Clay County, Alabama Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Clay County
U.S. county
Clay County Courthouse in Ashland
Location within the U.S. state of Alabama
Alabama's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Alabama
Founded	December 7, 1866
Named for	Henry Clay
Seat	Ashland
Largest city	Lineville
Area
• Total	606 sq mi (1,570 km²)
• Land	604 sq mi (1,560 km²)
• Water	2.0 sq mi (5 km²) 0.3%
Population (2020)
• Total	14,236
• Estimate (2023)	14,111
• Density	23.492/sq mi (9.070/km²)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	3rd
County Number 17 on Alabama Licence Plates

Clay County is a county in the east central part of the U.S. state of Alabama. As of the 2020 census the population was 14,236. Its county seat is Ashland. Its name is in honor of Henry Clay, famous American statesman, member of the United States Senate from Kentucky and United States Secretary of State in the 19th century. It was the last dry county in Alabama with no wet cities within its boundaries, until a vote on March 1, 2016, approved the sale of alcohol in Lineville and Ashland.

History

Clay County was established on December 7, 1866, from land taken from Randolph and Talladega counties. Named after the famous statesman Henry Clay, the county seat itself was named after his estate in Lexington, Kentucky called "Ashland". The county was covered with a heavy growth of trees, and a part of the territory was occupied by the Creek Indians. The early pioneers acquired the lands by government entry and the Indian lands by public auction. The families came wholly from Fayette County, Georgia. Clay County was formed for geographic reasons. The citizens of the area had a difficult time reaching the county seat of Wedowee in Randolph County because of the Tallapoosa River to the east. Talladega was difficult to reach because of the intervening mountains. Even today, Clay County is one of only three counties in Alabama to have no U.S. highways in its boundaries. Ashland was a mining center, particularly for graphite.

During the Desert Shield/Storm conflict, Clay County had more soldiers serving per capita than any other county in the United States.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 606 square miles (1,570 km²), of which 604 square miles (1,560 km²) is land and 2.0 square miles (5.2 km²) (0.3%) is water.

Adjacent counties

Cleburne County – north
Randolph County – east
Tallapoosa County – south
Coosa County – southwest
Talladega County – west

National protected area

Talladega National Forest (part)

Transportation

Major highways

State Route 9
State Route 48
State Route 49
State Route 77
State Route 148
State Route 281

Rail

CSX Transportation
Norfolk Southern Railway

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1870	9,560	—
1880	12,938	35.3%
1890	15,765	21.9%
1900	17,099	8.5%
1910	21,006	22.8%
1920	22,645	7.8%
1930	17,768	−21.5%
1940	16,907	−4.8%
1950	13,929	−17.6%
1960	12,400	−11.0%
1970	12,636	1.9%
1980	13,703	8.4%
1990	13,252	−3.3%
2000	14,254	7.6%
2010	13,932	−2.3%
2020	14,236	2.2%
2023 (est.)	14,111	1.3%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790–1960 1900–1990 1990–2000 2010–2020

2020 Census

**Clay County, Alabama – Racial and Ethnic Composition**
(*NH = Non-Hispanic*)
*Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.*
Race / Ethnicity	Pop 2000	Pop 2010	Pop 2020	% 2000	% 2010	% 2020
White alone (NH)	11,616	11,186	11,261	81.49%	80.29%	79.10%
Black or African American alone (NH)	2,219	2,048	1,942	15.57%	14.70%	13.64%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	44	55	45	0.31%	0.39%	0.32%
Asian alone (NH)	12	23	46	0.08%	0.17%	0.32%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	1	0	4	0.01%	0.00%	0.03%
Some Other Race alone (NH)	3	5	26	0.02%	0.04%	0.18%
Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH)	106	216	463	0.74%	1.55%	3.25%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	253	399	449	1.77%	2.86%	3.15%
Total	14,254	13,932	14,236	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 14,236 people, 5,198 households, and 3,704 families residing in the county.

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 13,932 people, 5,670 households, and 3,978 families residing in the county. The population density was 23 people per square mile (8.9 people/km²). There were 6,776 housing units at an average density of 11 units per square mile (4.2 units/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 81.7% White (non-Hispanic), 14.8% Black or African American, 0.4% Native American, 0.2% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 1.2% from other races, and 1.7% from two or more races. 2.9% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Education

Clay County contains one public school district. There are approximately 1,800 students in public PK-12 schools in Clay County.

Districts

School districts include:

Clay County School District

Communities

City

Lineville

Town

Ashland (county seat)

Census-designated places

Unincorporated communities

Brownsville
Cleveland Crossroads
Corinth
Cragford
Pinckneyville
Springhill

Notable people

Hugo Black (1886–1971), born in Harlan, served as an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court from 1937 until 1971
LaFayette L. Patterson (1888–1987), born near Delta, served three terms in the U.S. Congress from 1928 to 1933
Byron Lavoy Cockrell (1935–2007), born in Lineville, rocket scientist and engineer
Bob Riley (b. 1944), U.S. Congressman and Alabama's 52nd governor, native of Ashland
Flem Walker (b. 1964), former United States Army lieutenant general, native of Lineville

Places of interest

Clay County is home to parts of Cheaha State Park in the Talladega National Forest and Lake Wedowee on the eastern boundary. Outdoor adventures abound in Clay County and the surrounding area. The Pinhoti Trail system weaves its way through the Talladega National Forest to Mt. Cheaha, the highest point in Alabama. Hikers along the trail may spy some of the local wildlife, including whitetail deer, wild turkey, and the rare bald eagle.

Home of Doc Hilt Trails for Off-Highway Vehicles. On May 5, 2010, Doc Hilt Trails was awarded the distinction of being a National Recreation Trail. One of only two private motorized parks in the nation to ever be awarded the NRT designation.

Clay County has two sites listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Hugo Black House (destroyed, but still listed) and the Clay County Courthouse.

Clay County, Alabama facts for kids

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