Winston County, Alabama

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

County Seat: Double Springs
Year Organized: 1858
Square Miles: 614

Court House:

P.O. Box 147
County Courthouse
Double Springs, AL 35553-0147
Phone: (205) 489-5026
Fax: (205) 489-3090

Named: It was named for Gov. John Hancock of Massachusetts.

State & County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick Facts

History

Winston County, Alabama

Formed as Hancock County in Feb 12, 1850, the territory formerly in Walker County. It was named for Gov. John Hancock of Massachusetts. On January 22, 1858, the name was changed to honor Alabama Gov. John A. Winston.

The county is located in the northwestern part of the state, in the Appalachian foothills. It currently encompasses 614 square miles. The county contains rich mineral deposits. Today a large portion of the county is part of the William B. Bankhead National Forest. The county seat is located in Double Springs. The county gained notoriety during the Civil War due to its reluctance to support the Confederacy.

According to the census of 2000, there were 24,843 people, 10,107 households, and 7,287 families living in the county. The population density was 16/km² (40/mi²). There were 12,502 housing units at an average density of 8/km² (20/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 97.32% White, 0.38% Black or African American, 0.46% Native American, 0.13% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.90% from other races, and 0.81% from two or more races. 1.5% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 10,107 households out of which 31.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.6% were married couples living together, 9.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.9% were non-families. 25.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.89.

In the county the population was spread out with 23.7% under the age of 18, 7.90% from 18 to 24, 28.7% from 25 to 44, 25.5% from 45 to 64, and 14.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 96 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.5 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $28,435, and the median income for a family was $32,628. Males had a median income of $26,206 versus $17,760 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,738. 17.1% of the population and 12.9% of families were below the poverty line. 21.8% of those under the age of 18 and 23% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

Neighboring Counties:

North: Lawrence County
East: Cullman County
South: Walker County
West: Marion County
Northwest: Franklin County

Cities:

Addison
Arley
Delmar
Double Springs (County Seat)
Grayson
Haleyville
Houston
Lynn
Natural Bridge

County Resources:

Enter County Resources and Information Here

Winston County, Alabama

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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