Newbern, Alabama

Newbern is a town in Hale County, Alabama, United States. It incorporated in 1854. The population as of the 2010 U.S. Census was 186, down from 231 in 2000. This was its lowest population since the census reported figures for the community beginning in 1880. It is part of the Tuscaloosa, Alabama Metropolitan Statistical Area. The community was named for New Bern, North Carolina. It is in the Central Standard Time Zone. The Rural Studio of Auburn University is based in Newbern; its architecture student practitioners work under the supervision of faculty on designing and building affordable housing and similar projects to support the population of rural areas in Alabama.GeographyNewbern is located at .According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1.2sqmi, all land.The town is located in the geographic region known as the Black Belt, related to the fertile soil which attracted developers of cotton plantations in the antebellum years, and also to the population of enslaved African Americans who worked at those sites. Many areas of the rural Black Belt are still majority African American in population.DemographicsAs of the census of 2000, there were 231 people, 91 households, and 59 families residing in the town. The population density was 198.5 people per square mile (76.9/km²). There were 110 housing units at an average density of 94.5 per square mile (36.6/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 22.94% White and 77.06% Black or African American.