Sylacauga

Sylacauga is a city in Talladega County, Alabama, United States. At the 2010 census the population was 12,749.Nicknames for Sylacauga include "The Marble City", "Buzzard's Roost", and "Alabama’s Best-Kept Secret".Sylacauga is known for its fine white marble bedrock. It was discovered shortly after settlers moved into the area and has been quarried ever since. The marble industry was the first recorded industry in the Sylacauga area.Sylacauga is the site of the first documented case of an object from outer space hitting a person. On November 30, 1954, a 4kg piece of what became known as the Hodges Meteorite crashed through the roof of an Oak Grove house, bounced off a radio, and badly bruised Mrs. Ann Hodges, who was taking an afternoon nap.Sylacauga is on the 2010 list of "100 Best Communities for Young People" by America's Promise Alliance.HistoryThe first settlers in the Coosa River Valley were the Creek Indians whose later encounters with the Spanish and French had a significant influence on the history of Sylacauga. Events that occurred between these three groups were partly responsible for the settlement of the village of Chalakagay in 1748 by Shawnee Indians led by Peter Chartier.Sylacauga was first mentioned in Hernando de Soto's records in 1540. It was later listed in the French territorial records in 1759 as being a town inhabited by 50 Shawnee Indian warriors, and the name then known as Chalakagay. Late in the summer of 1836 all of the Indians remaining in Alabama were taken west by the United States government. The name Sy-la-cau-ga is derived from the Indian words Chalaka-ge which mean "The Place of the Chalaka Tribe". The city was first incorporated in 1838 as Syllacoga and again in 1887 as Sylacauga.