Washington County, Alabama
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Washington County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama. Its name is in honor of George Washington, first President of the United States of America. As of 2000 the population was 18,097. Its county seat is Chatom. Washington County is a prohibition or entirely dry county.
Washington County was the birthplace of the major league baseball player Wilmer David "Vinegar Bend" Mizell (1930-1999), a Republican congressman from North Carolina from 1969-1975.
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[edit] History
- Washington County in Tombigbee District was established by proclamation of Governor Winthrop Sargent of the Mississippi Territory on June 4, 1800.
- The county was declared a disaster area in September 1979 due to damage from Hurricane Frederic.
[edit] Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 2,819 km² (1,089 mi²). 2,799 km² (1,081 mi²) of it is land and 20 km² (8 mi²) of it (0.72%) is water. It is the oldest county in the State of Alabama. Over two thirds of the adult men had volunteered and served in the Confederate Army as of 1863, when the CSA was petitioned by a group of elderly men not to draft them, so that they might serve as a sort of homeland militia. They stated in their petition that they were needed to protect against potential slave uprisings, inasmuch as the county was home to numerous plantations with large slave populations.
[edit] Major Highways
U.S. Highway 43
U.S. Highway 45
State Route 17
State Route 56
[edit] Adjacent Counties
- Choctaw County (north)
- Clarke County (east)
- Baldwin County (southeast)
- Mobile County (south)
- Greene County, Mississippi (southwest)
- Wayne County, Mississippi (northwest)
[edit] Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there were 18,097 people, 6,705 households, and 5,042 families residing in the county. The population density was 6/km² (17/mi²). There were 8,123 housing units at an average density of 3/km² (8/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 64.98% White, 26.89% Black or African American, 7.12% Native American, 0.06% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.05% from other races, and 0.87% from two or more races. 0.88% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 6,705 households out of which 37.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.10% were married couples living together, 12.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.80% were non-families. 22.80% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.69 and the average family size was 3.17.
In the county the population was spread out with 28.70% under the age of 18, 8.60% from 18 to 24, 27.40% from 25 to 44, 22.90% from 45 to 64, and 12.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 96.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.10 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $30,815, and the median income for a family was $37,881. Males had a median income of $35,237 versus $18,337 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,081. About 14.80% of families and 18.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.50% of those under age 18 and 22.70% of those age 65 or over.
