Clay County, Alabama

Clay County, Alabama
Clay County Courthouse in Ashland
Location in the state of Alabama
Alabama's location in the U.S.
Founded	December 7, 1866
Seat	Ashland
Largest city	Lineville
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	606.00 sq mi (1,570 km²) 605.07 sq mi (1,567 km²) 0.93 sq mi (2 km²), (0.15%)
Population  - (2010)  - Density	13,932 23/sq mi (8.8/km²)

Clay County is a county of the US state of Alabama. Its name is in honor of Henry Clay, famous American statesman, member of the United States Senate from Kentucky and United States Secretary of State in the 19th century. As of 2010 the population was 13,932. Its county seat is Ashland and it is a prohibition or dry county.

History

Clay County was established on December 7, 1866 from land taken from Randolph and Talladega County. Named after the famous statesman Henry Clay, the county seat itself was named after his estate in Lexington, Kentucky called "Ashland". Clay County was formed for geographic reasons. The citizens of the area had a difficult time reaching the county seat of Wedowee in Randolph County because of the Tallapoosa River to the east. Talladega was difficult to reach because of the intervening mountains. Even today, Clay County is one of only three counties in Alabama to have no U.S. Highways in its boundaries.

During the Desert Shield/Storm conflict, Clay County had more soldiers serving per capita than any other county in the United States.^[1]

Geography

According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 606.00 square miles (1,569.5 km²), of which 605.07 square miles (1,567.1 km²) (or 99.85%) is land and 0.93 square miles (2.4 km²) (or 0.15%) is water.^[2]

Major highways

• State Route 9
• State Route 48
• State Route 49
• State Route 77

Rail

• CSX Transportation
• Norfolk Southern Railway

Adjacent counties

• Cleburne County, Alabama – north
• Randolph County, Alabama – east
• Tallapoosa County, Alabama – south
• Coosa County, Alabama – southwest
• Talladega County, Alabama – west

National protected area

• Talladega National Forest (part)

Demographics

Clay County, Alabama
Year	Pop.	±%
1870	9,560	—
1880	12,938	+35.3%
1890	15,765	+21.9%
1900	17,099	+8.5%
1910	21,006	+22.8%
1920	22,645	+7.8%
1930	17,768	−21.5%
1940	16,907	−4.8%
1950	13,929	−17.6%
1960	12,400	−11.0%
1970	12,636	+1.9%
1980	13,703	+8.4%
1990	13,252	−3.3%
2000	14,254	+7.6%
2010	13,932	−2.3%
Sources: "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/index.xhtml.  through 1960

As of the census^[3] of 2000, there were 14,254 people, 5,765 households, and 4,098 families residing in the county. The population density was 24 people per square mile (9/km²). There were 6,612 housing units at an average density of 11 per square mile (4/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 82.62% White, 15.70% Black or African American, 0.32% Native American, 0.10% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.46% from other races, and 0.79% from two or more races. 1.77% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 5,765 households out of which 30.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.70% were married couples living together, 10.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.90% were non-families. 26.70% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.93.

In the county the population was spread out with 23.80% under the age of 18, 8.00% from 18 to 24, 27.40% from 25 to 44, 24.20% from 45 to 64, and 16.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 95.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.10 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $27,885, and the median income for a family was $34,033. Males had a median income of $26,118 versus $18,637 for females. The per capita income for the county was $13,785. About 12.90% of families and 17.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.60% of those under age 18 and 19.00% of those age 65 or over.

Cities and towns

• Ashland
• Lineville

Notable natives

• Hugo Black (1886–1971), born in Harlan, served as an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court from 1937 until 1971
• LaFayette L. Patterson (1888–1987), born near Delta, served three terms in the U.S. Congress from 1928 to 1933
• Byron Lavoy Cockrell (1935–2007), born in Lineville, rocket scientist and engineer
• Bob Riley (b. 1944), Alabama's 52nd governor, native of Ashland

Places of interest

Clay County is home to parts of Cheaha State Park in the Talladega National Forest and Lake Wedowee on the eastern boundary. Outdoor adventures abound in Clay County and the surrounding area. The Pinhoti Trail system weaves its way through the Talladega National Forest to Mt. Cheaha, the highest point in Alabama. Hikers along the trail may spy some of the local wildlife, including whitetail deer, wild turkey, and the rare bald eagle.

Home of Doc Hilt Trails for Off-Highway Vehicles. On May 5, 2010, Doc Hilt Trails was awarded the distinction of being a "National Recreation Trail." One of only two private motorized parks in the nation to ever be awarded the NRT designation.

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Clay County, Alabama
• Properties on the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage in Clay County, Alabama

References

1. ^ Small Town Historic Markers, Alabama Tourism Department, http://www.alabama.travel/homecoming/, retrieved 2011-02-02 
2. ^ "Census 2000 U.S. Gazetteer Files: Counties". United States Census. http://www.census.gov/tiger/tms/gazetteer/county2k.txt. Retrieved 2011-02-13. 
3. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 

Coordinates: 33°16′20″N 85°51′40″W / 33.27222°N 85.86111°W / 33.27222; -85.86111