Perry County, Alabama
| Perry County, Alabama | |
 Perry County courthouse in Marion, Alabama
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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 | Marion |
| Largest city | Marion |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
724.08 sq mi (1,875 km²) 719.48 sq mi (1,863 km²) 4.59 sq mi (12 km²), (0.63%) |
| Population - (2010) - Density |
10,591 15/sq mi (5.6/km²) |
Perry County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama. It was established in 1819, and is named in honor of Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry of Rhode Island and the United States Navy.[1] As of 2010 the population was 10,591. Its county seat is Marion.
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[edit] Geography
According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 724.08 square miles (1,875.4 km2), of which 719.48 square miles (1,863.4 km2) (or 99.36%) is land and 4.59 square miles (11.9 km2) (or 0.63%) is water.[2]
[edit] Major highways
[edit] Adjacent counties
- Bibb County (north)
- Chilton County (northeast)
- Dallas County (east)
- Marengo County (southwest)
- Hale County (west)
[edit] National protected area
- Talladega National Forest (part)
[edit] Demographics
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1820 | 3,646 |
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| 1830 | 11,490 | 215.1% | |
| 1840 | 19,086 | 66.1% | |
| 1850 | 22,285 | 16.8% | |
| 1860 | 27,724 | 24.4% | |
| 1870 | 24,975 | −9.9% | |
| 1880 | 30,741 | 23.1% | |
| 1890 | 29,332 | −4.6% | |
| 1900 | 31,783 | 8.4% | |
| 1910 | 31,222 | −1.8% | |
| 1920 | 25,373 | −18.7% | |
| 1930 | 26,385 | 4.0% | |
| 1940 | 26,610 | 0.9% | |
| 1950 | 20,439 | −23.2% | |
| 1960 | 17,358 | −15.1% | |
| 1970 | 15,388 | −11.3% | |
| 1980 | 15,012 | −2.4% | |
| 1990 | 12,759 | −15.0% | |
| 2000 | 11,861 | −7.0% | |
| 2010 | 10,591 | −10.7% | |
| [3][4][5] | |||
As of the census[6] of 2000, there were 11,861 people, 4,333 households, and 3,046 families residing in the county. The population density was 16 people per square mile (6/km2). There were 5,406 housing units at an average density of 8 per square mile (3/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 68.38% Black or African American, 30.86% White, 0.08% Native American, 0.03% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.08% from other races, and 0.54% from two or more races. Nearly 0.86% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 4,333 households, out of which 33.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.40% were married couples living together, 25.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.70% were non-families. Nearly 27.90% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63, and the average family size was 3.23.
In the county, the population was spread out with 29.80% under the age of 18, 11.10% from 18 to 24, 23.60% from 25 to 44, 20.70% from 45 to 64, and 14.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 83.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.40 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $20,200, and the median income for a family was $26,150. Males had a median income of $26,272 versus $16,839 for females. The per capita income for the county was $10,948. About 31.20% of families and 35.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 48.90% of those under age 18 and 25.80% of those age 65 or over. Perry County is considered to be the poorest county, in terms of household income, in the state of Alabama.
[edit] Cities and towns
- Adler
- Augustin
- Cleveland Mills
- Coleman
- Cunningham
- Ellards
- Folsom
- Hamburg
- Heiberger
- Hillcrest
- Jericho
- Levert
- Marion
- Morgan Springs
- Nave
- Norman
- Oakmulgee
- Osborn
- Panhandle
- Perryville
- Radford
- Sprott
- Suttle
- Tayloe
- Uniontown
- Vaiden
- Vilula
- Zimmerman
[edit] Places of interest
Perry County is home to Perry Lakes Park, part of the Talladega National Forest, and the Alabama Women's Hall of Fame located at Judson College. Perry County is home to Marion Military Institute and Judson College (Alabama).
[edit] History
The Perry County town of Marion was the site of a 1965 killing of Jimmie Lee Jackson, an unarmed black man by a white state trooper, James Bonard Fowler, that sparked the Selma to Montgomery marches. In 2008, the county voted to establish a Barack Obama Day, a legal holiday, every second Monday of November.[7]
[edit] See also
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Perry County, Alabama
- Properties on the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage in Perry County, Alabama
[edit] References
- ^ Owen, Thomas McAdory; Owen, Marie Bankhead (1921). History of Alabama and dictionary of Alabama biography. 2. Chicago: S.J. Clarke Publishing Company. p. 1108. http://books.google.com/books?id=r0kUAAAAYAAJ&lpg=PA1108&ots=FwHlOyKmmk&dq=Oliver%20Hazard%20Perry%20place%20names&pg=PA1108#v=onepage&q=Oliver%20Hazard%20Perry%20place%20names&f=false.
- ^ "Census 2000 U.S. Gazetteer Files: Counties". United States Census. http://www.census.gov/tiger/tms/gazetteer/county2k.txt. Retrieved 2011-02-13.
- ^ http://www.census.gov/population/www/censusdata/cencounts/files/al190090.txt
- ^ http://factfinder2.census.gov
- ^ http://mapserver.lib.virginia.edu/
- ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ Bello, Marisol (2009-01-26). "Renamed schools, streets mark early tributes to Obama". USA Today. http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2009-01-25-renaming_N.htm?loc=interstitialskip.
[edit] External links
- Official Site
- Perry Co. Chamber of Commerce
- Perry County map of roads/towns (map © 2007 Univ. of Alabama)
- [1].
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Bibb County | Chilton County | |
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| Hale County |  |
Dallas County | ||
 Perry County, Alabama  |
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| Marengo County |
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Coordinates: 32°38′09″N 87°17′31″W / 32.63583°N 87.29194°W
