Etowah County, Alabama

Etowah County, Alabama
Etowah County courthouse in Gadsden
Map of Alabama highlighting Etowah County
Location in the U.S. state of Alabama
Map of the United States highlighting Alabama
Alabama's location in the U.S.
Founded December 7, 1866
Seat Gadsden
Largest city Gadsden
Area
 • Total 549 sq mi (1,422 km2)
 • Land 535 sq mi (1,386 km2)
 • Water 14 sq mi (36 km2), 2.5%
Population (est.)
 • (2017) 102,755
 • Density 195/sq mi (75/km2)
Congressional district 4th
Time zone Central: UTC−6/−5
Website www.etowahcounty.org
Footnotes:  
  • County Number 31 on Alabama Licence Plates

Etowah County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama. As of the 2010 census the population was 104,430.[1] Its county seat is Gadsden.[2] Its name is from a Cherokee word meaning "edible tree". In total area, it is the smallest county in Alabama, but one of the most densely populated.

Etowah County comprises the Gadsden Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

The territory of Etowah County was originally split among the neighboring counties, with most of it belonging to DeKalb and Cherokee counties.[3] It was separated and established as Baine County on December 7, 1866, by the first postwar legislature, and was named for General David W. Baine of the Confederate Army.[4] The county seat was designated as Gadsden.

Because of postwar tensions and actions of insurgents against freedmen, a state constitutional convention was called in 1868. During it, this new county was abolished, replaced on December 1, 1868 by one aligned to the same boundaries and named Etowah County, from a Cherokee language word.[5] Most of the Cherokee had been removed in the 1830s to Indian Territory (now part of Oklahoma) west of the Mississippi River.

20th century to present

Etowah County had issues of racial discrimination and injustice, and Jim Crow. It had one documented lynching. [6] But Bunk Richardson, an innocent African-American man, was lynched by about 25 masked whites in the county seat of Gadsden, Alabama, on February 1906, allegedly because he was associated with a case in which a white woman was raped and killed. The whites were angry that the governor had commuted the death sentence of one defendant in the case (who was likely also innocent of charges), after two men had already been executed for the crime.[7]

An F4 tornado struck here on Palm Sunday March 27, 1994. It destroyed Piedmont's Goshen United Methodist Church twelve minutes after the National Weather Service of Birmingham issued a tornado warning for northern Calhoun, southeastern Etowah, and southern Cherokee counties.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 549 square miles (1,420 km2), of which 535 square miles (1,390 km2) is land and 14 square miles (36 km2) (2.5%) is water.[8] It is the smallest county by area in Alabama.

Adjacent counties

Transportation

Major highways

Rail

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.%±
187010,109—
188015,39852.3%
189021,92642.4%
190027,36124.8%
191039,10942.9%
192047,27520.9%
193063,39934.1%
194072,58014.5%
195093,89229.4%
196096,9803.3%
197094,144−2.9%
1980103,0579.5%
199099,840−3.1%
2000103,4593.6%
2010104,4300.9%
Est. 2017102,755[9]−1.6%
U.S. Decennial Census[10]
1790–1960[11] 1900–1990[12]
1990–2000[13] 2010–2017[1]

As of the census[14] of 2000, there were 103,459 people, 41,615 households, and 29,463 families residing in the county. The population density was 193 people per square mile (75/km2). There were 45,959 housing units at an average density of 86 per square mile (33/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 82.9% White, 14.7% Black or African American, 0.3% Native American, 0.4% Asian, <0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.7% from other races, and 0.9% from two or more races. 1.7% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 41,615 households out of which 29.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.2% were married couples living together, 13.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.2% were non-families. 26.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 2.93.

In the county, the population was spread out with 23.8% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 27.4% from 25 to 44, 24.1% from 45 to 64, and 16.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.90 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $31,170, and the median income for a family was $38,697. Males had a median income of $31,610 versus $21,346 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,783. About 12.3% of families and 15.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.6% of those under age 18 and 13.7% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the census[15] of 2010, there were 104,430 people, 42,036 households, and 28,708 families residing in the county. The population density was 195 people per square mile (75/km2). There were 47,454 housing units at an average density of 86 per square mile (33/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 80.3% White, 15.1% Black or African American, 0.4% Native American, 0.6% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 1.9% from other races, and 1.5% from two or more races. 3.3% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 42,036 households out of which 27.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.3% were married couples living together, 14.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.7% were non-families. 28.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.9% 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 2.97.

In the county, the population was spread out with 23.0% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 24.9% from 25 to 44, 27.8% from 45 to 64, and 15.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40.2 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.5 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $36,422, and the median income for a family was $44,706. Males had a median income of $39,814 versus $30,220 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,439. About 13.1% of families and 16.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.6% of those under age 18 and 11.2% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Presidential elections results
Etowah County vote
by party in presidential elections [16]
Year GOP Dem Others
2016 73.3% 32,353 23.6% 10,442 3.1% 1,369
2012 68.3% 29,130 30.0% 12,803 1.6% 691
2008 68.4% 30,595 30.2% 13,497 1.4% 645
2004 63.3% 26,999 35.9% 15,328 0.8% 353
2000 53.6% 21,087 44.3% 17,433 2.1% 828
1996 44.8% 16,835 47.9% 17,976 7.3% 2,750
1992 41.2% 17,467 48.4% 20,558 10.4% 4,426
1988 49.7% 17,828 49.5% 17,762 0.8% 301
1984 49.6% 19,243 49.2% 19,074 1.2% 464
1980 42.8% 16,177 55.0% 20,790 2.2% 839
1976 28.9% 10,333 70.0% 25,020 1.1% 397
1972 73.0% 20,851 25.8% 7,372 1.3% 358
1968 14.0% 4,351 14.8% 4,613 71.3% 22,222
1964 59.1% 12,894 40.9% 8,939
1960 32.9% 7,128 66.3% 14,372 0.9% 185
1956 36.2% 7,198 62.2% 12,374 1.6% 314
1952 29.5% 4,634 70.1% 10,997 0.4% 66
1948 21.1% 1,615 78.9% 6,046
1944 20.3% 1,525 78.4% 5,895 1.3% 101
1940 15.3% 1,270 84.3% 7,012 0.4% 33
1936 17.3% 1,207 82.2% 5,739 0.5% 32
1932 17.3% 1,093 81.7% 5,167 1.0% 62
1928 58.9% 3,612 40.5% 2,484 0.6% 38
1924 33.2% 1,664 61.4% 3,081 5.4% 272
1920 34.8% 3,218 64.1% 5,917 1.1% 103
1916 30.5% 862 66.7% 1,883 2.8% 80
1912 12.2% 354 52.2% 1,511 35.6% 1,031
1908 41.3% 996 54.3% 1,309 4.4% 106
1904 32.7% 823 56.9% 1,431 10.4% 262

Communities

Cities

Towns

Census-designated places

Unincorporated communities

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on May 17, 2014. Retrieved May 16, 2014.
  2. ↑ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
  3. ↑ "Alabama Census Year with Modern Map Overlayed," Maps of Alabama, Map of US.org, (https://www.mapofus.org/alabama/: accessed 15 Feb 2017), Wordpress.com, 2017.>Interactive> 1860 & 1870
  4. ↑ Watson, Elbert L. (Summer 1968). "Lt. Colonel David W. Baine: A Confederate Hero from the North". Alabama Historical Quarterly. 30: 27–38. Retrieved May 22, 2017 – via Internet Archive.
  5. ↑ "Alabama Counties: Etowah County". Alabama Department of Archives and History. Montgomery, AL: Alabama Department of Archives and History. 2011-10-25. Retrieved 2012-04-30.
  6. ↑ "Supplement: Lynchings by County/ Louisiana: Ouachita", 2nd edition, from Lynching in America: Confronting the Legacy of Racial Terror, 2015, Equal Justice Institute, Montgomery, Alabama
  7. ↑ William Thornton, "Why the story of a 1906 Alabama lynching won't be forgotten", AL.com, 11 December 2016; accessed 13 April 2018
  8. ↑ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved August 22, 2015.
  9. ↑ "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". Retrieved June 9, 2017.
  10. ↑ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on May 12, 2015. Retrieved August 22, 2015.
  11. ↑ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved August 22, 2015.
  12. ↑ Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 24, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 22, 2015.
  13. ↑ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. April 2, 2001. Retrieved August 22, 2015.
  14. ↑ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on September 11, 2013. Retrieved 2011-05-14.
  15. ↑ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on September 11, 2013. Retrieved 2015-07-23.
  16. ↑ "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". Retrieved November 16, 2016.

Coordinates: 34°3′N 86°2′W / 34.050°N 86.033°W / 34.050; -86.033

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