Where is the center of Alabama? It's up for debate and it may surprise you. What we know

Roughly 5 million people call Alabama home, spread across cities such as Birmingham, Mobile, Huntsville and the capital, Montgomery. Known as the Heart of Dixie, the state offers a diverse range of landscapes, from the Appalachian foothills to the Gulf Coast beaches.

But if you step away from the highways and city centers, deep in the state's interior, you'll find something quieter: Alabama's exact geographic center.

It's not a bustling metro area, but it is known for its unique landscape and peaches.

Where exactly is the center of Alabama? Here's what we know.

The center of Alabama is quite peachy

Chilton County holds the honor of being the geographic center of Alabama, according to the United States Geological Survey.

Known for its abundant peach production, the town is known as the peach capital of Alabama. Each year, it celebrates the sweet fruit with an annual peach festival, and yes, the water tower is even shaped like a giant peach.

The center of Alabama is up for debate

Finding out the center of a state isn't as straightforward as it seems. Ask an Alabamian where the center of the state is, and you'll get more than one answer.

For years, Montevallo laid claim to the title.

In 2023, the city of Clanton, which is 12 miles southwest of Chilton County, erected a monument that declares itself the geographic center of the state.

USGS says Alabama’s center is in Chilton County, but it’s still up for interpretation

So who is right? Even the USGS does not give a definitive answer.

According to the agency, there's no official way to determine a geographic center. One common approach involves finding the center of gravity in a state. However, factors such as coastlines, rivers and the Earth's curvature can throw off the math when trying to determine the center.

In short: the center is more of an educated guess than a precise spot on the map.

Still, according to the USGS's best estimate, Alabama's center does fall within or on the border of Chilton County, which so happens to include both Montevallo and Clanton. So maybe both cities have a (central) point.

Jennifer Lindahl is a Breaking and Trending Reporter for the Deep South Connect Team for Gannett/USA Today. Connect with her on X @jenn_lindahl and email at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Where is the center of Alabama? Chilton or Clanton, AL?