Winston County, Alabama

Infobox U.S. County
county = Winston County
state = Alabama




map size = 150
founded =February 12, 1850
seat =Double Springs
largest city =Haleyville
area_total_sq_mi =632
area_land_sq_mi =614
area_water_sq_mi =17
area percentage =(2.76%)
census yr = 2000
pop = 24843
density_km2 =8| density_sq_mi=20
web =

Winston County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama, formerly known as Hancock County before 1858. "ACES Winston County Office" (links/history), Alabama Cooperative Extension System (ACES), 2007, webpage: [http://www.aces.edu/counties/Winston/ ACES-Winston] .] Its name is in honor of John A. Winston, a Governor of Alabama. As of 2006 census estimates, the population was 24,634. Its county seat is Double Springs.

History

Winston County was established under the name Hancock County on February 12, 1850, from territory formerly in Walker County. It was originally named for John Hancock, Governor of Massachusetts and famous signer of the American Declaration of Independence, with its county seat at Houston. On January 22, 1858, the county was renamed Winston County to honor Alabama Gov. John A. Winston. During the American Civil War, the county refused to join the Confederacy and declared itself the Republic of Winston. The county felt that if a state could secede from the union a county could secede from a state. Today it is popularly and colloquially known as "the Free State of Winston". This event is briefly noted in the novel"To Kill a Mockingbird". The county seat was moved to Double Springs in 1883 so it would be near the center of the county, as Cullman was created from the eastern portion of Winston. [Owen, Thomas McAdory. History of Alabama and Dictionary of Alabama Biography. Chicago: S. J. Clarke Publishing Co., 1921] The famous civil rights judge Frank M. Johnson of the Eleventh Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals was born in Winston County, in the Delmar Community.

The sale of alcohol is prohibited in Winston County, making it a dry county.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,637 km² (632 square miles). Nearly 614 square miles (1,591 km²) of it is land, and 17 square miles (45 km²) of it (2.76%) is water.

Major highways

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Rail

*Norfolk Southern Railway

Adjacent counties

*Lawrence County (north)
*Cullman County (east)
*Walker County (south)
*Marion County (west)
*Franklin County (northwest)

National protected area

* William B. Bankhead National Forest (part)

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 24,843 people, 10,107 households, and 7,287 families residing in the county. The population density was 40 people per square mile (16/km²). There were 12,502 housing units at an average density of 20 per square mile (8/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 97.32% White, 0.38% Black or Race (United States Census), 0.46% Native American, 0.13% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.90% from other races, and 0.81% from two or more races. Nearly 1.5% of the population were 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. Nearly 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.

Cities and towns

*Addison
*Arley
*Delmar
*Double Springs
*Haleyville (part - part of Haleyville is in Marion County)
*Lynn
*Natural Bridge
*Nauvoo (part - part of Nauvoo is in Walker County)
*South Haleyville (unincorporated)

See also

*Dry counties

Notes

External links

* Winston County [http://alabamamaps.ua.edu/contemporarymaps/alabama/counties/winston.jpgmap of roads/towns] (map © 2007 Univ. of Alabama).

* Winston County, Alabama: The Free State of Winston [http://wcgs.ala.nu]