Dallas County, Alabama
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Dallas County is a county of the State of Alabama. Its name is in honor of United States Secretary of the Treasury Alexander J. Dallas. Its county seat is Selma.
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History
Dallas County was created by the Alabama territorial legislature on February 9, 1818. from Montgomery County, a portion of the Creek cession of August 9, 1814. It was named for U.S. Treasury Secretary Alexander J. Dallas of Pennsylvania.
Dallas County is located in the Black Belt region of the west-central portion of the state. It is traversed by the Alabama River and bordered by Perry, Chilton, Autauga, Lowndes, Wilcox, and Marengo counties. Originally, the county seat was at [[Cahaba, Alabama}Cahaba]], which also served as the state capital for a brief period. In 1865, the county seat was transferred to Selma. Other towns and communities include Marion Junction, Sardis, Orrville, and Minter.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 2,573 km² (993 mi²). 2,540 km² (981 mi²) of it is land and 33 km² (13 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 1.27% water.
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there are 46,365 people, 17,841 households, and 12,488 families residing in the county. The population density is 18/km² (47/mi²). There are 20,450 housing units at an average density of 8/km² (21/mi²). The racial makeup of the county is 35.58% White, 63.26% Black or African American, 0.11% Native American, 0.35% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.14% from other races, and 0.55% from two or more races. 0.63% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 17,841 households out of which 33.50% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.40% are married couples living together, 25.40% have a female householder with no husband present, and 30.00% are non-families. 27.80% of all households are made up of individuals and 11.60% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.57 and the average family size is 3.15.
In the county the population is spread out with 28.60% under the age of 18, 9.40% from 18 to 24, 26.20% from 25 to 44, 21.90% from 45 to 64, and 13.90% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 35 years. For every 100 females there are 83.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 77.80 males.
The median income for a household in the county is $23,370, and the median income for a family is $29,906. Males have a median income of $31,568 versus $18,683 for females. The per capita income for the county is $13,638. 31.10% of the population and 27.20% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 40.70% of those under the age of 18 and 27.60% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
Municipalities and census-designated places
