City Town Info

Muscle Shoals, AL


  • Overview
  • Almanac
  • People
  • Local
  • Schools
  • Comments

Muscle Shoals, Alabama

Introduction to Muscle Shoals, Alabama

Muscle Shoals, Alabama, in Colbert county, is 40 miles W of Decatur, Alabama (center to center) and 110 miles SW of Nashville, Tennessee. Part of the surrounding Florence metro area, the city is not an isolated city. Muscle Shoals is home to some 11,924 residents.

Muscle Shoals History

Muscle Shoals was first inhabited by the Indians. The city is so named because piles of mussel shells were found in the area. However, some believe the shape of the Tennessee River looks like the muscle of a man’s arm. It was originally a farm land. In the early 1900s, a few houses were built in the cotton fields. The construction of the Wilson Dam started in 1918. The area was incorporated on April 24, 1923, and George McBride was the first Mayor of Muscle Shoals.

Muscle Shoals and nearby Attractions

  • Funland Water Park
  • Victory Missionary Baptist Church
  • Shoals Plaza Shopping Center
  • North Alabama State Fair Park
  • Riverfront Park
  • Children's Museum of the Shoals

Things To Do In Muscle Shoals

Muscle Shoals organizes several annual events such as the Trail of Tears Motorcycle Ride, Recall LaGrange, Helen Keller Festival, W.C. Handy Music Festival, and Alabama Renaissance Fair. The city is home to the latest edition of the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail. You can also visit the Alabama Music Hall of Fame, Ivy Green-Home of Helen Keller, Natchez Trace Parkway, Indian Mound, and the Birthplace of W.C. Handy. Muscle Shoals also offers great fishing opportunities because it is surrounded by Pickwick Lake, Wilson Lake, and Wheeler Lake.

Muscle Shoals Transportation

The nearest airport is Northwest Alabama Regional Airport.

Muscle Shoals Higher Education

Northwest Shoals Community College, University of North Alabama, John C. Calhoun State Community College, and other colleges and universities offer higher educational facilities.

High Points

Muscle Shoals strengths, compared to Peers (similar size places nationally) or State (other places in Alabama):

CategoryTrophy
Affordability of Property Taxes
(vs. Peers)
Top 4%trophyMuscle Shoals Affordability of Property Taxes
Short Commute Times
(vs. State)
Top 7%Muscle Shoals Short Commute Times
Well-Paid Single Women
(vs. State)
Top 10%Muscle Shoals Well-Paid Single Women
Low Rate of Poverty
(vs. State)
Top 11%Muscle Shoals Low Rate of Poverty
People in Middle Class or Better
(vs. State)
Top 12%Muscle Shoals People in Middle Class or Better
Median Family Income
(vs. State)
Top 14%Muscle Shoals Median Family Income
College Educated Adults
(vs. State)
Top 16%Muscle Shoals College Educated Adults
Well-Paid Single Men
(vs. State)
Top 17%Muscle Shoals Well-Paid Single Men

Comparative Profile of Muscle Shoals, AL

Comparing Muscle Shoals to similar size places nationwide (Peers) and to other places in Alabama (State):

Ratings range from 1 (lowest) to 10 (highest).


The People

CharacteristicCompared
to Peers
Compared
to State
Female Share of the Population86
Racial Diversity66
Age of the Population65
Well-Paid Single Women610
Senior Citizens54
Children Under 5 Years Old45
Well-Paid Single Men49
Male Share of the Population36

Families

CharacteristicCompared
to Peers
Compared
to State
Portion of People Married88
Average Household Size56

Wealth

CharacteristicCompared
to Peers
Compared
to State
People Above Poverty69
People in Middle Class or Better69
College Educated Adults69
Median Family Income59

Commute & Sprawl

CharacteristicCompared
to Peers
Compared
to State
Short Commute Times810
Working at Home24
Walking and Biking to Work12
Public Transportation Use12

Housing

CharacteristicCompared
to Peers
Compared
to State
Affordability of Property Taxes102
Housing Recently Built98
Affordability of Rents72
Seasonal and Vacation Housing43
People Living Alone43
Studio & One-Bedroom Rentals24

Crime

CharacteristicCompared
to Peers
Compared
to State
Low Violent Crime23
Low Property Crime23

Detailed pages on related topics: Muscle Shoals collegesMuscle Shoals travel.

You are visiting:
All StatesAlabama > Muscle Shoals

Additional Details

Muscle Shoals CollegesMuscle Shoals Colleges
Muscle Shoals colleges and trade schools.
Muscle Shoals Hotels & TravelMuscle Shoals Hotels & Travel
Muscle Shoals hotels, landmarks, tourism, transportation.

Career and College Resources on CityTownInfo

Real-World Career Reports

Career Stories from workers: daily activities, job tips, best/worst job aspects, training, etc.

Career Videos. Professional videos on 800+ jobs, featuring actual employees.

Daily Career & Education News from our staff. We're an approved Google News provider!

Career Reference and Data

Resource Center. A starting point for all CityTownInfo career and college resources.

Career Overviews of hundreds of careers: descriptions, salaries, forecasts, schools, more.

Top Cities for each career. Lists and maps; salaries by city.

Top Industries. Lists of major hiring industries by career, with salaries.

City Comparisons, showing most common jobs, highest paying, etc.

Original Career Articles and Studies

Best Careers Not Requiring Degrees: Good pay, job growth, low need for degrees.

Helpful Articles, many in "how-to" format; e.g., "How to Become a Chef".

Interactive College Search Tools

College Search Scout™. Search by degree, location, major, athletics, etc.

CollegeMatch™. Find school most similar to one of interest.

College Directories and Lists

These lists link to thousands of detailed school profiles.

Colleges by State. Nearly every college and trade school in the country.

Colleges Listed Alphabetically. About 7,000 colleges & trade schools, including online schools.

Exceptional Schools. Lists of the "best/most/highest/lowest" schools.

Places Similar to Muscle Shoals

We've crunched the numbers to create PlaceMatch™, which compares thousands of cities and towns to find the places most similar to each.

Find places similar to Muscle Shoals

Additional Resources


Large City Map

Info for Muscle Shoals Government Officials

Are you an official in the Muscle Shoals government or quasi-government agency such as the chamber of commerce, visitors bureau or economic development council? If so, visit our information page for government officials to see how CityTownInfo can support you.

Spread The Word

Webmasters & Bloggers: Please link to this page on Muscle Shoals. Just copy the HTML below and paste it into your web page or blog.


Copyright © 2004-2010. All Rights Reserved. Moving Traffic, Inc., operator of CityTownInfo.com, is not a broker or a lender, and all offers for loans or mortgages found on this site are made solely by the advertiser.