About this city
Also known as: The Model City
Nestled in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains in northeastern Alabama, Anniston serves as the county seat of Calhoun County. Founded in 1872 as a carefully planned private company town by the Woodstock Iron Company, it was initially nicknamed 'The Model City' due to its strict urban design, featuring wide avenues lined with oak trees and early implementation of water and electrical systems. The city's history is deeply intertwined with industrial manufacturing and heavy military presence, specifically through the nearby Fort McClellan and the active Anniston Army Depot. Anniston also played a pivotal role in the American Civil Rights Movement, famously marked by the 1961 Freedom Riders bus bombing incident, which is today preserved and memorialized as a crucial chapter of national history.
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Practical Tourism Metadata
Suggested stay: 1–2 days
Explore the exhibits at the Anniston Museum of Natural History and the Berman Museum. Pay tribute to Civil Rights history at the Freedom Riders National Monument. Hike, mountain bike, or camp in the expansive nearby mountain terrain of the Talladega National Forest.
