Town file
Arab, Alabama
Arab, Alabama (Marshall and Cullman counties, Alabama) is the town in one episode of Small Town Murder, the comedy true-crime podcast: episode 737, "Savage Murder & Strange Milkshakes" (24 September 2026). Arab, Alabama, sits in the north of the state, about an hour and a quarter from Birmingham and roughly three hours from Atlanta, straddling the line between Marshall and Cullman counties.
- Town
- Arab
- County
- Marshall and Cullman counties
- State
- Alabama
- Country
- USA
- Episodes
- 737
- Approximate location
- 34.332, -86.501
Episode 737 / 24 September 2026 / 189 min / full
Savage Murder & Strange Milkshakes
"This is Arab, Alabama, in northern Alabama; it is in two different counties, Marshall and Cullman counties." about 0:05:27
The case: Murder of Kathy Paget (August 17, 1990). Read the case file.
The figures, as told in 2026
- Population
- 8,462
- Median age
- 40.6
- Median household income
- $50,321
- Median home value
- $205,900
- Two-bedroom rent
- $810
- Cost of living
- 80.5
- Religious
- 78.6%
- Property crime
- ▲ almost three times
- Violent crime
- ▲ about one-third above
History, in brief
- What is now Arab was established by Stephen Tuttle Thompson in the 1840s and was originally known as Thompson's Village. about 0:07:01
- The town's current name came from an unintentional misspelling; the town is based on a typo. about 0:07:19
- In 1882 Arid Thompson, the founder's son, applied for a post office and sent three names for consideration, Arid, Ink and Bird; the Postal Service replied with Arab. about 0:07:53
- Arab was incorporated in 1892. about 0:08:33
- Arab was a famously known sundown town, with a sign warning black people not to stay after dark, and the Klan was distributing material in the town in 2014 and 2015. about 0:08:36
- Arab is about an hour and fifteen minutes from Birmingham, about three hours from Atlanta and about an hour from Gadsden. about 0:06:00
The reviews read out
5 stars
"Arab is like Mayberry, a nice, quiet town with friendly people, great schools and plenty of small businesses alongside the chains."about 0:09:40
3 stars
"Friendly people but nothing to do for teenagers; they would like a movie theatre or a bowling alley, and the schools are okay, safe and free of fighting."about 0:09:55
2 stars
"No jobs; the town is for people over 45 and the retired, the good jobs are 45 minutes away in other cities, family businesses never survive, and the police and courts favour people they know."about 0:10:32
1 star
"The reviewer is not sure why it is called the Poke Salad Festival because there was no poke salad to be found."about 0:18:53
Nearest Small Town Murder towns
- Decatur, Alabama32 miles
- Section, Alabama34 miles
- Gadsden, Alabama36 miles
- Morris, Alabama44 miles
- Jasper, Alabama55 miles
- Jacksonville, Alabama56 miles
Everything here is as told in the episode, on the date it went out; figures and places may have changed since. Endings are covered: open an episode and use the spoiler switch to read them.