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Opelika, the county seat of Lee County, derives its name from the Creek Indian word Opillaka with Opilu meaning swamp and laka meaning large. The "Big Swamp" name is somewhat a mystery. Draw a stright line from Atlanta to New Orleans, and Opelika will show up at the highest point along the route. How is it, that its Creek Indian name means "Big Swamp?"

The name is probably due to Opelika being surrounded by five major lakes and the Chattohoochee River. The streams and creeks throughout the area being fed by the lakes caused the Indians to choose "swamp" as a descriptive term.

Opelika is shown on the maps as far back as 1773. It was first settled in 1836-1837 and incorporated into a city in Russell County, February 9, 1854.