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Washington County, Alabama

Coordinates: 31°24′33″N 88°12′41″W / 31.40917°N 88.21139°W / 31.40917; -88.21139
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Washington County
County
The Washington County Courthouse in September 2007
The Washington County Courthouse in September 2007
Flag of Washington County
Flag
Map of Alabama highlighting Washington County
Location within the U.S. state of Alabama
Map of the United States highlighting Alabama
Alabama's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 31°24′33″N 88°12′41″W / 31.4092°N 88.2114°W / 31.4092; -88.2114
Country United States
State Alabama
FoundedJune 4, 1801
Named forGeorge Washington
SeatChatom
Largest townChatom
Area
 • Total
1,089 sq mi (2,820 km2)
 • Land1,080 sq mi (2,800 km2)
 • Water8.4 sq mi (22 km2)  0.8%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
15,388
 • Estimate 
(2023)
15,022 Decrease
 • Density14/sq mi (5.5/km2)
Time zoneUTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district1st
  • County Number 65 on Alabama Licence Plates

Washington County is a county located in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Alabama. As of the 2020 census, the population was 15,388.[1] The county seat is Chatom.[2] The county was named in honor of George Washington, the first President of the United States. In September 2018 The United States Office of Management and Budget (OMB) added Washington County to the Mobile, Alabama Metropolitan Statistical Area but was removed in effective July 2023.[3]

The MOWA Band of Choctaw Indians is the first state-recognized tribe in Alabama. It is based in Washington County, with some members also in Mobile County, Alabama. A total of nine tribes have received state recognition since 1979.

History

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The area of today's Washington County was long inhabited by various indigenous people. In historic times, European traders encountered first Choctaw, whose territory extended through most of present-day Mississippi, and later Creek Indians, who had moved southwest from Georgia ahead of early European settlers who were encroaching on their land.

Washington County was organized on June 4, 1800, from the Tombigbee District of the Mississippi Territory by proclamation of territorial governor Winthrop Sargent. It was the first county organized in what would later become Alabama, as settlers moved westward after the American Revolutionary War. Washington County is the site of St. Stephens, the first territorial capital of Alabama. In 1807 former U.S. Vice President Aaron Burr was arrested at Wakefield in Washington County, during his flight from being prosecuted for alleged treason (of which he was eventually found innocent).

In the 1830s, the U.S. government removed most of the Choctaw and Creek to Indian Territory (now Oklahoma) west of the Mississippi River. Some members of these tribes stayed behind on their traditional lands in southwest Alabama, taking refuge in the forests and swamps. They were nominally considered state (and U.S.) citizens, but suffered severe racial discrimination.

In the 19th century, the county was largely developed for cotton plantations, with labor supplied by thousands of enslaved African Americans. Many had been transported by slave traders to the Deep South in a forced migration in the early part of the century, as the land was being developed.

During the American Civil War, more than three quarters of the adult white men in the county were serving in the Confederate Army by 1863. In that year, a group of children petitioned the Confederate government to avoid drafting more white men, so they might serve as a home guard militia. The petition claimed the militia was needed to guard against a potential slave uprising, since there were numerous cotton plantations with large numbers of enslaved African Americans. No such uprising occurred.

While the county continued to rely on agriculture into the 20th century, the infestation of the boll weevil destroyed many cotton crops. Mechanization and industrial-scale agriculture reduced the need for labor. Thousands of African Americans left the South in the Great Migration to Northern and Midwestern industrial cities, where they could get better jobs and escape the legal segregation and violence of the South. In the early 20th century industrialists began to harvest and process the pine and other timber in this area of the state.

The Choctaw and Creek Native Americans struggled to maintain their traditional culture, in the face of years during which the state government imposed a binary system of dividing people into white and "all other" people of color (blacks and Indians). Records no longer recognized their identifying as Choctaw, particularly in the period of Jim Crow after the Reconstruction era.

It was not until the 1930s that the Choctaw were able to get Indian schools to support their culture in Mobile and Washington counties, where their people have been concentrated. For a time they were called Cajun, but have no connection to such descendants of Acadians, based largely in Louisiana. The people pressed to gain recognition for their own ethnicity. In 1979 the Alabama legislature officially recognized the MOWA Band of Choctaw Indians. In 1984 it passed legislation to establish a commission to represent Native American interests in the state; through that, a total of nine tribes have received state recognition.

While the timber industry continued to be important to the economy, the county has gradually developed other businesses and industries, particularly petrochemical. Due to damage from Hurricane Frederic in 1979, the county was declared a disaster area that September.

Geography

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According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,089 square miles (2,820 km2), of which 1,080 square miles (2,800 km2) is land and 8.4 square miles (22 km2) (0.8%) is water.[4] This makes Washington County larger than the state of Rhode Island in terms of land area (but not total area). The county is located approximately 60 miles north of the Gulf of Mexico, and exceeds 682,000 acres of land. About 88 percent of the land area is covered by forest and pine plantations.[5]

The Tombigbee River borders Washington County to the east. From the southern point of the river, the boundary runs diagonally south-west, bisecting the community of Calvert. From there, the southern boundary runs west, roughly following the 31°08' N parallel, toward the Mississippi state line, descending due south into Mobile County and forming part of a rectangle that connects with the state line. The western boundary is defined by the Alabama-Mississippi state line (approximately 88°27' W). The northern boundary runs west from the state line along the 31°41' N parallel until reaching the Tombigbee River.

Adjacent counties

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Transportation

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Major highways

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Railroad

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The Norfolk Southern Railroad runs north out of the Port of Mobile and along the eastern corridor of Washington County, providing transport of raw materials to several chemical and electrical plants situated along the Tombigbee River.

Demographics

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Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
18001,250—
18102,920133.6%
18204,11841.0%
18303,474−15.6%
18405,30052.6%
18502,713−48.8%
18604,66972.1%
18703,912−16.2%
18804,53816.0%
18907,93574.9%
190011,13440.3%
191014,45429.8%
192014,279−1.2%
193016,36514.6%
194016,188−1.1%
195015,612−3.6%
196015,372−1.5%
197016,2415.7%
198016,8213.6%
199016,694−0.8%
200018,0978.4%
201017,581−2.9%
202015,388−12.5%
2023 (est.)15,022[6]−2.4%
U.S. Decennial Census[7]
1790–1960[8] 1900–1990[9]
1990–2000[10] 2010–2020[1]

2020 Census

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Washington County, Alabama – Racial and ethnic composition
Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) Pop 2000[11] Pop 2010[12] Pop 2020[13] % 2000 % 2010 % 2020
White alone (NH) 11,673 11,455 10,267 64.50% 65.16% 66.72%
Black or African American alone (NH) 4,818 4,360 3,318 26.62% 24.80% 21.56%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) 1,282 1,394 1,102 7.08% 7.93% 7.16%
Asian alone (NH) 10 18 14 0.06% 0.10% 0.09%
Pacific Islander alone (NH) 5 9 2 0.03% 0.05% 0.01%
Other race alone (NH) 1 8 23 0.01% 0.05% 0.15%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) 148 186 524 0.82% 1.06% 3.41%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 160 151 138 0.88% 0.86% 0.90%
Total 18,097 17,581 15,388 100.00% 100.00% 100.00%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 15,388 people, 5,990 households, and 4,208 families residing in the county.

2010

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According to the 2010 United States census, the racial makeup of the county is as follows:

2000

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As of the census[14] of 2000, there were 18,097 people, 6,705 households, and 5,042 families residing in the county. The population density was 17 people per square mile (6.6 people/km2). There were 8,123 housing units at an average density of 8 units per square mile (3.1 units/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 64.98% White(non-Hispanic), 26.89% Black or African American, 7.12% Native American, 0.06% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.05% from other races, and 0.87% from two or more races. 1.1% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 6,705 households, out of which 37.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.10% were married couples living together, 12.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.80% were non-families. 22.80% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.69 and the average family size was 3.17.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 28.70% under the age of 18, 8.60% from 18 to 24, 27.40% from 25 to 44, 22.90% from 45 to 64, and 12.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 96.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.10 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $30,815, and the median income for a family was $37,881. Males had a median income of $35,237 versus $18,337 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,081. About 14.80% of families and 18.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.50% of those under age 18 and 22.70% of those age 65 or over.

Population decline

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Like many rural Alabama counties, Washington County has had rural flight since 2000, as younger people have moved to cities for work opportunities. Factors contributing to this phenomenon include depressed economic opportunity within the county and the ongoing urbanization of the United States. Urbanization, especially urban areas adjacent to a rural area, draws young people out of rural areas, offering more and better public services as well as access to better-paying, white-collar jobs.[15]

Education

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The Washington County School system operates public schools in the county. Its high schools include:[16]

Politics

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Like much of the Deep South, prior to the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, only white Washington County voters enjoyed the franchise, and they had long supported the Democratic Party in national, state and local elections. Most blacks had been disenfranchised since the turn of the century, as were many poor whites.

After Congress passed civil rights legislation under the leadership of President Lyndon Johnson, in addition to legislation to support his Great Society policies, the county's conservative white electorate began to support Republican candidates in presidential elections. With revival of their constitutional rights in voting, African Americans tended to align with the national Democratic Party.

Following the presidency of Ronald Reagan and the rise of the Moral Majority of the 1980s, conservative white Washington County voters have increasingly elected Republicans in national elections, and they have essentially realigned with that party. Bill Clinton, a nominee from Arkansas, was the last Democratic presidential nominee to win Washington County, doing so in his successful 1996 reelection campaign.[17] By contrast, the minority of African American and Native American voters continue to support Democratic candidates.

United States presidential election results for Washington County, Alabama
Year Republican Democratic Third party(ies)
No.  % No.  % No.  %
2020 6,564 73.95% 2,258 25.44% 54 0.61%
2016 6,042 70.81% 2,374 27.82% 117 1.37%
2012 5,761 65.56% 2,976 33.87% 50 0.57%
2008 5,654 64.43% 3,067 34.95% 54 0.62%
2004 5,060 61.36% 3,145 38.14% 42 0.51%
2000 4,117 54.20% 3,386 44.58% 93 1.22%
1996 2,900 37.68% 3,935 51.12% 862 11.20%
1992 3,270 40.06% 4,046 49.57% 846 10.37%
1988 3,741 52.23% 3,402 47.49% 20 0.28%
1984 4,434 58.78% 3,081 40.85% 28 0.37%
1980 3,045 45.96% 3,520 53.13% 60 0.91%
1976 2,171 38.29% 3,471 61.22% 28 0.49%
1972 3,282 74.73% 1,096 24.95% 14 0.32%
1968 200 3.52% 902 15.87% 4,581 80.61%
1964 2,803 70.18% 0 0.00% 1,191 29.82%
1960 792 28.53% 1,929 69.49% 55 1.98%
1956 777 30.25% 1,705 66.37% 87 3.39%
1952 623 23.90% 1,977 75.83% 7 0.27%
1948 31 2.31% 0 0.00% 1,313 97.69%
1944 115 7.33% 1,447 92.28% 6 0.38%
1940 80 4.04% 1,892 95.65% 6 0.30%
1936 72 3.95% 1,736 95.28% 14 0.77%
1932 81 5.83% 1,307 94.10% 1 0.07%
1928 515 41.73% 718 58.18% 1 0.08%
1924 55 8.11% 610 89.97% 13 1.92%
1920 85 12.82% 575 86.73% 3 0.45%
1916 32 5.95% 500 92.94% 6 1.12%
1912 14 3.12% 405 90.20% 30 6.68%
1908 40 7.52% 464 87.22% 28 5.26%
1904 54 10.57% 443 86.69% 14 2.74%

While Democrats, until 2015, continued to represent the county in both houses of the state legislature, voters have not supported a Democratic candidate for governor since 2002. That year the state's last Democratic governor, Don Siegelman, lost reelection to Republican Bob Riley.[18]

As of 2021, Brett Easterbrook (R-Fruitdale) has represented Washington County in the Alabama House of Representatives (District 65) since 2018.[19] Greg Albritton (R-Excel) has represented Senate District 22, the bulk of the county (along with parts of seven other counties, stretching into south Baldwin County and as far north as Choctaw County, and from the Mississippi border on the west to as far east as the Escambia-Covington County border and Conecuh-Butler county border) in the Alabama Senate since 2015.[20] An eastern sliver of the county along the Tombigbee falls in District 23, represented by Hank Sanders.[21]

The county lies within Alabama's 1st congressional district, which has been represented by Republican Jerry Carl since January 2021.[22]

Communities

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Towns

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Census-designated places

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Unincorporated communities

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Ghost town

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Places of interest

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Washington County has three sites listed on the National Register of Historic Places:

The Washington County Museum is located in the courthouse in Chatom.

Notable people

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 10, 2023.
  2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  3. ^ "OMB Bulletin No. 23-01" (PDF). www.whitehouse.gov. July 21, 2023. Retrieved May 1, 2024.
  4. ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved August 22, 2015.
  5. ^ "Washington County, Alabama History, Location & Description, Industries, Community & County Services. Map of Washington County". www.washingtoncountyalgov.com. Retrieved June 25, 2018.
  6. ^ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 27, 2024.
  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. ^ "P004 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Washington County, Alabama". United States Census Bureau.
  12. ^ "P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Washington County, Alabama". United States Census Bureau.
  13. ^ "P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Washington County, Alabama". United States Census Bureau.
  14. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 14, 2011.
  15. ^ "How Is Rural America Changing?" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on January 20, 2017. Retrieved December 1, 2023.
  16. ^ Schools, Washington County (September 2008). "Welcome to the Washington County Schools Website. ::". Retrieved May 26, 2009.
  17. ^ "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections".
  18. ^ "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections".
  19. ^ "Alabama Legislature".
  20. ^ "Welcome to the Alabama State Legislature". Archived from the original on October 3, 2013. Retrieved September 28, 2013.
  21. ^ "Welcome to the Alabama State Legislature". Archived from the original on October 9, 2007. Retrieved October 13, 2007.
  22. ^ "House swears in Rep. Bradley Byrne, new Republican congressman from Alabama | Star Tribune". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on January 11, 2014. Retrieved January 11, 2014.
  23. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  24. ^ "Thompson Square | Thompson Square". Archived from the original on January 11, 2014. Retrieved January 11, 2014.
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31°24′33″N 88°12′41″W / 31.40917°N 88.21139°W / 31.40917; -88.21139

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