Valley Grande, Alabama

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. The city's population was 4,020 at the time of the 2010 census.HistoryValley 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 56.12acre.. The present city of Valley Grande came into being following fears that new and divisive Selma mayor James Perkins, Jr. was planning on annexing the area into the city of Selma. In late 2002 it became evident that in order to preserve the quality of life the people of the Valley Grande and Summerfield areas were accustomed to, and to maintain local control of their communities, it would be necessary to incorporate. 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.