Walker County, Alabama

Walker County, Alabama

Walker County Courthouse in Jasper
Map of Alabama highlighting Walker 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 26, 1823[1]
Named for John Williams Walker
Seat Jasper
Largest city Jasper
Area
 • Total 805 sq mi (2,085 km2)
 • Land 791 sq mi (2,049 km2)
 • Water 14 sq mi (36 km2), 1.7%
Population (est.)
 • (2015) 65,294
 • Density 85/sq mi (33/km²)
Congressional district 4th
Time zone Central: UTC-6/-5
Website www.walkercounty.com

Footnotes:  

  • County Number 64 on Alabama Licence Plates

Walker County is a county in the U.S. state of Alabama.[1] As of the 2010 census, the population was 67,023.[2] Its county seat is Jasper.[3] Its name is in honor of John Williams Walker, a member of the United States Senate.[1]

Walker County is included in the Birmingham-Hoover, AL Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Walker County was established on December 26, 1823, and formed from sections of Marion and Tuscaloosa counties.[1] It was named after Senator John Walker, who represented Alabama in the U.S. Senate from 1819 to 1822.[1] The county was greatly reduced in size on February 12, 1850, when its northern half became the county Winston. Jasper is the county seat, named after William Jasper, a Red Stick War hero from South Carolina.[1]

National Register of Historic Places

Walker County has sites listed on the National Register of Historic Places. They include the Bankhead House, Boshell's Mill, the First United Methodist Church of Jasper, the Gilchrist House, the Jasper Downtown Historic District, the Stephenson House, and Walker County Hospital.[4]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 805 square miles (2,080 km2), of which 791 square miles (2,050 km2) is land and 14 square miles (36 km2) (1.7%) is water.[5]

Adjacent counties

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
18302,202—
18404,03283.1%
18505,12427.1%
18607,98055.7%
18706,543−18.0%
18809,47944.9%
189016,07869.6%
190025,16256.5%
191037,01347.1%
192050,59336.7%
193059,44517.5%
194064,2018.0%
195063,769−0.7%
196054,211−15.0%
197056,2463.8%
198068,66022.1%
199067,670−1.4%
200070,7134.5%
201067,023−5.2%
Est. 201565,294[6]−2.6%
U.S. Decennial Census[7]
1790–1960[8] 1900–1990[9]
1990–2000[10] 2010–2015[2]

As of the census[11] of 2000, there were 70,713 people, 28,364 households, and 20,478 families residing in the county. The population density was 89 people per square mile (34/km2). There were 32,417 housing units at an average density of 41 per square mile (16/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 92.15% White, 6.17% Black or African American, 0.28% Native American, 0.20% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.31% from other races, and 0.86% from two or more races. Nearly 0.86% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

In 2000 the largest reported ancestry groups in Walker County, AL were:

There were 28,364 households, out of which 30.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them; 56.30% were married couples living together, 11.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.80% were non-families. 25.30% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46, and the average family size was 2.93.

In the county, the population was spread out with 23.50% under the age of 18, 8.60% from 18 to 24, 28.00% from 25 to 44, 25.10% from 45 to 64, and 14.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.80 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $29,076, and the median income for a family was $35,221. Males had a median income of $31,242 versus $20,089 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,546. About 13.20% of families and 16.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.00% of those under age 18 and 17.40% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the census[12] of 2010, there were 67,023 people, 26,571 households, and 18,741 families residing in the county. The population density was 85 people per square mile (33/km2). There were 30,816 housing units at an average density of 38 per square mile (15/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 91.2% White, 5.9% Black or African American, 0.4% Native American, 0.3% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 1.0% from other races, and 1.2% from two or more races. Nearly 2.0% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 26,571 households, out of which 26.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them; 52.0% were married couples living together, 13.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.5% were non-families. 25.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49, and the average family size was 2.97.

In the county, the population was spread out with 22.5% under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 24.4% from 25 to 44, 28.7% from 45 to 64, and 16.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41.2 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.8 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $37,191, and the median income for a family was $45,788. Males had a median income of $43,671 versus $27,662 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,516. About 14.7% of families and 18.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.5% of those under age 18 and 12.4% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Walker County vote
by party in presidential elections [13]
Year GOP DNC Others
2016 82.3% 24,208 15.3% 4,486 2.4% 708
2012 75.9% 21,633 23.0% 6,551 1.1% 313
2008 72.3% 20,722 25.9% 7,420 1.8% 510
2004 67.6% 19,167 31.8% 9,016 0.7% 184
2000 52.6% 13,486 45.3% 11,621 2.1% 534

Transportation

Major highways

Rail

Communities

Cities

Towns

Unincorporated communities

Places of interest

Walker County is home to the William B. Bankhead National Forest and Lewis Smith Lake, in addition to the Alabama Mining Museum.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "ACES Walker County Office" (links/history), Alabama Cooperative Extension System (ACES), 2007, webpage: ACES-Walker.
  2. 1 2 "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 17, 2014.
  3. ↑ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
  4. ↑ National Park Service (2010-07-09). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
  5. ↑ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved August 22, 2015.
  6. ↑ "County Totals Dataset: Population, Population Change and Estimated Components of Population Change: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2015". Retrieved July 2, 2016.
  7. ↑ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 22, 2015.
  8. ↑ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved August 22, 2015.
  9. ↑ Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 24, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 22, 2015.
  10. ↑ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. April 2, 2001. Retrieved August 22, 2015.
  11. ↑ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2011-05-14.
  12. ↑ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2015-08-13.
  13. ↑ "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". Retrieved November 21, 2016.
 Marion County Winston County Cullman County
Fayette County Blount County
   Walker County, Alabama  
Tuscaloosa County Jefferson County

Coordinates: 33°48′13″N 87°17′52″W / 33.80361°N 87.29778°W / 33.80361; -87.29778

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/23/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.