Dale County, Alabama

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

County Seat: Ozark
Year Organized: 1824
Square Miles: 561

Court House:

202 Hwy. 123 South, Suite C
County Commission
Ozark, AL 36360-0819
Phone: (334) 774-6025
Fax: (334) 774-1841

Named: It was named for Gen. Sam Dale, pioneer and Indian fighter.

State & County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick Facts

History

Dale County, Alabama

Formed by the Alabama legislature on 1824 Dec. 22. It was named for Gen. Sam Dale, pioneer and Indian fighter. Dale County is located in the southeastern part of the state, wholly within the coastal plain. It is bordered by Pike, Barbour, Henry, Houston, Geneva, and Coffee counties. It currently encompasses 561 square miles. Originally, the county seat was located at Dale Court House, which later became Daleville. An election in 1870 resulted in the removal of the county seat to Ozark. The courthouses suffered damage by fire in 1869 and 1884. Other towns and communities include Ariton, Newton, Midland City, and the US Army Base at Fort Rucker.

According to the census of 2000, there were 49,129 people, 18,878 households, and 13,629 families living in the county. The population density was 34/km² (88/mi²). There were 21,779 housing units at an average density of 15/km² (39/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 74.4% White, 20.4% Black or African American, 0.60% Native American, 1.1% Asian, 0.15% Pacific Islander, 1.3% from other races, and 2.2% from two or more races. 3.4% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 18,878 households out of which 36% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55% were married couples living together, 13.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.8% were non-families. 24.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.5 and the average family size was 3.0.

In the county the population was spread out with 26.6% under the age of 18, 9.6% from 18 to 24, 30.3% from 25 to 44, 21.8% from 45 to 64, and 11.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 98.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $32,000, and the median income for a family was $37,800. Males had a median income of $29,840 versus $20,000 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,000. 15% of the population and 12.6% of families were below the poverty line. 19.4% of those under the age of 18 and 16.5% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line

Neighboring Counties:

Northeast: Barbour County; Henry County
Southeast: Houston County
Southwest: Geneva County
West: Coffee County
Northwest: Pike County

Cities:

Ariton
Bertha
Clayhatchee
Clopton
Daleville
Edwin
Fort Rucker
Level Plains
Midland City
Newton
Ozark (County Seat)
Pinckard
Skipperville
Waterford

County Resources:

Enter County Resources and Information Here

Dale 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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