List of counties in Alabama
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The U.S. state of Alabama has sixty-seven counties. The oldest is Washington County (created June 4, 1800) and the youngest is Houston County (created February 9, 1903).
Alabama was claimed by Spain, as Spanish Florida, and by England, as the Province of Carolina. The first permanent colony was made by the French on the banks of the Mobile River in 1702.
After the American Revolutionary War, West Florida south of the 31st parallel became a part of Spain while most of the rest was put in the Mississippi Territory. The territorial assembly established some of the earliest county divisions which have survived to the present. In 1817 the western part of the territory became the State of Mississippi and the remainder the Alabama Territory. The Alabama territorial legislature made some more counties.
Alabama became the 22nd state of the United States in 1819. The Alabama state legislature made more counties from former Indian lands as the Indian Removal Act took effect and settlers populated different areas of Alabama.
In 1820, Alabama had 29 counties. By 1830 there were 36, with Indians still occupying land in northeast and far western Alabama. By 1840, 49 counties had been created; 52 by 1850; 65 by 1870; and the present 67 counties by 1903.[1]
According to 2006 U.S. Census estimates, the average population of Alabama's sixty-seven counties was 68,642, while Jefferson County had the most people (656,700), and Greene County (9,374) had the least. The average land area is 757 sq mi (1,960.6 km2). The largest county is Baldwin (1,596 sq mi or 4,133.6 km2), and the smallest is Etowah (535 sq mi or 1,385.6 km2).
The Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) code, which is used by the United States government to uniquely identify counties, is provided with each entry. (In this system, St. Clair County is alphabetized ahead of Shelby County.) The FIPS code links in the table point to U.S. Census "quick facts" pages for each county.
Counties[change | change source]
| County |
FIPS code[2] | County seat[3] | License # [4] |
Created[3] | Formed from[5] | Meaning of name[1][6] | Population[7] | Area[8] | Map |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Autauga County | 001 | Prattville | 4 | 1818 | Montgomery County | The Autauga or Atagi people, Native Americans who were a sub-group of the Alibamu | 54,571 | 594 sq mi (1,538 km2) | 
|
| Baldwin County | 003 | Bay Minette | 5 | 1809 | Washington County and West Florida | Abraham Baldwin (1754–1807), U.S. legislator from Georgia | 182,265 | 1,590 sq mi (4,118 km2) |
|
| Barbour County | 005 | Clayton | 6 | 1832 | Pike County | James Barbour (1775–1842), Governor of Virginia and U.S. Senator | 27,457 | 885 sq mi (2,292 km2) |
|
| Bibb County | 007 | Centreville | 7 | 1818 | Montgomery County (as Cahawba County) | William Wyatt Bibb (1781–1820), 1st Governor of Alabama | 22,915 | 623 sq mi (1,614 km2) |
|
| Blount County | 009 | Oneonta | 8 | 1818 | Montgomery County and Indian territories | Willie Blount (1768–1835), Governor of Tennessee. | 57,322 | 645 sq mi (1,671 km2) |
|
| Bullock County | 011 | Union Springs | 9 | 1866 | Barbour, Macon, Montgomery, and Pike counties | Edward Bullock (1822–1861), colonel in the Confederate States Army | 10,914 | 623 sq mi (1,614 km2) |
|
| Butler County | 013 | Greenville | 10 | 1819 | Conecuh and Monroe counties | William Butler (?–1818), captain in Creek War | 20,947 | 777 sq mi (2,012 km2) |
|
| Calhoun County | 015 | Anniston | 11 | 1832 | St. Clair County (as Benton County) | John C. Calhoun (1782–1850), 7th U.S. Vice President | 118,572 | 606 sq mi (1,570 km2) |
|
| Chambers County | 017 | LaFayette | 12 | 1832 | Montgomery County | Henry H. Chambers (1790–1826), U.S. Senator | 34,215 | 597 sq mi (1,546 km2) |
|
| Cherokee County | 019 | Centre | 13 | 1836 | Cherokee territory | Cherokee people, whose lands included Alabama | 25,989 | 554 sq mi (1,435 km2) |
|
| Chilton County | 021 | Clanton | 14 | 1868 | Autauga, Bibb, Perry, and Shelby counties (as Baker County) | William Parish Chilton (1810–1871), Alabama Supreme Court Justice and Confederate congressman | 43,643 | 693 sq mi (1,795 km2) |
|
| Choctaw County | 023 | Butler | 15 | 1847 | Sumter and Washington counties | Choctaw people, whose lands included Alabama | 13,859 | 914 sq mi (2,367 km2) |
|
| Clarke County | 025 | Grove Hill | 16 | 1812 | Washington County | John Clarke (1766–1832), general from Georgia | 25,833 | 1,238 sq mi (3,206 km2) |
|
| Clay County | 027 | Ashland | 17 | 1866 | Randolph and Talladega counties | Henry Clay (1777–1852), U.S. legislator from Kentucky | 13,932 | 604 sq mi (1,564 km2) |
|
| Cleburne County | 029 | Heflin | 18 | 1866 | Calhoun, Randolph, and Talladega counties | Patrick Cleburne (1828–1864), Major General in Confederate States Army | 14,972 | 560 sq mi (1,450 km2) |
|
| Coffee County | 031 | Elba and Enterprise[9] | 19 | 1841 | Dale County | John Coffee (1772–1833), military leader in War of 1812 and Creek War | 49,948 | 679 sq mi (1,759 km2) |
|
| Colbert County | 033 | Tuscumbia | 20 | 1867 | Franklin County | George Colbert (1764–1839) and Levi Colbert (1759–1834), Chickasaw chiefs | 54,428 | 593 sq mi (1,536 km2) |
|
| Conecuh County | 035 | Evergreen | 21 | 1818 | Monroe County | The Conecuh River, which flows through the county | 13,228 | 850 sq mi (2,201 km2) |
|
| Coosa County | 037 | Rockford | 22 | 1832 | Montgomery County | The Coosa River, which flows through the county, and is itself named after a Native American village | 11,539 | 651 sq mi (1,686 km2) |
|
| Covington County | 039 | Andalusia | 23 | 1821 | Henry County | Leonard Covington (1768–1813), Brigadier General in War of 1812 and U.S. Congressman | 37,765 | 1,030 sq mi (2,668 km2) |
|
| Crenshaw County | 041 | Luverne | 24 | 1866 | Butler, Coffee, Covington, Lowndes, and Pike Counties | Anderson Crenshaw (1783–1847), Alabama Supreme Court justice and early settler | 13,906 | 609 sq mi (1,577 km2) |
|
| Cullman County | 043 | Cullman | 25 | 1877 | Blount, Morgan, and Winston counties | Colonel John G. Cullmann (1823–1895), founder of county seat | 80,406 | 735 sq mi (1,904 km2) |
|
| Dale County | 045 | Ozark | 26 | 1824 | Covington and Henry counties | Samuel Dale (1772–1841), Brigadier General and state legislator | 50,251 | 561 sq mi (1,453 km2) |
|
| Dallas County | 047 | Selma | 27 | 1818 | Monroe and Montgomery counties | Alexander J. Dallas (1759–1817), U.S. Secretary of Treasury | 43,820 | 979 sq mi (2,536 km2) |
|
| DeKalb County | 049 | Fort Payne | 28 | 1836 | Cherokee territory | Johann de Kalb (1721–1780), major general in American Revolutionary War | 71,109 | 777 sq mi (2,012 km2) |
|
| Elmore County | 051 | Wetumpka | 29 | 1866 | Autauga, Coosa, Montgomery, and Tallapoosa counties | John Archer Elmore (1762–1834), Revolutionary War veteran | 79,303 | 618 sq mi (1,601 km2) |
|
| Escambia County | 053 | Brewton | 30 | 1868 | Baldwin and Conecuh counties | Escambia Creek, a tributary of the Conecuh River | 38,319 | 945 sq mi (2,448 km2) |
|
| Etowah County | 055 | Gadsden | 31 | 1866 | Blount, Calhoun, Cherokee, DeKalb, Marshall, and St. Clair counties (as Baine County) | Etowah Indian Mounds | 104,430 | 535 sq mi (1,386 km2) |
|
| Fayette County | 057 | Fayette | 32 | 1824 | Marion, Pickens, Tuscaloosa, and Walker counties | Marquis de La Fayette (1757–1834), Revolutionary War commander | 17,241 | 628 sq mi (1,627 km2) |
|
| Franklin County | 059 | Russellville | 33 | 1818 | Cherokee territory | Benjamin Franklin (1706–1790), politician, diplomat, inventor, and publisher | 31,704 | 634 sq mi (1,642 km2) |
|
| Geneva County | 061 | Geneva | 34 | 1868 | Coffee, Dale, and Henry counties | Named after Geneva, New York, the origin of several early settlers | 26,790 | 574 sq mi (1,487 km2) |
|
| Greene County | 063 | Eutaw | 35 | 1819 | Marengo and Tuscaloosa counties | Nathanael Greene (1742–1786), Revolutionary War general | 9,045 | 647 sq mi (1,676 km2) |
|
| Hale County | 065 | Greensboro | 36 | 1867 | Greene, Marengo, Perry, and Tuscaloosa counties | Stephen F. Hale (1816–1862), lieutenant colonel in Confederate States Army | 15,760 | 644 sq mi (1,668 km2) |
|
| Henry County | 067 | Abbeville | 37 | 1819 | Conecuh County | Patrick Henry (1736–1799), Revolutionary War patriot and Governor of Virginia | 17,302 | 562 sq mi (1,456 km2) |
|
| Houston County | 069 | Dothan | 38 | 1903 | Dale, Geneva, and Henry counties | George S. Houston (1811–1879), 24th Governor of Alabama and U.S. Congressman | 101,547 | 580 sq mi (1,502 km2) |
|
| Jackson County | 071 | Scottsboro | 39 | 1819 | Cherokee territory | Andrew Jackson (1767–1845), 7th U.S. President | 53,227 | 1,078 sq mi (2,792 km2) |
|
| Jefferson County | 073 | Birmingham | 1 | 1819 | Blount County | Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826), 3rd U.S. President | 658,466 | 1,111 sq mi (2,877 km2) |
|
| Lamar County | 075 | Vernon | 40 | 1867 | Fayette and Marion counties (as Jones County) | Lucius Q. C. Lamar (1825–1893), U.S. Supreme Court justice | 14,564 | 605 sq mi (1,567 km2) |
|
| Lauderdale County | 077 | Florence | 41 | 1818 | Cherokee and Chickasaw territories | James Lauderdale (1780–1814), Colonel in War of 1812 | 92,709 | 668 sq mi (1,730 km2) |
|
| Lawrence County | 079 | Moulton | 42 | 1818 | Cherokee territory | James Lawrence (1781–1813), naval officer in War of 1812 | 34,339 | 691 sq mi (1,790 km2) |
|
| Lee County | 081 | Opelika | 43 | 1866 | Chambers, Macon, Russell, and Tallapoosa counties | Robert E. Lee (1807–1870), Commander of the Confederate States Army | 140,247 | 608 sq mi (1,575 km2) |
|
| Limestone County | 083 | Athens | 44 | 1818 | Elk and Madison counties | Limestone Creek, named for local geological deposits | 82,782 | 560 sq mi (1,450 km2) |
|
| Lowndes County | 085 | Hayneville | 45 | 1830 | Butler, Dallas, and Montgomery counties | William Lowndes (1782–1822), U.S. Congressman from South Carolina | 11,299 | 716 sq mi (1,854 km2) |
|
| Macon County | 087 | Tuskegee | 46 | 1832 | Montgomery County | Nathaniel Macon (1758–1837), U.S. legislator from North Carolina | 21,452 | 609 sq mi (1,577 km2) |
|
| Madison County | 089 | Huntsville | 47 | 1808 | Cherokee and Chickasaw territories | James Madison (1751–1836), 4th U.S. President | 334,811 | 802 sq mi (2,077 km2) |
|
| Marengo County | 091 | Linden | 48 | 1818 | Choctaw territory | Battle of Marengo | 21,027 | 977 sq mi (2,530 km2) |
|
| Marion County | 093 | Hamilton | 49 | 1818 | Tuscaloosa County | Francis Marion (1732–1795), military leader in American Revolutionary War | 30,776 | 742 sq mi (1,922 km2) |
|
| Marshall County | 095 | Guntersville | 50 | 1836 | Blount and Jackson counties and Cherokee territory | John Marshall (1755–1835), Chief Justice of the United States 1801–1835 | 93,019 | 566 sq mi (1,466 km2) |
|
| Mobile County | 097 | Mobile | 2 | 1812 | Mobile District of West Florida after annexation into Mississippi Territory | Mobile Bay, on which county is located, and which is itself named after the Maubila tribe of Native Americans | 412,992 | 1,229 sq mi (3,183 km2) |
|
| Monroe County | 099 | Monroeville | 51 | 1815 | Creek territory | James Monroe (1758–1831), 5th U.S. President | 23,068 | 1,026 sq mi (2,657 km2) |
|
| Montgomery County | 101 | Montgomery | 3 | 1816 | Monroe County | Lemuel P. Montgomery (1786–1814), Major in Creek War | 229,363 | 784 sq mi (2,031 km2) |
|
| Morgan County | 103 | Decatur | 52 | 1818 | Cherokee territory (as Cotaco County) | Daniel Morgan (1736–1802), U.S. Congressman | 119,490 | 579 sq mi (1,500 km2) |
|
| Perry County | 105 | Marion | 53 | 1819 | Cahawba, Dallas, Marengo, and Tuscaloosa counties | Oliver Hazard Perry (1795–1819), naval officer in War of 1812 | 10,591 | 720 sq mi (1,865 km2) |
|
| Pickens County | 107 | Carrollton | 54 | 1820 | Tuscaloosa County | Andrew Pickens (1739–1817), General in the Revolutionary War | 19,746 | 881 sq mi (2,282 km2) |
|
| Pike County | 109 | Troy | 55 | 1821 | Henry and Montgomery counties | Zebulon Pike (1779–1813), explorer and officer in War of 1812 | 32,899 | 672 sq mi (1,740 km2) |
|
| Randolph County | 111 | Wedowee | 56 | 1832 | St. Clair and Shelby counties | John Randolph (1773–1833), U.S. Senator from Virginia | 22,913 | 581 sq mi (1,505 km2) |
|
| Russell County | 113 | Phenix City | 57 | 1832 | Barbour, Bullock, Lee and Macon counties | Gilbert C. Russell (1782-1861), officer in Creek War | 52,947 | 641 sq mi (1,660 km2) |
|
| St. Clair County | 115 | Ashville and Pell City | 59 | 1818 | Shelby County | Arthur St. Clair (1736–1818), President of Continental Congress | 83,593 | 632 sq mi (1,637 km2) |
|
| Shelby County | 117 | Columbiana | 58 | 1818 | Montgomery County | Isaac Shelby (1750–1826), Governor of Kentucky | 195,085 | 785 sq mi (2,033 km2) |
|
| Sumter County | 119 | Livingston | 60 | 1832 | Choctaw territory | Thomas Sumter (1734–1832), U.S. Congressman from South Carolina | 13,763 | 904 sq mi (2,341 km2) |
|
| Talladega County | 121 | Talladega | 61 | 1832 | St. Clair and Shelby counties | Talatigi, Creek Indian name for the county seat, meaning "border town" | 82,291 | 737 sq mi (1,909 km2) |
|
| Tallapoosa County | 123 | Dadeville | 62 | 1832 | Montgomery and Shelby counties | Tallapoosa River | 41,616 | 717 sq mi (1,857 km2) |
|
| Tuscaloosa County | 125 | Tuscaloosa | 63 | 1818 | Montgomery County and Choctaw territory | Iroquoian name for the Black Warrior River | 194,656 | 1,322 sq mi (3,424 km2) |
|
| Walker County | 127 | Jasper | 64 | 1823 | Blount, Jefferson, and Tuscaloosa counties | John Williams Walker (1783–1823), U.S. Senator from Alabama | 67,023 | 791 sq mi (2,049 km2) |
|
| Washington County | 129 | Chatom | 65 | 1800 | Adams and Pickering counties of Mississippi Territory | George Washington (1732–1799), 1st U.S. President | 17,581 | 1,080 sq mi (2,797 km2) |
|
| Wilcox County | 131 | Camden | 66 | 1819 | Dallas and Monroe counties | Joseph M. Wilcox (1790–1814), lieutenant in Creek War | 11,670 | 888 sq mi (2,300 km2) |
|
| Winston County | 133 | Double Springs | 67 | 1850 | Walker County (as Hancock County) | John A. Winston (1812–1871), 15th Governor of Alabama | 24,484 | 613 sq mi (1,588 km2) |
|
Former counties and county names[change | change source]
- Baine County (for David W. Baine), changed to Etowah County in 1868
- Baker County (for Alfred Baker, a local landowner), changed to Chilton County in 1874
- Benton County, first named in 1832 for Thomas Hart Benton. In 1849, Benton renounced his support for slavery, alienating him from the Democratic Party. He lost his seat in 1851, and in 1858 the name of the county was changed to Calhoun County, honoring Benton's Senate rival, John C. Calhoun, who had died soon after presiding over the momentous Compromise of 1850.
- Cahawba County, for the former capital city of Cahawba, changed to Bibb County in 1820
- Cotaco County (for Cotaco Creek), changed to Morgan County in 1821
- Elk County (for the Elk River), originally part of another Houston County (for John Houstoun), changed to Lauderdale County and Limestone County in 1818
- Hancock County (for John Hancock), changed to Winston County in 1858
- Jones County (for Josiah Jones, a local political leader), changed back to Covington County in 1868 after Jones refused the honor
- Jones County (for E. P. Jones), then Sanford County, before becoming Lamar County in 1877
- Sanford County (for H. C. Sanford), changed to Lamar County in 1877
Fictional counties of note[change | change source]
- Aurora County, the setting for several books by Deborah Wiles.
- Beechum County, the setting for the 1992 film, My Cousin Vinny.
- Greenbow County, the title character's birthplace in the 1986 Winston Groom novel Forrest Gump, which was adapted into a feature film in 1994.
- Hazzard County, the setting for the CBS TV show The Dukes of Hazzard, that ran from 1979-1985.
- Maycomb County, the setting for Harper Lee's 1960 novel To Kill a Mockingbird, which was adapted into a feature film in 1962.
- Pearl County, the setting for William March's 1943 novel Looking Glass and of several of his short stories.
References[change | change source]
- "CountyState.info Alabama". Official County Websites. Retrieved 2007-09-13. - official sites
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Foscue, Virginia O. (1989) Place Names in Alabama. Tuscaloosa, Alabama: University of Alabama Press. ISBN 0-8173-0410-X
- ↑ "EPA County FIPS Code Listing". EPA.gov. Retrieved 2008-02-23.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 National Association of Counties. "NACo - Find a county". Archived from the original on 2008-03-09. Retrieved 2008-04-30.
- ↑ Nicholson, David. "Alabama County Codes". License Plates of North America, 1969–present. Retrieved 2009-05-25.
- ↑ Owen, Thomas McAdory; Owen, Marie Bankhead (1921). History of Alabama and Dictionary of Alabama Biography. Chicago: S.J. Clarke Publishing Company.
- ↑ "Alabama Counties". Alabama Department of Archives and History. Retrieved 2009-06-01.
- ↑ "American FactFinder". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 13 March 2011.
- ↑ "2010 Census U.S. Gazetteer Files". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 13 March 2011.
- ↑ Coffee County, Alabama. "History of Coffee County". Archived from the original on 2018-12-24. Retrieved 2011-08-19.
