Blount County, Alabama

Blount County
County
Blount County Courthouse in Oneonta
Seal Logo
Location within the U.S. state of Alabama
Alabama's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 33°58′N86°35′W / 33.97°N 86.58°W / 33.97; -86.58
Country	United States
State	Alabama
Founded	February 6, 1818
Named for	Willie Blount
Seat	Oneonta
Largest city	Oneonta
Area
• Total	651 sq mi (1,690 km2)
• Land	645 sq mi (1,670 km2)
• Water	5.9 sq mi (15 km2)  0.9%
Population  (2020)
• Total	59,134
• Estimate  (2023)	59,816
• Density	91/sq mi (35/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	6th
Website	www.blountcountyal.gov
County Number 08 on Alabama Licence Plates

Blount County is a county located in the U.S. state of Alabama. As of the 2020 census, the population was 59,134. ^[1] Its county seat is Oneonta.

Blount County is a moist county. In the November 6, 2012 elections, a countywide ballot initiative to allow alcohol sales was narrowly defeated, but Blountsville, Cleveland and Oneonta have allowed for the sale of alcohol since 2013.

Blount County has been dubbed the "Covered Bridge Capital of Alabama" since it has more historic covered bridges standing within a single county than any other in the state - with earlier covered bridges known of. This county celebrates the Covered Bridge Festival every autumn in Oneonta to commemorate its three remaining covered bridges.

History

Blount County was created by the Alabama Territorial Legislature on February 6, 1818, formed from land ceded to the federal government by the Creek Nation on August 9, 1814. This county was named for Governor Willie Blount of Tennessee, who provided assistance to settlers in Alabama during the Creek War. This county lies in the northeastern quadrant of the state, which is sometimes known as the mineral region of Alabama. Blount County is bordered by Cullman, Marshall, Etowah, Jefferson, Walker, and St. Clair Counties. This county is drained by the Locust and Mulberry Forks of the Black Warrior River. Blount County covers 650 square miles (1,700 km²). The Warrior coal field is located in Blount County.

Caleb Fryley and John Jones established Bear Meat Cabin, an English translation of Wassausey (a Native American village), in 1816. Its post office was opened in 1821, and the settlement was incorporated as Blountsville on December 13, 1827. In 1889, an election resulted in the county seat being transferred to Oneonta, Alabama.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 651 square miles (1,690 km²), of which 645 square miles (1,670 km²) is land and 5.9 square miles (15 km²) (0.9%) is water. ^[2]

Adjacent counties

• Marshall County – northeast
• Etowah County – east
• St. Clair County – southeast
• Walker County – southwest
• Jefferson County – south
• Cullman County – northwest

Transportation

Major highways

• Interstate 65
• U.S. Highway 31
• U.S. Highway 231
• U.S. Highway 278
• State Route 67
• State Route 75
• State Route 79
• State Route 132
• State Route 160

Rail

• CSX Transportation, formerly the Louisville and Nashville Railroad

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1820	2,415		—
1830	4,233		75.3%
1840	5,570		31.6%
1850	7,367		32.3%
1860	10,865		47.5%
1870	9,945		−8.5%
1880	15,369		54.5%
1890	21,927		42.7%
1900	23,119		5.4%
1910	21,456		−7.2%
1920	25,538		19.0%
1930	28,020		9.7%
1940	29,490		5.2%
1950	28,975		−1.7%
1960	25,449		−12.2%
1970	26,853		5.5%
1980	36,459		35.8%
1990	39,248		7.6%
2000	51,024		30.0%
2010	57,322		12.3%
2020	59,134		3.2%
2023 (est.)	59,816	[3]	1.2%
U.S. Decennial Census [4] 1790–1960 [5] 1900–1990 [6] 1990–2000 [7] 2010–2020 [1]

2020 census

Blount County, Alabama – Racial and ethnic composition
Note: the US 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 [8]	Pop 2010 [9]	Pop 2020 [10]	% 2000	% 2010	% 2020
White alone (NH)	46,999	50,952	49,764	92.11%	88.89%	84.15%
Black or African American alone (NH)	598	724	826	1.17%	1.26%	1.40%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	212	285	188	0.42%	0.50%	0.32%
Asian alone (NH)	70	115	174	0.14%	0.20%	0.29%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	6	18	11	0.01%	0.03%	0.02%
Other race alone (NH)	14	35	100	0.03%	0.06%	0.17%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)	407	567	2,300	0.80%	0.99%	3.89%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	2,718	4,626	5,771	5.33%	8.07%	9.76%
Total	51,024	57,322	59,134	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 59,134 people, 20,847 households, and 14,874 families residing in the county.

2010 census

As of the census ^[11] of 2010, there were 57,322 people, 16,175 households, and 16,175 families residing in the county. The population density was 88.79 people per square mile. There were 23,887 housing units at an average density of 37 per square mile. The racial makeup of the county was 92.6% White, 1.3% Black or African American, 0.5% Native American, 0.2% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 4.1% from other races, and 1.2% from two or more races. 8.1% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 16,175 family households, of which 31.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.6% were married couples living together, 9.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25% were non-families. Alternative households included: 22.2% of households were made up of those living alone and 9.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.72. ^[12]

Blount County's population spread was as follows: 25.40% under the age of 18, 8.40% from 18 to 24, 29.20% from 25 to 44, 24.10% from 45 to 64, and 12.90% were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.30 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $35,241, and the median income for a family was $41,573. Males had a median income of $31,455 versus $22,459 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,325. About 8.60% of families and 11.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.20% of those under age 18 and 17.40% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Blount County contains two public school districts. There are approximately 9,200 students in public PK-12 schools in Blount County. ^[13]

Districts

School districts include: ^[14]

• Blount County School District
• Oneonta City School District

Communities

Cities

• Oneonta (county seat)
• Warrior (Partly in Jefferson County)

Towns

• Allgood
• Altoona (partly in Etowah County)
• Blountsville
• Cleveland
• County Line (partly in Jefferson County)
• Garden City (partly in Cullman County)
• Hayden
• Highland Lake
• Locust Fork
• Nectar
• Rosa
• Snead
• Susan Moore
• Trafford (partly in Jefferson County)

Census-designated places

• Remlap
• Smoke Rise

Unincorporated communities

• Bangor
• Blount Springs
• Brooksville
• Little Warrior
• Mount High
• Sky Ball
• Summit

Government

Blount County is a stronghold for Republicans. Since 2004, it has voted for the Republican presidential nominee with at least eighty percent of the vote every time. It was Hubert Humphrey's weakest county in the nation in 1968 with only 3.64 percent of the vote. ^[15]

United States presidential election results for Blount County, Alabama ^[16]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	25,354	90.03%	2,576	9.15%	233	0.83%
2020	24,711	89.57%	2,640	9.57%	237	0.86%
2016	22,859	89.33%	2,156	8.43%	573	2.24%
2012	20,757	86.27%	2,970	12.34%	333	1.38%
2008	20,389	84.02%	3,522	14.51%	356	1.47%
2004	17,386	80.85%	3,938	18.31%	180	0.84%
2000	12,667	70.48%	4,977	27.69%	329	1.83%
1996	9,056	59.09%	5,061	33.02%	1,210	7.89%
1992	8,882	53.81%	5,433	32.92%	2,190	13.27%
1988	8,754	64.61%	4,485	33.10%	309	2.28%
1984	8,508	68.16%	3,738	29.95%	236	1.89%
1980	6,819	53.59%	5,656	44.45%	249	1.96%
1976	4,233	38.56%	6,645	60.53%	100	0.91%
1972	6,486	79.36%	1,582	19.36%	105	1.28%
1968	2,013	22.15%	331	3.64%	6,742	74.20%
1964	4,442	64.67%	0	0.00%	2,427	35.33%
1960	2,557	42.80%	3,404	56.98%	13	0.22%
1956	2,628	44.38%	3,208	54.17%	86	1.45%
1952	1,720	35.19%	3,161	64.67%	7	0.14%
1948	771	30.08%	0	0.00%	1,792	69.92%
1944	998	31.73%	2,134	67.85%	13	0.41%
1940	855	23.25%	2,784	75.71%	38	1.03%
1936	744	20.88%	2,788	78.23%	32	0.90%
1932	582	20.34%	2,232	77.99%	48	1.68%
1928	1,745	52.06%	1,607	47.94%	0	0.00%
1924	1,518	40.92%	2,083	56.15%	109	2.94%
1920	3,465	49.15%	3,535	50.14%	50	0.71%
1916	1,229	44.71%	1,488	54.13%	32	1.16%
1912	567	24.65%	1,121	48.74%	612	26.61%
1908	973	45.34%	1,133	52.80%	40	1.86%
1904	910	37.51%	1,383	57.01%	133	5.48%

Places of interest

Blount County is home to an abundance of outdoor activities, such as Rickwood Caverns State Park and the Locust Fork of the Black Warrior River that are used by canoeists and kayakers. The county is also home to the picturesque covered bridges mentioned below: the Swann Covered Bridge, the Horton Mill Covered Bridge, and the Easley Covered Bridge. As of summer 2009, all three bridges were closed due to safety concerns at the recommendation of the Alabama Department of Transportation. Restorations were completed from 2011 through 2013 and they are once again open. ^{[17] [18]}

See also

• List of Alabama covered bridges
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Blount County, Alabama
• Properties on the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage in Blount County, Alabama

References

1. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
2. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved August 22, 2015.
3. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 27, 2024.
4. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 22, 2015.
5. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved August 22, 2015.
6. Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 24, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 22, 2015.
7. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. April 2, 2001. Retrieved August 22, 2015.
8. "P004 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Blount County, Alabama". United States Census Bureau .
9. "P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Blount County, Alabama". United States Census Bureau .
10. "P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Blount County, Alabama". United States Census Bureau .
11. "Community Facts". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved February 3, 2014.
12. "American Fact Finder". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved February 3, 2014.
13. "Search for Public School Districts - Blount County, AL". National Center for Education Statistics . Institute of Education Sciences . Retrieved September 4, 2022.
14. "2020 Census - School District Reference Map: Blount County, AL" (PDF). United States Census Bureau . Retrieved September 4, 2022. Text list.
15. Dave Leip's U.S. Election Atlas; 1968 Presidential Election Statistics
16. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 27, 2024.
17. http://www.blountcountian.com/news/2010-02-17/News/Citizen_concerns_prompt_covered_bridge_update.html Archived July 8, 2011, at the Wayback Machine Retrieved June 20, 2010
18. news.alabamapower.com http://news.alabamapower.com/2013/05/21/covered-bridges-back-in-business/ . Retrieved August 15, 2013.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)^{[ title missing ]}

External links

• official site

33°58′N86°35′W / 33.967°N 86.583°W / 33.967; -86.583