Facts About Opelika
The Opelika area was first settled in 1832 after the Treaty of Cusseta was signed by the U.S. government and the Creek Nation.
After the treaty, Opelika kept its original Creek name, which translates to the “Large Swamp”.
Before the Treaty, the first settlers arrived in 1830, and called the small community “Lebanon”, after the natives moved in, the name changed to the local name.
The estimated population of Opelika is 30,995, as of the 2020 census.
The Movie Norma Rae, released in 1979 was filmed in Opelika.
In 2021 the first public library was opened in Opelika, known as “Opelika Public Library”.
Opelika has a total area of 53.4 square miles, of which 52.8 square miles is land and 0.7 square miles is water.
During World War II, Opelika native and Army Maj. John Herbert Orr manufactured the first usable magnetic audio tape for the U.S. Armed Forces.
Opelika was the childhood home of a United States Astronaut, James Voss.
In 1848, the Montgomery & West Point Railroad Company completed a rail line from Montgomery to Opelika.
