, 0.08% Native American, 0.15% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.11% from other races, and 0.95% from two or more races. 0.68% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.