Dallas County, Alabama

Not to be confused with Dallas County, Texas.

Dallas County, Alabama
Location in the state of Alabama
Alabama's location in the U.S.
Founded	February 9, 1818
Seat	Selma
Largest city	Selma
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	993.37 sq mi (2,573 km²) 980.71 sq mi (2,540 km²) 12.66 sq mi (33 km²), 1.27%
Population  - (2010)  - Density	43,820 45/sq mi (17.2/km²)
Website	www.dallascounty-al.org/

Dallas County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama. Its name is in honor of United States Secretary of the Treasury Alexander J. Dallas. The county seat is Selma.

History

Dallas County was created by the Alabama territorial legislature on February 9, 1818, from Montgomery County, a portion of the Creek cession of August 9, 1814. It was named for U.S. Treasury Secretary Alexander J. Dallas of Pennsylvania.

Dallas County is located in the Black Belt region of the west-central portion of the state. It is traversed by the Alabama River and bordered by Perry, Chilton, Autauga, Lowndes, Wilcox, and Marengo counties. Originally, the county seat was at Cahaba, which also served as the state capital for a brief period. In 1865, the county seat was transferred to Selma. Other towns and communities include Marion Junction, Sardis, Orrville, Valley Grande,and Minter.

Geography

According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 993.37 square miles (2,572.8 km²), of which 980.71 square miles (2,540.0 km²) (or 98.73%) is land and 12.66 square miles (32.8 km²) (or 1.27%) is water.^[1]

Adjacent Counties

• Chilton County (north)
• Autauga County (northeast)
• Lowndes County (southeast)
• Wilcox County (south)
• Marengo County (west)
• Perry County (northwest)

National protected area

• Talladega National Forest (part)

Transportation

Major highways

• U.S. Highway 80
• State Route 5
• State Route 14
• State Route 22
• State Route 41
• State Route 89

Airports

• Craig Field (SEM) in Selma
• Skyharbor Airport (S63) in Selma

Demographics

Dallas County, Alabama
Year	Pop.	±%
1820	6,003	—
1830	14,017	+133.5%
1840	25,199	+79.8%
1850	29,727	+18.0%
1860	33,625	+13.1%
1870	40,705	+21.1%
1880	48,433	+19.0%
1890	49,350	+1.9%
1900	54,657	+10.8%
1910	53,401	−2.3%
1920	54,697	+2.4%
1930	55,094	+0.7%
1940	55,245	+0.3%
1950	56,270	+1.9%
1960	56,667	+0.7%
1970	55,296	−2.4%
1980	53,981	−2.4%
1990	48,130	−10.8%
2000	46,365	−3.7%
2010	43,820	−5.5%
Sources: "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/index.xhtml.  through 1960

2010

Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:

• 29.1% White
• 69.4% Black
• 0.2% Native American
• 0.3% Asian
• 0.0% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander
• 0.7% Two or more races
• 0.7% Hispanic or Latino (of any race)

2000

As of the census^[2] of 2000, there were 46,365 people, 17,841 households, and 12,488 families residing in the county. The population density was 47 people per square mile (18/km²). There were 20,450 housing units at an average density of 21 per square mile (8/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 63.26% Black or African American, 35.58% White, 0.11% Native American, 0.35% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.14% from other races, and 0.55% from two or more races. 0.63% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 17,841 households, out of which 33.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.40% were married couples living together, 25.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.00% were non-families. Nearly 27.80% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.15.

In the county, the population was spread out with 28.60% under the age of 18, 9.40% from 18 to 24, 26.20% from 25 to 44, 21.90% from 45 to 64, and 13.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 83.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 77.80 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $23,370, and the median income for a family was $29,906. Males had a median income of $31,568 versus $18,683 for females. The per capita income for the county was $13,638. About 27.20% of families and 31.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 40.70% of those under age 18 and 27.60% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

• Selma
• Valley Grande

Towns

• Orrville

Census-designated places

• Selmont-West Selmont

Unincorporated communities

• Beloit
• Browns
• Cahaba
• Carlowville
• Crumptonia
• Elm Bluff
• Marion Junction
• Minter
• Plantersville
• Pleasant Hill
• Richmond
• Safford
• Sardis
• Summerfield
• Tyler

Education

Areas not in Selma are served by Dallas County Schools, while areas in Selma are served by Selma City Schools.

Notable residents

• James Abercrombie, (1795–1861), United States Congressman from Alabama, resided here for a time.^[3]
• Shwetak Patel, (1981-), from Alabama, was born in Selma and went on to become a professor of Computer Science and Engineering and Electrical Engineering at the University of Washington and invent a number of new sensing technologies.

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Dallas County, Alabama
• Properties on the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage in Dallas County, Alabama

References

1. ^ "Census 2000 U.S. Gazetteer Files: Counties". United States Census. http://www.census.gov/tiger/tms/gazetteer/county2k.txt. Retrieved 2011-02-13. 
2. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
3. ^ Who Was Who in America, Historical Volume, 1607-1896. Chicago: Marquis Who's Who. 1963. 

External links

• Dallas County map of roads/towns (map © 2007 Univ. of Alabama).

Coordinates: 32°19′29″N 87°06′19″W / 32.32472°N 87.10528°W / 32.32472; -87.10528