Ider, AL

Ider is a DeKalb County town on Sand Mountain, a few miles west of the Alabama-Georgia line. State Routes 75 and 117 cross through the town, connecting the farms and ridges of northeast Alabama with Fort Payne and the wider mountain region. Ider's roots are agricultural, and the town was incorporated in 1973 after a much older school and post-office history. Sacred Harp singing is part of the community's musical memory, and local musician and instrument maker Gene Ivey spent much of his adult life here.

ATTRBrian Stansberry / CC BY 4.0

Ider has an unusually full annual calendar for a town its size. Mule Day arrives on Labor Day with a parade, antique cars, arts and crafts, food, entertainment, and mule events; Homecoming and Christmas parades add two more turns through the year. Ider Town Park has a walking trail, tennis courts, baseball fields, playground equipment, and an outdoor stage. Ider High School gives the town a K-12 center, while DeKalb County Schools and the two state routes connect it to the rest of the plateau. Ider is a Sand Mountain town with agriculture, music, school, and parade traditions all in the same frame.