The city of Boaz, Ala., is a college town. It's home to Snead State Community College, which was founded in 1898 as a grammar school, later becoming a seminary. Snead State, which has an average enrollment of 2,300 students, is the oldest community college in Alabama to award a two-year associate's degree.
"A college education is not just for the wealthy or for those who demonstrate past academic success. Rather, we believe that education and training for any one of us benefits all of us," says Snead State's vision statement.
The leafy, 43-acre campus has 19 buildings, including a dormitory. The historic "core campus" has four buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places: Boatman President's House, the administration building, Norton Library and Pfeiffer Hall.
"It would be difficult to overstate the strength of the relationship between Snead State Community College and the community of Boaz," a college history says. "The college has been the region's leader in education, cultural enrichment and athletics for 100 years. Snead State's list of firsts is impressive: first electricity, first sewerage system, first auditorium, first gymnasium, first dedicated library building."
Boaz offers lots of non-college activities, too, including an exotic animal park, shopping, bowling, bargain-priced golfing and a drive-in theater.
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FAST FACTS> Population: 9,695> Landmarks and geographic features: It sits atop the Sand Mountain plateau and is 47 miles from Huntsville, Ala., and 65 miles from Birmingham.> Date incorporated: 1897> History: The city of Boaz is named for the husband of Ruth, a Biblical figure in the Old Testament.> A college town: Snead State Community college has about 2,500 students.
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World Famous Chicken Salad> If you’re in Boaz during the day, you can try the “World Famous Chicken Salad” at The Mill Street Deli, which serves salad, sandwiches, wraps and deli sides.> The most expensive item on the menu is a pound of chicken salad for $7.69, which is also the price for a pound of shrimp salad, tuna salad or egg salad. Sandwiches and wraps range from $6.79 for the “Mill Street Club” to $3.49 for the grilled cheese or peanut butter and jelly.> Located at 104 South McClesky St., Suite 613, it’s open from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. from Monday-Saturday; closed Sunday.
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Golf, Bowl, Drive-inFun abounds in this college town.> Boaz Golf Club, at 1715 Alabama Highway 205, is an 18-hole public golf course. It has a full-service snack bar and a stocked pro shop staffed by PGA professionals. Cost is $19, including tax, Monday-Friday for a cart and green fees and $22 Saturday-Sunday. For more information, call 256-593-5501.> Frank’s Thunder Alley bowling, at 425 South McClesky St., has a new, state-of-the art automatic scoring system, a full arcade of kids’ games and “cosmic bowling” on Saturday nights when the lanes are lit up with blacklights and neon graphics as the music plays. Prices range from $3.75 for a single game to $40 per lane (up to six bowlers) for cosmic bowling. Shoe rental is $3 per person.> The two-screen Sand Mountain Drive-In, at 10480 U.S. Hwy 431, costs $15 a carload and is open seven days a week during the summer. The box office opens at 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 7:30 p.m. Sunday through Thursday. Check sandmountaindrivein.com to see what’s playing.Sources: franksthunderalley.com, sandmountaindrivein.com, Boaz Golf Club
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Southern Shopping> Boaz helped pioneer outlet shopping in the South.> When the first outlet opened in Boaz in the mid-1980s, few recognized it would ignite a consumer craze that would continue nearly 25 years later and make Northeast Alabama a destination for many bargain-seeking shoppers.> Shopping is still a draw for the small Sand Mountain community. Antique stores downtown include the Antique Gallery on 102 S. Main St., Past Time Antiques at 116 S. Main St. and a variety of stores at Boaz Outlet Malls.Sources: Marshall County Convention & Visitors Bureau, Times Free Press archives, Marshall County Economic Development Council