Eufaula is the largest city in Barbour County, Alabama, perched on a high bluff above the Chattahoochee River where Walter F. George Lake spreads across the Alabama–Georgia line. The 2020 census counted 12,882 residents. The town began as a river settlement in the early nineteenth century and, after being known as Irwinton, was renamed Eufaula in 1843 to end confusion with a Georgia town of the same name. As riverboat traffic grew on the Chattahoochee, Eufaula became a major port and commercial center for the surrounding cotton country of Alabama and Georgia. The wealth of that era is visible in the city's remarkable collection of antebellum homes and landmarks, concentrated in the Seth Lore and Irwinton Historic District, which contains more than 700 historic structures, many dating to the mid-1800s. Landmarks such as Shorter Mansion and Fendall Hall anchor this architectural legacy. Today Eufaula balances tourism, light manufacturing, industry, service, and agriculture, with peanuts and forestry among the region's staples. The city sits along U.S. Highways 431 and 82, which connect it to Dothan to the south, Phenix City and Columbus, Georgia, to the north, and Montgomery to the west. Its river and lake setting make it a hub for anglers and boaters, while its historic district and the annual Eufaula Pilgrimage draw heritage travelers. Life in Eufaula combines a working small-city economy with a strong outdoor identity. Lake Eufaula, the reservoir behind Walter F. George Dam, is among the South's most celebrated bass fisheries, and the city's downtown and riverfront anchor a community that values both its history and its waterfront.