Dallas County, Alabama Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Dallas County
U.S. county
Dallas County Courthouse in Selma. Built in 1901, it was given an extensive modern makeover in 1960
Location within the U.S. state of Alabama
Alabama's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Alabama
Founded	February 9, 1818
Named for	Alexander J. Dallas
Seat	Selma
Largest city	Selma
Area
• Total	994 sq mi (2,570 km²)
• Land	979 sq mi (2,540 km²)
• Water	15 sq mi (40 km²) 1.5%
Population (2020)
• Total	38,462
• Estimate (2023)	36,165
• Density	38.694/sq mi (14.940/km²)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	7th
County Number 27 on Alabama Licence Plates

Dallas County is a county located in the central part of the U.S. state of Alabama. As of the 2020 census, its population was 38,462. The county seat is Selma. Its name is in honor of United States Secretary of the Treasury Alexander J. Dallas, who served from 1814 to 1816.

Dallas County comprises the Selma, AL Micropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Dallas County was created by the Alabama territorial legislature on February 9, 1818, from Montgomery County. This was a portion of the Creek cession of lands to the US government of August 9, 1814. The Creek were known as one of the Five Civilized Tribes of the Southeast. The county was named for U.S. Treasury Secretary Alexander J. Dallas of Pennsylvania.

Dallas County is located in what has become known as the Black Belt region of the west-central portion of the state. The name referred to its fertile soil, and the area was largely developed for cotton plantations, worked first by enslaved African Americans. After emancipation, many of the African Americans who stayed in the area worked as sharecroppers and tenant farmers. The county was majority black.

The county is traversed by the Alabama River, flowing from northeast to southwest across the county. It is bordered by Perry, Chilton, Autauga, Lowndes, Wilcox, and Marengo counties. Originally, the Dallas county seat was at Cahaba, which also served as the state capital for a brief period. In 1865, the county seat was transferred to Selma. Other towns and communities in the still mostly rural county include Marion Junction, Sardis, Orrville, Valley Grande, and Minter.

Cotton production suffered in the early 20th century due to infestation of boll weevil, which invaded cotton areas throughout the South. At the turn of the 20th century, the state legislature disenfranchised most blacks and many poor whites through provisions of a new state constitution requiring payment of poll tax and passing a literacy test for voter registration. These largely survived legal challenges.

The period from 1877 to 1950 (and especially through 1930), was the height of lynchings across the South, as whites worked to impose white supremacy and Jim Crow. In the early 20th century, many blacks left the South in the Great Migration to escape these oppressive conditions.

In the postwar era of the 1950s and 1960s, African Americans, including many veterans, mounted new efforts across the South to be able to exercise their constitutional right as citizens to register and vote.

The still mostly rural county reached a peak of population in 1960. Younger people have since left to seek work elsewhere. The county is working on new directions for economic development.

From 1963 through 1965, Selma and Dallas County were the sites of a renewed Voting Rights Campaign. It was organized by locals of the Dallas County Voters League (DCVL), and joined by activists from Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). In late 1964 they invited help by SCLC leaders. With Martin Luther King, Jr. participating, this campaign attracted national and international news in February and March 1965. Two activists were killed before the final march took place.

On March 7, several hundred peaceful marchers were beaten by state troopers and county posse after they passed over the Edmund Pettus Bridge and into the county, intending to march to the state capital of Montgomery. The events were covered by national media. The protesters renewed their walk on March 21, having been joined by thousands of sympathizers from across the country and gained federal protection, to complete the Selma to Montgomery marches. More people joined them, so that some 25,000 people entered Montgomery on the last day of the march. In August of that year, Congress passed the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which was signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson. Millions of African-American citizens across the South registered and voted in the subsequent years, participating again in the political system.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 994 square miles (2,570 km²), of which 979 square miles (2,540 km²) is land and 15 square miles (39 km²) (1.5%) is water.

Adjacent counties

Chilton County (north)
Autauga County (northeast)
Lowndes County (southeast)
Wilcox County (south)
Marengo County (west)
Perry County (northwest)

National protected areas

Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail (part)
Talladega National Forest (part)

Transportation

Major highways

U.S. Highway 80
State Route 5
State Route 14
State Route 22
State Route 41
State Route 66
State Route 89
State Route 140
State Route 219

Airports

Craig Field (SEM) in Selma
Skyharbor Airport (S63) in Selma

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1820	6,003	—
1830	14,017	133.5%
1840	25,199	79.8%
1850	29,727	18.0%
1860	33,625	13.1%
1870	40,705	21.1%
1880	48,433	19.0%
1890	49,350	1.9%
1900	54,657	10.8%
1910	53,401	−2.3%
1920	54,697	2.4%
1930	55,094	0.7%
1940	55,245	0.3%
1950	56,270	1.9%
1960	56,667	0.7%
1970	55,296	−2.4%
1980	53,981	−2.4%
1990	48,130	−10.8%
2000	46,365	−3.7%
2010	43,820	−5.5%
2020	38,462	−12.2%
2023 (est.)	36,165	−17.5%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790–1960 1900–1990 1990–2000 2010–2020

2020 census

**Dallas County, Alabama – Racial and ethnic composition**
*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 (NH = Non-Hispanic)	Pop 2000	Pop 2010	Pop 2020	% 2000	% 2010	% 2020
White alone (NH)	16,417	12,676	10,363	35.41%	28.93%	26.94%
Black or African American alone (NH)	29,201	30,314	26,812	62.98%	69.18%	69.71%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	47	78	56	0.10%	0.18%	0.15%
Asian alone (NH)	157	144	145	0.34%	0.33%	0.38%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	4	6	12	0.01%	0.01%	0.03%
Some Other Race alone (NH)	26	15	38	0.06%	0.03%	0.10%
Mixed Race or Multi-Racial (NH)	223	278	740	0.48%	0.63%	1.92%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	290	309	296	0.63%	0.71%	0.77%
Total	46,365	43,820	38,462	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%

As of the census of 2020, there were 38,462 people, 15,910 households, and 10,328 families residing in the county.

2010 census

Residents identified by the following ethnicities, according to the 2010 United States census:

69.4% Black
29.0% White
0.3% Native American
0.3% Asian
0.0% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander
0.7% Two or more races
0.7% Hispanic or Latino (of any race)

Education

Areas not in Selma are served by Dallas County Schools, while areas in Selma are served by Selma City Schools.

Communities

Unincorporated communities

Ghost town

Cahaba

Notable residents

Kenneth D. McKellar, American Politician from Tennessee

Notable inhabitants

Redoshi, a woman originally from Benin, West-Africa, kidnapped and sold to a Dallas County slave owner.

Dallas County, Alabama facts for kids

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