Coosada is a town in Elmore County,

Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...

, United States. At the 2020 census, the population was 1,217. It is part of the Montgomery Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

''Coosawda'' was home to a

Creek A creek in North America and elsewhere, such as Australia, is a stream that is usually smaller than a river. In the British Isles it is a small tidal inlet. Creek may also refer to: * Creek people, a former name of Muscogee, Native Americans * C ...

(Coushatta tribe) village called

Koasati The Coushatta () are a Muskogean-speaking Native American people now living primarily in the U.S. states of Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas. When the Coushatta first encountered Europeans, their Coushatta homelands where in present-day Tennessee ...

in the 18th and early 19th centuries. By invitation, many

Chickamauga Cherokee The Chickamauga Cherokee is a Native American group who separated from the Cherokee from the American Revolutionary War to the early 1800s. Most of the Cherokee people signed peace treaties with the Americans in 1776-1777, after the Second Chero ...

followers of

Dragging Canoe Dragging Canoe (ᏥᏳ ᎦᏅᏏᏂ, pronounced ''Tsiyu Gansini'', – February 29, 1792) was a Cherokee red (or war) chief who led a band of Cherokee warriors who resisted colonists and United States settlers in the Upper South. During the Ame ...

fled to the town during and following the

American War of Independence The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

. Coosada was the birthplace of the influential Creek

leader Leadership, is defined as the ability of an individual, group, or organization to "", influence, or guide other individuals, teams, or organizations. "Leadership" is a contested term. Specialist literature debates various viewpoints on the co ...

William Weatherford William Weatherford, also known after his death as Red Eagle ( – March 24, 1824), was a Creek chief of the Upper Creek towns who led many of the Red Sticks actions in the Creek War (1813–1814) against Lower Creek towns and against allied f ...

, who led the Red Stick uprising of 1813–1814. After that, the Native American population was removed to the west. Frontiersmen from the United States quickly settled in the area. The future governor of the state of Alabama,

William Wyatt Bibb William Wyatt Bibb (October 2, 1781 – July 10, 1820) was a United States Senator from Georgia, the first governor of the Alabama Territory, and the first Governor of the U.S. state of Alabama. Bibb was a member of the Democratic-Republic ...

, migrated to the area at that time. A land speculator from

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

, he purchased the land that the village of Koasati occupied, and sub-divided it into lots for sale. By 1818, the town had a post office and a sawmill. Following the establishment of the train depot in 1872, the settlement was called "Coosada Station."The new spelling of "Coosada" came about when the maker of the depot sign left off the "w" in error. Around 1890 the town became simply "Coosada."''Coosada''
webpage; Kaetz, James P.; Auburn University paper; via ''Encyclopedia of Alabama'' online; retrieved January 18, 2021

Geography

Coosada is situated along the

Alabama River The Alabama River, in the U.S. state of Alabama, is formed by the Tallapoosa River, Tallapoosa and Coosa River, Coosa rivers, which unite about north of Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery, near the town of Wetumpka, Alabama, Wetumpka. Over a co ...

. According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...

, the town has a total area of , of which is land and (3.37%) is water.

Demographics

Note: The 1880 U.S. Census figure is for the unincorporated community of Coosada Station. Coosada was not incorporated until 1967.

2000 census

At the 2000 census there were 1,382 people, 472 households, and 370 families in the town. The population density was . There were 529 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 56.08% White, 42.55% Black or African American, 0.36% Native American, 0.14% Asian, 0.22% from other races, and 0.65% from two or more races. 0.65% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Of the 472 households 39.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.3% were married couples living together, 15.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.6% were non-families. 19.3% of households were one person and 7.8% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.93 and the average family size was 3.38. The age distribution was 31.9% under the age of 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 29.1% from 25 to 44, 20.5% from 45 to 64, and 10.3% 65 or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.1 males. The median household income was $39,405 and the median family income was $44,118. Males had a median income of $30,444 versus $22,411 for females. The per capita income for the town was $16,219. About 7.7% of families and 10.9% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 17.4% of those under age 18 and 11.7% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census

At the 2010 census there were 1,224 people, 434 households, and 340 families in the town. The population density was . There were 487 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 57.7% White, 40.0% Black or African American, 0.4% Native American, 0.2% Asian, 1.1% from other races, and 0.7% from two or more races. 2.9% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Of the 472 households 32.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.4% were married couples living together, 17.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.7% were non-families. 18.9% of households were one person and 8.5% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.82 and the average family size was 3.19. The age distribution was 27.0% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 24.3% from 25 to 44, 27.2% from 45 to 64, and 13.6% 65 or older. The median age was 38.1 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.4 males. The median household income was $47,904 and the median family income was $53,462. Males had a median income of $41,336 versus $24,659 for females. The per capita income for the town was $18,636. About 10.6% of families and 15.5% of the population were below the

, including 18.8% of those under age 18 and 12.7% of those age 65 or over.

2020 raw census data

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 1,217 people, 418 households, and 322 families residing in the town.

Education

It is in the Elmore County Public School System.
Text list
/ref>

Notable people

, first governor of Alabama; is buried in the Bibb family cemetery just outside of Coosada * George G. McWhorter, member of the

Florida Supreme Court The Supreme Court of Florida is the state supreme court, highest court in the U.S. state of Florida. It consists of seven justices—one of whom serves as Chief Justice. Six members are chosen from six districts around the state to foster geog ...

from 1885 to 1887 *

chief. Born near Coosada.

References

Notes

External links

Elmore County Corporate Development website
{{authority control Towns in Elmore County, Alabama Towns in Alabama Montgomery metropolitan area Alabama placenames of Native American origin