1. Zora Neale Hurston, author of “Their Eyes Were Watching God,” was born in Notasulga.
2. Loachapoka means “turtle killing place” in the Muskogee language.
3. Waverly was originally named Pea Ridge, but when the Central of Georgia Railway had to waver a railway route one mile south into the town, residents were so happy to have a rail connection, Pea Ridge was renamed Waverly.
4. In the 2004 film “A Love Song for Bobby Long,” actor John Travolta plays former Auburn University English professor Bobby Long.
5. Daniel Wallace’s novel, “Big Fish,” is partially set in Auburn and at Auburn University.
6. Auburn University is commonly known for being Alabama’s first land-grant college, but it is also a sea-grant and space-grant institution.
7. Auburn University has graduated six astronauts and sent five into space, including T.K. Mattingly, a member of the Apollo 13 and 16 missions.
8. The last foothill of the Appalachian Mountains is in Chewacla State Park in Auburn, before the terrain descends into the coastal plain. Auburn also sits at the fall line of the Piedmont Plateau.
9. Jimmy Buffett began playing guitar during his freshman year of college, which was spent at Auburn University.
10. Actress Octavia Spencer, best known for her role in “The Help,” graduated from Auburn with a bachelor’s degree in liberal arts.
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