Pike County is located in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = " Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County , LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham , area_total_km2 = 135,7 ...

. As of the 2020 census the population was 33,009. Its

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US ...

Troy Troy ( el, Τροία and Latin: Troia, Hittite: 𒋫𒊒𒄿𒊭 ''Truwiša'') or Ilion ( el, Ίλιον and Latin: Ilium, Hittite: 𒃾𒇻𒊭 ''Wiluša'') was an ancient city located at Hisarlik in present-day Turkey, south-west of Ç ...

. Its name is in honor of General

Zebulon Pike Zebulon Montgomery Pike (January 5, 1779 – April 27, 1813) was an American brigadier general and explorer for whom Pikes Peak in Colorado was named. As a U.S. Army officer he led two expeditions under authority of President Thomas Jefferson ...

, of

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delawa ...

, an explorer who led an expedition to southern

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the ...

and discovered

Pikes Peak Pikes Peak is the highest summit of the southern Front Range of the Rocky Mountains, in North America. The ultra-prominent fourteener is located in Pike National Forest, west of downtown Colorado Springs, Colorado. The town of Manitou S ...

in 1806. Pike County comprises the Troy, AL Micropolitan Statistical Area.

History

The area of present-day Pike County was inhabited by Native Americans from prehistoric times. Spain, France, and Great Britain all claimed the area, but except for scattered military outposts like

Fort Toulouse Fort Toulouse and Fort Jackson are two forts that shared the same site at the fork of the Coosa River and the Tallapoosa River, near Wetumpka, Alabama. Fort Toulouse Fort Toulouse (Muscogee: Franca choka chula), also called Fort des Alibamons a ...

near present-day Wetumpka, European inhabitants were concentrated along the Gulf Coast, with very few settling inland. In 1763, at the close of the

French and Indian War The French and Indian War (1754–1763) was a theater of the Seven Years' War, which pitted the North American colonies of the British Empire against those of the French, each side being supported by various Native American tribes. At the st ...

, France ceded all the territories of

New France New France (french: Nouvelle-France) was the area colonized by France in North America, beginning with the exploration of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and ending with the cession of New France to Great Britain and Spa ...

(including what is now Pike County, Spanish claims notwithstanding) to the victorious British. In the same year, the

Royal Proclamation of 1763 The Royal Proclamation of 1763 was issued by King George III on 7 October 1763. It followed the Treaty of Paris (1763), which formally ended the Seven Years' War and transferred French territory in North America to Great Britain. The Procla ...

prohibited British subjects from settling in this area, which was reserved for the native peoples. Between the years of 1767 and 1783, the area that is now Pike County was part of the colony of

British West Florida British West Florida was a colony of the Kingdom of Great Britain from 1763 until 1783, when it was ceded to Spain as part of the Peace of Paris. British West Florida comprised parts of the modern U.S. states of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alab ...

, though still with nearly all whites concentrated in the settlements along the coast or near the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the List of longest rivers of the United States (by main stem), second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest Drainage system (geomorphology), drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson B ...

. After the American victory in the Revolutionary War, the British ceded the territory to Spain, an American ally. However, Spain and the United States both claimed the region fell until Spain gave up its claims to the land north of the 31st parallel (present-day border of Alabama and Florida) in the Treaty of Madrid (1795). The United States organized the entire region north of that border and east of Georgia as the

Mississippi Territory The Territory of Mississippi was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from April 7, 1798, until December 10, 1817, when the western half of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Mississippi. T ...

. In 1812, following the

Louisiana Purchase The Louisiana Purchase (french: Vente de la Louisiane, translation=Sale of Louisiana) was the acquisition of the territory of Louisiana by the United States from the French First Republic in 1803. In return for fifteen million dollars, or ap ...

, the United States unilaterally annexed the Mobile District from Spanish West Florida, most of the rest of which was acqurired with the

Adams–Onís Treaty The Adams–Onís Treaty () of 1819, also known as the Transcontinental Treaty, the Florida Purchase Treaty, or the Florida Treaty,Weeks, p.168. was a treaty between the United States and Spain in 1819 that ceded Florida to the U.S. and define ...

of 1819 (ratified 1821). In 1817, the Mississippi Territory was divided, with the western part admitted to the Union as the

State of Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Missis ...

; the remainder was admitted as the State of Alabama in 1819, and was soon organized into counties. Pike County is one of the oldest in the state, organized on December 17, 1821. The temporary county seat was established at the house of Andrew Townsend. Pike County comprised a large tract of country, so large that it was called the State of Pike, including a part of what are now Crenshaw, Montgomery, Macon, Bullock, and Barbour counties, and extended to the

Chattahoochee River The Chattahoochee River forms the southern half of the Alabama and Georgia border, as well as a portion of the Florida - Georgia border. It is a tributary of the Apalachicola River, a relatively short river formed by the confluence of the Chatt ...

on the east.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), 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 Census Bureau is part of th ...

, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.1%) is water.

Major highways

* U.S. Highway 29 *

U.S. Highway 231 U.S. Route 231 (US 231) is a north-south U.S highway that is a parallel route of US 31. It runs for from St. John, Indiana, at US 41 to south of US 98 in downtown Panama City, Florida. One of its most notable landmarks ...

* State Route 10 * State Route 87 * State Route 93 * State Route 125 * State Route 130 * State Route 167 * State Route 201 * State Route 223

Adjacent counties

* Bullock County (northeast) * Barbour County (east) * Dale County (southeast) * Coffee County (south) * Crenshaw County (west) * Montgomery County (northwest)

Demographics

2000 census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses inc ...

of 2000, there were 29,605 people, 11,933 households, and 7,649 families living in the county. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopu ...

was 44 people per square mile (17/km²). There were 13,981 housing units at an average density of 21 per square mile (8/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 60.77%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White ...

, 36.60%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ha ...

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.66% Native American, 0.35% Asian, 0.02%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/ racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 0.26% from other races, and 1.35% from two or more races. 1.23% of the population were

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...

or Latino of any race. There were 11,933 households, out of which 29.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.60% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between ...

living together, 16.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.90% were non-families. 29.80% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.98. In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.40% under the age of 18, 15.80% from 18 to 24, 26.00% from 25 to 44, 21.20% from 45 to 64, and 12.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.90 males. The median income for a household in the county was $25,551, and the median income for a family was $34,132. Males had a median income of $27,094 versus $18,758 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the county was $14,904. About 18.50% of families and 23.10% 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 29.90% of those under age 18 and 21.90% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the

of 2010, there were 32,899 people, 13,210 households, and 7,759 families living in the county. The

was 49 people per square mile (19/km²). There were 15,267 housing units at an average density of 22.7 per square mile (8.8/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 58.2%

, 36.6%

, 0.6% Native American, 2.0% Asian, 0.1%

, 1.0% from other races, and 1.5% from two or more races. 2.2% of the population were

or Latino of any race. There were 13,210 households, out of which 23.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.1% were

living together, 16.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.3% were non-families. 30.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.94. In the county, the population was spread out, with 20.3% under the age of 18, 21.2% from 18 to 24, 22.7% from 25 to 44, 22.9% from 45 to 64, and 12.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31.4 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.4 males. The median income for a household in the county was $29,181, and the median income for a family was $41,570. Males had a median income of $38,605 versus $26,495 for females. The

for the county was $19,013. About 20.5% of families and 28.6% of the population were below the

, including 35.8% of those under age 18 and 16.9% of those age 65 or over.

2020 census

As of the

2020 United States census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to off ...

, there were 33,009 people, 11,601 households, and 6,422 families residing in the county.

Government

Communities

Cities

* Brundidge *

(county seat)

Towns

Banks A bank is a financial institution that accepts deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital markets. Becaus ...

* Goshen

Unincorporated communities

* China Grove *

Curry A curry is a dish with a sauce seasoned with spices, mainly associated with South Asian cuisine. In southern India, leaves from the curry tree may be included. There are many varieties of curry. The choice of spices for each dish in trad ...

Henderson Henderson may refer to: People * Henderson (surname), description of the surname, and a list of people with the surname *Clan Henderson, a Scottish clan Places Argentina *Henderson, Buenos Aires Australia *Henderson, Western Australia Canada * ...

* Jonesville * Josie *

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

* Needmore * Orion * Pronto * Shady Grove * Spring Hill

Notable people

* Littleton Prince (?-1833), a white man executed for helping a runaway slave.

References

External links

Pike County Chamber of Commerce

Pike County Sheriff's Office
{{authority control 1821 establishments in Alabama Populated places established in 1821

History

Geography

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Demographics

2000 census

2010 census

2020 census

Government

Communities

Cities

Towns

Unincorporated communities

Notable people

See also

References

External links