Best Web Design in Phenix City, AL (2026)

Web Design for Phenix City, Alabama

Phenix City sits on the west bank of the Chattahoochee River directly across from Columbus, Georgia, and for decades ran on vice: gambling, prostitution, and organized crime aimed at soldiers from nearby Fort Benning earned it the label 'Sin City, USA.' The 1954 assassination of reform candidate Albert Patterson triggered statewide martial law and a cleanup so dramatic the town won an All-America City Award the very next year.

AppWT works with Phenix City, AL businesses from Livonia, Michigan, mostly online and travelling as needed.

About Phenix City

Also known as. "Sin City, USA". "The Wickedest City in America" (its WWII-era War Department reputation).

History. Began as two separate towns: Girard on the south side and Brownville on the north; an 1871 postal mix-up with another Brownville forced a rename to 'Lively.' Incorporated as Brownville in 1883, then renamed Phenix City by the Alabama Legislature on February 19, 1897; Girard merged into it on August 9, 1923 for a combined population of 10,374. One of the last Civil War battles east of the Mississippi was fought here and at Columbus on April 16, 1865, when Union forces captured the twin cities. Became a notorious vice haven in the 1940s and 1950s serving Fort Benning soldiers; attorney general nominee Albert Patterson was assassinated outside his office on June 18, 1954. Governor Gordon Persons declared limited martial law in Russell County from July 22, 1954 to January 17, 1955; the 1955 film 'The Phenix City Story' dramatized the events and the town won an All-America City Award in 1955.

Local economy. Early economy was built on forest products, agriculture, and masonry, and the town became known for brickmaking; it once hosted the largest lithography plant in the South. BusinessWeek named Phenix City the nation's number-one best affordable suburb to raise a family in 2007. Education and services anchor the modern economy, including Chattahoochee Valley Community College and a Troy University campus, with the labor market tied closely to Columbus, Georgia and Fort Moore (formerly Fort Benning).

Culture and community. RushSouth Whitewater Park on the Chattahoochee is billed as the world's longest urban whitewater course, a roughly 2.5-mile stretch of Class II-V rapids shared with Columbus and fed year-round by upstream dam releases. The Phenix City RiverWalk runs about 1.21 miles along the river and connects to the Columbus Riverwalk. 13th Street Bar-B-Q has served the area for roughly 35 years and is known for its pork chop sandwiches; Cafe 431 is a popular local breakfast spot. A riverfront amphitheater hosts concerts, community festivals, and patriotic celebrations.

What makes Phenix City distinct. Though Alabama is on Central Time, Phenix City effectively runs on Eastern Time because of its ties to Columbus, Georgia. The city seat is in Russell County, with a small portion extending into Lee County. Sister cities include Vasteras, Sweden; Colomiers, France; and Kamenice, Czech Republic. Olympic sprinter Harvey Glance, a 1976 gold medalist, was born in Phenix City. During WWII the vice district was reputed to be so lawless that Gen. George Patton is said to have threatened to level it with his tanks.

Phenix City Landmarks and Local Life

• Idle Hour Park - with a nearly two-mile walking path looping Moon Lake plus nature and children's learning trails
• The Chattahoochee Indian Heritage Center - which honors the Creek people and features a Trail of Tears Monument
• The Brooks-Hughes House and the Floyd-Newsome House - both added to the National Register of Historic Places on November 3, 1983
• The RiverWalk and whitewater course - plus easy access across the river to Columbus's National Infantry Museum and National Civil War Naval Museum