Demopolis Preparing For Growth With Major Housing Push

The West Alabama city of Demopolis has experienced a steady decline in population since 2020, when the U.S. Census tallied 7,540 residents. The 2026 federal estimate puts the population at around 10% less, at some 6,908. However, local officials in the Marengo County city plan to do something to reverse that trend by providing more housing.

According to Esri, a global leader in geographic information systems, there are currently 3,355 total housing units available there. Fifty-one percent are owner-occupied, 33% are rentals and 15% are vacant.

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Demopolis is one of the strongest cities in rural West Alabama, but decades of regional decline across the Black Belt have impacted the city. Demopolis is the regional hub for Marengo, Greene, Hale, Sumter, Perry and Clarke counties, all of which have experienced population drains, closed businesses and weakened economies.

Yet Demopolis has attracted several new businesses, industries and major projects recently, including the Alabama School of Healthcare Sciences, which is currently under construction. But for that growth to continue, officials see a need for significantly more housing.

A survey conducted through the Alabama Main Street Initiative found that Demopolis is 254 homes short of meeting current housing demand. That has led some members of the city council to see a need to encourage homebuilders to prepare sites in an effort to lure more growth.

As many as 500 more homes are needed to attract future growth in the city, according to estimates.

The Demopolis Industrial Board has hired a construction engineer to evaluate potential sites for as many as six new subdivisions. The board agreed to fund and conduct a housing study following a recent Demopolis City Council meeting.

Jump-starting the project has been the renovation of the historic Coplin Building, which added new apartments.

"Since we started the Main Street Initiative, I cannot tell you the momentum that this community has gained down here," Mayor Woody Collins said at the ribbon-cutting.