Chambers County, Alabama
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Chambers County is a
county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...
located in the east central portion of 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 so ...
of
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 ...
. As of the 2020 census the population was 34,772. Its
county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...
is LaFayette. Its largest city is
Valley A valley is an elongated low area often running between hills or mountains and typically containing a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers or streams over ...
. Its name is in honor of Henry H. Chambers, who served as a United States
Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or Legislative chamber, chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the Ancient Rome, ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior ...
from Alabama. Chambers County is included in the
LaGrange Joseph-Louis Lagrange (born Giuseppe Luigi LagrangiaMicropolitan Statistical Area and the Atlanta–Athens-Clarke–Sandy Springs Combined Statistical Area.


History

Prior to contact with people of European descent, what is now Chambers County was inhabited by the Creek nation. Chambers County was established on December 18, 1832.
Pat Garrett Patrick Floyd Jarvis Garrett (June 5, 1850February 29, 1908) was an American Old West lawman, bartender and U.S. Customs, customs agent known for killing Billy the Kid. He was the Sheriffs in the United States, sheriff of Lincoln County, New Me ...
, the lawman famed for killing outlaw
Billy the Kid Henry McCarty (September 17 or November 23, 1859July 14, 1881), alias William H. Bonney, better known as Billy the Kid, was an American outlaw and gunfighter of the Old West who was linked to nine murders: four for which he was solely res ...
, was born near the town of Cusseta in 1850.
Joe Louis Joseph Louis Barrow (May 13, 1914 – April 12, 1981) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1934 to 1951. Nicknamed "the Brown Bomber", Louis is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential boxers of all time. He r ...
"The Brown Bomber", renowned heavyweight boxing champion, was born near LaFayette, on Buckalew Mountain, May 13, 1914. In 1980, Chambers County joined its four mill villages to make the city of
Valley A valley is an elongated low area often running between hills or mountains and typically containing a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers or streams over ...
. Today, it is the largest city in the county.


Geography

According to the
United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...
, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (1.1%) is water.


Major highways

* Interstate 85 * U.S. Highway 29 * U.S. Highway 280 * U.S. Highway 431 * State Route 50 * State Route 77 * State Route 147


Adjacent counties

* Randolph County (north) * Troup County, Georgia (east/EST Border) *
Harris County, Georgia Harris County is a county located in the west-central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia; its western border with the state of Alabama is formed by the Chattahoochee River. As of the 2020 census, the population was 34,668. The county seat ...
(southeast/EST Border) * Lee County (south) * Tallapoosa County (west)


Demographics


2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 34,772 people, 13,448 households, and 8,553 families residing in the county.


2010

As of the 2010 census, there were 34,215 people, 13,933 households, and 9,391 families living in the county. The population density was . There were 17,004 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 58.8% White (non-Hispanic), 38.7% Black or African American, 0.2% Native American, 0.5% Asian, 0.6% from other races, and 1.1% from two or more races. 1.6% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Of the 13,933 households 24.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.6% were married couples living together, 19.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.6% were non-families. 29.1% of households were one person and 12.3% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.97. The age distribution was 22.5% under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 24.1% from 25 to 44, 28.7% from 45 to 64, and 16.7% 65 or older. The median age was 41.5 years. For every 100 females there were 91.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.7 males. The median household income was $31,467 and the median family income was $39,475. Males had a median income of $34,176 versus $29,140 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,626. About 16.4% of families and 20.3% 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 30.2% of those under age 18 and 15.7% of those age 65 or over.


2000

As of the 2000 census, there were 36,583 people, 14,522 households, and 10,194 families living in the county. The population density was . There were 16,256 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 56.88% White (non-Hispanic), 43.11% Black or African American, 0.13% Native American, 0.19% Asian, 0.12% from other races, and 0.57% from two or more races. 3.7% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Of the 14,522 households 29.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.50% were married couples living together, 17.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.80% were non-families. 27.00% of households were one person and 12.40% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.01. The age distribution was 24.60% under the age of 18, 8.60% from 18 to 24, 27.00% from 25 to 44, 23.50% from 45 to 64, and 16.20% 65 or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 89.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.30 males. The median household income was $29,667 and the median family income was $36,598. Males had a median income of $28,771 versus $21,159 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,147. About 14.30% of families and 17.00% 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 22.50% of those under age 18 and 18.20% of those age 65 or over.


Education

Chambers County contains two public school districts. There are approximately 4,350 students in public PK-12 schools in Chambers County.


Districts

School districts include:Text list
* Chambers County School District * Lanett City School District


Government

Chambers is a Republican-leaning county, although it has a sufficient Black minority to return a respectable Democratic vote. The last Democrat to win a majority in the county was
Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (October 1, 1924December 29, 2024) was an American politician and humanitarian who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party ...
in
1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a United States grain embargo against the Soviet Union, grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning Sys ...
, although
Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer who was the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, ...
won pluralities in it in both
1992 1992 was designated as International Space Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General. * January 6 ** The Republ ...
and
1996 1996 was designated as: * International Year for the Eradication of Poverty Events January * January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...
.


Communities


Cities

* LaFayette (County Seat) * Lanett *
Valley A valley is an elongated low area often running between hills or mountains and typically containing a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers or streams over ...


Towns

* Cusseta * Five Points * Waverly (Partly in Lee County)


Census-designated places

* Abanda * Fredonia * Huguley * Penton * Standing Rock


Unincorporated communities

* Milltown * Oak Bowery *
Oakland Oakland is a city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. It is the county seat and most populous city in Alameda County, with a population of 440,646 in 2020. A major West Coast port, Oakland is ...
* Red Level *
Stroud Stroud is a market town and civil parish in Gloucestershire, England. It is the main town in Stroud District. The town's population was 13,500 in 2021. Sited below the western escarpment of the Cotswold Hills, at the meeting point of the ...
* Welch * White Plains


Ghost town

* Cedric


In popular culture

Chambers County has been the backdrop of several movies including ''
Mississippi Burning ''Mississippi Burning'' is a 1988 American crime thriller film directed by Alan Parker and written by Chris Gerolmo that is loosely based on the 1964 investigation into the deaths of Chaney, Goodman, and Schwerner in Mississippi. It stars ...
''.


See also

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


References


External links


Official county websiteGreater Valley Area Chamber of Commerce
{{authority control 1832 establishments in Alabama Populated places established in 1832