Montgomery County, Alabama

Montgomery County, Alabama

The Montgomery County Courthouse
Map of Alabama highlighting Montgomery 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 6, 1816[1]
Named for Lemuel P. Montgomery
Seat Montgomery
Largest city Montgomery
Area
 • Total 800 sq mi (2,072 km2)
 • Land 784 sq mi (2,031 km2)
 • Water 16 sq mi (41 km2), 2.0%
Population (est.)
 • (2015) 226,519
 • Density 289/sq mi (112/km²)
Congressional districts 2nd, 3rd, 7th
Time zone Central: UTC-6/-5
Website www.mc-ala.org

Footnotes:  

  • County Number 03 on Alabama Licence Plates
    •
  • One of three counties shuffled to the top 3 numbers because of population size.

Montgomery County is a county in the State of Alabama. As of the 2010 census, its population was 229,363, making it the fourth-most populous county in Alabama.[2] Its county seat is Montgomery, the state capital.[3]

Montgomery County is included in the Montgomery, AL Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Montgomery County was established by dividing Monroe County on December 6, 1816, by the Mississippi Territorial Legislature.[1] It is named for Lemuel P. Montgomery, a young U.S. Army officer killed at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend, the final battle of the Creek Indian war, which was waged concurrently with the War of 1812.

The city of Montgomery, which is the county seat, is named for Richard Montgomery, an American Revolutionary War general killed in 1775 while attempting to capture Quebec City, Canada.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 800 square miles (2,100 km2), of which 784 square miles (2,030 km2) is land and 16 square miles (41 km2) (2.0%) is water.[4]

Major highways

Adjacent counties

National protected area

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
18206,604—
183012,69592.2%
184024,57493.6%
185029,71120.9%
186035,90420.8%
187043,70421.7%
188052,35619.8%
189056,1727.3%
190072,04728.3%
191082,17814.1%
192080,853−1.6%
193098,67122.0%
1940114,42016.0%
1950138,96521.5%
1960169,21021.8%
1970167,790−0.8%
1980197,03817.4%
1990209,0856.1%
2000223,5106.9%
2010229,3632.6%
Est. 2015226,519[5]−1.2%
U.S. Decennial Census[6]
1790–1960[7] 1900–1990[8]
1990–2000[9] 2010–2015[2]

2010

The 2010 United States Census reported the following county population:

2000

As of the census of 2000, there were 223,510 persons, 86,068 households, and 56,804 families in the county. The population density was 283 persons per square mile (109/km2). There were 95,437 housing units, at an average density of 121 per square mile (47/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 48.85% White, 48.58% Black or African American, 0.99% Asian, 0.25% Native American, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.35% from other races, and 0.94% from two or more races. Hispanics and Latinos, of any race, made up 1.19% of the population.

By 2005, 52.5% of the population was black, 44.0% was non-Hispanic white, 1.4% was Hispanic, 1.2% was Asian, 0.2% was Native American, and 0.9% of the population reported two or more races. This excludes those who reported "some other race" and "white", because the Census Bureau reclassified all who reported "some other race" as white.

There were 86,068 households, 32.20% of which included children under the age of 18, 43.80% were married couples living together, 18.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.00% were non-families. Single-persons households were 29.50% of the total; 9.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46. The average family size was 3.06.

Persons younger than 18 were 25.80% of the population; those 18–24, 11.70%; 25–44, 29.80%; 45–64, 20.90%; and 65 and older, 11.80%. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 90.80 males. For every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were 86.70 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $35,962, and the median income for a family was $44,669. Males had a median income of $32,018; females, $24,921. The per capita income for the county was $19,358. About 13.50% of families and 17.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.10% of those under age 18 and 13.70% of those 65 and older.

Government and infrastructure

Montgomery County is governed by a five-member County Commission who are elected to four-year terms. The County Probate Judge regulates business such as drivers, marriage licences, and voting. The Probate Judge operates four offices: downtown Montgomery, Mobile HWY (Montgomery), Woodley Road (Montgomery), and Atlanta HWY (Montgomery).

The City of Montgomery, located inside Montgomery County, serves as the capital for the State of Alabama and is home to most state government agencies.

Infrastructure inside Montgomery County includes both Interstate 85 and 65 along with shipping hubs on the Alabama River and rail hubs located in the City of Montgomery. The Montgomery Regional Airport also serves as a major airport for the State of Alabama and the Southeastern US for passenger service, military aviation, and commercial aviation.

Montgomery County vote
by party in presidential elections [10]
Year GOP DNC Others
2016 35.5% 33,928 61.4% 58,669 3.1% 2,956
2012 37.6% 38,283 61.9% 62,993 0.5% 505
2008 40.1% 42,031 59.4% 62,166 0.5% 546
2004 49.2% 44,097 50.4% 45,160 0.4% 393
2000 48.3% 38,827 50.3% 40,371 1.4% 1,130

Politics

In the 2008 presidential election, Barack Obama won 62,166 votes, or 59%, while 42,031 votes (40% of those cast) were for John McCain[11]

Education

The Montgomery Public Schools headquarters and Montgomery County Board of Education is located at 307 S. Decatur Street in Montgomery.

Montgomery Public Schools operates public schools.

The Montgomery City-County Public Library operates public libraries.

Universities/Colleges include:

Cultural sites

Montgomery County is home to many cultural and historic sites including:

Communities

City

Town

Unincorporated communities

See also

References

  1. 1 2 A Digest of the Laws of the State of Alabama: Containing The Statutes and Resolutions in Force at the end of the General Assembly in January, 1823. Published by Ginn & Curtis, J. & J. Harper, Printers, New-York, 1828. Title 10. Chapter VII. Pages 83-84. "An Act to divide the County of Monroe, and form a new County by the name of Montgomery—Passed December 6, 1816." (Google Books)
  2. 1 2 "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 16, 2014.
  3. ↑ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
  4. ↑ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved August 22, 2015.
  5. ↑ "County Totals Dataset: Population, Population Change and Estimated Components of Population Change: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2015". Retrieved July 2, 2016.
  6. ↑ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 22, 2015.
  7. ↑ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved August 22, 2015.
  8. ↑ Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 24, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 22, 2015.
  9. ↑ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. April 2, 2001. Retrieved August 22, 2015.
  10. ↑ "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  11. ↑ Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections. Uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved on 2013-07-21.

Further reading

 Autauga County Elmore County Macon County
Lowndes County Bullock County
   Montgomery County, Alabama  
Crenshaw County Pike County

Coordinates: 32°13′09″N 86°12′34″W / 32.21917°N 86.20944°W / 32.21917; -86.20944

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.