Limestone County, Alabama

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

Etymology - Origin of County Name

The name of the county comes from the creek which flows through it, whose bed is of hard limestone.

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick Facts

County History

Limestone County, Alabama

Formed by an act of the Alabama Territorial General Assembly on 1818 Feb. 6. It was formed from land comprising Elk County that was created on May 24, 1817. Limestone County is west of Madison County, north of the Tennessee River, and east of the western boundary line of range six, west of the basis meridian of the county. An act of the state General Assembly on 1821 Nov. 27 gave to the county all of the land belonging to Lauderdale County, in the fork of the Tennessee and Elk Rivers, east of range six. Today Limestone County is bounded on the north by the State of Tennessee, on the east by Madison County, on the south by Morgan and Lawrence counties, and on the west by Lauderdale County. It currently encompasses 559 square miles.

The name of the county comes from the creek which flows through it, whose bed is of hard limestone. Athens was chosen as the county seat in 1819. Other towns of note are Belle Mina, Elkmont, Capshaw and Mooresville.

According to the census of 2000, there were 65,676 people, 24,688 households, and 18,219 families living in the county. The population density was 45/km² (116/mi²). There were 26,897 housing units at an average density of 18/km² (47/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 83.79% White, 13.33% Black or African American, 0.46% Native American, 0.35% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.14% from other races, and 0.91% from two or more races. 2.65% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 24,688 households out of which 34.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.00% were married couples living together, 10.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.20% were non-families. 23.40% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.02.

In the county the population was spread out with 24.90% under the age of 18, 8.80% from 18 to 24, 32.10% from 25 to 44, 23.10% from 45 to 64, and 11.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 103.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.80 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $37,405, and the median income for a family was $45,146. Males had a median income of $35,743 versus $23,389 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,782. About 9.80% of families and 12.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.20% of those under age 18 and 14.60% of that age 65 or over.

Neighboring Counties:

• North: Giles County, Tenn.
• Northeast: Lincoln County, Tenn.
• East: Madison County
• Southeast: Morgan County
• Southwest: Lawrence County
• West: Lauderdale County

Cities and Towns:

County Resources:

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