Oneonta and Blount County's Covered Bridges
Blount County calls itself the "Covered Bridge Capital of Alabama," and for good reason. Three historic covered bridges survive in the county -- Horton Mill Bridge, Swann Bridge, and Easley Bridge -- each built in the early twentieth century using local timber. Horton Mill Bridge, at 70 feet above the Calvert Prong of the Locust Fork, is the highest covered bridge above a waterway in the United States. These structures draw photographers, history buffs, and curious travelers off the interstate and into the county's backroads.
Oneonta serves as the county seat, a role it has held since the 1890s. The population sits around 6,600. The downtown is compact and built around a courthouse square, with local shops and a handful of restaurants filling the storefronts. Palisades Park, perched on a ridge above town, offers views across the Appalachian foothills and attracts rock climbers to its sandstone bluffs.
Agriculture and small-scale manufacturing form the backbone of the county's economy. Poultry processing is significant, and the surrounding hills support cattle and hay operations. Oneonta's proximity to Birmingham -- about 35 miles to the south -- allows some residents to commute to metro jobs while maintaining a lower cost of living.
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Blount County calls itself the "Covered Bridge Capital of Alabama," and for good reason. Three historic covered bridges survive in the county -- Horton Mill Bridge, Swann Bridge, and Easley Bridge -- each built in the early twentieth century using local timber. Horton Mill Bridge, at 70 feet above the Calvert Prong of the Locust Fork, is the highest covered bridge above a waterway in the United States. These structures draw photographers, history buffs, and curious travelers off the interstate and into the county's backroads.
Oneonta serves as the county seat, a role it has held since the 1890s. The population sits around 6,600. The downtown is compact and built around a courthouse square, with local shops and a handful of restaurants filling the storefronts. Palisades Park, perched on a ridge above town, offers views across the Appalachian foothills and attracts rock climbers to its sandstone bluffs.
Agriculture and small-scale manufacturing form the backbone of the county's economy. Poultry processing is significant, and the surrounding hills support cattle and hay operations. Oneonta's proximity to Birmingham -- about 35 miles to the south -- allows some residents to commute to metro jobs while maintaining a lower cost of living.
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