Calhoun County, Alabama

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Calhoun County, Alabama
Calhoun County, Alabama Courthouse.JPG
Calhoun County courthouse in Anniston
Map of Alabama highlighting Calhoun County
Location in the U.S. state of Alabama
Map of the United States highlighting Alabama
Alabama's location in the U.S.
Founded December 18, 1832
as Benton County
Named for John C. Calhoun
Seat Anniston
Largest city Anniston
Area
 • Total 612 sq mi (1,585 km2)
 • Land 606 sq mi (1,570 km2)
 • Water 6.4 sq mi (17 km2), 1.0%
Population (est.)
 • (2014) 115,916
 • Density 191/sq mi (74/km²)
Congressional district 3rd
Time zone Central: UTC-6/-5
Website www.calhouncounty.org
Footnotes:  
  • County Number 11 on Alabama Licence Plates

Calhoun County is a county in the U.S. state of Alabama. As of the 2010 census, the population was 118,572.[1] Its county seat is Anniston.[2] Its name is in honor of John C. Calhoun, famous member of the United States Senate from South Carolina.

Calhoun County is included in the Anniston-Oxford Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Benton County was established on December 18, 1832, named for Thomas Hart Benton, a member of the United States Senate from Missouri, with its county seat at Jacksonville. Benton, a slave owner, was a political ally of John C. Calhoun, another slaveholder and a U.S. senator from South Carolina. Through the 1820s-1840s, however, Benton's and Calhoun's political interests diverged, with Calhoun increasingly using secession as a weapon to maintain and expand slavery throughout the United States. Benton, on the other hand, was slowly coming to the conclusion that slavery was wrong and that preservation of the union was paramount. On January 29, 1858, Alabama supporters of slavery, objecting to Benton's change of heart, renamed Benton County as Calhoun County. The county seat was moved to Anniston after years of controversy and a State Supreme Court ruling in June 1900. 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.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 612 square miles (1,590 km2), of which 606 square miles (1,570 km2) is land and 6.4 square miles (17 km2) (1.0%) is water.[3]

Adjacent counties

National protected areas

Transportation

Major highways

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Rail

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
1840 14,260 —
1850 17,163 20.4%
1860 21,539 25.5%
1870 13,980 −35.1%
1880 19,591 40.1%
1890 33,835 72.7%
1900 34,874 3.1%
1910 39,115 12.2%
1920 47,822 22.3%
1930 55,611 16.3%
1940 63,319 13.9%
1950 79,539 25.6%
1960 95,878 20.5%
1970 103,092 7.5%
1980 119,761 16.2%
1990 116,034 −3.1%
2000 112,249 −3.3%
2010 118,572 5.6%
Est. 2014 115,916 [4] −2.2%
U.S. Decennial Census[5]
1790–1960[6] 1900–1990[7]
1990–2000[8] 2010–2014[1]

As of the census[9] of 2010, there were 118,572 people, 47,331 households, and 31,609 families residing in the county. The population density was 194 people per square mile (75/km2). There were 53,289 housing units at an average density of 87 per square mile (34/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 74.9% White, 20.6% Black or African American, 0.5% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 1.6% from other races, and 1.7% from two or more races. 3.3% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 47,331 households out of which 26.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.8% were married couples living together, 15.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.2% were non-families. 27.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 2.97.

In the county the population was spread out with 22.9% under the age of 18, 10.9% from 18 to 24, 24.8% from 25 to 44, 27.1 % from 45 to 64, and 14.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38.2 years. For every 100 females there were 93.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.8 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $38,407, and the median income for a family was $49,532. Males had a median income of $41,599 versus $29,756 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,574. About 15.2% of families and 19.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 26.8% of those under age 18 and 10.9% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

Presidential election results
Year GOP DEM Others
2012 65.5% 30,272 33.5% 15,500 1.0% 468
2008 65.7% 32,348 33.2% 16,334 1.1% 560
2004 65.9% 29,814 33.3% 15,083 0.8% 352
2000 57.3% 22,306 40.6% 15,781 2.1% 822
1996 49.0% 18,088 42.6% 15,725 8.4% 3,098
1992 48.2% 20,623 38.4% 16,453 13.4% 5,724
1988 58.3% 19,806 36.7% 12,451 5.0% 1,711
1984 61.2% 23,291 33.5% 12,752 5.4% 2,039
1980 49.2% 17,475 47.9% 17,017 2.9% 1,049
1976 36.0% 11,763 62.6% 20,466 1.4% 471
1972 76.9% 20,364 22.0% 5,832 1.0% 275
1968 11.4% 3,061 15.5% 4,146 73.0% 19,568
1964 63.1% 10,635 0.0% 0 36.9% 6,210
1960 33.0% 4,821 65.6% 9,590 1.5% 218

Calhoun is a staunchly Republican county in Presidential and Congressional elections. The last Democrat to win a majority in the county was Jimmy Carter in 1976. In 2008, Republican John McCain won 66% of the county's vote.

Calhoun is part of Alabama's 3rd congressional district, which is held by Republican Mike D. Rogers.

Communities

Cities

Towns

Census-designated places

Unincorporated communities

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Ghost towns

Places of interest

Calhoun County is home to Jacksonville State University, the Anniston Museum of Natural History, the Berman Museum of World History and the Coldwater Covered Bridge. It also contains a portion of the Talladega National Forest.

See also

References

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 Etowah County Cherokee County
St. Clair County Cleburne County
  Calhoun County, Alabama  
Talladega County

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