Welcome to Fort Payne ...
The city of Fort Payne is located in DeKalb County<1> and is the County Seat for DeKalb County.
Fort Payne was established in 1889.
A typical abbreviation for Fort Payne: Ft. Payne
From the Census Estimates for 2019, Fort Payne has a population of 14,042 people<2> (see below for details).
The community of Fort Payne is 1,100 feet [335 m] above sea level.<3>.
Time Zone: Fort Payne lies in the Central Time Zone (CST/CDT) and observes daylight saving time
Note: If you travel east from Fort Payne (for example, toward Menlo (GA)), you will soon leave Central Time and cross into the Eastern Time Zone (EST/EDT).
Telephone area codes for Fort Payne: (256) & (938)<4>
The ZIP codes for Fort Payne: 35967-35968<5>
Websites for Fort Payne ...
Official Website: www.fortpayne.org/
Population Details ...
Taken from the 2019 Census Estimates, Fort Payne had an population of 14,042 people. This is an increase of 0.21% since the 2010 Census (or an increase of 8.53% since the 2000 Census).
At the time of the 2010 Census, Fort Payne had a population of 14,012 people (or 19.7% of the total population of DeKalb County). This makes Fort Payne the county's most populous community.
The population of Fort Payne represents 0.29% of the total population of Alabama (which has 4,779,736 people), making it the state's 46th most populous community.
With a 2010 count of 14,012 people, the population of Fort Payne increased 8.3% from the 2000 Census (which had a count of 12,938 people).
More information can be found on the Census Page for Fort Payne.
Communities near Fort Payne ...
We have created a list of 10 communities that are near Fort Payne.
- Rainsville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rainsville have been provided by the GNIS.<6> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rainsville
- Rainsville is located in DeKalb County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 5,149 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rainsville <7>
- Henagar
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Henagar
- Henagar is located in DeKalb County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,367 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Henagar <7>
- Collinsville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Collinsville
- Collinsville is located in DeKalb County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,938 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Collinsville <7>
- Sylvania
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest) - Crossville
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crossville
- Crossville is located in DeKalb County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,847 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Crossville <7>
- Cedar Bluff
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cedar Bluff have been provided by the GNIS.<6> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Bluff
- Cedar Bluff is located in Cherokee County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,829 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cedar Bluff <7>
- Fyffe
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fyffe have been provided by the GNIS.<6> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fyffe
- Fyffe is located in DeKalb County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,076 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fyffe <7>
- Leesburg
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leesburg
- Leesburg is located in Cherokee County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,016 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Leesburg <7>
- Powell
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Powell
- Powell is located in DeKalb County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 908 people
- Geraldine
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Geraldine
- Geraldine is located in DeKalb County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 896 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Geraldine <7>
To Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
We have a couple of sections for those tracing their genealogy.
We created a list of cemeteries that are in the area around Fort Payne. Our list includes the location of those cemeteries and we provide an overhead view. See our Cemetery List for Fort Payne.
Using the information from an 1895 Atlas, we've created a list of communities that were in the area of Fort Payne. Our list includes information such as whether the 1895 community had a post office or railroad service. See our List of 1890's Communities around Fort Payne.
We also have a detailed list of newspapers that have been published in the area around Fort Payne. Our list includes 10 papers. See our Newspapers Page for Fort Payne.
TripAdvisor Tourism Pages for Fort Payne ...
Looking for more information about Fort Payne? A wonderful source is the TripAdvisor website. We always start with the TripAdvisor Tourism page, where you can read an overview with links that will help you find lodging, restaurants and attractions.
In addition to the Tourism page for Fort Payne, there are neighboring communities that also have Tourism pages. More information about those communities can be found on our TripAdvisor Page for Fort Payne.
Adding Fort Payne to Our Gazetteer ...
We originally found mention of Fort Payne in both the FIPS-55 and the GNIS. For more information, see the FIPS and GNIS Codes sections on our Miscellaneous Page.
From our notes, the earliest published mention we've found for Fort Payne was in the book titled Business Atlas and Shippers' Guide (1895).
We also found Fort Payne on a map titled Rand McNally Map of Alabama (1911).
For more details, see References and Mentions for Fort Payne.
Off-the-Road Links ...
The official website for Fort Payne: www.fortpayne.org/
The official website for DeKalb County: www.dekalbcountyal.us/
The official website for State of Alabama: https://www.alabama.gov/
Footnotes ...
| <1> | If you're interested in how the shape of Alabama's counties, including DeKalb, have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. |
| <2> | Population counts have been provided by the U.S. Census Bureau. For more detail, please visit our Census Page for Fort Payne. |
| <3> | The elevation is an estimate for the area around Fort Payne - it will be higher in some places and lower in others. |
| <4> | Area code (938) is an overlay for area code (256). |
| <5> | ZIP Codes have been created by the United States Postal Service (USPS) as a way of grouping addresses to make delivery more efficient. The boundaries of the ZIP Code can be changed, re-assigned, eliminated or overlapped with other ZIP Codes. So keep in mind that any given ZIP Code is only 'loosely' associated with a city (such as Fort Payne). When looking for a ZIP Code, whether Fort Payne or elsewhere, it's always best to check the website of the United States Postal Service (USPS). Our list of ZIP Codes for Fort Payne includes: 35967 & 35968. |
| <6> | The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required. |
| <7> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |