Dallas County, Alabama

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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. Its county seat is Selma.

Contents 1 History 2 Geography 2.1 Major Highways 2.2 Adjacent Counties 3 Demographics 4 Municipalities and census-designated places 5 Notable residents 6 References

[edit] 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, and Minter.

[edit] Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 2,573 km² (993 mi²). 2,540 km² (981 mi²) of it is land and 33 km² (13 mi²) of it (1.27%) is water.

[edit] Major Highways

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

[edit] Adjacent Counties

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

[edit] Demographics

As of the census² of 2000, there were 46,365 people, 17,841 households, and 12,488 families residing in the county. The population density was 18/km² (47/mi²). There were 20,450 housing units at an average density of 8/km² (21/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 35.58% White, 63.26% Black or African American, 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. 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.

[edit] Municipalities and census-designated places

• Orrville
• Selma
• Selmont-West Selmont
• Beloit

[edit] Notable residents

• James Abercrombie, (1795-1861), United States Congressman from Alabama, resided here for a time.^[1]

[edit] References

• 1. ^ (1963) Who Was Who in America, Historical Volume, 1607-1896. Chicago: Marquis Who's Who.

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