Clay County, Alabama

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

County Seat: Ashland
Year Organized: 1866
Square Miles: 605

Court House:

P.O. Box 187
County Courthouse
Ashland, AL 36251-0187
Phone: (256) 354-7888
Fax:

Named: Named for US Senator Henry Clay of Kentucky

State & County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick Facts

History

Clay County, Alabama

Formed by the Alabama Legislature on 1866 Dec. 7. It is named for US Senator Henry Clay of Kentucky. The county is located in the east-central part of the state, in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. It encompasses 605 square miles. The Talladega National Forest is located in the western part of the county. The county seat is located at Ashland. Other communities include Lineville and Mellow Valley.

According to the census of 2000, there were 14,254 people, 5,765 households, and 4,098 families living in the county. The population density was 9/km² (24/mi²). There were 6,612 housing units at an average density of 4/km² (11/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 82.62% White, 15.70% Black or African American, 0.32% Native American, 0.10% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.46% from other races, and 0.79% from two or more races. 1.77% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 5,765 households out of which 30.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.70% were married couples living together, 10.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.90% were non-families. 26.70% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.93.

In the county the population was spread out with 23.80% under the age of 18, 8.00% from 18 to 24, 27.40% from 25 to 44, 24.20% from 45 to 64, and 16.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 95.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.10 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $27,885, and the median income for a family was $34,033. Males had a median income of $26,118 versus $18,637 for females. The per capita income for the county was $13,785. About 12.90% of families and 17.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.60% of those under age 18 and 19.00% of that age 65 or over.

Neighboring Counties:

Northeast: Cleburne County
East: Randolph County
South: Tallapoosa County
Southwest: Coosa County
Northwest: Talladega County

Cities:

- Ashland (County Seat)	city	Incorporated Area
- Lineville

County Resources:

Enter County Resources and Information Here

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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