Jackson County, Alabama

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

County Seat: Scottsboro
Year Organized: 1819
Square Miles: 1,079

Court House:

102 E. Laurel Street, Suite 47
County Courthouse
Scottsboro, AL 35768-1852
Phone: (256)574-9280
Fax:

Named: The county was named in honor of Gen. Andrew Jackson.

State & County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick Facts

History

Jackson County, Alabama

Formed by the Alabama legislature on 1819 Dec. 13, from land acquired from the Cherokee Indians. The county was named in honor of Gen. Andrew Jackson. Jackson County is located in the northeastern corner of the state. It is bounded on the north by Tennessee, on the east by Georgia and DeKalb County, on the south by DeKalb and Marshall Counties, and on the west by Madison County. It encompasses 1,069 square miles. Most of the county is drained by the Tennessee River. The act establishing Jackson County designated Sauta Cave as a temporary seat of justice. Bellefonte was the county seat from 1821 until 1859, at which time it was transferred to Scottsboro, which was named for Robert T. Scott, an early settler from North Carolina. Other towns and communities include Bridgeport and Stevenson.

According to the census of 2000, there were 53,926 people, 21,615 households, and 15,822 families living in the county. The population density was 19/km² (50/mi²). There were 24,168 housing units at an average density of 9/km² (22/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 91.89% White, 3.74% Black or African American, 1.75% Native American, 0.23% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.36% from other races, and 2.00% from two or more races. 1.13% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 21,615 households out of which 31.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.00% were married couples living together, 10.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.80% were non-families. 24.30% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 2.92.

In the county the population was spread out with 24.20% under the age of 18, 8.30% from 18 to 24, 28.70% from 25 to 44, 25.40% from 45 to 64, and 13.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 95.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.00 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $32,020, and the median income for a family was $38,082. Males had a median income of $29,777 versus $20,990 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,000. About 10.30% of families and 13.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.20% of those under age 18 and 21.00% of that age 65 or over.

Neighboring Counties:

North: Franklin County, Tenn.
Northeast: Marion County, Tenn.
East: Dade County, Ga.
Southeast: DeKalb County
Southwest: Marshall County
West: Madison County

Cities:

Bridgeport
Bryant
Dutton
Estillfork
Fabius
Fackler
Flat Rock
Higdon
Hollytree
Hollywood
Hytop
Langston
Paint Rock
Pisgah
Princeton
Scottsboro (County Seat)
Section
Stevenson
Trenton
Woodville

County Resources:

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County Resource Guide

Counties: US Map

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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