Hale County, Alabama facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Hale County
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Hale County Courthouse and Confederate statue in Greensboro
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Location within the U.S. state of Alabama
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 Alabama's location within the U.S. |
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| Country |  United States |
| State |  Alabama |
| Founded | January 30, 1867 |
| Named for | Stephen F. Hale |
| Seat | Greensboro |
| Largest city | Moundville |
| Area | |
| • Total | 657 sq mi (1,700 km2) |
| • Land | 644 sq mi (1,670 km2) |
| • Water | 13 sq mi (30 km2) 1.9% |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 14,785 |
| • Estimate
(2021)
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14,754  |
| • Density | 22.504/sq mi (8.689/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional district | 7th |
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Hale County is a county located in the west central portion of the U.S. state of Alabama. As of the 2020 census, the population was 14,785. Its county seat is Greensboro. It is named in honor of Confederate officer Stephen Fowler Hale.
Hale County is part of the Tuscaloosa, AL Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Contents
History
Hale County was established following the end of the American Civil War, on January 30, 1867. Located in the west-central section of the state, it was created from portions of Greene, Marengo, Perry, and Tuscaloosa counties. The vast majority came from Greene County. The first American settlers hailed from Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, and the Carolinas.
Hale County is connected to three major twentieth century artists: Walker Evans photographed the area in 1936 while he collaborated with James Agee on the 1941 book Let Us Now Praise Famous Men. Since the 1960s, artist William Christenberry, born in Tuscaloosa, has been photographing various structures in Hale County as part of his multi-media artistic investigations. More recently, Hale County has become the home of the nationally recognized Auburn University Rural Studio, an architectural outreach program founded by architect and artist Samuel Mockbee and D. K. Ruth. It is also the birthplace of Eugene Sawyer, the second African American mayor of Chicago.
Since the American Civil War, whites controlled economic and political power in Hale County. However, in 1997 after a highly contested mayoral election the city of Greensboro elected its first black mayor, John E. Owens Jr. The first African American chief of police was appointed in 2000, Claude Hamilton. In 2006, both black and white county residents came together and elected their first black sheriff, Kenneth W. Ellis, who was formerly the Moundville police chief.
Like many Blackbelt counties, Hale County has experienced economic decline, particularly in the southern end of the county. Many businesses and manufacturing plants have closed in and around Greensboro (the county seat). The northern portion of the county, however, has experienced population and industrial growth due to its close proximity to Tuscaloosa County
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 657 square miles (1,700 km2), of which 644 square miles (1,670 km2) is land and 13 square miles (34 km2) (1.9%) is water.
Adjacent counties
- Tuscaloosa County (north)
- Bibb County (northeast)
- Perry County (southeast)
- Marengo County (south)
- Greene County (west)
National protected area
- Talladega National Forest (part)
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1870 | 21,792 | — | |
| 1880 | 26,553 | 21.8% | |
| 1890 | 27,501 | 3.6% | |
| 1900 | 31,011 | 12.8% | |
| 1910 | 27,883 | −10.1% | |
| 1920 | 24,289 | −12.9% | |
| 1930 | 26,265 | 8.1% | |
| 1940 | 25,533 | −2.8% | |
| 1950 | 20,832 | −18.4% | |
| 1960 | 19,537 | −6.2% | |
| 1970 | 15,888 | −18.7% | |
| 1980 | 15,604 | −1.8% | |
| 1990 | 15,498 | −0.7% | |
| 2000 | 17,185 | 10.9% | |
| 2010 | 15,760 | −8.3% | |
| 2020 | 14,785 | −6.2% | |
| 2021 (est.) | 14,754 | −6.4% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census 1790–1960 1900–1990 1990–2000 2010–2020 |
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2020 census
| Race | Num. | Perc. |
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| White (non-Hispanic) | 5,972 | 40.39% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 8,313 | 56.23% |
| Native American | 34 | 0.23% |
| Asian | 18 | 0.12% |
| Pacific Islander | 5 | 0.03% |
| Other/Mixed | 294 | 1.99% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 149 | 1.01% |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 14,785 people, 5,650 households, and 3,611 families residing in the county.
2010 census
As of the 2010 United States census, there were 15,760 people living in the county. 59.0% were Black or African American, 39.8% White, 0.2% Asian, 0.2% Native American, 0.3% of some other race and 0.6% of two or more races. 0.9% were Hispanic or Latino (of any race).
Transportation
Major highways
U.S. Highway 80
State Route 14
State Route 25
State Route 60
State Route 61
State Route 69
Airports
- Greensboro Municipal Airport (7A0) in Greensboro
- Moundville Airport (L44) in Moundville
Tourism
Greensboro, the county seat, is home to the 'Safe House Museum'. On March 21, 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. attended a meeting at Greensboro's St. Matthew Church, and then spent the night in this house where he sought refuge from the Ku Klux Klan. The museum reveals the struggle for equality for African Americans in Alabama, and its curator, Ms. Theresa Burroughs, was both a family friend of King, and a foot soldier in the Civil Rights Movement.
Greensboro is also home to a large number of antebellum-era houses and churches, including some that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places such as Glencairn and Magnolia Grove.
Communities
Cities
- Greensboro (county seat)
- Moundville (partly in Tuscaloosa County)
Towns
Unincorporated communities
Ghost towns
Images for kids
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The Safe House Museum in Greensboro; in 1968 its owner sheltered Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. from Klan members in the area
See also
In Spanish: Condado de Hale (Alabama) para niños
