DeKalb County, Alabama

DeKalb County is a county located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Alabama. As of the 2010 census, the population was 71,109.[1] Its county seat is Fort Payne,[2] and it is named after Major General Baron Johan DeKalb. DeKalb County is part of the Huntsville-Decatur-Albertville, AL Combined Statistical Area.

DeKalb County
U.S. county
DeKalb County courthouse in Fort Payne
Location within the U.S. state of Alabama
Alabama's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 34°27′26″N 85°48′24″W
Country United States
State Alabama
FoundedJanuary 9, 1836
Named forJohan DeKalb
SeatFort Payne
Largest cityFort Payne
Area
 • Total779 sq mi (2,020 km2)
 • Land777 sq mi (2,010 km2)
 • Water1.6 sq mi (4 km2)  0.2%%
Population
 (2010)
 • Total71,109
 • Estimate 
(2019)
71,513
 • Density91/sq mi (35/km2)
Time zoneUTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district4th
Websitewww.dekalbcountyal.us
 
  • County Number 28 on Alabama License Plates

History

DeKalb County was created by the Alabama legislature on January 9, 1836,[3] from land ceded under duress to the Federal government by the Cherokee Nation prior to their forced removal to Indian Territory west of the Mississippi River.

The county was named for Major General Baron Johann de Kalb, a hero of the American Revolution.[4]

The city of Fort Payne, now the county seat, developed around a fort of the same name, built in the 1830s to intern Cherokee of the region prior to their removal.

In the early 19th century, Sequoyah, the Cherokee man who independently created the Cherokee syllabary, a written system for his language, lived in this area. He had been born in a Cherokee town in Tennessee and migrated here in the early 1800s. His work enabled the Cherokee to publish the first Native American newspaper, The Phoenix, which they produced in Cherokee and English.

On the whole, DeKalb County is a dry county in terms of alcohol sales and consumption. In 2005, the city of Fort Payne passed a law to authorize the legal sale of alcohol.[5] Collinsville and Henagar later also allowed alcohol sales.

=21st-century natural events

The county's eastern edge, along the state line, was the epicenter of an earthquake on April 29, 2003, measuring 4.6 on the Richter scale. Power was knocked out in the area, mirrors and pictures thrown to the floor, foundations cracked, and one chimney fell to the ground. The unusual earthquake for this region was felt over a significant portion of the southeastern states, including quite strongly in northeastern Alabama and neighboring northern Georgia, and nearby eastern Tennessee (especially near Chattanooga). It was also felt slightly in western upstate South Carolina, far west-southwestern North Carolina, south and southeastern Kentucky, and east-northeastern Mississippi.

DeKalb County had one of the highest death tolls in Alabama during a massive tornadic system in April 2011, the 2011 Super Outbreak. A total of 31 deaths were reported in the county.

Geography
The "Old Union" or "Tallahatchie" covered bridge crosses the Little River.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 779 square miles (2,020 km2), of which 777 square miles (2,010 km2) is land and 1.6 square miles (4.1 km2) (0.2%) is water.[6]

Adjacent counties

National protected area

Demographics
Historical population
CensusPop.%±
18405,929—
18508,24539.1%
186010,70529.8%
18707,126−33.4%
188012,67577.9%
189021,10666.5%
190023,55811.6%
191028,26120.0%
192034,42621.8%
193040,10416.5%
194043,0757.4%
195045,0484.6%
196041,417−8.1%
197041,9811.4%
198053,65827.8%
199054,6511.9%
200064,45217.9%
201071,10910.3%
2019 (est.)71,513[7]0.6%
U.S. Decennial Census[8]
1790–1960[9] 1900–1990[10]
1990–2000[11] 2010–2018[1]

As of the census[12] of 2010, there were 71,109 people, 26,842 households, and 19,361 families living in the county. The population density was 92 people per square mile (36/km2). There were 31,109 housing units at an average density of 39.9 per square mile (15/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 84.5% White (non-Hispanic), 1.5% Black or African American, 1.4% Native American, 0.3% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 9.9% from other races, and 2.2% from two or more races. 13.6% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

As of the census[13] of 2000, there were 64,452 people, 25,113 households, and 18,432 families living in the county. The population density was 83 people per square mile (32/km2). There were 28,051 housing units at an average density of 36 per square mile (14/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 92.55% White (non-Hispanic), 1.68% Black or African American, 0.80% Native American, 0.19% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 3.10% from other races, and 1.62% from two or more races. 5.55% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

According to the census of 2000, the largest ancestry groups in DeKalb County were English 78.31%, Scotch-Irish 8.29%, Scottish 3.33%, Irish 3.31%, Welsh 1.22%, and African 1.68%

Transportation

Major highways

Rail

Government

DeKalb County is strongly Republican. Eighty-three percent of its voters supported Donald Trump in 2016, and no Democrat has carried it since Southerner Jimmy Carter did so in 1976. Populist appeal in the county during the period of “Redemption” meant that even during the “Solid South” era DeKalb County sometimes supported victorious Republican presidential candidates, as it did during the three Republican landslides of the 1920s.

Presidential elections results
DeKalb County vote
by party in presidential elections[14]
Year GOP Dem Others
2020 84.4% 24,767 14.6% 4,281 1.0% 308
2016 82.9% 21,405 14.0% 3,622 3.1% 799
2012 76.5% 18,331 21.9% 5,239 1.6% 380
2008 74.8% 17,957 23.6% 5,658 1.7% 400
2004 69.9% 16,904 29.3% 7,092 0.7% 173
2000 63.2% 12,827 34.8% 7,056 2.0% 402
1996 54.1% 9,823 36.1% 6,544 9.8% 1,776
1992 48.7% 10,519 38.2% 8,245 13.1% 2,821
1988 60.6% 11,478 38.7% 7,333 0.7% 129
1984 62.5% 12,098 37.3% 7,212 0.2% 39
1980 51.8% 9,673 47.2% 8,820 1.1% 197
1976 40.1% 6,597 59.4% 9,759 0.5% 81
1972 71.3% 9,434 28.4% 3,759 0.3% 44
1968 35.8% 5,314 8.6% 1,274 55.7% 8,271
1964 57.7% 6,746 42.3% 4,948
1960 48.8% 5,585 51.1% 5,844 0.1% 12
1956 49.6% 5,684 50.3% 5,768 0.1% 16
1952 43.4% 3,997 56.5% 5,209 0.1% 11
1948 43.3% 2,743 56.7% 3,590
1944 37.5% 2,627 62.4% 4,366 0.1% 9
1940 34.0% 2,810 65.8% 5,432 0.2% 17
1936 42.9% 4,620 56.9% 6,121 0.2% 23
1932 44.9% 3,496 54.1% 4,217 1.0% 77
1928 59.3% 5,761 40.7% 3,957 0.0% 2
1924 53.4% 3,434 46.7% 3,003 0.0% 0
1920 55.2% 4,852 44.3% 3,894 0.6% 49
1916 39.4% 1,190 59.1% 1,787 1.6% 47
1912 19.5% 492 54.6% 1,379 25.9% 654
1908 43.2% 1,103 54.6% 1,395 2.3% 58
1904 40.3% 1,237 55.9% 1,716 3.8% 116

Communities

Cities

Towns

Unincorporated communities

Ghost towns

See also

References
  1. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on August 9, 2014. Retrieved May 16, 2014.
  2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
  3. "Alabama Counties". Alabama Department of Archives and History. Archived from the original on 26 September 2007. Retrieved 18 January 2014.
  4. Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. pp. 103.
  5. "Alcohol laws are changed," The Times-Journal, December 17, 2004 Archived July 26, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  6. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved August 22, 2015.
  7. "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". Retrieved May 17, 2019.
  8. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 22, 2015.
  9. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved August 22, 2015.
  10. Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 24, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 22, 2015.
  11. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. April 2, 2001. Retrieved August 22, 2015.
  12. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 21, 2015.
  13. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2011-05-14.
  14. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". Retrieved November 16, 2016.

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