Chilton County, Alabama

Chilton County History, Geography, Demographics, Cities and Towns, and Education

County Seat: Clanton
Year Organized: 1868
Square Miles: 694
MSA: Birmingham-Hoover, AL MSA

Court House:

P.O. Box 1948
County Courthouse
Clanton, AL 35046-1948
Phone: (205) 755-1551
Fax: (205) 280-7204

Named: Originally named Baker Co., Chilton Co. received its present name on 1874 Dec. 17, in honor of Judge William Parish Chilton, chief justice of the AL Supreme Court and a member of the provisional and regular Congress of the Confederacy.

State & County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick Facts

History

Chilton County, Alabama

Chilton County is located in the central part of the state. It was formed by the Alabama legislature on 1868 Dec. 30, from lands taken from Autauga, Bibb, Perry, and Shelby counties. Chilton County encompasses 695 square miles. The Coosa River forms the eastern boundary of the county. Originally named Baker Co., Chilton Co. received its present name on 1874 Dec. 17, in honor of Judge William Parish Chilton, chief justice of the AL Supreme Court and a member of the provisional and regular Congress of the Confederacy.

The original county seat was at Grantville. When the courthouse burned in 1870, the county seat was removed to Goose pond, a stop on the Louisville and Nashville Railroad. The town was renamed Clanton after Brig. Gen. James Holt Clanton. Other significant towns and communities are Jemison, Thorsby, Verbena, Maplesville, and Mountain Creek.

According to the census of 2000, there were 39,593 people, 15,287 households, and 11,342 families living in the county. The population density was 22/km² (57/mi²). There were 17,651 housing units at an average density of 10/km² (25/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 86.71% White, 10.61% Black or African American, 0.28% Native American, 0.18% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.51% from other races, and 0.69% from two or more races. 2.91% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 15,287 households out of which 34.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.10% were married couples living together, 10.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.80% were non-families. 22.90% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.00.

In the county the population was spread out with 25.70% under the age of 18, 9.10% from 18 to 24, 29.00% from 25 to 44, 23.40% from 45 to 64, and 12.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 97.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.90 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $32,588, and the median income for a family was $39,505. Males had a median income of $31,006 versus $21,275 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,303. About 12.60% of families and 15.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.40% of those under age 18 and 18.20% of that age 65 or over.

Neighboring Counties:

North: Shelby County
East: Coosa County
Southeast: Elmore County
South: Autauga County
Southwest: Dallas County; Perry County
Northwest: Bibb County

Cities:

Clanton (County Seat)
Jemison
Maplesville
Stanton
Thorsby
Verbena

County Resources:

Enter County Resources and Information Here

County Resource Guide

Counties: US Map

The history of our nation can be seen as a prolonged struggle to define the relative roles and powers of our governments: federal, state, and local. And the names we've given our counties, our most locally based jurisdictions, reflects the "characteristic features of our country!"

But age, size and colorful names of our counties isn't the only reason to explore counties' role in American history, or the history of county government itself. In fact, the story of county government reflects the larger meanings of American history.

Today's counties are the most flexible, locally responsive and creative governments in the US. They are the most diverse, varying in size, population, geography, and governmental structure. In their politics and policies, they express a 1990's political slogan "Think globally, act locally."

Penn Foster High School

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