Choctaw County, Alabama

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Choctaw County, Alabama
Map
Location in the state of Alabama
Alabama's location in the U.S.
Statistics
Founded	December 29, 1847
Seat	Butler
Largest city	Butler
Area - Total - Land - Water	921 sq mi (2,385 km²) 914 sq mi (2,367 km²) 7 sq mi (18 km²), (0.80%)
Population - (2000) - Density	15,922 9/sq mi (3/km²)

Choctaw County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama. It is named for the Choctaw tribe of American Indians, though most of those which resided here were removed to Oklahoma.[1] As of 2000 the population was 15,922. Its county seat is Butler.

1 History
- 1.1 Historical Populations
2 Geography
- 2.1 Major highways
- 2.2 Adjacent counties
3 Demographics
4 Cities and towns
5 Notes
6 External links

[edit] History

Choctaw County was established on December 29, 1847.
The early pioneers of Choctaw came from France, Ireland and Scotland, but mostly from North and South Carolina. The county's population reached its peak in the 1920's due to the jobs created by such companies as E. E. Jackson Lumber Company in Riderwood and Choctaw Lumber Company in Bolinger. After the sawmills closed, Choctaw began a decline in population that still continues.^[1]
The county was declared a disaster area in September 1979 due to damage from Hurricane Frederic.
The county is the site of the 1999 Choctaw Three criminal case, the only known case in which individuals were convicted of killing a non-existent person.

[edit] Historical Populations

In 1950 Choctaw County had 19,152 residents.^[2] In 1990 there were 16,018 people in the county.^[3]

[edit] Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 921 square miles (2,385 km²), of which, 914 square miles (2,366 km²) of it is land and 7 square miles (19 km²) of it (0.80%) is water.

[edit] Major highways

[edit] Adjacent counties

Sumter County (north)
Marengo County (northeast)
Clarke County (southeast)
Washington County (south)
Wayne County, Mississippi (southwest)
Clarke County, Mississippi (west)
Lauderdale County, Mississippi (northwest)

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^[4] of 2000, there were 15,922 people, 6,363 households, and 4,574 families residing in the county. The population density was 17 people per square mile (7/km²). There were 7,839 housing units at an average density of 9 per square mile (3/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 55.14% White, 44.13% Black or African American, 0.16% Native American, 0.04% Asian, 0.11% from other races, and 0.42% from two or more races. 0.67% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 6,363 households out of which 32.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.00% were married couples living together, 16.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.10% were non-families. 26.50% 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 2.48 and the average family size was 2.99.

In the county the population was spread out with 26.10% under the age of 18, 7.90% from 18 to 24, 26.20% from 25 to 44, 25.20% from 45 to 64, and 14.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 88.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.40 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $24,749, and the median income for a family was $31,870. Males had a median income of $32,316 versus $18,760 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,635. About 20.70% of families and 24.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 34.80% of those under age 18 and 26.10% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Cities and towns

[edit] Notes

^ Choctaw County History
^ Columbia-Lippincott Gazeteer. (New York: Columbia University Press, 1952) p. 403
^ 2006 World Almanac, p. 525
^ American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.