Henry County, Alabama
| Henry County, Alabama | |
 Henry County Courthouse in Abbeville
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 Location in the state of Alabama |
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 Alabama's location in the U.S. |
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| Founded | December 13, 1819 |
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| Seat | Abbeville |
| Largest city | Headland |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
568.33 sq mi (1,472 km²) 561.80 sq mi (1,455 km²) 6.53 sq mi (17 km²), 1.15% |
| Population - (2010) - Density |
17,302 31/sq mi (11.8/km²) |
Henry County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama. Its name is in honor of Patrick Henry, famous orator and Governor of Virginia. As of 2010, its population was 17,302. Its county seat is Abbeville.
Henry County is part of the Dothan, Alabama, Metropolitan Statistical Area.
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[edit] History
Henry County was established on December 13, 1819 by the Alabama Territorial Legislature. The area was ceded by the Creek Indian Nation in 1814 under the Treaty of Fort Jackson. That makes Henry County older than the State of Alabama itself. The area that includes Henry County had previously been part of the Lower Creek Confederacy. Abbeville was made county seat in 1833.
Upon formation, Henry County was the largest county within Alabama composing all or portions of the present counties of Barbour, Coffee, Covington, Crenshaw, Dale, Geneva, Houston, and Pike. When the youngest county of Houston was formed in 1903, Henry became the smallest.
Franklin, the dead river port of Abbeville on the Chattahoochee River, was the colonial settlers first beachhead into the wild west of Creek Indian Territory after 1814. Old Henry was the original Alabama wiregrass region.
[edit] Geography
According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 568.33 square miles (1,472.0 km2), of which 561.80 square miles (1,455.1 km2) (or 98.85%) is land and 6.53 square miles (16.9 km2) (or 1.15%) is water.[1]
[edit] Major highways
[edit] Adjacent counties
- Barbour County (north)
- Clay County, Georgia (northeast)
- Early County, Georgia (southeast)
- Houston County (south)
- Dale County (west)
[edit] Demographics
| Henry County, Alabama | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
| 1820 | 2,638 | — |
| 1830 | 4,020 | +52.4% |
| 1840 | 5,787 | +44.0% |
| 1850 | 9,019 | +55.8% |
| 1860 | 14,918 | +65.4% |
| 1870 | 14,191 | −4.9% |
| 1880 | 18,761 | +32.2% |
| 1890 | 24,847 | +32.4% |
| 1900 | 36,147 | +45.5% |
| 1910 | 20,943 | −42.1% |
| 1920 | 21,547 | +2.9% |
| 1930 | 22,820 | +5.9% |
| 1940 | 21,912 | −4.0% |
| 1950 | 18,674 | −14.8% |
| 1960 | 15,286 | −18.1% |
| 1970 | 13,254 | −13.3% |
| 1980 | 15,302 | +15.5% |
| 1990 | 15,374 | +0.5% |
| 2000 | 16,310 | +6.1% |
| 2010 | 17,302 | +6.1% |
| Sources: "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/index.xhtml. through 1960 | ||
As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 16,310 people, 6,525 households, and 4,730 families residing in the county. The population density was 29 people per square mile (11/km2). There were 8,037 housing units at an average density of 14 per square mile (6/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 65.67% White, 32.30% Black or African American, 0.21% Native American, 0.06% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.00% from other races, and 0.74% from two or more races. Nearly 1.53% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 6,525 households out of which 30.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.90% were married couples living together, 14.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.50% were non-families. Nearly 25.30% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47, and the average family size was 2.95.
In the county, the population was spread out with 24.10% under the age of 18, 8.40% from 18 to 24, 25.70% from 25 to 44, 25.50% from 45 to 64, and 16.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.20 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $30,353, and the median income for a family was $36,555. Males had a median income of $29,189 versus $20,827 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,681. About 14.50% of families and 19.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.00% of those under age 18 and 20.60% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Cities and towns
- Abbeville
- Barnes (southeast of Abbeville)
- Dothan (part of Dothan is in Dale County and Houston County)
- Haleburg
- Capps (southwest of Abbeville)
- Browntown
- Headland
- Newville
- Snells Crossroads (southwest of Abbeville)
[edit] See also
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Henry County, Alabama
- Properties on the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage in Henry County, Alabama
[edit] References
- ^ "Census 2000 U.S. Gazetteer Files: Counties". United States Census. http://www.census.gov/tiger/tms/gazetteer/county2k.txt. Retrieved 2011-02-13.
- ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
[edit] External links
- Henry County Historical Group
- History of Henry County, Alabama.
- Henry County map of roads/towns (map © 2007 Univ. of Alabama).
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Barbour County | Clay County, Georgia | |
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| Dale County |  |
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 Henry County, Alabama  |
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| Houston County | Early County, Georgia |
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Coordinates: 31°30′46″N 85°14′04″W / 31.51278°N 85.23444°W
