Census Data for Southside

Population ...

The most recent Census Estimate<1> was for 2019 and it gave Southside a population of 8,931 people.

The last Decennial Census<2> was in 2010, which gave Southside a population of 8,412 people.

The city of Southside is located in Calhoun County. The 2010 Census gave Calhoun County; a population of 118,572 people. This means that Southside had 7.09% of the county's total population, making it Calhoun's 3rd most populous community.

At the same time, Alabama had a population of 4,779,736 people, meaning that Southside had 0.18% of the total population of Alabama - making it the state's 73rd most populous community.

Area ...

The 2010 Census shows that the sampling area for Southside has a total area of 19.15 square miles [49.6 km²]. Of this total, a small amount of the area is covered by water (0.17 square miles [0.4 km²]).

Calhoun County has a land area of 605 square miles [1,569.2 km²]. At 18.98 square miles [49.2 km²], Southside has 3.13% of the county's total land area.

• Continue Reading ...
  • When the Census Bureau conducts a census for a city like Southside, they draw a boundary around the area in which they are going to conduct their count - this defines the sampling area (usually a polygon). The shape of the sampling area can be quite complex and it's important to keep in mind that the boundaries of the sampling area may or may not match the recognized boundaries of the city.
  • Things like population, area and housing for Southside reflect the sampling area. Since the shape of the sampling area and the actual boundaries of Southside might be different, it's best to check with the U.S. Census Bureau to resolve any difference between the two.
  • Not only does the sampling area define boundaries, it also has a GPS location (latitude & longitude) that indicates a point within the sampling area (usually the center of the polygon, known as the centroid). At the time of the 2010 Census, the sampling area was located at:
  • Lat:   33° 53' 27"   (or 33.89°)
  • Lon:   -86° 1' 4"   (or -86.02°)
  • More information on this topic and the changes between the 2000 Census and the 2010 Census can be found in the section for our Census-to-Census Observations ... (see below).

Housing Units ...

At the time of the 2010 Census, Southside had 3,500 Housing Units<3> and with its population of 8,412 people, this averages 2.4 people per Housing Unit.

• Continue Reading ...
  • The 2010 Census shows Southside had a land area of 18.98 square miles [49.2 km²]. This translates to 182.8 Housing Units per square mile [70.6 housing units/km²].
  • From the Census of 2000: Southside had 2,783 Housing Units, a population of 7,036 people and a land area of 18.9 square miles [49 km²]. This gives a density of 2.53 people per Housing Unit and 145.7 Housing Units per square mile [56.2 housing units/km²].
  • Note: Repeating the caution above (under Population Density), be aware that when comparing Housing Units between the 2010 and the 2000 Census, there were changes in the sampling area for Southside and you need to be careful when comparing numbers between the censuses. More information about the changes can be found in the section called Census-to-Census Observations ... (see below).

Calhoun County ...

The community of Southside is primarily located in Calhoun County<4>. A portion of Southside extends into Etowah County.

The county had a population of 118,572 people at the 2010 Census. With it's population of 8,412 people, Southside represented 7.09% of the county's total.

In addition, where the city of Southside has a population density of 439.3 people per square mile [169.6 people/km²], Calhoun County averages 195.7 people per square mile [75.6 people/km²].

For more information, please visit our Census Page for Calhoun County.

Census-to-Census Observations ...

Introduction ...

When the Census Bureau takes a census count (or enumeration) for Southside, they start by specifying the boundaries of the area to be counted. This area (or sampling area) is a polygon and its shape can be quite complex - it may or may not match the geographical boundaries of Southside. It's important to note that from one Census to the next, the shape and location of the polygon can change.

• Continue Reading ...
  • Although we don't have specific information about the shape of the polygon for Southside or how it changed has over time, there is some information that can give us some hints. For example, since the shape of the sampling area is directly related to the shape of the polygon, any change to area probably indicates a new shape for the polygon.
  • If you need precision or details about the methodology of the Census, you should visit the U.S. Census Bureau for a definitive answer.

Location ...

While generally coinciding with the GPS location (latitude/longitude) of Southside, the latitude and longitude given by the Census Bureau actually indicates the GPS location of the polygon for Southside.

• Continue Reading ...
  • For the 2010 Census, the location was given as:
  • Lat:   33.890841°   (or 33°53'27" N)
  • Lon:   -86.018020°   (or -86°1'4" W)
  • For the 2000 Census, the location given was:
  • Lat:   33.903597°   (or 33°54'12" N)
  • Lon:   -86.026105°   (or -86°1'33" W)
  • The difference indicates that the U.S. Census Bureau moved the location of the polygon for the 2010 Census 5,254 feet to the southeast<5> of the location that was used in the 2000 Census.
  • The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the U.S. Board on Geographic Names (BGN) have assigned a unique GNIS identifier (#2405499) to Southside. This identifier also marks a GPS point on the map, and that point lies within the boundaries of Southside. The GNIS point has been mapped to the latitude/longitude:
  • Lat:   33.901043°   (or 33°54'3" N)
  • Lon:   -86.024057°   (or -86°1'26" W)
  • The GPS location given for the 2010 Census lies 4,143 feet to the southeast<6> of the point given by the GNIS for Southside. For more information about this and the relationship of the various Federal Codes, please visit our Misc Page for Southside.

Miscellaneous Information for Southside ...

The Federal government has assigned various identifying codes to each community, county and state. At one time or another, the US Census Bureau has used one (or more) of the following identifiers when referring to either Calhoun County or the city of Southside:

• The GNIS Codes ...
  • The current system of identification is called the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). The following GNIS codes relate to Southside:
  • GNIS ID for Southside: 2405499
  • GNIS ID for Calhoun County: 161533
  • GNIS ID for State of Alabama: 1779775

• The FIPS Codes ...
  • An earlier (and largely obsolete) identification method was called the Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS):
  • State Code: 01 (Alabama)
  • County Code: 015 (Calhoun County)
  • Place Code: 71832 (Southside)
  • State & County Code: 01/015 (Alabama / Calhoun County)
  • State & Place Code: 01/71832 (Alabama / Southside)

• Misc. Census Codes ...
  • Southside is located in Census Region #3 (the South Region) and Division #6 (the East South-Central Division).

For more information about the various Federal identification codes, please visit our Misc Page for Southside.

Off-the-Road Links ...

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Southside. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for Calhoun County: www.calhouncounty.org/

The official website for State of Alabama: https://www.alabama.gov/

The official website of the U.S. Census Bureau

The official website of the U.S. Board on Geographic Names (BGN)

The official website of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)