Sports – Phenix City, AL

Phenix City is a city in Lee and Russell counties in the U.S. state of Alabama, and the county seat of Russell County with northern and western parts crossing over into neighboring Lee County. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 38,817.

Phenix City lies immediately west across the Chattahoochee River from Columbus, Georgia and observes Eastern Time on a de facto basis (in contrast to the rest of Alabama, which observes Central Time) due to Phenix City’s strong economic ties to Columbus. Most of Phenix City is included in the Columbus Metropolitan Statistical Area, and the remainder is in Lee County and therefore included in the Auburn, Alabama Metropolitan Statistical Area. The entire city is part of the Columbus-Auburn-Opelika Combined Statistical Area.

In 2007, BusinessWeek named Phenix City the nation’s no. 1 best affordable suburb to raise a family. It is home to Chattahoochee Valley Community College, a public, two-year college with an acceptance rate of 100%. Troy University has a satellite campus in Phenix City. It is also home to Phenix Lumber Company, which has been described as the deadliest workplace in the United States because of its high rate of accidents and safety violations.

As of 2023, the mayor is Eddie N. Lowe, the city’s first black mayor elected by the public. The city manager, who holds the task of organizational matters, is Wallace Hunter.