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History · Red Level

Red Level’s post office opened in 1857

Most of Red Level was built recently: 7% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1973. Below: maps from 1971 on and the census since 1910.

1857first post office
0on the National Register
7%homes built before 1940
2famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Red Level began

When was Red Level founded?

1857

The Red Level post office opened in 1857, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 317 in 19102020 census: 432169 years
Founding year: the first Red Level post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Red Level’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Red Level are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 656 in 1950; 432 people lived here in 2020.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Red Level’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Red Level’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
People over time

Red Level, census by census

0100200300400500600700192019401960198020002020Peak: 656

Peaked at 656 in 1950; 432 people lived here in 2020.

12 censuses, 1910–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Red Level’s Wikipedia page.

The story so far

Red Level, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Red Level yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Red Level is a town in Covington County, Alabama, United States. At the 2020 census, the population was 432.

Its first post office opened in 1857. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 487 to 432 (-11%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

Timeline

Red Level, 1857 to 1971

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1857Post officeThe Red Level post office opens
  3. 20th century
  4. 1911Born hereLuther Terry is born here
  5. 1940Born hereWillie Tyler is born here
  6. 1950CensusPopulation peaks at 656
  7. 1971On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Red Level, decade by decade

Today2 recent
Red Level, Alabama2025Red Level, Alabama2024 Red Level, AL EF1 prelim path20242024 Red Level, AL EF1 prelim path
On the map

Red Level on the map, 1971 to 1986

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Red Level. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Red Level on the 1971 USGS mapRed Level on the 1986 USGS map1971Red Level sheet · 1:24,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Red Level.

Famous people

2 famous people were born in Red Level

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Luther TerrySurgeon General of the United States · b. 1911
Willie TylerAmerican actor · b. 1940
Places that used to be

Old corners and burying grounds

Old hamlets and crossroads still carry their names on the map.

Hamlets and corners on the map
Rhump
1cemetery inside Red Level
Fairmount

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Questions about Red Level’s history

What year was Red Level founded?

The Red Level post office opened in 1857, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (2), Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.