Enterprise is a city in the southeastern part of Coffee County, located in southeastern Alabama, in the Southern United States. The population was estimated to be 22,892 in the year 2005. The U.S. Geological Survey National Mapping Information locates this city at 31° 18' 55" N 085° 51' 19" W.
Enterprise is famous for the Boll Weevil Monument, a large monument of a woman holding a Boll Weevil, is located in the town square. The city erected the statue because the destruction of the cotton crop had led to agricultural diversity, starting with peanuts and more prosperity than had ever come from cotton alone. It is said to be the only statue to an insect pest in the world.
Also, Enterprise is home to the Enterprise branch of the Enterprise-Ozark Community College. The aviation branch is located in Ozark, Alabama. Enterprise-Ozark is a Micropolitan Statistical Area that, combined with the Dothan Metropolitan Statistical Area, form the Dothan-Enterprise-Ozark Combined Metropolitan Statistical Area.
The founder of Enterprise, John Henry Carmichael, settled in the area in 1881. As more people migrated to the area, the post office was moved from nearby Drake Eye to Enterprise the next year. Enterprise was officially incorporated in 1896 with a population of 250. Soon afterward, the Alabama Midland Railway Company chose to center in Enterprise, bringing many people with it. By 1906 the population already was 3,750. After the boll weevil destroyed most of the city's cotton, the people decided to base Enterprise's economy on peanuts. The Boll Weevil Monument was dedicated on December 11, 1919.
In the early afternoon of Thursday, March 1, 2007, Enterprise was hit by a devastating tornado (rated EF4) during the February-March 2007 Tornado Outbreak. The tornado caused nine deaths, injured 121 others, and left severe damage in the city. The worst damage occurred at Enterprise High School, where eight students died after a hallway roof collapsed. A quarter mile (400 m) wide swath through the downtown area was devastated, with at least 370 houses damaged or destroyed. The National Guard was called into the city, and a dusk-to-dawn curfew was implemented immediately after the disaster. Then President George W. Bush II, who arrived the morning of Saturday, March 3, declared the county a disaster area.