OPELIKA

city, seat of Lee county, eastern Alabama, U.S. It is situated 15 miles (24 km) west of the Chattahoochee River, adjacent to Auburn. The first white settlers entered the area following the signing of a final treaty with the Indians in 1832. Opelika is a Creek Indian word meaning large swamp, although there is no evidence of a swamp in the vicinity. The original settlement grew up around a Methodist meeting house (c. 1836). The arrival of the Montgomery and West Point Railroad in 1848 contributed to the early growth of the community, which developed as a trade centre for cotton, beef, and dairy, poultry, and timber products. The city's manufactures are diversified and include textiles, magnetic tape, plastics, television tubes, tires, concrete products, and cardboard boxes. Inc. town, 1854; city, 1899. Pop. (1992 est.) 22,644.