Anniston is a city and the county seat of Calhoun County in Alabama, United States, and is one of two urban centers/principal cities of and included in the AnnistonâOxford Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 census, the population of the city was 23,106. Named "The Model City" by Atlanta newspaperman Henry W. Grady for its careful planning in the late 19th century, the city is situated on the slope of Blue Mountain. Our home is in one of the safest and quietest neighborhoods.