Conecuh County, Alabama

Conecuh County, Alabama
The Conecuh County Government Center in Evergreen
Location in the U.S. state of Alabama
Alabama's location in the U.S.
Founded	February 13, 1818
Seat	Evergreen
Largest city	Evergreen
Area
• Total	853 sq mi (2,209 km2)
• Land	850 sq mi (2,201 km2)
• Water	2.6 sq mi (7 km2), 0.3%
Population
• (2010)	13,228
• Density	16/sq mi (6/km²)
Congressional district	2nd
Time zone	Central: UTC-6/-5
Footnotes:   County Number 21 on Alabama Licence Plates

Conecuh County (kʌ'nɛkə) ^[p] is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama. As of the 2010 census the population was 13,228. Its county seat is Evergreen, Alabama. Its name is believed to be derived from a Creek Indian term meaning "land of cane."

History

The areas along the rivers had been used by varying cultures of indigenous peoples for thousands of years. French and Spanish explorers encountered the historic Creek Indians. Later, British colonial traders developed relationships with the Creek, and several married high-status Creek women. As the tribe has a matrilineal system, children are considered born into their mother's clan and take their status from her family.

During the American Revolutionary War, the Upper Creek chief Alexander McGillvray (whose father was Scots) allied with the British, as he hoped to stop colonial American encroachment. Commissioned a colonel, he used Jean-Antoine Le Clerc, a French adventurer who lived with the Creek for 20 years, as his war chief to lead Creek warriors.

Conecuh County was established by European Americans on February 13, 1818. Some of its territory was taken in 1868 by the state legislature during the Reconstruction era to establish Escambia County. In the coastal plain, it was an area of plantations and cotton cultivation in the nineteenth century. It is still quite rural. Thousands of blacks left after 1940 in the Second Great Migration, especially for jobs in industry on the West Coast.

The county was declared a disaster area in September 1979, due to damage from Hurricane Frederic.

The county is mentioned as the birthplace of Theodore Bagwell in the hit television series Prison Break.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 853 square miles (2,210 km²), of which 850 square miles (2,200 km²) is land and 2.6 square miles (6.7 km²) (0.3%) is water.

Major highways

• Interstate 65
• U.S. Highway 31
• U.S. Highway 84
• State Route 41
• State Route 83

Adjacent counties

• Butler County (northeast)
• Covington County (southeast)
• Escambia County (south)
• Monroe County (northwest)

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1820	5,713		—
1830	7,444		30.3%
1840	8,197		10.1%
1850	9,322		13.7%
1860	11,311		21.3%
1870	9,574		−15.4%
1880	12,605		31.7%
1890	14,594		15.8%
1900	17,514		20.0%
1910	21,433		22.4%
1920	24,593		14.7%
1930	25,429		3.4%
1940	25,489		0.2%
1950	21,776		−14.6%
1960	17,762		−18.4%
1970	15,645		−11.9%
1980	15,884		1.5%
1990	14,054		−11.5%
2000	14,089		0.2%
2010	13,228		−6.1%
Est. 2014	12,670		−4.2%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790–1960 1900–1990 1990–2000 2010–2014

2010

Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:

• 51.3% White
• 46.5% Black
• 0.3% Native American
• 0.1% Asian
• 0.0% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander
• 1.0% Two or more races
• 1.2% Hispanic or Latino (of any race)

2000

As of the census of 2000, there were 14,089 people, 5,792 households, and 3,938 families residing in the county. The population density was 17 people per square mile (6/km²). There were 7,265 housing units at an average density of 8 per square mile (3/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 55.40% White, 43.55% Black or African American, 0.20% Native American, 0.11% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.09% from other races, and 0.60% from two or more races. 0.72% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 5,792 households out of which 30.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.70% were married couples living together, 16.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.00% were non-families. 30.10% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 3.01.

In the county the population was spread out with 25.90% under the age of 18, 8.30% from 18 to 24, 25.80% from 25 to 44, 24.30% from 45 to 64, and 15.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 89.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.30 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $22,111, and the median income for a family was $31,424. Males had a median income of $28,115 versus $19,350 for females. The per capita income for the county was $12,964. About 21.70% of families and 26.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 36.10% of those under age 18 and 28.90% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

City

• Evergreen (county seat)

Towns

• Castleberry
• McKenzie (partly in Butler County)
• Repton

Unincorporated communities

• Brooklyn
• Centerville
• Lenox
• Nymph
• Range
• Spring Hill

Historic sites

Conecuh County has three sites listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Asa Johnston Farmhouse, Louisville and Nashville Depot, and New Evergreen Commercial Historic District.

See also

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

Notes

  [p] - The name "Conecuh" is pronounced "cah-Neck-ah" emphasizing the second syllable.

External links

• Coastal Gateway Regional Economic Development Alliance
• B.F. Riley, History of Conecuh County, (1881)
• The Monthly View Newspaper