The U.S. state of Alabama has 67 counties. Each county serves as the local level of government within its borders. The land enclosed by the present state borders was joined to the United States of America gradually. Following the American Revolutionary War, West Florida was ceded to Spain by treaty while the remainder was organized primarily as the Mississippi Territory, and later the Alabama Territory.[1] The territorial assembly established some of the earliest county divisions that have survived to the present, including the earliest county formation, that of Washington County, created on June 4, 1800.[2] In 1814, the Treaty of Fort Jackson opened the territory to American settlers, which in turn led to a more rapid rate of county creation. Alabama was admitted to the Union as the 22nd state in 1819.[3] The Alabama state legislature formed additional counties from former Indian lands as the Indian Removal Act took effect and settlers populated different areas of Alabama.[4] In 1820, Alabama had 29 counties. By 1830 there were 36 and Native Americans still occupied large areas of land in northeast and far western Alabama. By 1840, 49 counties had been created; 52 by 1850; 65 by 1870; and the present 67 counties by 1903.[5] Houston County was the last county created in the state, on February 9, 1903.[2]
According to 2006 U. S. Census estimates, the average population of Alabama's 67 counties is 68,642, with Jefferson County as the most populous (656,700), and Greene County (9,374) the least. The average land area is 757 sq mi (1,962 km2). The largest county is Baldwin (1,596 sq mi, 4,134 km2) and the smallest is Etowah (535 sq mi, 1,386 km2).[6] The Constitution of Alabama requires that any new county in Alabama cover at least 600 square miles (1,600 km2) in area, effectively limiting the creation of new counties in the state.[7]
The Alabama Department of Revenue's Motor Vehicle Division issues standard automobile license plates that bear a one- or two-digit number identifying the county in which the vehicle is registered. This number is given in the fourth column in the table below. The first three prefixes are reserved for the state's historically most populous counties, and thereafter proceed alphabetically. Individual license plate numbers are assigned sequentially in each licensing office. The numbers are in the format XA1111A or XXA111A, depending on whether the prefix is one or two digits. Overflow registrations are accommodated by substituting a letter for one of the registration numbers, such that XXZ999Z is followed by XXA0A0A.[8]
The Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) code, used by the United States government to uniquely identify counties, is provided with each entry. The FIPS code links in the table point to U. S. Census "quick facts" pages for each county.
Contents |
County |
FIPS code [9] |
County seat [2] |
License # [10] |
Created [2] |
Formed from [11] |
Etymology [5][12] |
Population [6] |
Area [6] |
Map |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Autauga County | 001 | Prattville | 4 | 1818 | Montgomery County | The Autauga or Atagi people, Native Americans who were a sub-group of the Alibamu | 49,730 | sq mi (1,544 km2) | 596![]() |
Baldwin County | 003 | Bay Minette | 5 | 1809 | Washington County and West Florida | Abraham Baldwin (1754–1807), U.S. legislator from Georgia | 169,162 | ( 4,134 km2) |
1,596 sq mi![]() |
Barbour County | 005 | Clayton | 6 | 1832 | Pike County | James Barbour (1775–1842), Governor of Virginia and U.S. Senator | 28,171 | ( 2,292 km2) |
885 sq mi![]() |
Bibb County | 007 | Centreville | 7 | 1818 | Montgomery County (as Cahawba County) | William Wyatt Bibb (1781–1820), 1st Governor of Alabama | 21,482 | ( 1,614 km2) |
623 sq mi![]() |
Blount County | 009 | Oneonta | 8 | 1818 | Montgomery County and Indian territories | Willie Blount (1768–1835), Governor of Tennessee. | 56,436 | ( 1,673 km2) |
646 sq mi![]() |
Bullock County | 011 | Union Springs | 9 | 1866 | Barbour, Macon, Montgomery, and Pike Counties | Edward Bullock (1822–1861), colonel in the Confederate States Army | 10,906 | ( 1,619 km2) |
625 sq mi![]() |
Butler County | 013 | Greenville | 10 | 1819 | Conecuh and Monroe Counties | William Butler (?–1818), captain in Creek War | 20,520 | ( 2,012 km2) |
777 sq mi![]() |
Calhoun County | 015 | Anniston | 11 | 1832 | St. Clair County (as Benton County) | John C. Calhoun (1782–1850), 7th U.S. Vice President | 112,903 | ( 1,575 km2) |
608 sq mi![]() |
Chambers County | 017 | LaFayette | 12 | 1832 | Montgomery County | Henry H. Chambers (1790–1826), U.S. Senator | 35,176 | ( 1,546 km2) |
597 sq mi![]() |
Cherokee County | 019 | Centre | 13 | 1836 | Cherokee territory | Cherokee people | 24,863 | ( 1,432 km2) |
553 sq mi![]() |
Chilton County | 021 | Clanton | 14 | 1868 | Autauga, Bibb, Perry, and Shelby Counties (as Baker County) | William Parish Chilton (1810–1871), Alabama Supreme Court Justice and Confederate congressman | 41,953 | ( 1,797 km2) |
694 sq mi![]() |
Choctaw County | 023 | Butler | 15 | 1847 | Sumter and Washington Counties | Choctaw people, whose lands included Alabama | 14,656 | ( 2,367 km2) |
914 sq mi![]() |
Clarke County | 025 | Grove Hill | 16 | 1812 | Washington County | John Clarke (1766–1832), general from Georgia | 27,248 | ( 3,206 km2) |
1,238 sq mi![]() |
Clay County | 027 | Ashland | 17 | 1866 | Randolph and Talladega Counties | Henry Clay (1777–1852), U.S. legislator from Kentucky | 13,829 | ( 1,567 km2) |
605 sq mi![]() |
Cleburne County | 029 | Heflin | 18 | 1866 | Calhoun, Randolph , and Talladega Counties | Patrick Cleburne (1828–1864), major general in Confederate States Army | 14,700 | ( 1,450 km2) |
560 sq mi![]() |
Coffee County | 031 | Elba | 19 | 1841 | Dale County | John Coffee (1772–1833), military leader in War of 1812 and Creek War | 46,027 | ( 1,759 km2) |
679 sq mi![]() |
Colbert County | 033 | Tuscumbia | 20 | 1867 | Franklin County | George Colbert (?–1839) and Levi Colbert (?–1834), Chickasaw chiefs | 54,766 | ( 1,541 km2) |
595 sq mi![]() |
Conecuh County | 035 | Evergreen | 21 | 1818 | Monroe County | The Conecuh River, which flows through the county | 13,403 | ( 2,204 km2) |
851 sq mi![]() |
Coosa County | 037 | Rockford | 22 | 1832 | Montgomery County | The Coosa River, which flows through the county, after a Native American village | 11,044 | ( 1,689 km2) |
652 sq mi![]() |
Covington County | 039 | Andalusia | 23 | 1821 | Henry County | Leonard Covington (1768–1813), brigadier general in War of 1812 and U.S. Congressman | 37,234 | ( 2,678 km2) |
1,034 sq mi![]() |
Crenshaw County | 041 | Luverne | 24 | 1866 | Butler, Coffee, Covington, Lowndes, and Pike Counties | Anderson Crenshaw (1783–1847), settler of Butler County | 13,719 | ( 1,580 km2) |
610 sq mi![]() |
Cullman County | 043 | Cullman | 25 | 1877 | Blount, Morgan, and Winston Counties | Colonel John G. Cullmann (1823–1895), founder of county seat | 80,187 | ( 1,911 km2) |
738 sq mi![]() |
Dale County | 045 | Ozark | 26 | 1824 | Covington and Henry Counties | Samuel Dale (1772–1841), brigadier general and state legislator | 48,392 | ( 1,453 km2) |
561 sq mi![]() |
Dallas County | 047 | Selma | 27 | 1818 | Monroe and Montgomery Counties | Alexander James Dallas (1759–1817) , U.S. Secretary of Treasury | 43,945 | ( 2,541 km2) |
981 sq mi![]() |
DeKalb County | 049 | Fort Payne | 28 | 1836 | Cherokee territory | Johann de Kalb (1721–1780), major general in American Revolutionary War | 69,014 | ( 2,015 km2) |
778 sq mi![]() |
Elmore County | 051 | Wetumpka | 29 | 1866 | Autauga, Coosa, Montgomery, and Tallapoosa Counties | John Archer Elmore (1762–1834), Revolutionary War veteran | 75,688 | ( 1,608 km2) |
621 sq mi![]() |
Escambia County | 053 | Brewton | 30 | 1868 | Baldwin and Conecuh Counties | Escambia Creek, a tributary of the Conecuh River | 37,849 | ( 2,453 km2) |
947 sq mi![]() |
Etowah County | 055 | Gadsden | 31 | 1866 | Blount, Calhoun, Cherokee, DeKalb, Marshall, and St. Clair Counties (as Baine County) | Etowah Indian Mounds | 103,362 | ( 1,386 km2) |
535 sq mi![]() |
Fayette County | 057 | Fayette | 32 | 1824 | Marion, Pickens, Tuscaloosa, and Walker Counties | Marquis de La Fayette (1757–1834), Revolutionary War commander | 18,005 | ( 1,627 km2) |
628 sq mi![]() |
Franklin County | 059 | Russellville | 33 | 1818 | Cherokee territory | Benjamin Franklin (1706–1790), politician, diplomat, inventor, and publisher | 30,847 | ( 1,647 km2) |
636 sq mi![]() |
Geneva County | 061 | Geneva | 34 | 1868 | Coffee, Dale, and Henry Counties | county seat, named after Geneva, New York | 25,868 | ( 1,492 km2) |
576 sq mi![]() |
Greene County | 063 | Eutaw | 35 | 1819 | Marengo and Tuscaloosa Counties | Nathanael Greene (1742–1786), Revolutionary War general | 9,374 | ( 1,673 km2) |
646 sq mi![]() |
Hale County | 065 | Greensboro | 36 | 1867 | Greene, Marengo, Perry, and Tuscaloosa Counties | Stephen F. Hale (1816–1862), lieutenant colonel in Confederate States Army | 18,236 | ( 1,668 km2) |
644 sq mi![]() |
Henry County | 067 | Abbeville | 37 | 1819 | Conecuh County | Patrick Henry (1736–1799), Revolutionary War patriot and Governor of Virginia | 16,706 | ( 1,456 km2) |
562 sq mi![]() |
Houston County | 069 | Dothan | 38 | 1903 | Dale, Geneva, and Henry Counties | George S. Houston (1811–1879), 24th Governor of Alabama and U.S. Congressman | 95,660 | ( 1,502 km2) |
580 sq mi![]() |
Jackson County | 071 | Scottsboro | 39 | 1819 | Cherokee territory | Andrew Jackson (1767–1845), 7th U.S. President | 53,745 | ( 2,795 km2) |
1,079 sq mi![]() |
Jefferson County | 073 | Birmingham | 1 | 1819 | Blount County | Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826), 3rd U.S. President | 656,700 | ( 2,883 km2) |
1,113 sq mi![]() |
Lamar County | 075 | Vernon | 40 | 1867 | Fayette and Marion Counties (as Jones County) | Lucius Q. C. Lamar (1825–1893), U.S. Supreme Court justice | 14,548 | ( 1,567 km2) |
605 sq mi![]() |
Lauderdale County | 077 | Florence | 41 | 1818 | Cherokee and Chickasaw territories | James Lauderdale (1780–1814), Colonel in War of 1812 | 87,891 | ( 1,733 km2) |
669 sq mi![]() |
Lawrence County | 079 | Moulton | 42 | 1818 | Cherokee territory | James Lawrence (1781–1813), naval officer in War of 1812 | 34,312 | ( 1,795 km2) |
693 sq mi![]() |
Lee County | 081 | Opelika | 43 | 1866 | Chambers, Macon, Russell, and Tallapoosa Counties | Robert E. Lee (1807–1870), Commander of the Confederate States Army | 125,781 | ( 1,577 km2) |
609 sq mi![]() |
Limestone County | 083 | Athens | 44 | 1818 | Elk and Madison Counties | Limestone Creek, named for local geological deposits | 72,446 | ( 1,471 km2) |
568 sq mi![]() |
Lowndes County | 085 | Hayneville | 45 | 1830 | Butler, Dallas, and Montgomery Counties | William Lowndes (1782–1822), U.S. Congressman from South Carolina | 12,759 | ( 1,860 km2) |
718 sq mi![]() |
Macon County | 087 | Tuskegee | 46 | 1832 | Montgomery County | Nathaniel Macon (1758–1837), U.S. legislator from North Carolina | 22,594 | ( 1,582 km2) |
611 sq mi![]() |
Madison County | 089 | Huntsville | 47 | 1808 | Cherokee and Chickasaw territories | James Madison (1751–1836), 4th U.S. President | 304,307 | ( 2,085 km2) |
805 sq mi![]() |
Marengo County | 091 | Linden | 48 | 1818 | Choctaw territory | Battle of Marengo | 21,842 | ( 2,530 km2) |
977 sq mi![]() |
Marion County | 093 | Hamilton | 49 | 1818 | Tuscaloosa County | Francis Marion (1732–1795), military leader in American Revolutionary War | 30,165 | ( 1,919 km2) |
741 sq mi![]() |
Marshall County | 095 | Guntersville | 50 | 1836 | Blount and Jackson Counties and Cherokee territory | John Marshall (1755–1832), Chief Justice of the United States 1801–1835 | 87,185 | ( 1,469 km2) |
567 sq mi![]() |
Mobile County | 097 | Mobile | 2 | 1812 | Mobile District of West Florida after annexation into Mississippi Territory | County seat and Mobile Bay, on which it is located, after the Maubila tribe of Native Americans | 404,157 | ( 3,193 km2) |
1,233 sq mi![]() |
Monroe County | 099 | Monroeville | 51 | 1815 | Creek territory | James Monroe (1758–1831), 5th U.S. President | 23,342 | ( 2,657 km2) |
1,026 sq mi![]() |
Montgomery County | 101 | Montgomery | 3 | 1816 | Monroe County | Lemuel P. Montgomery (?–1814), Major in Creek War | 223,571 | ( 2,046 km2) |
790 sq mi![]() |
Morgan County | 103 | Decatur | 52 | 1818 | Cherokee territory (as Cotaco County) | Daniel Morgan (1736–1802), U.S. Congressman | 115,237 | ( 1,507 km2) |
582 sq mi![]() |
Perry County | 105 | Marion | 53 | 1819 | Cahawba, Dallas, Marengo, and Tuscaloosa Counties | Oliver Hazard Perry (1795–1819), naval officer in War of 1812 | 11,186 | ( 1,862 km2) |
719 sq mi![]() |
Pickens County | 107 | Carrollton | 54 | 1820 | Tuscaloosa County | Andrew Pickens (1739–1817), General in the Revolutionary War | 20,133 | ( 2,282 km2) |
881 sq mi![]() |
Pike County | 109 | Troy | 55 | 1821 | Henry and Montgomery Counties | Zebulon Pike (1779–1813), explorer and officer in War of 1812 | 29,620 | ( 1,738 km2) |
671 sq mi![]() |
Randolph County | 111 | Wedowee | 56 | 1832 | St. Clair and Shelby Counties | John Randolph (1773–1833), U.S. Senator from Virginia | 22,673 | ( 1,505 km2) |
581 sq mi![]() |
Russell County | 113 | Phenix City | 57 | 1832 | Montgomery and Pike Counties | Gilbert C. Russell (1782-1861), officer in Creek War | 50,085 | ( 1,660 km2) |
641 sq mi![]() |
St. Clair County | 115 | Ashville and Pell City | 59 | 1818 | Shelby County | Arthur St. Clair (1736–1818), President of Continental Congress | 75,232 | ( 1,642 km2) |
634 sq mi![]() |
Shelby County | 117 | Columbiana | 58 | 1818 | Montgomery County | Isaac Shelby (1750–1826), Governor of Kentucky | 178,182 | ( 2,059 km2) |
795 sq mi![]() |
Sumter County | 119 | Livingston | 60 | 1832 | Choctaw territory | Thomas Sumter (1734–1832), U.S. legislator | 13,606 | ( 2,344 km2) |
905 sq mi![]() |
Talladega County | 121 | Talladega | 61 | 1832 | St. Clair and Shelby Counties | Talatigi, Creek Indian name for the county seat, meaning "border town" | 80,271 | ( 1,917 km2) |
740 sq mi![]() |
Tallapoosa County | 123 | Dadeville | 62 | 1832 | Montgomery and Shelby Counties | Tallapoosa River | 41,010 | ( 1,860 km2) |
718 sq mi![]() |
Tuscaloosa County | 125 | Tuscaloosa | 63 | 1818 | Montgomery County and Choctaw territory | Tuscaloosa River and county seat | 171,159 | ( 3,429 km2) |
1,324 sq mi![]() |
Walker County | 127 | Jasper | 64 | 1823 | Blount, Jefferson, and Tuscaloosa Counties | John Williams Walker (1783–1823), U.S. Senator from Alabama | 70,034 | ( 2,056 km2) |
794 sq mi![]() |
Washington County | 129 | Chatom | 65 | 1800 | Adams and Pickering Counties of Mississippi Territory | George Washington (1732–1799), 1st U.S. President | 17,651 | ( 2,800 km2) |
1,081 sq mi![]() |
Wilcox County | 131 | Camden | 66 | 1819 | Dallas and Monroe Counties | Joseph M. Wilcox (1790–1814), lieutenant in Creek War | 12,911 | ( 2,302 km2) |
889 sq mi![]() |
Winston County | 133 | Double Springs | 67 | 1850 | Walker County (as Hancock County) | John A. Winston (1812–1871), 15th Governor of Alabama | 24,634 | ( 1,590 km2) |
614 sq mi![]() |
County[5] | Named for[5] | Changed to[2] |
---|---|---|
Baine County | David W. Baine, Colonel in the Civil War | Etowah County in 1868 |
Baker County | Alfred Baker, a local landowner | Chilton County in 1874 |
Benton County | Thomas Hart Benton, U. S. Senator from Missouri | Calhoun County in 1858, honoring Benton's rival John C. Calhoun of South Carolina after Benton's renunciation of slavery |
Cahawba County | former state capitol of Cahawba | Bibb County in 1820 |
Cotaco County | Cotaco Creek, a tributary of the Tennessee River | Morgan County in 1821 |
Elk County | Elk River | Lauderdale County and Limestone County in 1818 |
Hancock County | John Hancock, signer of the Declaration of Independence | Winston County in 1858 |
Jones County | Josiah Jones, a local political leader | Covington County in 1868 after Jones refused the honor |
Jones County | E.P. Jones, a local landowner | Sanford County, which subsequently became Lamar County in 1877 |
Sanford County | H.C. Sanford, a local landowner | Lamar County in 1877 |
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