Smiths Station is a city in Lee County, Alabama, United States. Smiths Station was first settled in 1826. The Central of Georgia Railway was extended through the community from Columbus, Georgia to Opelika, Alabama in 1845. The depot was named for Mr. Broadus Smith, a prominent early settler who lived near the city's current location. It is a part of the Columbus, Georgia-Phenix City, Alabama Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city is also known by locals as Smiths, although the official name is Smiths Station. According to the local legend, a postmaster around 1960 grew tired of writing Smiths Station, so he took it upon himself to drop "Station" from the name of the community. Smiths Station was officially incorporated on June 22, 2001, and is as of 2004 Alabama's second newest city next to Center Point. At the time of the 2000 census, it was still a census-designated place (CDP), and its population was 21,756. The area that incorporated as Smiths Station in 2001 was much smaller than the CDP, and contained a population of 4,926 according to the 2010 census. Smiths Station is a bedroom community of Columbus, Georgia and Phenix City, Alabama.