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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.

Houston County, Alabama

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

County Seat: Dothan
Year Organized: 1903
Square Miles: 580

Court House:

P.O. Box 6406
County Courthouse
Dothan, AL 36302-6406

Etymology - Origin of County Name

It was named in honor of Alabama Gov. George Smith Houston.

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick Facts

County History

Houston County, Alabama

Formed by the Alabama legislature on 1903 Feb. 9, from parts of Dale, Geneva, and Henry counties. It encompasses 577 square miles. It was named in honor of Alabama Gov. George Smith Houston. Houston County lies in the extreme southeastern corner of the state, in the Wiregrass region, and borders the State of Georgia on the east and Florida to the south. The county seat is Dothan, which was known as Poplar Head, prior to 1871. Other towns and communities include Cottonwood, Ashford, and Webb.

According to the census of 2000, there were 88,787 people, 35,834 households, and 25,119 families residing in the county. The population density was 59/km² (153/mi²). There were 39,571 housing units at an average density of 26/km² (68/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 73.08% White, 24.60% Black or African American, 0.37% Native American, 0.62% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.39% from other races, and 0.92% from two or more races. 1.26% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 35,834 households out of which 33.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.50% were married couples living together, 14.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.90% were non-families. 26.40% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.95.

In the county the population was spread out with 25.90% under the age of 18, 8.20% from 18 to 24, 28.70% from 25 to 44, 23.50% from 45 to 64, and 13.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 90.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.20 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $34,431, and the median income for a family was $42,437. Males had a median income of $32,092 versus $21,409 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,759. About 11.80% of families and 15.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.10% of those under age 18 and 16.30% of that age 65 or over.

Neighboring Counties:

North: Henry County
Northeast: Early County, Ga.
Southeast: Seminole County, Ga.
South: Jackson County, Fla.
West: Geneva County
Northwest: Dale County

Cities and Towns:

- Ashford	city	Incorporated Area
- Avon	town	Incorporated Area
- Columbia	town	Incorporated Area
- Cottonwood	town	Incorporated Area
- Cowarts	town	Incorporated Area
- Dothan (County Seat)	city	Incorporated Area
- Gordon	town	Incorporated Area
- Grimes	town	Incorporated Area
- Haleburg	town	Incorporated Area
- Kinsey	town	Incorporated Area
- Madrid	town	Incorporated Area
- Napier Field	town	Incorporated Area
- Rehobeth	town	Incorporated Area
- Taylor	town	Incorporated Area
- Webb	town	Incorporated Area

County Resources:

Enter County Resources and Information Here

County Resources

The history of our nation was a prolonged struggle to define the relative roles and powers of our governments: federal, state, and local. And the names given the counties, our most locally based jurisdictions, reflects the "characteristic features of this 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."