County in Alabama, United States
County in Alabama
Chambers County
is a
county
located in the east central portion of the
U.S. state
of
Alabama
. As of the
2020 census
the population was 34,772.
[1]
Its
county seat
is
LaFayette
. Its largest city is
Valley
. Its name is in honor of
Henry H. Chambers
,
[2]
who served as a United States
Senator
from Alabama.
Chambers County is included in the
LaGrange
, GA-AL
Micropolitan Statistical Area
and the
Atlanta?Athens-Clarke?Sandy Springs Combined Statistical Area
.
[3]
History
[
edit
]
Prior to contact with people of European descent, what is now Chambers County was inhabited by the Creek nation.
[4]
Chambers County was established on December 18, 1832.
Pat Garrett
, the lawman famed for killing outlaw
Billy the Kid
, was born near the town of Cusseta in 1850.
Joe Louis
"The Brown Bomber", renowned heavyweight boxing champion, was born near LaFayette, on Buckalew Mountain, May 13, 1914.
In 1980, Chambers County joined its four mill villages to make the city of
Valley
. Today, it is the largest city in the county.
Geography
[
edit
]
According to the
United States Census Bureau
, the county has a total area of 603 square miles (1,560 km
2
), of which 597 square miles (1,550 km
2
) is land and 6.6 square miles (17 km
2
) (1.1%) is water.
[5]
Major highways
[
edit
]
Adjacent counties
[
edit
]
Demographics
[
edit
]
Historical population
Census
| Pop.
| Note
| %±
|
1840
| 17,333
| | ?
|
---|
1850
| 23,960
| | 38.2%
|
---|
1860
| 23,214
| | ?3.1%
|
---|
1870
| 17,562
| | ?24.3%
|
---|
1880
| 23,440
| | 33.5%
|
---|
1890
| 26,319
| | 12.3%
|
---|
1900
| 32,554
| | 23.7%
|
---|
1910
| 36,056
| | 10.8%
|
---|
1920
| 41,201
| | 14.3%
|
---|
1930
| 39,313
| | ?4.6%
|
---|
1940
| 42,146
| | 7.2%
|
---|
1950
| 39,528
| | ?6.2%
|
---|
1960
| 37,828
| | ?4.3%
|
---|
1970
| 36,356
| | ?3.9%
|
---|
1980
| 39,191
| | 7.8%
|
---|
1990
| 36,876
| | ?5.9%
|
---|
2000
| 36,583
| | ?0.8%
|
---|
2010
| 34,215
| | ?6.5%
|
---|
2020
| 34,772
| | 1.6%
|
---|
2023 (est.)
| 34,079
| [6]
| ?2.0%
|
---|
2020 census
[
edit
]
Chambers County, Alabama ? Racial and ethnic composition
Note: the U.S. 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)
|
22,111
|
19,893
|
18,616
|
60.44%
|
58.14%
|
53.34%
|
Black or African American
alone (NH)
|
13,872
|
13,206
|
13,441
|
37.92%
|
38.60%
|
38.65%
|
Native American
or
Alaska Native
alone (NH)
|
49
|
57
|
71
|
0.13%
|
0.17%
|
0.20%
|
Asian
alone (NH)
|
68
|
166
|
385
|
0.19%
|
0.49%
|
1.11%
|
Pacific Islander
alone (NH)
|
0
|
7
|
11
|
0.00%
|
0.02%
|
0.03%
|
Other race
alone (NH)
|
13
|
23
|
115
|
0.04%
|
0.07%
|
0.33%
|
Mixed race or Multiracial
(NH)
|
190
|
327
|
896
|
0.52%
|
0.96%
|
2.58%
|
Hispanic or Latino
(any race)
|
280
|
536
|
1,237
|
0.77%
|
1.57%
|
3.56%
|
Total
|
36,583
|
34,215
|
34,772
|
100.00%
|
100.00%
|
100.00%
|
As of the
2020 census
, there were 34,772 people, 13,448 households, and 8,553 families residing in the county.
2010
[
edit
]
As of the
2010 census
, there were 34,215 people, 13,933 households, and 9,391 families living in the county. The population density was 57 people per square mile (22 people/km
2
). There were 17,004 housing units at an average density of 28 units per square mile (11 units/km
2
). The
racial makeup
of the county was 58.8%
White (non-Hispanic)
, 38.7% Black or African American, 0.2% Native American, 0.5% Asian, 0.6% from other races, and 1.1% from two or more races. 1.6% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
[14]
Of the 13,933 households 24.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.6% were married couples living together, 19.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.6% were non-families. 29.1% of households were one person and 12.3% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.97.
The age distribution was 22.5% under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 24.1% from 25 to 44, 28.7% from 45 to 64, and 16.7% 65 or older. The median age was 41.5 years. For every 100 females there were 91.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.7 males.
The median household income was $31,467 and the median family income was $39,475. Males had a median income of $34,176 versus $29,140 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,626. About 16.4% of families and 20.3% of the population were below the
poverty line
, including 30.2% of those under age 18 and 15.7% of those age 65 or over.
2000
[
edit
]
As of the
2000 census
, there were 36,583 people, 14,522 households, and 10,194 families living in the county. The population density was 61 people per square mile (24 people/km
2
). There were 16,256 housing units at an average density of 27 units per square mile (10 units/km
2
). The
racial makeup
of the county was 56.88%
White (non-Hispanic)
, 43.11% Black or African American, 0.13% Native American, 0.19% Asian, 0.12% from other races, and 0.57% from two or more races. 3.7% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
[15]
Of the 14,522 households 29.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.50% were married couples living together, 17.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.80% were non-families. 27.00% of households were one person and 12.40% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.01.
The age distribution was 24.60% under the age of 18, 8.60% from 18 to 24, 27.00% from 25 to 44, 23.50% from 45 to 64, and 16.20% 65 or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 89.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.30 males.
The median household income was $29,667 and the median family income was $36,598. Males had a median income of $28,771 versus $21,159 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,147. About 14.30% of families and 17.00% of the population were below the
poverty line
, including 22.50% of those under age 18 and 18.20% of those age 65 or over.
Education
[
edit
]
Chambers County contains two
public school
districts. There are approximately 4,350 students in public
PK-12
schools in Chambers County.
[16]
Districts
[
edit
]
School districts include:
[17]
Government
[
edit
]
Chambers is a Republican-leaning county, although it has a sufficient Black minority to return a respectable Democratic vote. The last Democrat to win a majority in the county was
Jimmy Carter
in
1980
, although
Bill Clinton
won pluralities in it in both
1992
and
1996
.
United States presidential election results for Chambers County, Alabama
[18]
Year
|
Republican
|
Democratic
|
Third party
|
No.
|
%
|
No.
|
%
|
No.
|
%
|
2020
|
8,753
|
57.27%
|
6,365
|
41.64%
|
166
|
1.09%
|
2016
|
7,843
|
56.42%
|
5,784
|
41.61%
|
273
|
1.96%
|
2012
|
7,626
|
52.13%
|
6,871
|
46.97%
|
132
|
0.90%
|
2008
|
8,067
|
53.94%
|
6,799
|
45.46%
|
90
|
0.60%
|
2004
|
7,622
|
58.49%
|
5,347
|
41.03%
|
63
|
0.48%
|
2000
|
6,037
|
51.01%
|
5,616
|
47.46%
|
181
|
1.53%
|
1996
|
4,707
|
42.42%
|
5,515
|
49.70%
|
875
|
7.89%
|
1992
|
5,682
|
43.40%
|
5,938
|
45.36%
|
1,471
|
11.24%
|
1988
|
7,694
|
59.39%
|
5,103
|
39.39%
|
159
|
1.23%
|
1984
|
8,024
|
59.60%
|
5,302
|
39.38%
|
137
|
1.02%
|
1980
|
4,864
|
40.88%
|
6,649
|
55.88%
|
386
|
3.24%
|
1976
|
5,488
|
46.32%
|
6,164
|
52.03%
|
196
|
1.65%
|
1972
|
8,716
|
79.21%
|
2,076
|
18.87%
|
211
|
1.92%
|
1968
|
1,082
|
10.17%
|
1,358
|
12.77%
|
8,196
|
77.06%
|
1964
|
4,630
|
64.42%
|
0
|
0.00%
|
2,557
|
35.58%
|
1960
|
1,865
|
26.26%
|
5,165
|
72.74%
|
71
|
1.00%
|
1956
|
1,448
|
21.49%
|
5,165
|
76.67%
|
124
|
1.84%
|
1952
|
990
|
13.77%
|
6,155
|
85.61%
|
45
|
0.63%
|
1948
|
218
|
12.34%
|
0
|
0.00%
|
1,549
|
87.66%
|
1944
|
194
|
5.30%
|
3,458
|
94.43%
|
10
|
0.27%
|
1940
|
110
|
2.58%
|
4,141
|
97.16%
|
11
|
0.26%
|
1936
|
112
|
2.99%
|
3,626
|
96.90%
|
4
|
0.11%
|
1932
|
342
|
11.78%
|
2,550
|
87.84%
|
11
|
0.38%
|
1928
|
1,732
|
63.42%
|
999
|
36.58%
|
0
|
0.00%
|
1924
|
146
|
6.91%
|
1,922
|
91.00%
|
44
|
2.08%
|
1920
|
322
|
13.82%
|
1,994
|
85.58%
|
14
|
0.60%
|
1916
|
168
|
8.99%
|
1,679
|
89.88%
|
21
|
1.12%
|
1912
|
28
|
1.71%
|
1,486
|
90.83%
|
122
|
7.46%
|
1908
|
50
|
4.53%
|
1,025
|
92.84%
|
29
|
2.63%
|
1904
|
74
|
4.73%
|
1,421
|
90.80%
|
70
|
4.47%
|
Communities
[
edit
]
Cities
[
edit
]
Towns
[
edit
]
Census-designated places
[
edit
]
Unincorporated communities
[
edit
]
Ghost town
[
edit
]
In popular culture
[
edit
]
Chambers County has been the backdrop of several movies including
Mississippi Burning
.
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
"State & County QuickFacts"
. United States Census Bureau
. Retrieved
September 13,
2023
.
- ^
Gannett, Henry (1905).
The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States
. Govt. Print. Off. pp.
74
.
- ^
https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/metroarea/us_wall/Mar2020/CSA_WallMap_Mar2020.pdf
[
bare URL PDF
]
- ^
The Reason for the Tears: A History of Chambers County, Alabama, 1832-1900 page 2
- ^
"2010 Census Gazetteer Files"
. United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012
. Retrieved
August 22,
2015
.
- ^
"Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023"
. United States Census Bureau
. Retrieved
March 27,
2024
.
- ^
"U.S. Decennial Census"
. United States Census Bureau
. Retrieved
August 22,
2015
.
- ^
"Historical Census Browser"
. University of Virginia Library. Archived from
the original
on August 11, 2012
. Retrieved
August 22,
2015
.
- ^
Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 24, 1995).
"Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990"
. United States Census Bureau
. Retrieved
August 22,
2015
.
- ^
"Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000"
(PDF)
. United States Census Bureau. April 2, 2001
. Retrieved
August 22,
2015
.
- ^
"P004 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race 2000: DEC Summary File 1 ? Chambers County, Alabama"
. United States Census Bureau
. Retrieved
February 25,
2024
.
- ^
"P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race ? 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) ? Chambers County, Alabama"
. United States Census Bureau
. Retrieved
February 25,
2024
.
- ^
"P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race ? 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) ? Chambers County, Alabama"
. United States Census Bureau
. Retrieved
February 25,
2024
.
- ^
"U.S. Census website"
.
United States Census Bureau
. Retrieved
July 10,
2015
.
- ^
"U.S. Census website"
.
United States Census Bureau
. Retrieved
May 14,
2011
.
- ^
"Search for Public School Districts - Chambers County, AL"
.
National Center for Education Statistics
.
Institute of Education Sciences
. Retrieved
October 2,
2022
.
- ^
"2020 Census - School District Reference Map: Chambers County, AL"
(PDF)
.
United States Census Bureau
. Retrieved
October 2,
2022
.
Text list
.
- ^
"Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections"
. Retrieved
February 20,
2021
.
External links
[
edit
]
Places adjacent to Chambers County, Alabama
|
---|
|
|
---|
Central cities/largest cities
| | Location of the Columbus, Georgia-Auburn, Alabama CSA and its counties:
Columbus, Georgia Metropolitan Statistical Area
Auburn, Alabama Metropolitan Statistical Area
Tuskegee, Alabama Micropolitan Statistical Area
(defunct)
|
---|
Cities in Georgia
| |
---|
Cities in Alabama
| |
---|
Counties in Georgia
| |
---|
Counties in Alabama
| |
---|
32°54′N
85°23′W
/
32.900°N 85.383°W
/
32.900; -85.383
|
---|
International
| |
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National
| |
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Other
| |
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