Etowah County, Alabama

History

The area was split first among neighboring counties, with most of it belonging to DeKalb and Cherokee counties. On December 7, 1866, the first postwar legislature separated and established Baine County, named for David W. Baine, a politician and Confederate military officer who died in battle in 1862. Gadsden was designated as the county seat.

Because of postwar tensions and actions of insurgents against freedmen, at the state constitutional convention in 1868, the new county was abolished, replaced on December 1, 1868, by one aligned to the same boundaries and named Etowah County, from a Cherokee-language word. The Cherokee people in northeast Alabama had been forcibly removed in the 1830s to Indian Territory (now part of Oklahoma) west of the Mississippi River.

20th century to present

Etowah County had issues of racial discrimination and injustice, and Jim Crow. It had one documented lynching between 1877 and 1950, which occurred in 1906. Bunk Richardson, an innocent African-American, only because he was associated with a case in which a white woman was raped and killed. The whites were angry that the governor had commuted the death sentence of one defendant in the case (who was likely also innocent of charges), after two men had already been executed for the crime.

An F4 tornado struck here on Palm Sunday March 27, 1994. It destroyed Piedmont's Goshen United Methodist Church twelve minutes after the National Weather Service of Birmingham issued a tornado warning for northern Calhoun, southeastern Etowah, and southern Cherokee counties.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 549 sqmi, of which 535 sqmi is land and 14 sqmi, or 2.5%, is water. It is the smallest county by area in Alabama.

Adjacent counties

• DeKalb County – north
• Cherokee County – east
• Calhoun County – southeast
• St. Clair County – southwest
• Blount County – west
• Marshall County – northwest

Transportation

Transit

• Gadsden Trolley System
• Greyhound Lines

Major highways

Rail

• Alabama and Tennessee River Railway
• Norfolk Southern Railway
• Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia Railway (Defunct)

Demographics

|align-fn=center 1790–1960 1900–1990 1990–2000 2010–2020

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 103,436. The median age was 42.4 years. 21.6% of residents were under the age of 18 and 19.9% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 93.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 90.7 males age 18 and over.

The racial makeup of the county was 76.0% White, 14.6% Black or African American, 0.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 2.6% from some other race, and 5.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 4.7% of the population.

56.8% of residents lived in urban areas, while 43.2% lived in rural areas.

There were 41,974 households in the county, of which 29.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 30.3% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 29.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 47,306 housing units, of which 11.3% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 71.1% were owner-occupied and 28.9% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.7% and the rental vacancy rate was 10.1%.

Racial and ethnic composition

2010 census

At the 2010 census there were 104,430 people, 42,036 households, and 28,708 families living in the county. The population density was 195 /mi2. There were 47,454 housing units at an average density of 86 /mi2. The racial makeup of the county was 80.3% White, 15.1% Black or African American, 0.4% Native American, 0.6% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 1.9% from other races, and 1.5% from two or more races. 3.3% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Of the 42,036 households 27.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.3% were married couples living together, 14.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.7% were non-families. 28.1% of households were one person and 11.9% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.97.

The age distribution was 23.0% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 24.9% from 25 to 44, 27.8% from 45 to 64, and 15.8% 65 or older. The median age was 40.2 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.5 males.

The median household income was $36,422 and the median family income was $44,706. Males had a median income of $39,814 versus $30,220 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,439. About 13.1% of families and 16.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.6% of those under age 18 and 11.2% of those age 65 or over.

2000 census

At the 2000 census there were 103,459 people, 41,615 households, and 29,463 families living in the county. The population density was 193 /mi2. There were 45,959 housing units at an average density of 86 /mi2. The racial makeup of the county was 82.9% White, 14.7% Black or African American, 0.3% Native American, 0.4% Asian, Of the 41,615 households 29.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.2% were married couples living together, 13.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.2% were non-families. 26.3% of households were one person and 12.4% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 2.93.

The age distribution was 23.8% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 27.4% from 25 to 44, 24.1% from 45 to 64, and 16.0% 65 or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.90 males.

The median household income was $31,170 and the median family income was $38,697. Males had a median income of $31,610 versus $21,346 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,783. About 12.3% of families and 15.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.6% of those under age 18 and 13.7% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Etowah County is reliably Republican at the presidential level. The last Democrat to win the county in a presidential election is Bill Clinton, who won it by a plurality in 1996.

Communities

Cities

• Attalla
• Boaz (partly in Marshall County)
• Gadsden (county seat)
• Glencoe (partly in Calhoun County)
• Hokes Bluff
• Rainbow City
• Southside (partly in Calhoun County)

Towns

• Altoona (partly in Blount County)
• Reece City
• Ridgeville
• Sardis City (partly in Marshall County)
• Walnut Grove

Census-designated places

• Ballplay
• Bristow Cove
• Carlisle-Rockledge
• Coats Bend
• Egypt
• Gallant
• Ivalee
• Lookout Mountain
• New Union
• Tidmore Bend
• Whitesboro

Unincorporated communities

• Anderson
• Keener
• Liberty Hill
• Mountainboro
• Pilgrims Rest

Former city

• Alabama City

References

References

1. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau.
2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties.
3. "Alabama Census Year with Modern Map Overlayed," Maps of Alabama, Map of US.org, ([https://mapgeeks.org/maps-of-alabama/ https://www.mapofus.org/alabama/] {{Webarchive. link. (March 28, 2018 : accessed February 15, 2017), Wordpress.com, 2017.>Interactive> 1860 & 1870)
4. (Summer 1968). "Lt. Colonel David W. Baine: A Confederate Hero from the North". Alabama Historical Quarterly.
5. (October 25, 2011). "Alabama Counties: Etowah County". Alabama Department of Archives and History.
6. (2015). "Lynching in America: Confronting the Legacy of Racial Terror – Supplement: Lynchings by County". [[Equal Justice Initiative]].
7. (December 11, 2016). "Why the story of a 1906 Alabama lynching won't be forgotten". Anniston/Gadsden Real-Time News.
8. [http://www.al.com/news/anniston-gadsden/index.ssf/2016/12/1906_gadsden_lynching_memorial.html William Thornton, "Why the story of a 1906 Alabama lynching won't be forgotten"], AL.com, December 11, 2016; accessed April 13, 2018
9. (August 22, 2012). "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau.
10. "County Population Totals and Components of Change: 2020-2024". United States Census Bureau.
11. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau.
12. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library.
13. (March 24, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau.
14. (April 2, 2001). "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000". United States Census Bureau.
15. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)".
16. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)".
17. (2023). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)".
18. "P004 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Etowah County, Alabama".
19. "P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Etowah County, Alabama".
20. "P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Etowah County, Alabama".
21. "U.S. Census website". [[United States Census Bureau]].
22. "U.S. Census website". [[United States Census Bureau]].
23. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections".