Jefferson County, Alabama facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jefferson County
U.S. county
Jefferson County Courthouse in Birmingham
Location within the U.S. state of Alabama
Alabama's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Alabama
Founded	December 13, 1819
Named for	Thomas Jefferson
Seat	Birmingham
Largest city	Birmingham
Area
• Total	1,124 sq mi (2,910 km2)
• Land	1,111 sq mi (2,880 km2)
• Water	13 sq mi (30 km2)  1.1%
Population  (2020)
• Total	674,721
• Estimate  (2023)	662,895
• Density	600.29/sq mi (231.77/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional districts	6th, 7th
County Number 01 on Alabama License Plates One of three counties shuffled to the top 3 numbers because of population size.

Jefferson County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of Alabama, located in the central portion of the state. As of the 2020 census, its population was 674,721. Its county seat is Birmingham. Its rapid growth as an industrial city in the 20th century, based on heavy manufacturing in steel and iron, established its dominance. Jefferson County is the central county of the Birmingham-Hoover, AL Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Tannehill Valley Covered Bridge near McCalla.

Jefferson County was established on December 13, 1819, by the Alabama Legislature. It was named in honor of Thomas Jefferson. The county is located in the north-central portion of the state, on the southernmost edge of the Appalachian Mountains, in the center of the (former) iron, coal, and limestone mining belt of the Southern United States.

Jefferson County has a land area of about 1,119 square miles (2,900 km²). Because of shifts in population, early county seats were established first at Carrollsville (1819 – 21), then Elyton (1821 – 73).

Birmingham was founded about 1871 and in 1873 gained designation as the county seat. It was named for the English city of the same name in Warwickshire. That city had long been a center of iron and steel production in Great Britain. Birmingham was established by the merger of three towns, including Elyton. It has continued to grow by annexing neighboring towns and villages, including North Birmingham.

As Birmingham industrialized, its growth accelerated, particularly after 1890. It attracted numerous migrants, both black and white, from rural areas for its new jobs. It also attracted European immigrants. Despite the city's rapid growth, for decades it was underrepresented in the legislature and could not get its urban needs addressed, as rural counties hung on to their power in the legislature.

Racial tensions increased in the late 19th century as whites worked to maintain white supremacy. The white, conservative Democrat-dominated legislature passed a new constitution in 1901 that disfranchised most blacks and many poor whites, excluding them totally from the political system. Economic competition also raised tensions.

Even after 1950, racial violence of whites against blacks continued, especially as civil rights activities increased in Birmingham. In the 1950s KKK chapters bombed black houses to discourage residents moving into new areas. In that period, the city was referred to as "Bombingham." The city finally agreed in 1963 to integrate public facilities and hire more African Americans, following a non-violent campaign based at the 16th Street Baptist Church and an economic boycott of white stores that refused to hire blacks. Whites struck again: on a Sunday in September 1963, KKK members bombed the 16th Street Baptist Church, killing four young black girls and injuring many individuals. The African-American community quickly rebuilt the damaged church.

2011 Bankruptcy filing

Jefferson County filed for bankruptcy on November 9, 2011. This action was valued at $4.2 billion, with debts of $3.14 billion relating to sewer work; it was then the most expensive municipal bankruptcy ever in the U.S. In 2013 it was surpassed by the Detroit bankruptcy in Michigan. The County requested Chapter 9 relief under federal statute 11 U.S.C. §921. The case was filed in the Northern District of Alabama Bankruptcy Court as case number 11-05736.

As of May 2012^[update], Jefferson County had slashed expenses and reduced employment of county government workers by more than 700.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,124 square miles (2,910 km²), of which 1,111 square miles (2,880 km²) is land and 13 square miles (34 km²) (1.1%) is water. It is the fifth-largest county in Alabama by land area. The county is home to the Watercress Darter National Wildlife Refuge.

Adjacent counties

• Tuscaloosa County (west)
• Bibb County (southwest)
• Shelby County (south)
• Walker County (north)
• Blount County (north)
• St. Clair County (northeast)

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 674,721 people, 274,699 households, and 170,971 families residing in the county. The population density was 607.0 inhabitants per square mile (234.4/km²) There were 307,927 housing units.

2010 census

Jefferson County population had decreased slightly by 2010.

According to the 2010 census, residents of metropolitan Jefferson County identified as the following:

• 53.0% White
• 42.0% Black
• 0.3% Native American
• 1.4% Asian
• 0.0% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander
• 1.1% Two or more races
• 3.9% Hispanic or Latino (of any race)

Religion

In 2010 statistics, the largest religious group in Jefferson County was the SBC Baptists with 185,650 members in 272 congregations, followed by 69,878 non-denominational adherents with 170 congregations, 67,313 NBC Baptists with 117 congregations, 55,083 Catholics in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Birmingham in Alabama with 32 parishes, 43,422 UMC Methodists with 86 congregations, 15,899 CoG–Cleveland, Tennessee Pentecostals with 45 congregations, 14,025 TEC Episcopalians with 17 congregations, 11,267 CoC Christians with 69 congregations, 11,171 CoGiC Pentecostals with 16 congregations, and 9,472 AME Methodists with 42 congregations. Altogether, 83.9% of the population was claimed as members by religious congregations, although members of historically African-American denominations were underrepresented due to incomplete information. In 2014, Jefferson County had 714 religious organizations, the 15th most out of all US counties.

Education

School districts in the county include:

History of education

As a reaction to the US Supreme Court's ruling in Brown v Board of Education in 1954, that segregated public schools were unconstitutional, both state and local officials took steps to preserve de facto educational segregation. As late as 1965, schools in the county were still totally segregated. In 1969, public schools in the county became fully integrated.

Except for cities such as Birmingham, that have established their own local school districts, all parts of Jefferson County are served by the Jefferson County Board of Education. Parts within Birmingham are served by Birmingham City Schools.

Beginning in 1959, more wealthy towns, with predominately white populations, began to form their own school systems. Critics allege this served to stymie integration and financially starve schools that served mostly black populations. Cities in the county that have established their own school systems are Gardendale, Bessemer, Fairfield, Midfield, Trussville, Homewood, Leeds, Hoover, Vestavia Hills, Tarrant, and Mountain Brook. The pattern of residential and economic segregation has occurred in many parts of the country, including economic segregation of poorer whites.

Transportation

Major highways

Railroads

Amtrak passenger service is provided by the Crescent, which stops in Birmingham. Freight service is provided by BNSF Railway, CSX Transportation, Norfolk Southern Railway, Alabama & Tennessee River Railway and Birmingham Terminal Railway (formerly Birmingham Southern Railroad). There is also one switching and terminal railroad, Alabama Warrior Railway.

Air travel

Birmingham is the location of the Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport, which provides service, either direct or connecting, to most of the rest of the United States.

Communities

Cities

Towns

Census-designated places

Unincorporated communities

Former Towns

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Jefferson (Alabama) para niños