View source for Tuskegee, Alabama

{{short description|City in Alabama, United States}}
{{hatnote group| {{redirect|Tuskegee}} {{distinguish|Tuscaloosa, Alabama|Tuscumbia, Alabama}} }}
{{Use American English|date=September 2024}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2025}}
{{Infobox settlement
| official_name      = Tuskegee, Alabama
| settlement_type    = [[City]]
| nickname           = The Pride of the Swift Growing South
| motto              = <!-- Images --------------->
| image_skyline      = Tuskegee3.JPG
| imagesize          =
| image_caption      = [[Macon County Courthouse (Alabama)|Macon County Courthouse]]
| image_flag         = Flag of Tuskegee, Alabama.png
| image_seal         = Seal of Tuskegee, Alabama.png
<!-- Maps ----------------->| image_map          = Macon County Alabama Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Tuskegee Highlighted 0177304.svg
| mapsize            = 250px
| map_caption        = Location of Tuskegee in Macon County, Alabama
| pushpin_map        = Alabama#USA
| pushpin_map_caption = Location within Alabama##Location within the United States
| pushpin_label      = Tuskegee
| pushpin_relief     = yes<!-- Location ------------->
| subdivision_type   = Country
| subdivision_name   = United States
| subdivision_type1  = [[U.S. state|State]]
| subdivision_name1  = [[Alabama]]
| subdivision_type2  = [[List of counties in Alabama|County]]
| subdivision_name2  = [[Macon County, Alabama|Macon]]
<!-- Government ----------->| government_footnotes = <ref>{{cite web|title=City Council / Mayor|url=https://www.tuskegeealabama.gov/city-council-mayor|publisher=City of Tuskegee, Alabama|access-date=December 22, 2024}}</ref>
| government_type    = [[Mayor–council government|Mayor–Council]]
| leader_title       = [[List of mayors of Tuskegee, Alabama|Mayor]]
| leader_name        = Lawrence F. Haygood, Jr.
| established_title  = Founded
| established_date   = 1833
| established_title1 = [[Municipal corporation|Incorporated]]
| established_date1  = February 13, 1843<ref>{{cite web|title=Municipalities of Alabama Incorporation Dates |url=https://almonline.org/Assets/Files/AboutUs/Alabama_Municipalities_Incorporation_Dates.pdf |publisher=Alabama League of Municipalities |date=January 15, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240225202142/https://almonline.org/Assets/Files/AboutUs/Alabama_Municipalities_Incorporation_Dates.pdf |access-date=December 22, 2024|archive-date=February 25, 2024 }}</ref>
<!-- Area ----------------->| unit_pref          = Imperial
| area_footnotes     = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2024">{{cite web|title=2024 U.S. Gazetteer Files|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2024_Gazetteer/2024_gaz_place_01.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=December 22, 2024}}</ref>
| area_magnitude     =
| area_total_km2     = 44.887
| area_land_km2      = 44.185
| area_water_km2     = 0.702
| area_total_sq_mi   = 17.331
| area_land_sq_mi    = 17.060
| area_water_sq_mi   = 0.271
<!-- Population ----------->| population_as_of   = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
| population_est     = 8765
| pop_est_as_of      = 2023
| pop_est_footnotes  = <ref name="USCensusEst2023"/>
| population_footnotes = <ref name="2020 Census (City)"/>
| population_total   = 9395
| population_density_km2 = 198.39
| population_density_sq_mi = 513.85
| population_urban   = 9003
| population_metro   = 18370
<!-- General information -->| timezone           = [[Central Time Zone|Central (CST)]]
| utc_offset         = −6
| timezone_DST       = CDT
| utc_offset_DST     = −5
| elevation_footnotes = <ref name=gnis/>
| elevation_m        = 141
| elevation_ft       = 463
| coordinates        = {{coord|32|25|26.50|N|85|41|29.83|W|region:US-AL_type:city|display=inline}}
| postal_code_type   = [[ZIP Code]]
| postal_code        = 36083
| area_code          = [[Area code 334|334]]
| blank_name         = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
| blank_info         = 01-77304
| blank1_name        = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
| blank1_info        = 0128211<ref name=gnis>{{GNIS|0128211}}</ref>
| blank2_name        = [[Sales tax]]
| blank2_info        = 11.5%<ref>{{cite web | title=Tuskegee Sales Tax Calculator 2025: Lookup Alabama Tax Rates | website=Avalara, Inc. | date=July 10, 2024 | url=https://www.avalara.com/taxrates/en/state-rates/alabama/cities/tuskegee.html | access-date=March 14, 2025}}</ref>
| website            = {{URL|https://www.tuskegeealabama.gov/|tuskegeealabama.gov}}
| footnotes          =
}}

'''Tuskegee''' ({{IPAc-en|t|ʌ|ˈ|s|k|iː|ɡ|i}} {{respell|tuh|SKEE|ghee}}<ref>See [http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Tuskegee "Pronunciation of Tuskegee."] ''thefreedictionary.com.''.  Retrieved: October 3, 2010.</ref>) is a city in [[Macon County, Alabama]], United States. The population was 9,395 at the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]],<ref name="2020 Census (City)">{{cite web|title=Explore Census Data |url=https://data.census.gov/profile/Tuskegee_city,_Alabama?g=160XX00US0177304 |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=December 22, 2024}}</ref> and was estimated to be 8,765 in 2023.<ref name="USCensusEst2023"/> It is the most populous city in Macon County.

[[Creek War]] General [[Thomas Simpson Woodward]] founded the city in 1833. Before the [[American Civil War]], the area was developed for cotton plantations, dependent on enslaved African American people. After the war, many [[freedmen]] continued to work on plantations in the rural area, which was devoted to agriculture, primarily cotton as a commodity crop.

In 1881, the Tuskegee Normal School (now [[Tuskegee University]], a [[historically black college]]) was founded by [[Lewis Adams]], a former slave whose father, white slave owner Jesse Adams, had allowed him to be educated. Its first founding principal was [[Booker T. Washington]], who developed a national reputation and philanthropic network to support the education of [[freedmen]] and their children. In 1923, the [[Tuskegee Veterans Administration Medical Center]] was established, initially for the estimated 300,000 African-American veterans of [[World War I]] in the South, when public facilities were racially segregated. Twenty-seven buildings were constructed on the 464-acre campus.<ref name="vamc">[http://www.centralalabama.va.gov/Press_Release.asp "Tuskegee Veterans Administration Medical Center Celebrates - 85 Years of Service"], press release, Central Alabama Veterans Health Care System (CAVHCS), 2008</ref>

The city was the subject of a civil rights case, ''[[Gomillion v. Lightfoot]]'' (1960), in which the United States Supreme Court ruled that the state legislature had violated the [[Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution|Fifteenth Amendment]] in 1957 by [[gerrymandering]] city boundaries as a 28-sided figure that excluded nearly all black voters and residents, and none of the white voters or residents.<ref name="alenc"/> The city's boundaries were restored in 1961 after the ruling.

==Etymology==
The name "Tuskegee" comes from [[Spanish language|Spanish]] "Tasquiqui", which came from the [[Muscogee language|Muskogee]] word "Taskeke", meaning "warriors".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=Tuskegee |title=Tuskegee &#124; Origin and history of Tuskegee by Online Etymology Dictionary |publisher=Etymonline.com |access-date=September 20, 2017}}</ref> The [[tribal town|Native American town]] of Tasquique was located on the [[Chattahoochee River]] just south of present-day [[Columbus, Georgia]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Hann |first=John H. |date=Summer 1997 |title=Late Seventeenth-Century Forebears of the Lower Creeks and Seminoles |journal=Southeastern Archaeology |volume=15 |issue=1 |page=69 |jstor=40713051}}</ref>

==History==
The [[Creek people]] long occupied this area, including a settlement known as Taskigi Town. After Congress passed the [[Indian Removal Act]] of 1830 in furtherance of U.S. President [[Andrew Jackson]]'s goals, most of the Creek bands were removed from their homelands in the Southeast to [[Indian Territory]] west of the [[Mississippi River]]. Pioneer white planters and other migrants moved into the area, mostly from eastern Southern states. The planters brought or purchased enslaved African Americans to clear woods and develop cotton [[plantation]]s. Invention of the [[cotton gin]] had made short-staple cotton profitable to process, and it became the chief commodity crop of the Deep South through the 19th century.

General [[Thomas Simpson Woodward]], a [[Creek War]] veteran under Jackson, laid out the city in 1833. It became the [[county seat]] in the same year, and it was incorporated on February 13, 1843.<ref>{{cite web|author=Sarah Lawless, Auburn University |url=http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h-2051 |title=Tuskegee |publisher=Encyclopedia of Alabama |date=June 25, 1957 |access-date=September 20, 2017}}</ref>

===Late 19th century===
In 1881, the young [[Booker T. Washington]] was hired to develop the [[Tuskegee Institute|Tuskegee Normal School for Colored Teachers]] on the grounds of a former plantation. It was founded to train teachers for the segregated school system and [[Freedman|freedmen]] for self-sufficiency. Washington established a work-study program by which students practiced skills and trades. Over the decades, the programs were expanded. This was later named the Tuskegee Institute. Graduate courses were added and it became [[Tuskegee University]].

Washington was known for his emphasis on [[education]] and [[self-improvement]]. The institute became known for stressing a practical education with [[work experience]] by [[students]], to prepare them for the agricultural and mechanical work available in the small towns and [[rural areas]] to which most would return.<ref>{{Citation|url=http://lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/aaohtml/exhibit/aopart6.html |title=African American Odyssey |contribution=The Booker T. Washington Era (Part 1) |publisher=Library of Congress |date=March 21, 2008 |access-date=September 3, 2008}}</ref> Teaching was a highly respected calling, as education was a major goal among the freedmen and their children. Washington believed that African Americans would achieve acceptance by Southern whites when they had raised themselves.<ref name="taper">[https://www.jstor.org/stable/1120089?seq=2#page_scan_tab_contents Richard B. Sobol, "Reviewed Work: ''Gomillion versus Lightfoot: The Tuskegee Gerrymander Case'' by Bernard Taper"], ''Columbia Law Review'' Vol. 62, No. 4 (Apr. 1962), pp. 748–751 {{subscription required|via JSTOR}}</ref>

Washington led the school for [[decades]], building a wide national network of white [[industrialist]] [[donors]] among some of the major [[philanthropists]] of the era, including [[George Eastman]]. At the same time, Washington secretly provided funding for its [[legal defense]] of some highly visible [[civil rights]] cases,{{which|date=September 2021}} including supporting challenges to Southern states' discriminatory constitutions and practices that [[Disfranchisement after Reconstruction era|disenfranchised African Americans]].<ref name="pildes">[https://ssrn.com/abstract=224731 Richard H. Pildes, Democracy, Anti-Democracy, and the Canon, ''Constitutional Commentary'', vol.17, 2000, pp.13–14] Accessed March 10, 2008</ref>{{failed verification|date=September 2021}} Washington worked with [[Julius Rosenwald]] and [[architects]] at the [[college]] to develop models for rural schools, to be used with Rosenwald's matching funds to build more schools for black children in the South.

===Early 20th century===
Beginning in 1932, the [[Tuskegee University|school]] was the site of the now-infamous [[Tuskegee Syphilis Study]] (1932–1972), started to test [[Medical treatment|treatments]] of the [[disease]]. 600 African-American men became involved, being offered free [[medical care]] by the U.S. government for their participation, while being unwittingly tested for [[syphilis]]. With funding cut by the [[Great Depression]], staff cut back on medication to treat the disease and studied the effects of untreated syphilis on [[patients]] and their [[sexual partners]]. Those in the study who had syphilis were not told, nor were they informed that treatment was available for their disease, even after [[antibiotic]]s had been developed.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Duff-Brown |first1=Beth |title=The shameful legacy of Tuskegee syphilis study still impacts African-American men today |url=https://healthpolicy.fsi.stanford.edu/news/researchers-and-students-run-pilot-project-oakland-test-whether-tuskegee-syphilis-trial-last |website=Stanford Health Policy |access-date=September 27, 2020 |date=January 6, 2017}}</ref>

One of the most famous teachers at Tuskegee was [[George Washington Carver]], whose name is synonymous with innovative research into [[Southern United States|Southern]] farming methods and the development of hundreds of commercial products derived from regional crops, including [[peanut]]s and [[sweet potatoes]].

During World War II, Tuskegee and Tuskegee Institute were also home to the famed [[Tuskegee Airmen]]. This was the first squadron of African-American [[Pilot (aeronautics)|pilot]]s trained in the [[U.S. Military]] for service in that war.

Tuskegee University in the 21st century is a center of excellence for African-American education.  The heart of the university has been designated as a [[National Historic Landmark District|National Historic District]] and was listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]] in 1974.

The [[Tuskegee Veterans Administration Medical Center]] was opened in 1923, authorized by Congress. A total of 27 buildings were constructed on the 464-acre campus, which provided housing and a [[hospital]] to serve the needs of more than 300,000 African-American [[veterans]] in the [[Southern United States|South]] from World War I.<ref name="vamc"/> It attracted [[Physician|doctors]] from top schools, such as Dr. Toussaint Tourgee Tildon, a graduate of [[Harvard Medical School]]. He was one of the first six African-American doctors to work at the hospital; as director of the complex for 12 years (1946–1958), he achieved [[accreditation]] for a [[medical residency]] program at the hospital. He also worked to ensure accessibility for graduates to good medical positions in the federal government.<ref name="tildon">[http://www.anb.org/articles/12/12-01128.html Elizabeth D. Schafer. "Tildon, Toussaint Tourgee"], ''American National Biography Online,'' February 2003, published by Oxford University Press, Inc., copyright 2000 American Council of Learned Societies</ref>

In the 1930s, a group of black men from the Tuskegee Men's Club began efforts to get more black [[voters]] registered. Beginning in 1941, the group reorganized under the name the Tuskegee Civic Association (TCA). With the group's consistent effort to register more voters, the area's statistics of registered black voters continued to increase. The group and potential voters were often met with obstacles that prevented them from being successful. The surrounding black community showed support and wanted to recognize black leaders in the community. The work of the TCA also had a huge emphasis on educating their communities on various [[civic duties]]. Though the existing support for the TCA was not often vocalized, many black community members wanted to challenge the political system that was present in Macon County. The group shed a light on the disparities in the numbers of black people applying for [[voter registration]] and those who were successful, even going as far as talking to the [[United States Commission on Civil Rights]].{{Crossreference|(See also [[United States Commission on Civil Rights]].)}}<ref>{{cite book |last1=Ture |first1=Kwame |author-link1=Kwame Ture |last2=Hamilton |first2=Charles|author-link2=Charles V. Hamilton |date=1966 |title=Black Power}}</ref>

===Voting rights challenge===
{{main|Gomillion v. Lightfoot}}
Following passage of the [[Civil Rights Act of 1957]], activists made progress in registering black voters in the city. African Americans in Tuskegee and other Alabama cities had been largely [[Disfranchisement after Reconstruction era|disenfranchised]] after passage of a new state constitution in 1901, which included requirements that were discriminatory in practice, including a [[poll tax (United States)|poll tax]] and [[literacy tests]].

In 1957, a total of 1000 voters were registered, with the 400 registered black voters nearly equaling the number of white voters. But in the city, African Americans outnumbered whites on a four-to-one basis; among them were many highly educated, professional African Americans working at the Tuskegee Institute and the Veterans Administration hospital. That year, without debate and against the protests of many African Americans, the state legislature redrew the boundaries of the city, enacting Local Law 140, which created an irregular, 28-sided city boundary that left only ten black voters within the newly defined city, and excluded 420 black voters.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|title=Black Power: The Politics of Liberation|last=Hamilton|first=Charles|publisher=Vintage: Random House|year=1992|isbn=9780679743132|location=New York|page=[https://archive.org/details/blackpowerpoliti00carm_0/page/133 133]|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/blackpowerpoliti00carm_0/page/133}}</ref> Those excluded included the entire professional staff of the Institute and the hospital. No white voters were excluded by the change.<ref name="alenc">[http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/face/Article.jsp?id=h-3064 Allen Mendenhall, "Gomillion v. Lightfoot"], ''Encyclopedia of Alabama,'' May 2, 2011</ref>

The law was intended to guarantee that minority whites could retain control of the city even if more blacks succeeded in the arduous process of registering to vote. Some 3,000 African-American residents protested passage of the law at a church in Tuskegee; they also began an economic boycott of white businesses in the city.<ref name="gomillion"/>  They referred to the boycott as a "selective buying campaign" due to the fact that boycotting was illegal under state law. It lasted about four years, during which twenty-six businesses operated by white proprietors closed down.<ref name=":0" />

African Americans also organized a legal challenge to the law, supported by the [[NAACP]], in a case known as ''[[Gomillion v. Lightfoot]]''. The law was initially upheld by the US District Court and affirmed by the Appeals Court based in New Orleans. However, it was struck down by the US Supreme Court in 1960, with the ruling implemented in 1961.<ref name="gomillion">[https://www.jstor.org/stable/1120089 Richard B. Sobol, "Reviewed Work: ''Gomillion versus Lightfoot: The Tuskegee Gerrymander Case'' by Bernard Taper"], ''Columbia Law Review,'' Vol. 62, No. 4 (Apr. 1962), pp. 748–751, Published by: Columbia Law Review Association, Inc., accessed January 17, 2015 {{subscription required|via JSTOR}}</ref> The court ruled that the [[gerrymandering]] of city boundaries was racially motivated and violated the [[Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution]] which states that "states were not insulated from federal judicial review when they jeopardized federally protected rights."<ref name="alenc"/> The exclusionary gerrymandering was overturned and the previous boundaries of the city were restored.

This case was cited in the later ''[[Baker v. Carr]]'' (1964), in which the [[Supreme Court of the United States|Supreme Court]] ruled that Tennessee's malapportionment of [[election districts]] violated [[civil rights]]. It ruled that representation in both houses of all [[state legislatures]] had to be based on population, under the "[[one man, one vote]]" doctrine, and that such districts had to be regularly updated to reflect population changes.

===Post-''Gomillion''===
{{anchor|School integration}} In 1963, Tuskegee was to have been the first Alabama community to comply with a federal order to [[desegregate]] its [[State school|public schools]]. The [[school superintendent]], C.A. (Hardboy) Pruitt, at first opposed the admission of Black students, but worked with other community leaders to comply with the final order of the [[federal district court]], with plans to admit 13 Black students in September 1963 to what had been an all-white high school. But Gov. [[George Wallace]] opposed compliance with the federal order anywhere in the state on the grounds that it would lead to violence. Behind the scenes, Wallace enlisted the aid of [[Ku Klux Klan]] members and [[neo-Nazis]] of the [[National States' Rights Party]] to gin up protests calling for the closing of schools that were scheduled to integrate.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Carter|first=Dan T.|title=The politics of rage : George Wallace, the origins of the new conservatism, and the transformation of American politics|date=1995|publisher=Simon & Schuster|isbn=0-684-80916-8|location=New York|pages=162–167|oclc=32739924}}</ref> Wallace subsequently ordered public schools closed across the state and deployed [[state troopers]] on September 3, 1963, to block the opening of Tuskegee High School.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Sitton|first=Claude|date=September 3, 1963|title=Alabama Police Prevent Opening of Tuskegee High|work=The New York Times|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1963/09/03/82145125.html?pageNumber=1|access-date=March 5, 2021}}</ref> The school was integrated on September 10, 1963, after President [[John F. Kennedy]] federalized the Alabama [[National Guard]] and 13 Black students were among only 165 students to begin the school year, against a total enrollment of about 550.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Sitton|first=Claude|date=September 11, 1963|title=Wallace Ends Resistance as Guard Is Federalized; More Schools Integrate|work=The New York Times|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1963/09/11/82148187.html?pageNumber=1|access-date=March 5, 2021}}</ref>

[[Lucius Amerson]] made history in 1966 by becoming the first Black sheriff to be elected in the state of Alabama, and the American South, since Reconstruction. He was sworn in as Macon County Sheriff in January 1967.<ref>{{Cite web |date=January 21–22, 1967 |orig-date=January 21–22, 1967 |title=The Southern Courier, Vol. III, No. 4 |url=http://www.southerncourier.org/low-res/Vol3_No04_1967_01_21.pdf |access-date=May 7, 2025 |website=The Southern Courier: A Weekly Newspaper Covering Civil Rights in the South 1965-68}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Jones |first=Brian |title=The Tuskegee Student Uprising: A History |date=2022 |publisher=New York University Press |isbn=978-1-4798-0942-4 |edition=1st |series=Black Power Series |location=New York}}</ref> Amerson served four terms as Sheriff until 1987.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Ruane |first=Michael E. |date=August 14, 2008 |title=Sheriff Made History Simply by Doing His Job |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/2008/08/14/sheriff-made-history-simply-by-doing-his-job/749c726c-c803-4c0b-9aad-1a52fcc814c2/ |access-date=May 7, 2025 |newspaper=The Washington Post |language=en-US |issn=0190-8286}}</ref>

[[Johnny Ford]] was elected the first black mayor of the city in 1972, and served six consecutive terms in office. Lucenia Williams Dunn was elected the first black woman mayor in 2000.

==Geography==
Tuskegee is located at {{coord|32|25|26.50|N|85|41|29.83|W|type:city}} (32.4240286, -85.6916195).<ref name=gnis/>

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the city has a total area of {{convert|17.331|sqmi|sqkm|2}}, of which, {{convert|17.060|sqmi|sqkm|2}} is land and {{convert|0.271|sqmi|sqkm|2}} (1.56%) is water.<ref name="CenPopGazetteer2024"/>

===Climate===
According to the [[Köppen climate classification]], Tuskegee has a [[humid subtropical climate]] (abbreviated ''Cfa'').

{{Weather box
|location = Tuskegee, 1991–2020 simulated normals (453 ft elevation)
|collapsed =
|single line = y
|precipitation colour  =green
|Jan precipitation mm  =123.74
|Feb precipitation mm  =124.04
|Mar precipitation mm  =130.74
|Apr precipitation mm  =112.36
|May precipitation mm  =97.11
|Jun precipitation mm  =113.96
|Jul precipitation mm  =125.08
|Aug precipitation mm  =110.46
|Sep precipitation mm  =93.35
|Oct precipitation mm  =81.14
|Nov precipitation mm  =106.38
|Dec precipitation mm  =134.95
|Jan high C = 13.8
|Feb high C = 16.2
|Mar high C = 20.4
|Apr high C = 24.3
|May high C = 28.3
|Jun high C = 31.3
|Jul high C = 32.7
|Aug high C = 32.3
|Sep high C = 30.0
|Oct high C = 25.0
|Nov high C = 19.4
|Dec high C = 15.1
|Jan mean C  =7.6
|Feb mean C  =9.6
|Mar mean C  =13.4
|Apr mean C  =17.2
|May mean C  =21.7
|Jun mean C  =25.4
|Jul mean C  =27.0
|Aug mean C  =26.6
|Sep mean C  =24.0
|Oct mean C  =18.3
|Nov mean C  =12.5
|Dec mean C  =9.0
|Jan low C = 1.4
|Feb low C = 3.1
|Mar low C = 6.4
|Apr low C = 10.2
|May low C = 15.2
|Jun low C = 19.5
|Jul low C = 21.2
|Aug low C = 20.9
|Sep low C = 18.0
|Oct low C = 11.7
|Nov low C = 5.6
|Dec low C = 2.8
|Jan dew point C =2.5
|Feb dew point C =3.9
|Mar dew point C =6.6
|Apr dew point C =10.7
|May dew point C =15.6
|Jun dew point C =19.7
|Jul dew point C =21.5
|Aug dew point C =21.2
|Sep dew point C =18.5
|Oct dew point C =12.8
|Nov dew point C =7.2
|Dec dew point C =4.4
|source 1 = PRISM Climate Group<ref>{{cite web
  | url=https://prism.oregonstate.edu/explorer/
  | title=PRISM Climate Group at Oregon State University
  | publisher=Northwest Alliance for Computational Science & Engineering (NACSE), based at Oregon State University
  | access-date=March 16, 2023}}</ref>
  | date=March 16, 2023}}

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1850= 1563
|1880= 2370
|1890= 1803
|1900= 2170
|1910= 2803
|1920= 2475
|1930= 3314
|1940= 3937
|1950= 6712
|1960= 7240
|1970= 11028
|1980= 13327
|1990= 12257
|2000= 11846
|2010= 9865
|2020= 9395
|estyear=2023
|estimate=8765
|estref=<ref name="USCensusEst2023">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/popest/2020s-total-cities-and-towns.html|date=December 22, 2024|title=City and Town Population Totals: 2020–2023|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=December 22, 2024}}</ref>
|align-fn=center
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=June 4, 2015}}</ref><br>2020 Census<ref name="2020 Census (City)"/>
}}

The table at right shows the effects of the state passing a law in 1957 to redefine the city of Tuskegee in a way that excluded nearly all black residents, dramatically reducing the population by 1960. The city and other officials were sued under ''[[Gomillion v. Lightfoot]]'' (1960); the US Supreme Court ruled against the state's action.<ref name="alenc"/> The city boundaries were reinstituted, as reflected by the dramatic "increase" of population in the city recorded in 1970. The population in 1960, with the restored borders, was 7,240, according to the 1970 U.S. Census.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www2.census.gov/prod2/decennial/documents/1970a_al-01.pdf |title=00496492v1p2.pdf |access-date=September 20, 2017}}</ref> Because of lack of economic opportunities in the largely rural area, both the city and rural county have lost population since the late 20th century.

As of the 2023 [[American Community Survey]], there are 2,986 estimated households in Tuskegee with an average of 2.21 persons per household. The city has a median household income of $38,160. Approximately 26.9% of the city's population lives at or below the [[Poverty in the United States|poverty line]]. Tuskegee has an estimated 49.0% employment rate, with 28.1% of the population holding a bachelor's degree or higher and 86.5% holding a high school diploma.<ref>{{Cite web|title=U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Tuskegee city, Alabama|url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/tuskegeecityalabama/PST045223|access-date=December 22, 2024|website=www.census.gov|language=en}}</ref>

The top five reported ancestries (people were allowed to report up to two ancestries, thus the figures will generally add to more than 100%) were English (98.4%), Spanish (1.1%), Indo-European (0.5%), Asian and Pacific Islander (0.0%), and Other (0.0%).

The median age in the city was 23.6 years.

===2020 census===
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;"
|+'''Tuskegee, Alabama – racial and ethnic composition'''<br><small>{{nobold|''Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.''}}</small>
! Race / ethnicity <small>(''NH = non-Hispanic'')</small>
! Pop. 2000<ref name=2000CensusP004>{{Cite web|title=P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Tuskegee city, Alabama|url=https://data.census.gov/table/DECENNIALSF12000.P004?g=160XX00US0177304|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=December 22, 2024}}</ref>
! Pop. 2010<ref name=2010CensusP2>{{Cite web|title=P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Tuskegee city, Alabama|url=https://data.census.gov/table?q=p2&g=160XX00US0177304&tid=DECENNIALPL2010.P2|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=December 22, 2024}}</ref>
! {{partial|Pop. 2020}}<ref name=2020CensusP2>{{Cite web|title=P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Tuskegee city, Alabama|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=p2&g=160XX00US0177304&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=December 22, 2024}}</ref>
! % 2000
! % 2010
! {{partial|% 2020}}
|-
| [[Non-Hispanic whites|White]] alone (NH)
| 298
| 173
| style='background: #ffffe6; |171
| 2.52%
| 1.75%
| style='background: #ffffe6; |1.82%
|-
| [[African Americans|Black or African American]] alone (NH)
| 11,257
| 9,395
| style='background: #ffffe6; |8,863
| 95.03%
| 95.24%
| style='background: #ffffe6; |94.34%
|-
| [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] or [[Alaska Native]] alone (NH)
| 22
| 7
| style='background: #ffffe6; |18
| 0.19%
| 0.07%
| style='background: #ffffe6; |0.19%
|-
| [[Asian Americans|Asian]] alone (NH)
| 82
| 50
| style='background: #ffffe6; |59
| 0.69%
| 0.51%
| style='background: #ffffe6; |0.63%
|-
|[[Native Hawaiian]] or [[Pacific Islander Americans|Pacific Islander]] alone (NH)
| 1
| 0
| style='background: #ffffe6; |4
| 0.01%
| 0.00%
| style='background: #ffffe6; |0.04%
|-
| [[Race and ethnicity in the United States census|Other race]] alone (NH)
| 10
| 3
| style='background: #ffffe6; |27
| 0.08%
| 0.03%
| style='background: #ffffe6; |0.29%
|-
| [[Multiracial Americans|Mixed race or multiracial]] (NH)
| 95
| 111
| style='background: #ffffe6; |147
| 0.80%
| 1.13%
| style='background: #ffffe6; |1.56%
|-
| [[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino]] (any race)
| 81
| 126
| style='background: #ffffe6; |106
| 0.68%
| 1.28%
| style='background: #ffffe6; |1.13%
|-
| '''Total'''
| '''11,846'''
| '''9,865'''
| style='background: #ffffe6; |'''9,395'''
| '''100.00%'''
| '''100.00%'''
| style='background: #ffffe6; |'''100.00%'''
|}
As of the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]], there were 9,395 people, 3,603 households, and 1,747 families residing in the city.<ref>{{Cite web|title=US Census Bureau, Table P16: Household Type |url=https://data.census.gov/table?q=Tuskegee%20city,%20Alabama%20p16&y=2020 |access-date=December 22, 2024 |publisher=United States Census Bureau}}</ref> The [[population density]] was {{convert|550.7|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|1}}. There were 4,603 housing units at an average density of {{convert|269.8|/sqmi|/km2|1}}. The racial makeup of the city was 2.13% [[White (U.S. census)|White]], 94.57% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.19% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.63% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.04% [[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]], 0.62% from some other races and 1.82% from two or more races. [[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino]] people of any race were 1.13% of the population.<ref>{{Cite web|title=How many people live in Tuskegee city, Alabama |work=USA Today |url=https://data.usatoday.com/census/total-population/total-population-change/tuskegee-city-alabama/160-0177304/ |access-date=December 22, 2024 }}</ref> 15.7% of residents were under the age of 18, 4.7% were under 5 years of age, and 14.6% were 65 and older. The gender makeup of the city was 42.6% male and 57.4% female.

===2010 census===
As of the [[2010 United States census|2010 census]], there were 9,865 people, 3,749 households, and 1,956 families residing in the city. The population density was {{convert|613.0|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|1}}. There were 4,624 housing units at an average density of {{convert|287.4|/sqmi|/km2|1}}. The racial makeup of the city was 1.94% [[White (U.S. census)|White]], 95.83% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.08% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.51% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.00% [[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]], 0.31% from some other races and 1.33% from two or more races. [[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino]] people of any race were 1.28% of the population.

There were 3,749 households, out of which 21.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 19.0% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 28.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 47.8% were non-families. 40.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.17 and the average family size was 2.96.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 18.5% under the age of 18, 27.8% from 18 to 24, 18.9% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 13.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 27.6 years. For every 100 females, there were 78.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 75.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $24,251, and the median income for a family was $43,472. Males had a median income of $40,653 versus $26,631 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the city was $15,471. About 22.2% of families and 31.6% of the population were below the [[Poverty threshold|poverty line]], including 40.0% of those under age 18 and 10.2% of those age 65 or over.

===2000 census===
As of the [[2000 United States census|2000 census]], there were 11,846 people, 4,169 households, and 2,326 families residing in the city. The population density was {{convert|765.7|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|1}}. There were 5,101 housing units at an average density of {{convert|329.7|/sqmi|/km2|1}}. The racial makeup of the city was 2.59% [[White (U.S. census)|White]], 95.48% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.19% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.69% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.01% [[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]], 0.17% from some other races and 0.88% from two or more races. [[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino]] people of any race were 0.68% of the population.

There were 4,169 households, out of which 27.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 22.6% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 29.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 44.2% were non-families. 37.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.  The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 3.06.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 22.6% under the age of 18, 25.4% from 18 to 24, 19.9% from 25 to 44, 17.2% from 45 to 64, and 14.9% who were 65 years of age or older.  The median age was 26 years. For every 100 females, there were 80.7 males.  For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 75.7 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $18,889, and the median income for a family was $26,862. Males had a median income of $23,333 versus $22,951 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the city was $12,340.  About 30.0% of families and 35.7% of the population were below the [[Poverty threshold|poverty line]], including 44.1% of those under age 18 and 26.3% of those age 65 or over.

==Attractions==
[[File:Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site.JPG|thumb|The Hangar One Museum at the [[Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site]] at [[Moton Field Municipal Airport|Moton Field]]]]
[[File:Lake Tuskegee.JPG|thumb|Lake Tuskegee is a city-owned recreational area with playgrounds, picnic areas, and some 92 acres of water providing fishing, sailing, and water skiing opportunities.]]
Downtown Tuskegee includes historical sites from the time of incorporation to the present. It also has the Tuskegee Visitor Center. Tuskegee area attractions include:
* [[Tuskegee University]] and the [[Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site]]
* [[Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site]] at [[Moton Field]] [https://www.nps.gov/tuai/index.htm]
* [[Main Street Historic District (Tuskegee, Alabama)|Main Street Historic District]] and North Main Street Historic District
* [[Tuskegee Human & Civil Rights Multicultural Center]]
* [[Butler Chapel A.M.E. Zion Church (Tuskegee, Alabama)|Butler Chapel A.M.E. Zion Church]],<ref>[http://www.cr.nps.gov/nR/travel/civilrights/al9.htm We Shall Overcome –Butler Chapel AME Zion Church] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190908183828/https://www.cr.nps.gov/nR/travel/civilrights/al9.htm |date=September 8, 2019 }}. Cr.nps.gov (June 25, 1957). Retrieved on July 12, 2013.</ref> site of protests against 1957 state gerrymandering of the city
* [[Tuskegee Veterans Administration Medical Center]]<ref>[http://www1.va.gov/directory/guide/facility.asp?ID=141 Central Alabama Veterans Health Care System East Campus – Locations]. .va.gov. Retrieved on July 12, 2013.</ref>
* Tuskegee Repertory Theatre/Jessie Clinton Arts Center
* Tuskegee City Lake
* [[Tuskegee National Forest]]
* Kirks Old Farm Museum

==Government==
{{see also|List of mayors of Tuskegee, Alabama}}
[[File:Tuskegee Alabama Municipal Complex.JPG|thumb|Tuskegee Municipal Complex]]
In the 21st century, Tuskegee has a [[council–manager government]] led by a four-member city council, a mayor, and an appointed city manager.

The [[city council]] acts as a legislative body of the city, passing laws and regulations and appointing citizens to the city's various boards. Each member of the city council is elected for a four-year term from one of three geographic single-member districts. Tuskegee has one city council member who is elected at-large to a four-year term and serves as mayor-pro tem. The duties of the mayor are to promote the city, communicate with residents, and preside over City Council meetings. As such, the position of mayor in Tuskegee is primarily [[ceremonial]].

==Media==
Tuskegee has one weekly newspaper, ''[[The Tuskegee News]]'', which has operated since 1865.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://thetuskegeenews.com/ |title=''The Tuskegee News'' |publisher=Thetuskegeenews.com |access-date=September 20, 2017}}</ref>

==Transportation==
[[U.S. Route 29]] and [[U.S. Route 80]] pass through Tuskegee. [[Alabama State Route 81|State Route 81]] goes north from the town. Four miles north up Route 81 is the interchange with [[Interstate 85]].

A short distance beyond I-85 is the hamlet of Chehaw, where [[Southern Railway (U.S.)|Southern Railway]] passenger trains made stops at the Western Railway of Alabama Depot. Into the mid-1960s both the Southern's ''[[Crescent (train)|Crescent]]'' and its ''[[Piedmont Limited]]'' made stops at the depot.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Western Railway of Alabama, Table 1 |journal=Official Guide of the Railways |publisher=National Railway Publication Company |volume=98 |issue=2 |date=July 1965}}</ref> The railway's ''[[Crescent (train)|Crescent]]'' was the last train to make stops at the station.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Western Railway of Alabama, Table 1 |journal=Official Guide of the Railways |publisher=National Railway Publication Company |volume=101 |issue=1 |date=June 1968}}</ref> The Southern Railway moved the train out in 1970 for a rerouting from an Atlanta-Montgomery-New Orleans itinerary to an Atlanta-Birmingham-New Orleans itinerary.

==Notable people==
* [[Ajiona Alexus]], actress; born in Tuskegee
* [[Alice Beasley]] (born 1945), textile artist; born in Tuskegee<ref>{{Cite news |last=Chi'en |first=Letha |date=December 30, 2022 |title=Oakland fabric artist's quilt portrays intense moment in Black women's struggle for equal rights |url=https://datebook.sfchronicle.com/art-exhibits/oakland-fabric-artists-quilt-portrays-intense-moment-in-black-womens-struggle-for-equal-rights |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230327063012/https://datebook.sfchronicle.com/art-exhibits/oakland-fabric-artists-quilt-portrays-intense-moment-in-black-womens-struggle-for-equal-rights |archive-date=March 27, 2023 |access-date=July 26, 2025 |work=Datebook |location=San Francisco, California |language=en-US}}</ref>
* [[George Washington Carver]], agricultural scientist, died in Tuskegee in 1943
* [[Sadie Peterson Delaney]], chief librarian of the Veterans Administration Hospital
* [[Wilbur F. Foster]] (1841–1900) American politician, lawyer, member of the [[Alabama Legislature]]<ref name="The Troy Messenger-1900">{{Cite news |date=February 21, 1900 |title=Obituary for W. F. Foster |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-troy-messenger-obituary-for-w-f-fo/180266986/ |access-date=September 2, 2025 |work=The Troy Messenger |pages=10 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref>
* [[Tom Joyner]], radio host/personality; born in Tuskegee and went to [[Tuskegee University]]
* [[Nella Larsen]], nurse, librarian, and novelist; worked at Tuskegee Institute in 1915
* [[Rosa Parks]], born in Tuskegee; she became a [[civil rights]] [[activist]] in the 1950s in [[Montgomery, Alabama]], contributing to the more than year-long [[Montgomery bus boycott]] that achieved desegregation of the city system
* [[Lionel Richie]], rhythm & blues singer, songwriter, musician, record producer, and occasional actor; born in Tuskegee
* [[Robin Roberts (newscaster)|Robin Roberts]], news anchor, ''Good Morning America''; born in Tuskegee
* [[Rory White]], basketball player
* [[Bill Winston]], pastor, televangelist, author and entrepreneur; born in Tuskegee
* [[Sammy Younge Jr.]], civil rights activist; born in Tuskegee
* [[Juel Taylor]], Director and screenwriter

==Sister cities==
* {{flagdeco|USA}} [[South Berwick, Maine]], USA

==See also==
{{portal|Alabama}}
* [[List of people from Tuskegee, Alabama]]
* [[Civil Rights Movement]]
* [[Tuskegee Airmen]]
* [[Tuskegee Syphilis Study]], an infamous clinical study

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:Tuskegee, Alabama Post Office (36083).JPG|Tuskegee Post Office ([[ZIP code]]:36083)
File:Macon County-Tuskegee, Alabama Public Library.JPG|[http://mctpl.us/ Macon County-Tuskegee Public Library]
File:Tuskegee Human & Civil Rights Multicultural Center.JPG|[http://www.tuskegeecenter.org/ Tuskegee Human & Civil Rights Multicultural Center]
File:Tuskegee, Alabama Fire Department.JPG|[http://www.tuskegeealabama.org/departments/fire.aspx Tuskegee Fire Department]
File:TuskegeeAlabama1.jpg|A view of the Macon County Courthouse from the park in the town square                                                                                         The Main Street Historic District was added to the [[National Register of Historic Places listings in Macon County, Alabama|National Register of Historic Places]] on March 12, 1984.
File:TuskegeeAlabama2.jpg|A statue of a Confederate soldier in the town square park is shown. The pedestal reads: "Erected by The [[Daughters of the Confederacy]] to the Confederate Soldiers of [[Macon County, Alabama|Macon County]]".
File:North Main Street Historic District Tuskegee Alabama.JPG|The North Main Street Historic District was added to the [[National Register of Historic Places listings in Macon County, Alabama|National Register of Historic Places]] on March 7, 1985.
File:Grey Columns Tuskegee, Alabama.JPG|Built in 1857, Grey Columns now serves as the home of the president of [[Tuskegee University]]. It was added to the [[National Register of Historic Places listings in Macon County, Alabama|National Register of Historic Places]] on January 11, 1980.
File:Butler Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church.JPG|The [[Butler Chapel A.M.E. Zion Church (Tuskegee, Alabama)|Butler Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church]] was added to the [[National Register of Historic Places listings in Macon County, Alabama|National Register of Historic Places]] on August 28, 1995.
</gallery>

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{commons category}}
* {{Official website|www.tuskegeealabama.gov}}

{{Macon County, Alabama}}
{{Alabama county seats}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Tuskegee, Alabama| ]]
[[Category:Cities in Alabama]]
[[Category:Cities in Macon County, Alabama]]
[[Category:Micropolitan areas of Alabama]]
[[Category:County seats in Alabama]]
[[Category:Alabama placenames of Native American origin]]
[[Category:Columbus metropolitan area, Georgia]]
[[Category:1833 establishments in Alabama]]