Pike 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

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 ...

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 33,009. 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 ...

Troy Troy (/; ; ) or Ilion (; ) was an ancient city located in present-day Hisarlik, Turkey. It is best known as the setting for the Greek mythology, Greek myth of the Trojan War. The archaeological site is open to the public as a tourist destina ...

. 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 is named. As a U.S. Army officer he led two expeditions through the Louisiana Purchase territory, first ...

, of

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

, who led an expedition to southern

Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...

and encountered

Pikes Peak Pikes Peak is the List of mountain ranges of Colorado#Mountain ranges, highest summit of the southern Front Range of the Rocky Mountains in North America. The Ultra-prominent peak, ultra-prominent fourteener is located in Pike National Forest, ...

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 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 to 1763, was a colonial conflict in North America between Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of France, France, along with their respective Native Americans in the United States, Native American ...

, France ceded all the territories of

New France New France (, ) was the territory colonized by Kingdom of France, 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 Kingdom of Great Br ...

(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 British 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 ...

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 Kingdom of Spain, Spain as part of the Peace of Paris (1783), Peace of Paris. British West Florida comprised parts of the modern U.S ...

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

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...

. 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 was created under an organic act passed by the United States Congress, Congress of the United States. It was approved and signed into law by Presiden ...

. In 1812, following the

Louisiana Purchase The Louisiana Purchase () was the acquisition of the Louisiana (New France), territory of Louisiana by the United States from the French First Republic in 1803. This consisted of most of the land in the Mississippi River#Watershed, Mississipp ...

, the United States unilaterally annexed the

Mobile District The Mobile District ( spanish: ''Distrito de Mobila'') was an administrative division of the Spanish colony of West Florida, which was claimed by the short-lived Republic of West Florida, established on September 23, 1810. Reuben Kemper led a ...

from

Spanish West Florida Spanish West Florida ( Spanish: ''Florida Occidental'') was a province of the Spanish Empire from 1783 until 1821, when both it and East Florida were ceded to the United States. The region of West Florida initially had the same borders as the e ...

, 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 Spanish Cession, 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 ...

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 U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...

; 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 () is a river in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern United States. It forms the southern half of the Alabama and Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia border, as well as a portion of the Florida and Georgia border. It ...

on the east.

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 (0.1%) is water.

Major highways

* U.S. Highway 29 * U.S. Highway 231 * State Route 10 * State Route 87 * State Route 93 * State Route 125 * State Route 130 * State Route 167 * State Route 201 * State Route 223

Transit

*Pike Area Transit System (PATS) provides demand-response service.

Adjacent counties

* Bullock County (northeast) * Barbour County (east) * Dale County (southeast) * Coffee County (south) *

Crenshaw County Crenshaw County is a county located in the south central portion of the U.S. state of Alabama. It is located immediately south of the Montgomery metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the population was 13,194. Its county seat is Luverne. ...

(west) * Montgomery County (northwest)

Demographics

2020 Census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 33,009 people, 11,601 households, and 6,422 families residing in the county.

2010 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

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

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), 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 geog ...

was . There were 15,267 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 58.2%

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

, 36.6%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

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

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

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

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

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

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

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

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the county was $19,013. About 20.5% of families and 28.6% 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 35.8% of those under age 18 and 16.9% of those age 65 or over.

2000 census

As of the

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

was . There were 13,981 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 60.77%

, 36.60%

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

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

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

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

for the county was $14,904. About 18.50% of families and 23.10% of the population were below the

, including 29.90% of those under age 18 and 21.90% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

Pike County is a strongly Republican county. The last Democrat to win 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 1976.

Communities

Cities

* Brundidge *

(county seat)

Towns

* Banks * Goshen

Unincorporated communities

* China Grove *

Curry Curry is a dish with a sauce or gravy seasoned with spices, mainly derived from the interchange of Indian cuisine with European taste in food, starting with the Portuguese, followed by the Dutch and British, and then thoroughly internatio ...

* Henderson * Jonesville * Josie *

Kent Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...

* Needmore * Orion * Pronto * Saco * Shady Grove * Shiloh * Spring Hill * Tennille

Notable people

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

John Lewis John Robert Lewis (February 21, 1940 – July 17, 2020) was an American civil rights activist and politician who served in the United States House of Representatives for from 1987 until his death in 2020. He participated in the 1960 Nashville ...

(1940–2020),

African-American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa. ...

civil rights leader and U.S. Congressman (1987–2020)

References

External links

Pike County Chamber of Commerce

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