Anniston, Alabama

Anniston
Downtown Anniston in 2012
Nickname: 
The Model City
Location of Anniston in Calhoun County, Alabama
Coordinates: 33°39′45″N 85°49′43″W / 33.66250°N 85.82861°W / 33.66250; -85.82861
Country United States
State Alabama
CountyCalhoun
SettledApril 1872
IncorporatedJuly 3, 1883
Government
 • MayorCiara Smith-Roston (D)
Area
 • City
45.90 sq mi (118.87 km2)
 • Land45.83 sq mi (118.69 km2)
 • Water0.069 sq mi (0.18 km2)
Elevation
846 ft (258 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • City
21,564
 • Density470.6/sq mi (181.69/km2)
 • Metro
116,736 (US: 327th)
Time zoneUTC-6 (Central (CST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP Code
36201–36207
Area code256
FIPS code01-01852
GNIS feature ID2403101
Websitewww.annistonal.gov

Anniston is a city and the county seat of Calhoun County in Alabama, United States, and is one of two urban centers/principal cities of and included in the Anniston–Oxford Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2020 census, Anniston had a population of 21,564. Named "The Model City" by Atlanta newspaperman Henry W. Grady for its careful planning in the late 19th century, the city is situated on the slope of Blue Mountain.