Phenix City Across the Chattahoochee
For decades, Phenix City was known as "Sin City" or the "Wickedest City in America." During the 1940s and early 1950s, gambling, prostitution, and organized crime ran openly under the protection of corrupt local officials. The situation reached a breaking point in 1954 when Albert Patterson, a state attorney general nominee who had campaigned on cleaning up Phenix City, was assassinated outside his law office. His son John Patterson won the next election and the state imposed martial law. The National Guard occupied the city. Most of the crime infrastructure was dismantled within months.
Today Phenix City is a quiet community of about 37,500 on the western bank of the Chattahoochee River, directly across from Columbus, Georgia. The two cities share an economy and a labor market. Fort Moore (formerly Fort Benning), one of the largest military installations in the country, lies just south of Columbus and provides thousands of jobs to residents on both sides of the state line.
The Phenix City Amphitheater on the riverfront hosts concerts and events during warm months. The RiverWalk connects the amphitheater to parks and public spaces along the water. Idle Hour Park, one of the city's oldest green spaces, sits near the center of town. The Chattahoochee River also provides recreational access for kayaking and fishing.
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For decades, Phenix City was known as "Sin City" or the "Wickedest City in America." During the 1940s and early 1950s, gambling, prostitution, and organized crime ran openly under the protection of corrupt local officials. The situation reached a breaking point in 1954 when Albert Patterson, a state attorney general nominee who had campaigned on cleaning up Phenix City, was assassinated outside his law office. His son John Patterson won the next election and the state imposed martial law. The National Guard occupied the city. Most of the crime infrastructure was dismantled within months.
Today Phenix City is a quiet community of about 37,500 on the western bank of the Chattahoochee River, directly across from Columbus, Georgia. The two cities share an economy and a labor market. Fort Moore (formerly Fort Benning), one of the largest military installations in the country, lies just south of Columbus and provides thousands of jobs to residents on both sides of the state line.
The Phenix City Amphitheater on the riverfront hosts concerts and events during warm months. The RiverWalk connects the amphitheater to parks and public spaces along the water. Idle Hour Park, one of the city's oldest green spaces, sits near the center of town. The Chattahoochee River also provides recreational access for kayaking and fishing.
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