Jackson is a city in Clarke 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. The population was 4,748 at the 2020 census. It was one of three wet settlements in an otherwise-

dry county In the United States, a dry county is a county whose local government forbids the sale of any kind of alcoholic beverages. Some prohibit off-premises sale, some prohibit on-premises sale, and some prohibit both. The vast majority of counties n ...

Geography

Jackson is located along the western border of Clarke County at coordinates , on a rise overlooking east bank of the

Tombigbee River The Tombigbee River is a tributary of the Mobile River, approximately 200 mi (325 km) long, in the U.S. states of Mississippi and Alabama. Together with the Alabama, it merges to form the short Mobile River before the latter empties i ...

. 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 city has a total area of , of which is land and , or 1.21%, is water. Jackson sits across the Tombigbee River from

Washington County, Alabama Washington County is a county located in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Alabama. As of the 2020 census, the population was 15,388. The county seat is Chatom. The county was named in honor of George Washington, the first Presiden ...

Climate

Demographics

2020

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 4,748 people, 1,775 households, and 1,112 families residing in the city.

2010

At the 2010 census there were 5,228 people, 2,112 households, and 1,446 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 2,426 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 54.9% White, 42.9% African American, 0.7% Native American, 0.4% Asian, 0.3% from other races, and 0.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.4%. Of the 2,112 households 28.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.6% were married couples living together, 17.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.5% were non-families. 29.4% of households were one person and 10.8% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 3.00. The age distribution was 25.1% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 23.6% from 25 to 44, 26.8% from 45 to 64, and 17.5% 65 or older. The median age was 40.4 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.9 males. The median household income was $32,917 and the median family income was $46,328. Males had a median income of $54,688 versus $29,483 for females. The per capita income for the city was $21,822. About 21.9% of families and 29.0% 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 37.4% of those under age 18 and 18.3% of those age 65 or over.

2000

At the 2000 census there were 5,419 people, 2,094 households, and 1,507 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 2,341 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 60.42% White, 38.49% African American, 0.26% Native American, 0.37% Asian, 0.20% from other races, and 0.26% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.65%. Of the 2,094 households 34.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.5% were married couples living together, 15.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.0% were non-families. 26.3% of households were one person and 12.2% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.08. The age distribution was 26.6% under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 27.2% from 25 to 44, 22.5% from 45 to 64, and 15.5% 65 or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 85.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.4 males. The median household income was $34,806 and the median family income was $45,516. Males had a median income of $43,558 versus $21,125 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,346. About 15.3% of families and 21.2% of the population were below the

, including 27.9% of those under age 18 and 20.1% of those age 65 or over.

History

Jackson was founded in 1816 and is named after President

Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before Presidency of Andrew Jackson, his presidency, he rose to fame as a general in the U.S. Army and served in both houses ...

. Former names for the city include Pine Level and Republicville. During the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

, a

Confederate A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a political union of sovereign states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...

fort was established on the banks of the

. It was named Fort Carney and was positioned on Carney's Bluff just south of Jackson. The cannon that was on the bluff now sits in front of City Hall. Jackson has four sites listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

. They are the Jackson Historic District, Clarke Mills, Doit W. McClellan Lustron House, and J. P. McKee Lustron House. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, a

prisoner-of-war camp A prisoner-of-war camp (often abbreviated as POW camp) is a site for the containment of enemy fighters captured as Prisoner of war, prisoners of war by a belligerent power in time of war. There are significant differences among POW camps, inte ...

was built and operated holding 253 captured German soldiers on Ocre Avenue. The camp was opened April 6, 1945, and closed March 12, 1946.Clarke County Historical Marker, N31°31’53.6”W087°53’28.8” Many of the prisoners were members of the

Afrika Korps The German Africa Corps (, ; DAK), commonly known as Afrika Korps, was the German expeditionary force in Africa during the North African campaign of World War II. First sent as a holding force to shore up the Italian defense of its Africa ...

Economy

The economy of Jackson is driven by the timber industry. Packaging Corporation of America has a paper mill that is the largest employer located in the city.

Education

*Coastal Alabama Community College *Jackson Academy *Jackson Middle School *Jackson High School *Jackson Intermediate *Joe M. Gillmore Elementary *Walker Springs Baptist Church

Notable people

* Ann Bedsole (born 1930), member of both houses of the

Alabama State Legislature The Alabama Legislature is the legislative branch of the government of the U.S. state of Alabama. It is a bicameral body composed of the House of Representatives and Senate. It is one of the few state legislatures in which members of both chamb ...

1979-1995 * Stew Bolen (1902–1969), former

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

player * Antonio Chatman (born 1979), NFL wide receiver * Jimmy Outlaw (1913–2006), former Major League Baseball player * Ray Prim (1906–1995), former Major League Baseball

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...

, raised in Jackson *

John "Jabo" Starks John Henry "Jabo" Starks (; October 26, 1937 – May 1, 2018), sometimes spelled Jab'o, was an American funk and blues drummer best known for playing with James Brown as well as other notable musicians including Bobby Bland and B.B. King. A self- ...

(1938–2018), funk and blues drummer * Travis and Bob, musical duo *

Samaje Perine Samaje Perine ( ; born September 16, 1995) is an American professional football running back for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Oklahoma Sooners, and was selected by the Washingto ...

(born 1995), NFL Running-Back

References

External links

City of Jackson official website

Jackson Area Chamber of Commerce

''The South Alabamian''
local newspaper covering Jackson and surrounding area * {{authority control Cities in Alabama Cities in Clarke County, Alabama Populated places established in 1816 1816 establishments in Mississippi Territory