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Jackson County, Alabama
Jackson County Courthouse, Scottsboro, Alabama
Jackson County courthouse in Scottsboro
Map of Alabama highlighting Jackson County
Location in the state of Alabama
Map of the U.S
Alabama's location in the U.S.
Founded December 13, 1819
Named for Andrew Jackson
Seat Scottsboro
Largest city Scottsboro
Area
 - Total
 - Land
 - Water

1,127 sq mi (2,919 km²)
1,078 sq mi (2,792 km²)
49 sq mi (127 km²), 4.3
Population
 - (2020)
 - Density

52,579
Congressional district 5th
Time zone Central: UTC-6/-5
Website http://www.jacksoncountyal.gov/
Footnotes: *County Number 39 on Alabama License Plates

Jackson County is the northeasternmost county in the U.S. state of Alabama. As of the 2020 census, the population was 52,579.[1] The county seat is Scottsboro.[2] The county was named for Andrew Jackson, general in the United States Army and afterward President of the United States of America.[3] Jackson County is a prohibition or dry county, but three cities within the county (Bridgeport, Scottsboro, and Stevenson) are "wet", allowing alcohol sales. Jackson County comprises the Scottsboro, AL Micropolitan Statistical Area, And Jackson county is included in the Scottsboro-Fort Payne combined statistical areas. It is the site of Russell Cave National Monument, an archeological site with evidence of 8,000 years of human occupation in the Southeast.

History[]

Jackson County was established on December 13, 1819, after the federal government arranged a treaty to remove the Cherokee from the area and extinguish their land claims.[4] The hilly and mountainous terrain of the Appalachians made the area unsuitable for the plantation-style agriculture of the lowlands and coastal area. It was settled largely by families from Tennessee, South Carolina, and Georgia.[5]

This area was developed largely for subsistence farming, and few families held any slaves. For instance, in 1860, Bellefonte, Alabama, then the county seat and largest community in the county, had a population of 181, of whom eight were free blacks and the remainder were white. No slaves were recorded in that community.[6]

The county is crossed by a number of rivers and waterways; the most important is the Tennessee River, which drains most of the county. The current county seat of Scottsboro developed along the river, and was also the site of a railroad station when railroads reached the area. Hydroelectric power was developed in the first quarter of the 20th century to generate energy for industry. By the mid-20th century, industry had replaced agriculture as the most important element of the economy.[5]

Geography[]

Jackson-County-AL-census-map

Map of Jackson County showing census subdivisions

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,127 square miles (2,920 km2), of which 1,078 square miles (2,790 km2) is land and 49 square miles (130 km2) (%) is water.[7] It is the fifth-largest county in Alabama by total area. Much of it is located in the Appalachians.

Of special interest is Russell Cave National Monument, which is located in Doran Cove, approximately 5 miles west of the town of Bridgeport. It is believed to offer "one of the most complete records of prehistoric culture in the southeast United States."[5] Russell Cave was declared a National Monument in May 1961 by President John F. Kennedy. The Monument consists of 310 acres (1.25 km2) of land donated by the National Geographic Society.

The cave is an important archaeological site that was excavated in 1956 by the Smithsonian Institution and the National Geographic Society. The October 1956 issue of National Geographic Magazine featured an article reporting, "Life 8,000 Years Ago Uncovered in an Alabama Cave." Evidence was found of human occupation of the cave from 6200 B.C. to A.D. 1650. The article was written by Carl F. Miller, the expedition leader.[8] There have been follow-up studies about this site.

Adjacent counties[]

National protected areas[]

  • Fern Cave National Wildlife Refuge
  • Russell Cave National Monument
  • Sauta Cave National Wildlife Refuge

Demographics[]

Historical populations
Census Pop.
1820 8,751
1830 12,700 45.1%
1840 15,715 23.7%
1850 14,088 −10.4%
1860 18,283 29.8%
1870 19,410 6.2%
1880 25,114 29.4%
1890 28,026 11.6%
1900 30,508 8.9%
1910 32,918 7.9%
1920 35,864 8.9%
1930 36,881 2.8%
1940 41,802 13.3%
1950 38,998 −6.7%
1960 36,681 −5.9%
1970 39,202 6.9%
1980 51,407 31.1%
1990 47,796 −7.0%
2000 53,926 12.8%
2010 53,227 −1.3%
Est. 2021 52,773 [9] −2.1%
U.S. Decennial Census[10]
1790–1960[11] 1900–1990[12]
1990–2000[13] 2010–2020[1]

2000 census[]

As of the census[14] of 2000, there were 53,926 people, 21,615 households, and 15,822 families residing in the county. The population density was 50 people per square mile (19/km2). There were 24,168 housing units at an average density of 22 per square mile (9/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 91.89% White(non-Hispanic), 3.74% Black or African American, 1.75% Native American, 0.23% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.36% from other races, and 2.00% from two or more races. 1.61% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

In 2000, the largest ancestry groups in Jackson County were English 69.1%, Scots-Irish 5.21%, Scottish 4.67%, and African 3.74%.

2010[]

According to the 2010 United States census:

There were 21,615 households, out of which 31.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.00% were married couples living together, 10.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.80% were non-families. Nearly 24.30% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47, and the average family size was 2.92.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.20% under the age of 18, 8.30% from 18 to 24, 28.70% from 25 to 44, 25.40% from 45 to 64, and 13.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.00 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $32,020, and the median income for a family was $38,082. Males had a median income of $29,777 versus $20,990 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,000. About 10.30% of families and 13.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.20% of those under age 18 and 21.00% of those age 65 or over.

2020 census[]

Jackson County racial composition[15]
Race Num. Perc.
White (non-Hispanic) 45,123 85.82%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic) 1,624 3.09%
Native American 680 1.29%
Asian 214 0.41%
Pacific Islander 2 0.0%
Other/Mixed 3,255 6.19%
Hispanic or Latino 1,681 3.2%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 52,579 people, 20,695 households, and 14,456 families residing in the county.

Politics[]

While most of North Alabama became solidly Republican during the 1970s, Jackson County remained a stronghold of the Democratic Party for elections to local office up through the 2000s (residents are not usually liberal, however; see Dixiecrat and Southern Democrat). Until November 2012, Democrats were elected to Jackson County government. In that year's general election, two Republicans were elected to the Jackson County Commission—the first Republicans to serve on the Commission since Reconstruction.[16]

There is now an all-Republican political delegation in Jackson County. Tommy Hanes and Ritchie Whorton represent the county in the Alabama House of Representatives. Steve Livingston serves Jackson County in the Alabama State Senate. In 2004, Jackson County voted for Republican George W. Bush over Democrat John Kerry. It was the first time Jackson County voters had chosen a Republican presidential candidate over a Democrat since 1972.

In 2008, Republican presidential nominee John McCain won the county with 67.7 percent of the vote.[17] In 2010, Republican gubernatorial candidate Robert J. Bentley received 56% of the vote,[18] Republican House candidate Mo Brooks received 55% of the vote,[19] and incumbent Senator Richard Shelby received 70% in the county.[20] However, Democratic politicians continued to be elected to local positions such as County Sheriff and the school board.[21]

The current Jackson County Commission is headed by Chairman General Willie Nance Jr.

United States presidential election results for Jackson County, Alabama[22]
Year Republican Democratic Third party
No.  % No.  % No.  %
2020 19,670 83.22% 3,717 15.73% 249 1.05%
2016 16,672 79.45% 3,673 17.50% 639 3.05%
2012 14,439 69.98% 5,822 28.22% 371 1.80%
2008 14,083 67.47% 6,374 30.54% 417 2.00%
2004 11,534 56.76% 8,635 42.49% 152 0.75%
2000 8,475 47.33% 9,066 50.63% 365 2.04%
1996 5,650 36.32% 8,204 52.73% 1,704 10.95%
1992 5,711 30.19% 10,628 56.19% 2,577 13.62%
1988 6,090 44.55% 7,418 54.27% 161 1.18%
1984 6,730 46.15% 7,635 52.36% 217 1.49%
1980 4,897 34.48% 8,776 61.79% 530 3.73%
1976 3,913 25.53% 10,989 71.71% 423 2.76%
1972 6,202 65.91% 2,985 31.72% 223 2.37%
1968 1,191 10.92% 1,022 9.37% 8,695 79.71%
1964 2,730 46.47% 0 0.00% 3,145 53.53%
1960 2,036 29.73% 4,789 69.93% 23 0.34%
1956 1,868 28.10% 4,758 71.58% 21 0.32%
1952 1,272 25.65% 3,677 74.15% 10 0.20%
1948 603 25.69% 0 0.00% 1,744 74.31%
1944 1,026 25.65% 2,967 74.18% 7 0.18%
1940 945 19.80% 3,818 80.01% 9 0.19%
1936 926 21.13% 3,450 78.71% 7 0.16%
1932 938 23.13% 3,110 76.68% 8 0.20%
1928 3,081 58.72% 2,153 41.03% 13 0.25%
1924 885 30.42% 1,923 66.11% 101 3.47%
1920 1,483 36.95% 2,513 62.62% 17 0.42%
1916 567 22.48% 1,907 75.61% 48 1.90%
1912 229 10.16% 1,597 70.82% 429 19.02%
1908 469 23.89% 1,404 71.52% 90 4.58%
1904 666 28.26% 1,641 69.62% 50 2.12%
1900 1,694 45.90% 1,933 52.37% 64 1.73%
1896 675 15.41% 3,556 81.21% 148 3.38%
1892 0 0.00% 3,044 65.01% 1,638 34.99%
1888 1,022 30.36% 2,304 68.45% 40 1.19%



Transportation[]

County-Highway-98-Jackson-al1

County Road 98 in northern Jackson County

Major highways[]

  • US 72 U.S. Highway 72
  • Alabama 35 State Route 35
  • Alabama 40 State Route 40
  • Alabama 65 State Route 65
  • Alabama 71 State Route 71
  • Alabama 73 State Route 73
  • Alabama 79 State Route 79
  • Alabama 117 State Route 117
  • Alabama 146 State Route 146
  • Alabama 277 State Route 277
  • Alabama 279 State Route 279

Rail[]

  • CSX Transportation
  • Norfolk Southern Railway
  • Sequatchie Valley Railroad

Communities[]

Cities[]

  • Bridgeport
  • Scottsboro (county seat)
  • Stevenson

Towns[]

  • Dutton
  • Hollywood
  • Hytop
  • Langston
  • Paint Rock
  • Pisgah
  • Pleasant Groves
  • Section
  • Skyline
  • Woodville

Unincorporated communities[]

  • Baileytown
  • Bass
  • Bolivar
  • Bryant
  • Card Switch
  • Estillfork
  • Fackler
  • Flat Rock
  • Francisco
  • Gorham's Bluff
  • Higdon
  • Hollytree
  • Larkin
  • Larkinsville
  • Liberty Hill
  • Lim Rock
  • Long Island
  • Pikeville
  • Princeton
  • Rash
  • Rosalie
  • Swaim
  • Trenton

Ghost towns[]

  • Bellefonte
  • Little Nashville

See also[]

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

References[]

  1. ^ a b "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/jacksoncountyalabama/PST045221. 
  2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx. 
  3. ^ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off.. pp. 167. https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_9V1IAAAAMAAJ. 
  4. ^ "Counties: Jackson County", Alabama Department of Archives and History, 2014
  5. ^ a b c Donna J. Siebenthaler, "Jackson County", Encyclopedia of Alabama, 2018; accessed September 21, 2018
  6. ^ http://www2.census.gov/prod2/decennial/documents/1860a-04.pdf Template:Bare URL PDF
  7. ^ "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. 
  8. ^ Carl F. Miller, "Life 8,000 Years Ago Uncovered in an Alabama Cave", National Geographic Magazine, pp. 542–558
  9. ^ "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. 
  10. ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html. 
  11. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. http://mapserver.lib.virginia.edu. 
  12. ^ 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. 
  13. ^ "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. 
  14. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov. 
  15. ^ "Explore Census Data". https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?g=0500000US01071&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2. 
  16. ^ "Jackson County Commission gains its first Republicans". http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2012/nov/14/1114-b4-jackson-commission-gains-its-first/. 
  17. ^ "President Map – Election Results 2008 – The New York Times". http://elections.nytimes.com/2008/results/president/map.html?scp=1&sq=%22election%20map&st=cse. 
  18. ^ "County Results - Election Center 2010 - Elections & Politics from CNN.com". http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2010/results/county/#val=ALG00p4. 
  19. ^ "County Results - Election Center 2010 - Elections & Politics from CNN.com". http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2010/results/county/#ALH05p1. 
  20. ^ "County Results - Election Center 2010 - Elections & Politics from CNN.com". http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2010/results/county/#val=ALS01p4. 
  21. ^ "Chuck Phillips elected sheriff in Jackson County; Cecil Gant to school board". http://blog.al.com/breaking/2010/11/chuck_phillips_election_sherif.html. 
  22. ^ "Dave Leip’s Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/. 

Further reading[]

  • The Heritage of Jackson County, Alabama, Clanton, Ala.: Heritage Publishing Consultants, 1998.
  • Kennamer, John Robert. The History of Jackson County, Alabama, Scottsboro, Ala.: Jackson County Historical Association, 1993.

External links[]

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Coordinates: 34°47′N 86°0′W / 34.783, -86


This page uses content from the English language Wikipedia. The original content was at Jackson 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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