Troy, AL

Troy is a city in Pike County, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 13,935. A new census estimate documented in the July 18, 2008, edition of the Dothan Eagle newspaper, lists Troy's population as 14,482. The city is the county seat of Pike County. It is home to Troy University (formerly Troy State University).

History

Troy burned down in 1901 and had to be rebuilt from scratch. Originally known as Deer Stand Hill (an Indian hunting ground) and first settled about 1824, it was later known as Zebulon and then Centreville before being renamed Troy (1838).

To promote movement of settlers and to speed mail from Washington City to New Orleans, the Federal Road was laid out after 1805. It extended from the southern terminus of The Great Philadelphia Wagon Road at Augusta, Georgia westward through Georgia entering Alabama in what is now Russell County, and continuing westward through Macon and Montgormery counties and then southwestward through Lowndes, Butler, Monroe counties, etc. to Mobile and thence westward to New Orleans. In 1824, a military road was laid out from Fort Barrancas in Pensacola, Florida and ran on top of the ridges to Fort Mitchell in Russell County, Alabama, and connected to The Federal Road; this road became known as The Three Notch Road and ran through Troy and Pike County. It never amounted to much as a military supply road, but it was a boon to the settlers who used it to move into southcentral and southeast Alabama and into northwest Florida.

Economy

The largest employers in the Troy metropolitan area are Troy University, Lockheed Martin, Sikorsky, and the Wal-Mart distribution center in nearby Brundidge. Troy University's main campus, located in Troy, employs approximately 700 faculty and staff.

Government

Troy operates under a Mayor-council government system. The city is served by a mayor, who is elected at-large, and a five-member city council which is composed of five single-member districts. Current mayor, Jimmy C. Lunsford, was elected to his first term in 1985. He has won re-elected each year since, and is the longest serving mayor in Troy history.

Entrance to Troy University - Main Campus/The Back of the Troy Baseball Field.

Higher Education

Troy University is a comprehensive four-year public university that has a current student population of 6,500 on its main campus located in Troy. The university was founded in 1887 and has evolved into one of the preeminent institutions of higher learning in southeast Alabama.

Notable residents

Pine Top Smith- boogie woogie pianist.

Brian Meadows - Major League Baseball player.

Bobby Jon Drinkard - contestant on Survivor: Palau and Survivor: Guatemala and We Are Marshall.

Hank Williams Jr - country singer.

John Lewis (politician) - American Civil Rights leader and United States congressman.

Patricia Barnes - Founder of Sister Schubert's bakery

Larry Hicks - Retired Marine who performed daring underwater rescue that saved the life of well-known NASCAR team owner, Jack Roush.

Points of Interest

Troy University
Troy University Arboretum
Town Square Confederate Memorial Monument
Pioneer Museum of Alabama
Pioneer Shopping Village
Pike County Lake
Troy Recreation Center
Bicentennial Park
Trojan Oaks Golf Course

Development and Business

Lockheed Martin Operations facility
Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation
Troy University

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