Fort Payne

Fort Payne - is a small city in the northeast corner of Alabama with a population just under 13,000. It is the county seat and largest city in DeKalb County.

Understand
Originally Fort Payne was an important Cherokee village called Will's Town. In 1838 Captain John G. Payne selected the site to build a stockade to house Native Americans that would later be sent on the Trail of Tears. Fort Payne became the county seat of DeKalb County in 1878, and was incorporated in 1889.

Fort Payne is known for the large number of sock mills in the area, and is sometimes referred to as the Sock Capital of the World.

Fort Payne is in a valley bordered by Sand Mountain to the north and Lookout Mountain to the south. Visitor's can enjoy a variety of outdoor activities in the area.

By plane
Isbell Field - 2200 Terminal Road. No commercial passenger service available.

By car
I-59 - connects Fort Payne with Chattanooga, TN to the northeast and Birmingham, AL to the southwest.

Get around
The best way to get around Fort Payne is by car.

Do
Popular outdoor activities include camping, hiking, fishing, hunting, birdwatching and skiing.

Rock climbing is another popular activity which can be attempted at Buck's Pocket State Park, DeSoto State Park, or Little River Canyon National Preserve.



Community College

 * Northeast Alabama Community College. Located in nearby Rainsville, AL, about 10 miles north of Fort Payne on Sand Mountain.

Public Library

 * DeKalb County Public Library - 504 Grand Avenue NW

Buy
Anything and everything at Trade Day in nearby Collinsville, AL.

Sleep

 * DeSoto State Park Lodge, 1299 Blalock Dr NE. You'll be quite close to nature here. +1 256-845-5380.