Bibb County, Alabama

Bibb County
U.S. county
Bibb County Courthouse and Confederate monument in Centreville
Location within the U.S. state of Alabama
Alabama's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 32°59′52″N 87°07′35″W / 32.997777777778°N 87.126388888889°W / 32.997777777778; -87.126388888889
Country	United States
State	Alabama
Founded	February 7, 1818
Named for	William W. Bibb
Seat	Centreville
Largest city	Brent
Area
• Total	626 sq mi (1,620 km2)
• Land	623 sq mi (1,610 km2)
• Water	3.6 sq mi (9 km2)  0.6%
Population  (2020)
• Total	22,293
• Density	36/sq mi (14/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	6th
Website	www.bibbal.com
County Number 07 on Alabama Licence Plates

Bibb County is a county in the central portion of the U.S. state of Alabama. The county is included in the ARC's definition of Appalachia. As of the 24th decennial census of 2020, its population was 22,293.^[1] The county seat is Centreville.^[2] The county is named in honor of William W. Bibb (1781-1820), the Governor of Alabama Territory (1817-1819) and the first Governor of Alabama (1819-1820, when he died). He is also the namesake for Bibb County, Georgia, where he began his political career. It is a "prohibition" or dry county; however, a few towns have become "wet" by allowing the sale of alcoholic beverages: Woodstock (12/2017), West Blocton (08/2012), Centreville (06/2010), and Brent (05/2010).^[3] The Bibb County Courthouse is located in the county seat of Centreville.

History[]

Cahawba County was established ("erected") on February 7, 1818, named for the Cahawba River (now more commonly known as Cahaba River). This name came from the Choctaw language word meaning "water above." On December 4, 1820, it was renamed as Bibb County.^[4]

In the wake of the American Civil War, the state legislature passed laws to create a new constitution that raised barriers to voter registration and effectively excluded Freedmen from the political process. Many residents resisted the objectives of Union occupation both during and after Reconstruction because they wanted to restore the Antebellum social and political norms. During this time of transition, Bibb, Dallas, and Pickens counties held the third-highest number of lynchings in the state.^[5] On June 18, 1919, Jim McMillan was lynched by a White mob. On November 7, 2000, Bibb county voted against a proposed amendment to Alabama's constitution to abolish the prohibition of interracial marriages. ^[6]

Geography[]

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 626 square miles (1,620 km²), of which 623 square miles (1,610 km²) is land and 3.6 square miles (9.3 km²) (0.6%) is water.^[7]

Adjacent counties[]

• Jefferson County - north
• Shelby County - northeast
• Chilton County - southeast
• Perry County - southwest
• Hale County - southwest
• Tuscaloosa County - northwest

National protected areas[]

• Cahaba River National Wildlife Refuge
• Talladega National Forest (part)

Transportation[]

Major highways[]

• U.S. Highway 11
• U.S. Highway 82
• State Route 5
• State Route 25
• State Route 58
• State Route 139
• State Route 209
• State Route 219

Rail[]

• Norfolk Southern Railway

Demographics[]

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1820	3,676		—
1830	6,306		71.5%
1840	8,284		31.4%
1850	9,969		20.3%
1860	11,894		19.3%
1870	7,469		−37.2%
1880	9,487		27.0%
1890	13,824		45.7%
1900	18,498		33.8%
1910	22,791		23.2%
1920	23,144		1.5%
1930	20,780		−10.2%
1940	20,155		−3.0%
1950	17,987		−10.8%
1960	14,357		−20.2%
1970	13,812		−3.8%
1980	15,723		13.8%
1990	16,576		5.4%
2000	20,826		25.6%
2010	22,915		10.0%
2020	22,293		−2.7%
U.S. Decennial Census[8] 1790–1960[9] 1900–1990[10] 1990–2000[11] 2010–2020[1]

As of the census^[12] of 2010, there were 22,915 people, 7,953 households, and 5,748 families residing in the county. The population density was 37 people per square mile (14/km²). There were 8,981 housing units at an average density of 14.3 per square mile (5.5/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 75.8% White, 22.0% Black or African American, 0.3% Native American, 0.1% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.8% from other races, and 0.9% from two or more races. 1.8% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 7,953 households, out of which 29.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.5% were married couples living together, 14.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.7% were non-families. 24.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.09.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 22.7% under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 28.9% from 25 to 44, 26.7% from 45 to 64, and 12.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37.8 years. For every 100 females, there were 115.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 127.5 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $41,770, and the median income for a family was $51,956. Males had a median income of $40,219 versus $28,085 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,918. About 9.4% of families and 12.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.4% of those under age 18 and 11.3% of those age 65 or over.

Rural flight[]

From 1920 to 1970, the population of the rural county declined considerably. Many African Americans joined the Great Migration to northern and western cities, to escape the violence and racial oppression of Jim Crow.^[13]

Government and infrastructure[]

Bibb County has a five-member County Commission, elected from single-member districts. Members take turns in serving as chairman of the commission, rotating the position every nine and a half months.^[14]

Alabama Department of Corrections operates the Bibb Correctional Facility in Brent.^[15]

Bibb County is reliably Republican at the presidential level. The last Democrat to win the county in a presidential election is Jimmy Carter, who won it by a majority in 1980 despite narrowly losing the state of Alabama to Ronald Reagan.

Communities[]

Cities[]

Towns[]

Unincorporated communities[]

Ghost towns[]

• Cadle

Places of interest[]

Bibb County is home to the Talladega National Forest supervised by the United States Forestry Service (of the U.S. Department of Agriculture), and a section of the Cahaba River which draws visitors to view the unique "Cahaba Lily", or (known by its scientific Latinized name: Hymenocallis coronaria).

See also[]

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Bibb County, Alabama
• Properties on the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage in Bibb County, Alabama

References[]

External links[]

• Official County website
• Bibb County in the Encyclopedia of Alabama

Coordinates: 32°59′52″N 87°07′35″W / 32.99778°N 87.12639°W / 32.99778; -87.12639