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Alabama

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Alabama Counties

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Alabama Counties

Alabama currently has sixty-seven counties. The oldest county, Washington, was created on June 4, 1800, when what is now Alabama was then part of the Mississippi Territory. The newest county is Houston, created on February 9, 1903.

In 1820, Alabama had 29 counties. By 1830 there were 36, with Indians still occupying land in northeast and far western Alabama. By 1840, 49 counties had been created; 52 by 1850; 65 by 1870; and the present 67 counties by 1903.

Dallas County, Alabama

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

County Seat: Selma
Year Organized: 1818
Square Miles: 981

Court House:

P.O. Box 987
Selma, AL 36702-0987

Etymology - Origin of County Name

It was named for Alexander J. Dallas of Pennsylvania, US Treasury Secretary.

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick Facts

County History

Dallas County, Alabama

Formed by the Alabama Territorial legislature on 1818 Feb. 9, from portions of the Creek cession of 1814 Aug. 9. It was named for Alexander J. Dallas of Pennsylvania, US Treasury Secretary. Dallas County is located in the Black Belt region of the west-central portion of the state, and is traversed by the Alabama River. Dallas is bordered by Perry, Chilton, Autauga, Lowndes, Wilcox, and Marengo counties. It currently encompasses 975 square miles. Originally, the county seat was at Cahaba, which also served as the state capital for a brief period. In 1865, the county seat was transferred to Selma. Other towns and communities include Marion Junction, Sardis, and Orrville.

According to the census of 2000, there were 46,365 people, 17,841 households, and 12,488 families living in the county. The population density was 18/km² (47/mi²). There were 20,450 housing units at an average density of 8/km² (21/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 35.58% White, 63.26% Black or African American, 0.11% Native American, 0.35% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.14% from other races, and 0.55% from two or more races. 0.63% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 17,841 households out of which 33.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.40% were married couples living together, 25.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.00% were non-families. 27.80% 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 2.57 and the average family size was 3.15.

In the county the population was spread out with 28.60% under the age of 18, 9.40% from 18 to 24, 26.20% from 25 to 44, 21.90% from 45 to 64, and 13.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 83.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 77.80 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $23,370, and the median income for a family was $29,906. Males had a median income of $31,568 versus $18,683 for females. The per capita income for the county was $13,638. About 27.20% of families and 31.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 40.70% of those under age 18 and 27.60% of that age 65 or over.

Neighboring Counties:

Northeast: Chilton County; Autauga County
Southeast: Lowndes County
Southwest: Wilcox County
West: Marengo County
Northwest: Perry County

Cities and Towns:

- Benton	town	Incorporated Area
- Orrville	town	Incorporated Area
- Selma (County Seat)	city	Incorporated Area
- Valley Grande	city	Incorporated Area

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."

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