We analyzed research using Saturday Night Science from Virginia Commonwealth University that mapped Klaverns by city from 1915-1940. This report analyzes the locations of historic KKK organizations to see where they were the most prevalent in Alabama.
The city in Alabama with the most number of Klaverns was Birmingham with 5 Klaverns. The city with the most number of Klaverns per capita was Edwardsville with 0.005 Klaverns. There were historically 32 Klaverns in Alabama, across 24 places in Alabama with at least 1 Klavern during the period of reference.
Hate groups can be hard to measure because, typically, there’s no record of where they exist. But there is data on where there were distinct Klaverns of the Ku Klux Klan in each state. These cities have historically been the most racist in Alabama based on the number of KKK Klaverns.
This report does not speak to the current people who live there or the current state of the KKK in the same towns or areas.
1 Klaverns · #1 most historically racist in Alabama
1 Klaverns · #2 most historically racist in Alabama
1 Klaverns · #3 most historically racist in Alabama
1 Klaverns · #4 most historically racist in Alabama
1 Klaverns · #5 most historically racist in Alabama
1 Klaverns · #6 most historically racist in Alabama
1 Klaverns · #7 most historically racist in Alabama
1 Klaverns · #8 most historically racist in Alabama
1 Klaverns · #9 most historically racist in Alabama
1 Klaverns · #10 most historically racist in Alabama
Located in
Blount County, Alabama
Oneonta is a city in Blount County, Alabama, United States. At the 2010 census the population was 6,567. The city is the county seat of Blount County. Oneonta is home to the Covered Bridge Festival.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Alabama’s statewide median.
On the map
Where Alabama’s historic Klaverns were
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How We Measured The Most Historically Racist Places In The Heart of Dixie
While there are surveys and public polls on what places might be the most racist, we didn’t want to rely on speculation and opinion. Instead, we looked at the hard numbers from where KKK organizations have existed.
Specifically, we analyzed research out of Virginia Commonwealth University that mapped the Klans in each area and gave a history of their recruitment from 1915-1940.
- Number of historic KKK Klaverns (1915-1940) per current resident
Using Saturday Night Science, we analyzed the locations of historic KKK organizations per capita using current population data.
The full plate
Cities With Historically High KKK Membership In Alabama
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Population | Klaverns | Klaverns /100k |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Edwardsville | 202 | 1 | 495 |
| 2 | Akron | 302 | 1 | 331 |
| 3 | Louisville | 487 | 1 | 205 |
| 4 | Pisgah | 802 | 1 | 125 |
| 5 | Vincent | 1,850 | 1 | 54 |
| 6 | Collinsville | 1,991 | 1 | 50 |
| 7 | Florala | 2,210 | 1 | 45 |
| 8 | Stevenson | 2,739 | 1 | 37 |
| 9 | Luverne | 2,818 | 1 | 35 |
| 10 | Oneonta | 6,623 | 1 | 15 |
| 11 | Sheffield | 9,067 | 1 | 11 |
| 12 | Anniston | 22,749 | 2 | 9 |
| 13 | Bessemer | 27,202 | 2 | 7 |
| 14 | Jasper | 14,247 | 1 | 7 |
| 15 | Scottsboro | 14,779 | 1 | 7 |
| 16 | Foley | 15,428 | 1 | 6 |
| 17 | Athens | 23,335 | 1 | 4 |
| 18 | Florence | 39,738 | 1 | 3 |
| 19 | Birmingham | 211,705 | 5 | 2 |
| 20 | Auburn | 56,986 | 1 | 2 |
| 21 | Tuscaloosa | 93,325 | 1 | 1 |
| 22 | Mobile | 194,942 | 2 | 1 |
| 23 | Montgomery | 204,095 | 2 | 1 |
| 24 | Huntsville | 184,132 | 1 | 1 |
Source: VCU Mapping the Klan, 1915-1940; current population data. 24 cities with at least one Klavern.
Summary
There You Have It – The Most Historically Racist Cities In Alabama
When you’re looking at the places in Alabama with the highest number of historical KKK Klaverns per capita, this is an accurate list.
Below is a chart that lists all cities in Alabama with at least one KKK organization from 1915-1940.
The cities with the largest number of KKK Klaverns per capita were Edwardsville, Akron, Louisville, Pisgah, Vincent, Collinsville, Florala, Stevenson, Luverne, and Oneonta. Not sold on Alabama? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Historic KKK Presence In Alabama FAQs
What is the most historically racist city in Alabama?
Edwardsville had the most KKK Klaverns per capita of any Alabama city between 1915 and 1940, which puts it at the top of this historical ranking. The measure is historic Klan chapters, not anything about residents today.
Which Alabama city had the most Klaverns overall?
Birmingham had the most Klaverns in Alabama outright, with 5. Our ranking uses Klaverns per capita instead, so smaller towns with heavy Klan presence rank ahead of big cities on raw counts.
How many Klaverns did Alabama have?
Alabama had 32 documented Klaverns across 24 cities during the 1915-1940 period. Those are the cities that appear in this ranking.
Does this mean Edwardsville is racist today?
No. This ranking maps where the KKK organized a century ago, and says nothing about the people who live in Edwardsville now. Treat it as history, not a review of the current community.
Where does this data come from?
The numbers come from a historical archive of Klan chapters, called Klaverns, documented between 1915 and 1940. We divided each city’s Klavern count by its population to get the per-capita ranking.
