A settlement on the Tennessee River incorporated in 1820 as Rhodes Ferry was chartered in 1826 and renamed in honor of naval hero Stephen Decatur. During the Civil War, Decatur was continually raided by Union forces. As a result, the only buildings that survive from that period are two houses and the imposing state bank, which dates from 1832. The Cook Museum of Natural Science exhibits a wide variety of native animal and plant species.
Nowadays, Decatur has shipyards, port traffic and diverse industries, including steel manufacturing. The city has thrived on power supplied by the Tennessee Valley Authority. Not far from town are the huge Browns Ferry nuclear power plant and a national wildlife refuge. The present-day city was formed in 1927 by the union of Decatur and Albany, which was formerly called New Decatur.
Each year a hot air balloon race known as the Alabama Jubilee is organized in Decatur. The Racking Horse World Celebration is a yearly horse-racing event. Also each year the Riverfest barbeque is held at Ingalls Harbor.
There are several hotels, bars and restaurants in Decatur. The city sits on the banks of Wheeler Lake along the Tennessee River, some 250 km north from Montgomery and 1010 km southwest from Washington D.C.
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