Auburn is a college town and is the home of Auburn University. Auburn has been marked in recent years by rapid growth, and is currently the fastest growing metropolitan area in Alabama and the nineteenth-fastest growing metro area in the United States since 1990. The city's unofficial nickname is The Loveliest Village On The Plains, taken from a line in the poem The Deserted Village by Oliver Goldsmith: "Sweet Auburn! loveliest village of the plain . . ."
As of the census of 2000, there were 42,987 people, 18,421 households, and 7,239 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,098.6 people per square mile (424.2/km²). There were 20,043 housing units at an average density of 512.2/sq mi (197.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 78.05% White, 16.79% Black or African American, 0.19% Native American, 3.31% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.57% from other races, and 1.05% from two or more races. 1.55% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 18,421 households out of which 18.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 28.6% were married couples living together, 7.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 60.7% were non-families. 36.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.12 and the average family size was 2.93.
In the city the population was spread out with 15.4% under the age of 18, 44.6% from 18 to 24, 21.9% from 25 to 44, 11.7% from 45 to 64, and 6.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 23 years. For every 100 females there were 99.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.9 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $17,206, and the median income for a family was $55,619. Males had a median income of $41,012 versus $26,209 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,431. About 14.0% of families and 38.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.5% of those under age 18 and 8.8% of those age 65 or over. The reason for this enormous inequality between households and families is due to the large number of students living in the area.
Auburn is located in the southeastern part of Alabama and is accessible by Interstate 85, US 29, and US 280. The city also has a general aviation airport, the Auburn-Opelika Robert G. Pitts Airport (AUO), which is 2 miles (3.2 km) east of downtown Auburn. The major commercial airports closest to Auburn are the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) (Atlanta) and the Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport (BHM) (Birmingham). Each of these airports is within 2 hours driving distance from Auburn and together they offer air service to most of the world's major airports. There are also two regional airports close to Auburn: Montgomery Regional Airport (MGM) (Montgomery) and the Columbus Metropolitan Airport (CSG) (Columbus).
Express 85 provides daily ground transportation trips between the Atlanta airport and Auburn. EagleTown Taxi,Twin City Taxi and Tiger Taxi provides both local taxi service and flat-rate transportation service to other cities. Auburn is one of the most bicycle-friendly small towns in the country and received an award for being a bike friendly town from the League of American Bicyclists. The Auburn Bike Committee posts a list of bike rides and events [1].
Auburn University also provides students with the Tiger Transit bus system, which shuttles students and faculty around campus and to area apartment complexes.