Phenix City, AL

Phenix City is an Alabama city on the Chattahoochee River, directly across from Columbus, Georgia. It is the Russell County seat, with parts extending into Lee County, and its daily life is closely tied to Columbus; the city even informally follows Eastern Time because of those economic connections. Local history includes Girard, the Battle of Columbus near the end of the Civil War, and a mid-20th-century reputation for vice and reform. Today Phenix City is a practical river-border city with schools, Chattahoochee Valley Community College, and regional commuting.