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DeKalb County, Alabama
DeKalb County Alabama Courthouse 20120329
DeKalb County courthouse in Fort Payne
Map of Alabama highlighting DeKalb County
Location in the state of Alabama
Map of the U.S
Alabama's location in the U.S.
Founded January 9, 1836
Named for Johan DeKalb
Seat Fort Payne
Largest city Fort Payne
Area
 - Total
 - Land
 - Water

779 sq mi (2,018 km²)
777 sq mi (2,012 km²)
1.6 sq mi (4 km²), 0.2
Population
 - (2020)
 - Density

71,608
Congressional district 4th
Time zone Central: UTC-6/-5
Website http://www.dekalbcountyal.us
Footnotes: *County Number 28 on Alabama License Plates

DeKalb County is a county located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Alabama. As of the 2020 census, the population was 71,608.[1] Its county seat is Fort Payne,[2] and it is named after Major General Baron Johan DeKalb. DeKalb County is part of the Huntsville-Decatur-Albertville, AL Combined Statistical Area.

History[]

DeKalb County was created by the Alabama legislature on January 9, 1836,[3] from land ceded under duress to the Federal government by the Cherokee Nation prior to their forced removal to Indian Territory west of the Mississippi River.

The county was named for Major General Baron Johann de Kalb, a hero of the American Revolution.[4]

The city of Fort Payne, now the county seat, developed around a fort of the same name, built in the 1830s to intern Cherokee of the region prior to their removal.

In the early 19th century, Sequoyah, the Cherokee man who independently created the Cherokee syllabary, a written system for his language, lived in this area. He had been born in a Cherokee town in Tennessee and migrated here in the early 1800s. His work enabled the Cherokee to publish the first Native American newspaper, The Phoenix, which they produced in Cherokee and English.

On the whole, DeKalb County is a dry county in terms of alcohol sales and consumption. In 2005, the city of Fort Payne passed a law to authorize the legal sale of alcohol.[5] Collinsville and Henagar later also allowed alcohol sales.

21st-century natural events[]

The county's eastern edge, along the state line, was the epicenter of an earthquake on April 29, 2003, measuring 4.6 on the Richter scale. Power was knocked out in the area, mirrors and pictures thrown to the floor, foundations cracked, and one chimney fell to the ground. The unusual earthquake for this region was felt over a significant portion of the southeastern states, including quite strongly in northeastern Alabama and neighboring northern Georgia, and nearby eastern Tennessee (especially near Chattanooga). It was also felt slightly in western upstate South Carolina, far west-southwestern North Carolina, south and southeastern Kentucky, and east-northeastern Mississippi.

DeKalb County had one of the highest death tolls in Alabama during a massive tornadic system in April 2011, the 2011 Super Outbreak. A total of 31 deaths were reported in the county.

Geography[]

OLD UNION OR TALLAHATCHIE COVERED BRIDGE

The "Old Union" or "Tallahatchie" covered bridge crosses the Little River.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 779 square miles (2,020 km2), of which 777 square miles (2,010 km2) is land and 1.6 square miles (4.1 km2) (0.2%) is water.[6]

Adjacent counties[]

National protected area[]

  • Little River Canyon National Preserve (part)

Demographics[]

Historical populations
Census Pop.
1840 5,929
1850 8,245 39.1%
1860 10,705 29.8%
1870 7,126 −33.4%
1880 12,675 77.9%
1890 21,106 66.5%
1900 23,558 11.6%
1910 28,261 20.0%
1920 34,426 21.8%
1930 40,104 16.5%
1940 43,075 7.4%
1950 45,048 4.6%
1960 41,417 −8.1%
1970 41,981 1.4%
1980 53,658 27.8%
1990 54,651 1.9%
2000 64,452 17.9%
2010 71,109 10.3%
Est. 2021 71,813 [7] 11.4%
U.S. Decennial Census[8]
1790–1960[9] 1900–1990[10]
1990–2000[11] 2010–2020[1]

2020 census[]

DeKalb County racial composition[12]
Race Num. Perc.
White (non-Hispanic) 54,529 76.15%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic) 1,019 1.42%
Native American 715 1.0%
Asian 237 0.33%
Pacific Islander 16 0.02%
Other/Mixed 3,348 4.68%
Hispanic or Latino 11,744 16.4%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 71,608 people, 24,880 households, and 16,366 families residing in the county.

2010 census[]

As of the census[13] of 2010, there were 71,109 people, 26,842 households, and 19,361 families living in the county. The population density was 92 people per square mile (36/km2). There were 31,109 housing units at an average density of 39.9 per square mile (15/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 84.5% White (non-Hispanic), 1.5% Black or African American, 1.4% Native American, 0.3% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 9.9% from other races, and 2.2% from two or more races. 13.6% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

2000 census[]

As of the census[14] of 2000, there were 64,452 people, 25,113 households, and 18,432 families living in the county. The population density was 83 people per square mile (32/km2). There were 28,051 housing units at an average density of 36 per square mile (14/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 92.55% White (non-Hispanic), 1.68% Black or African American, 0.80% Native American, 0.19% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 3.10% from other races, and 1.62% from two or more races. 5.55% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

According to the census of 2000, the largest ancestry groups in DeKalb County were English 78.31%, Scotch-Irish 8.29%, Scottish 3.33%, Irish 3.31%, Welsh 1.22%, and African 1.68%


Transportation[]

Major highways[]

  • I-59 (AL) Interstate 59
  • US 11 U.S. Route 11
  • Alabama 35 State Route 35
  • Alabama 40 State Route 40
  • Alabama 68 State Route 68
  • Alabama 75 State Route 75
  • Alabama 117 State Route 117
  • Alabama 176 State Route 176
  • Alabama 227 State Route 227

Rail[]

  • Norfolk Southern Railway

Government[]

DeKalb County is strongly Republican. Eighty-four percent of its voters supported Donald Trump in 2020, and no Democrat has carried it since Southerner Jimmy Carter did so in 1976. Populist appeal in the county during the period of "Redemption" meant that even during the "Solid South" era DeKalb County sometimes supported victorious Republican presidential candidates, as it did during the three Republican landslides of the 1920s.

United States presidential election results for DeKalb County, Alabama[15]
Year Republican Democratic Third party
No.  % No.  % No.  %
2020 24,767 84.37% 4,281 14.58% 308 1.05%
2016 21,405 82.88% 3,622 14.02% 799 3.09%
2012 18,331 76.54% 5,239 21.87% 380 1.59%
2008 17,957 74.77% 5,658 23.56% 400 1.67%
2004 16,904 69.94% 7,092 29.34% 173 0.72%
2000 12,827 63.23% 7,056 34.78% 402 1.98%
1996 9,823 54.14% 6,544 36.07% 1,776 9.79%
1992 10,519 48.73% 8,245 38.20% 2,821 13.07%
1988 11,478 60.60% 7,333 38.72% 129 0.68%
1984 12,098 62.53% 7,212 37.27% 39 0.20%
1980 9,673 51.75% 8,820 47.19% 197 1.05%
1976 6,597 40.14% 9,759 59.37% 81 0.49%
1972 9,434 71.27% 3,759 28.40% 44 0.33%
1968 5,314 35.76% 1,274 8.57% 8,271 55.66%
1964 6,746 57.69% 0 0.00% 4,948 42.31%
1960 5,585 48.82% 5,844 51.08% 12 0.10%
1956 5,684 49.56% 5,768 50.30% 16 0.14%
1952 3,997 43.37% 5,209 56.52% 11 0.12%
1948 2,743 43.31% 0 0.00% 3,590 56.69%
1944 2,627 37.52% 4,366 62.35% 9 0.13%
1940 2,810 34.02% 5,432 65.77% 17 0.21%
1936 4,620 42.92% 6,121 56.87% 23 0.21%
1932 3,496 44.88% 4,217 54.13% 77 0.99%
1928 5,761 59.27% 3,957 40.71% 2 0.02%
1924 3,434 53.35% 3,003 46.65% 0 0.00%
1920 4,852 55.17% 3,894 44.28% 49 0.56%
1916 1,190 39.35% 1,787 59.09% 47 1.55%
1912 492 19.49% 1,379 54.61% 654 25.90%
1908 1,103 43.15% 1,395 54.58% 58 2.27%
1904 1,237 40.31% 1,716 55.91% 116 3.78%
1900 1,735 46.80% 1,873 50.53% 99 2.67%
1896 1,446 46.56% 1,586 51.06% 74 2.38%
1892 5 0.16% 1,868 61.01% 1,189 38.83%
1888 593 30.63% 1,326 68.49% 17 0.88%



Communities[]

Cities[]

  • Fort Payne (county seat)
  • Henagar
  • Rainsville

Towns[]

  • Collinsville (partly in Cherokee County)
  • Crossville
  • Fyffe
  • Geraldine
  • Hammondville
  • Ider
  • Lakeview
  • Mentone
  • Pine Ridge
  • Powell
  • Sand Rock (mostly in Cherokee County)
  • Shiloh
  • Sylvania
  • Valley Head

Unincorporated communities[]

  • Adamsburg
  • Alpine
  • Aroney
  • Beaty Crossroads
  • Cartersville
  • Chigger Hill
  • Dawson
  • Dog Town
  • Grove Oak
  • Guest
  • Hopewell
  • Lake Howard
  • Loveless
  • Sulphur Springs
  • Ten Broeck
  • Whiton

Ghost towns[]

  • Battelle
  • Bootsville
  • Rawlingsville

See also[]

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

References[]

  1. ^ a b "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/dekalbcountyalabama/PST045221. 
  2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx. 
  3. ^ "Alabama Counties". Alabama Department of Archives and History. http://www.alabamainteractive.org/alabamainteractive_shell/Welcome.do?url=http://www.archives.state.al.us/counties.html. 
  4. ^ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off.. pp. 103. https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_9V1IAAAAMAAJ. 
  5. ^ "Alcohol laws are changed," The Times-Journal, December 17, 2004 Archived July 26, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  6. ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. http://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/counties_list_01.txt. 
  7. ^ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2021". https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/popest/2020s-counties-total.html. 
  8. ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html. 
  9. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. http://mapserver.lib.virginia.edu. 
  10. ^ Forstall, Richard L., ed (March 24, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov/population/cencounts/al190090.txt. 
  11. ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000". United States Census Bureau. April 2, 2001. https://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/briefs/phc-t4/tables/tab02.pdf. 
  12. ^ "Explore Census Data". https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?g=0500000US01049&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2. 
  13. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov. 
  14. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov. 
  15. ^ "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/. 

External links[]

Coordinates: 34°27′26″N 85°48′24″W / 34.45722, -85.80667

This page uses content from the English language Wikipedia. The original content was at DeKalb County, Alabama. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with this Familypedia wiki, the content of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons License.
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