Bullock County, Alabama

Bullock County
County
Bullock County courthouse in Union Springs
Flag Seal
Location within the U.S. state of Alabama
Alabama's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 32°05′52″N85°43′02″W / 32.0978°N 85.7172°W / 32.0978; -85.7172
Country	United States
State	Alabama
Founded	December 5 (created), 1866
Named for	Edward Bullock
Seat	Union Springs
Largest city	Union Springs
Area
• Total	625 sq mi (1,620 km2)
• Land	623 sq mi (1,610 km2)
• Water	2.3 sq mi (6 km2)  0.4%
Population  (2020)
• Total	10,357
• Estimate  (2023)	9,897
• Density	17/sq mi (6.4/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	2nd
Website	bullockcountyalrev.com
County Number 09 on Alabama Licence Plates

Bullock County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama. As of the 2020 census, the population was 10,357. ^[1] Union Springs was chosen as the county seat in 1867, and presently is the county's only incorporated city. ^[2] The county was named for Confederate Army Colonel Edward C. Bullock who was a state senator and outspoken secessionist who died during the American Civil War. ^[3]

A National Center for Education Statistics report released in January 2009 showed that Bullock County had the highest illiteracy rate in Alabama at 34 percent. ^[4]

History

Bullock County was established by act of the state legislature dated December 5, 1866, with areas partitioned from Macon, Pike, Montgomery, and Barbour counties. ^[5] The boundaries were changed in February 1867.

Prior to the arrival of white settlers, the future Bullock County was inhabited by Creek Indians. The Treaty of Fort Jackson (1814) ceded much of Alabama and Georgia to the US government, and the Creeks were removed completely after 1830. From 1818 through the 1830s, white settlers poured into the area, turning the rich soil into cotton-producing plantations and the area into one of the state's richest.

Bullock County was devastated by the Civil War. Its once-enslaved population (about seventy percent of the total population) had sustained its output, but their emancipation caused a sharp decline in the economy. In the aftermath, Bullock County elected two former slaves to the state legislature, but with end of Reconstruction, the black population were severely restricted and kept down. ^[5]

By 1877 the boll weevil had migrated into Bullock County cotton fields from Mexico, and the area's economy was further depressed. A significant portion of the once-cotton-producing area was converted to a site of the Amateur Field Trial competition for bird dogs and a game preserve. ^[5]

Geography

Prior to white settlement, the future Bullock County terrain was completely wooded. It still bears a significant coverage of trees, ^[6] with the remainder having been cleared for agricultural or urban usage. ^[7] A range of hills, called Chunnenugga Ridge, bisects the county running east to west. It forms the watershed for the Tallapoosa River on the north, and streams on the south that flow to the Gulf of Mexico, including the Conecuh River, which flows through the extreme west end of Florida to reach the Gulf. The highest point on this ridge (approximately 670 feet/200 meters ASL) lies about 3 miles (4.8 km) west of Sehoy Lake. ^[8]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 625 square miles (1,620 km²), of which 623 square miles (1,610 km²) is land and 2.3 square miles (6.0 km²) (0.4%) is water. ^[9]

Adjacent counties

• Macon County - north
• Russell County - northeast
• Barbour County - southeast
• Pike County - southwest
• Montgomery County - west

Major highways

• U.S. Highway 29
• U.S. Highway 82
• State Route 51
• State Route 110
• State Route 197
• State Route 239

Airport

• Franklin Field - county-owned public-use airport, 5.2 miles (8.4 km) WNW from Union Springs. ^{[10] [11]}

Communities

City

• Union Springs (county seat)

Town

• Midway

Census-designated place

• Fitzpatrick

Unincorporated communities

• Aberfoil
• Blues Old Stand
• Corinth
• High Ridge
• Inverness
• Perote
• Scottland
• Smut Eye
• Thompson

Ghost town

• Suspension

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1870	24,474		—
1880	29,066		18.8%
1890	27,063		−6.9%
1900	31,944		18.0%
1910	30,196		−5.5%
1920	25,333		−16.1%
1930	20,016		−21.0%
1940	19,810		−1.0%
1950	16,054		−19.0%
1960	13,462		−16.1%
1970	11,824		−12.2%
1980	10,596		−10.4%
1990	11,042		4.2%
2000	11,714		6.1%
2010	10,914		−6.8%
2020	10,357		−5.1%
2023 (est.)	9,897	[12]	−4.4%
U.S. Decennial Census [13] 1790–1960 [14] 1900–1990 [15] 1990–2000 [16] 2010–2020 [1]

2020 Census

Bullock 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 [17]	Pop 2010 [18]	Pop 2020 [19]	% 2000	% 2010	% 2020
White alone (NH)	2,764	2,392	2,281	23.60%	21.92%	22.02%
Black or African American alone (NH)	8,486	7,637	7,388	72.44%	69.97%	71.33%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	37	20	1	0.32%	0.18%	0.01%
Asian alone (NH)	21	20	9	0.18%	0.18%	0.09%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	1	4	7	0.01%	0.04%	0.07%
Other race alone (NH)	6	5	31	0.05%	0.05%	0.30%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)	77	59	137	0.66%	0.54%	1.32%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	322	777	503	2.75%	7.12%	4.86%
Total	11,714	10,914	10,357	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 10,357 people, 3,521 households, and 2,504 families residing in the county.

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 10,914 people in the county. 70.2% were Black or African American, 23.0% White, 0.4% Pacific Islander, 0.2% Native American, 0.2% Asian, 5.2% of some other race and 0.8% of two or more races. 7.1% were Hispanic or Latino (of any race). ^[20]

2000 census

As of the 2000 United States census, ^[21] there were 11,714 people, 3,986 households, and 2,730 families in the county. The population density was 19 people per square mile (7.3 people/km²). There were 4,727 housing units at an average density of 8 units per square mile (3.1 units/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 73.11% Black or African American, 25.25% White, 0.38% Native American, 0.18% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.37% from other races, and 0.70% from two or more races. 2.75% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 3,986 households, out of which 33.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.50% were married couples living together, 28.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.50% were non-families. 28.90% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.13.

The county population contained 26.10% under the age of 18, 10.30% from 18 to 24, 29.30% from 25 to 44, 21.20% from 45 to 64, and 13.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 110.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 113.40 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $20,605, and the median income for a family was $23,990. Males had a median income of $22,560 versus $19,069 for females. The per capita income for the county was $10,163. About 29.80% of families and 33.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 44.70% of those under age 18 and 29.10% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Bullock County contains one public school district. There are approximately 1,400 students in public PK-12 schools in Bullock County. ^[22]

Districts

School districts include: ^[23]

• Bullock County School District

Government and infrastructure

Bullock County is powerfully Democratic. It was one of only six Wallace counties ^{[lower-alpha 1]} to vote for George McGovern against Richard Nixon's 3,000-plus-county landslide of 1972 and it was only one of nine counties to back Goldwater and McGovern, all of which are located in the Deep South. ^{[lower-alpha 2]}

United States presidential election results for Bullock County, Alabama ^[24]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2020	1,146	24.84%	3,446	74.70%	21	0.46%
2016	1,140	24.20%	3,530	74.95%	40	0.85%
2012	1,251	23.51%	4,061	76.31%	10	0.19%
2008	1,391	25.69%	4,011	74.07%	13	0.24%
2004	1,494	31.67%	3,210	68.05%	13	0.28%
2000	1,433	29.22%	3,395	69.23%	76	1.55%
1996	1,154	26.32%	3,078	70.21%	152	3.47%
1992	1,253	26.02%	3,259	67.67%	304	6.31%
1988	1,421	31.00%	3,122	68.11%	41	0.89%
1984	1,697	32.02%	3,537	66.75%	65	1.23%
1980	1,446	25.65%	3,960	70.25%	231	4.10%
1976	1,482	29.10%	3,536	69.44%	74	1.45%
1972	2,178	47.44%	2,321	50.56%	92	2.00%
1968	190	4.37%	1,964	45.18%	2,193	50.45%
1964	1,516	57.64%	0	0.00%	1,114	42.36%
1960	412	35.09%	757	64.48%	5	0.43%
1956	304	24.28%	812	64.86%	136	10.86%
1952	442	32.50%	918	67.50%	0	0.00%
1948	10	1.24%	0	0.00%	799	98.76%
1944	24	2.22%	1,056	97.78%	0	0.00%
1940	18	1.36%	1,301	98.64%	0	0.00%
1936	5	0.42%	1,188	99.50%	1	0.08%
1932	12	1.18%	1,004	98.72%	1	0.10%
1928	249	26.27%	699	73.73%	0	0.00%
1924	8	1.04%	763	98.83%	1	0.13%
1920	2	0.23%	877	99.66%	1	0.11%
1916	4	0.53%	743	99.20%	2	0.27%
1912	4	0.54%	736	99.19%	2	0.27%
1908	10	1.26%	782	98.74%	0	0.00%
1904	0	0.00%	726	99.73%	2	0.27%
1900	269	14.42%	1,586	84.99%	11	0.59%
1896	749	27.11%	1,867	67.57%	147	5.32%
1892	75	2.20%	1,844	54.20%	1,483	43.59%
1888	465	39.37%	716	60.63%	0	0.00%
1884	296	33.67%	580	65.98%	3	0.34%
1880	656	84.10%	124	15.90%	0	0.00%
1876	959	37.97%	1,567	62.03%	0	0.00%
1872	3,101	71.68%	1,225	28.32%	0	0.00%
1868	2,103	56.28%	1,634	43.72%	0	0.00%

Alabama Department of Corrections operates the Bullock Correctional Facility in an unincorporated area in the county. ^{[25] [26]}

Climate

Bullock County Climate chart (explanation) J F M A M J J A S O N D     116     12 3     242     14 4     158     21 8     156     23 12     101     26 16     121     26 19     204     27 21     127     26 20     92     25 18     45     22 12     55     18 7     183     13 5 █ Average max. and min. temperatures in °C █ Precipitation totals in mm Source: [27] Imperial conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D     4.6     54 37     9.5     57 39     6.2     70 46     6.1     73 54     4     79 61     4.8     79 66     8     81 70     5     79 68     3.6     77 64     1.8     72 54     2.2     64 45     7.2     55 41 █ Average max. and min. temperatures in °F █ Precipitation totals in inches

See also

• United States portal

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Bullock County, Alabama
• Properties on the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage in Bullock County, Alabama

References

1. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 9, 2023.
2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
3. "Bullock County, Alabama History, ADAH". Alabama Department of Archives and History. Retrieved June 12, 2019.
4. The Associated Press (January 8, 2009). "Study finds Alabama literacy rate improved, Shelby County has state's lowest illiteracy". AL.com.
5. "Bullock County". Auburn University Outreach/Encyclopedia of Alabama. June 28, 2007. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
6. "The forests support an abundance of such growth as pine, red, post, and white oak, together with elm, poplar, gum, ash. hickory, walnut, chestnut, magnolia, cottonwood, maple, and dogwood." (History of Bullock County, Alabama/Genealogy Trails - accessed September 13, 2020)
7. Bullock County AL (Google Maps, accessed September 13, 2020)
8. Bullock County High Point, Alabama (PeakBagger.com, accessed September 13, 2020)
9. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved August 22, 2015.
10. FAA Airport Form 5010 for 07A PDF . Federal Aviation Administration. Effective June 3, 2010.
11. Franklin Field (Google Maps, accessed September 13, 2020)
12. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 27, 2024.
13. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 22, 2015.
14. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved August 22, 2015.
15. Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 24, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 22, 2015.
16. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. April 2, 2001. Retrieved August 22, 2015.
17. "P004 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Bullock County, Alabama". United States Census Bureau .
18. "P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Bullock County, Alabama". United States Census Bureau .
19. "P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Bullock County, Alabama". United States Census Bureau .
20. 2010 census report for Bullock County, Alabama
21. "US Census website". US Census Bureau. Retrieved May 14, 2011.
22. "Search for Public School Districts - Bullock County, AL". National Center for Education Statistics . Institute of Education Sciences . Retrieved September 4, 2022.
23. "2020 Census - School District Reference Map: Bullock County, AL" (PDF). United States Census Bureau . Retrieved September 4, 2022. Text list.
24. "Atlas of US Presidential Elections" . Retrieved November 15, 2016.
25. Bullock Correctional Facility Archived October 8, 2011, at the Wayback Machine . Alabama Department of Corrections. Retrieved on July 1, 2011.
26. Union Springs city, Alabama. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on July 4, 2011.
27. "NASA Earth Observations Data Set Index". NASA. Archived from the original on August 6, 2013. Retrieved January 30, 2016.

Notes

1. The others were the fellow Alabama counties of Lowndes and Wilcox with similarly delayed black registration after 1965; and the white majority, historically secessionist Middle Tennessee trio of Houston County, Perry County, and Stewart County.
2. The other counties to vote for both Goldwater and McGovern were the nearby "Black Belt" counties of Greene, Lowndes, Sumter, and Wilcox in Alabama, the majority-black Mississippi counties of Claiborne, Holmes, and Jefferson, and West Feliciana Parish, Louisiana

External links

• Barbour / Bullock County Drug Task Force Webpage
• Alabama State Archives Archived February 18, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
• Markers from Alabama State Archives
• Owen, Thomas McAdory. History of Alabama and Dictionary of Alabama Biography. Chicago: S.J. Clarke Publishing Co., 1921.

32°05′52″N85°43′02″W / 32.09778°N 85.71722°W / 32.09778; -85.71722