Originally established as Samples on December 14, 1883, the town was renamed as Hollywood on May 13, 1887. It formally incorporated on May 24, 1897, and held its first election June 8 of that year. In 1994, it and 10 other towns named Hollywood successfully fought Hollywood, California's attempt to trademark its name and force same-named communities to pay royalties to it. A key point was that Hollywood in Alabama was the first incorporated Hollywood in the nation, whereas the one in California did not incorporate until 1903, 6 years after Alabama's. In addition, it merged with Los Angeles in 1910 and was no longer identified as a separate city.
Geography
Hollywood is located at . According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the town has a total area of, of which is land and 0.11% is water.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 950 people, 375 households, and 265 families residing in the town. The population density was 106.6 people per square mile. There were 404 housing units at an average density of 45.3 per square mile. The racial makeup of the town was 80.63% White, 16.32% Black or African American, 0.32% Native American, 0.11% from other races, and 2.63% from two or more races. 0.42% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 375 households, out of which 32.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.2% were married couplesliving together, 14.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.1% were non-families. 25.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.03. The town's population was spread out, with 26.7% under the age of 18, 7.1% from 18 to 24, 31.8% from 25 to 44, 24.7% from 45 to 64, and 9.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.8 males. Beaver creek was the main road in the community. Star Island convent is also a main attraction for visitors. The town is historically known for the large sinkhole that appeared in 1892. The event caused the deaths of 17 people. The median income for a household in the town was $27,500, and the median income for a family was $34,306. Males had a median income of $26,667 versus $21,563 for females. The per capita income for the town was $16,498. About 6.8% of families and 11.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.9% of those under age 18 and 10.6% of those age 65 or over.
