Choctaw County, Alabama

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

County Seat: Butler
Year Organized: 1847
Square Miles: 914

Court House:

117 S Mulberry Avenue
County Courthouse
Butler, AL 36904-2557
Phone: (205) 459-2100
Fax: (205) 459-4248

Named: It was named for the Choctaw Indians, one of the four Indian groups that occupied what is now the State of Alabama.

State & County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick Facts

History

Choctaw County, Alabama

Formed by the Alabama legislature on 1847 Dec. 29. It was named for the Choctaw Indians, one of the four Indian groups that occupied what is now the State of Alabama. The county is located in the southwestern part of the state, and is bordered by Sumter, Marengo, Clarke, and Washington counties, and the State of Mississippi. It encompasses 909 square miles. Butler is the county seat. Other towns and communities include Bladon Springs and Choctaw.

According to the census of 2000, there were 15,922 people, 6,363 households, and 4,574 families living in the county. The population density was 7/km² (17/mi²). There were 7,839 housing units at an average density of 3/km² (9/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 55.14% White, 44.13% Black or African American, 0.16% Native American, 0.04% Asian, 0.11% from other races, and 0.42% from two or more races. 0.67% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 6,363 households out of which 32.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.00% were married couples living together, 16.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.10% were non-families. 26.50% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 2.99.

In the county the population was spread out with 26.10% under the age of 18, 7.90% from 18 to 24, 26.20% from 25 to 44, 25.20% from 45 to 64, and 14.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 88.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.40 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $24,749, and the median income for a family was $31,870. Males had a median income of $32,316 versus $18,760 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,635. About 20.70% of families and 24.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 34.80% of those under age 18 and 26.10% of that age 65 or over.

Neighboring Counties:

North: Sumter County
Northeast: Marengo County
Southeast: Clarke County
South: Washington County
Southwest: Wayne County, Miss.
West: Clarke County, Miss.
Northwest: Lauderdale County, Miss.

Cities:

Bladon Springs
Bolinger
Butler (County Seat)
Cromwell
Gilbertown
Jachin
Lavaca
Lisman
Melvin
Needham
Pennington
Riderwood
Silas
Toxey
Ward
Yantley

County Resources:

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Choctaw County, Alabama

County Resource Guide

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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