Dothan Alabama - Southern City

Southern charm, art, peanuts...

...and the world's tiniest city block according to the Guinness Book of World Records.

While a Guinness Book of World Records entry may be notable, there are more interesting things to explore in this town of approximately 70,000.

For example, just a short walk from Dothan Alabama's smallest city block is a turn of the century opera house, an art museum and the oldest continuously operating hardware store in Alabama.

You could take a peaceful stroll through the many gardens at the Dothan Area Botanical Gardens or visit the Alabama Agricultural Museum which re-creates a late 1800s farming community. Or visit the largest collection of military helicopters in the world at the U.S. Army Aviation Museum in nearby Fort Rucker. Don't miss the numerous historic murals painted on older buildings in the downtown Dothan Historic District and the numerous, somewhat odd, 4 foot tall peanut character figures scattered around town. There is even an Elvis peanut sculpture for the Elvis nuts. (My apologies to all you Elvis nuts but I couldn't resist.)

And coming soon, Country Crossing, a sort of Branson Missouri style music entertainment destination but way better.

Celebrating the unpretentious peanut

Dothan Alabama is known as the Peanut Capital of the World for the simple reason that over half the peanuts grown in the United States come from the region. Dothan hosts the National Peanut Festival annually to celebrate this fact. The National Peanut Festival has grown from the initial 3 day event in 1938 to a 10 day event today. It is similar to the traditional harvest-time state fair but with peanut agriculture as the theme. With attendance upwards of 160,000, this is a huge and fun-filled festival for the Dothan area.

But what it really comes down to is...

What makes Dothan, Alabama a great place to live or visit is the people. Dothan AL is one of the friendliest places you can imagine. If you stand still for more than a minute or two, someone will likely start a conversation with you. You don't have to get more than 3 miles out of town before you notice that people wave to you as you pass.

Those of us who live here know that Dothan Alabama has all the modern convenience of a large city but still retains all the charm of a small southern town. We are proud of the fact that Dothan is considered one of the most progressive cities in the region while, somewhat paradoxically, maintaining a stable economy and ranking high among the lowest costs of living in the country.

Just the facts ma'am

Located in the southeastern United States just 75 miles from the Florida Gulf Coast, Dothan Alabama is the county seat for Houston County. The population is approximately 65,000 for the city itself but Dothan serves an area of over 100,000 people. the nearest city of any size is Montgomery, 100 miles away.

Dothan, Alabama grew up on the site of an old Indian trail crossing and trading post. Conveniently located at this crossing was a spring surrounded by poplar trees hence it's earlier name, Poplar Head. The name changed from Poplar Head to Dothan on November 11, 1885 when there were finally enough families living here to incorporate.

Dothan Alabama's name comes from a Bible verse in the book of Genesis, "For I heard them say, let us go to Dothan" and there is a 10 foot bronze sculpture of Joseph near the Wiregrass Museum of Art which depicts this verse and commemorates the naming.

So what are you waiting for?

• Friendly, caring people
• Southern climate
• A wealth of culture including museums, galleries and music
• Low cost of living
• Conveniently located near the Gulf Coast beaches

Just some of the reasons why Dothan, Alabama is the perfect place to live or visit! Ya'll come!

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