Montgomery County, Alabama

Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox U.S. county

Montgomery County is a county located in the U.S. state of Alabama. As of the 2020 census, its population was 228,954, making it the seventh-most populous county in Alabama.<ref name="QF">Template:Cite web</ref> Its county seat is Montgomery, the state capital.<ref name="GR6">Template:Cite web</ref> Montgomery County is included in the Montgomery Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Montgomery County was established by dividing Monroe County on December 6, 1816, by the Mississippi Territorial Legislature.<ref name="alabama-law-1823"/> It is named for Lemuel P. Montgomery, a young U.S. Army officer killed at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend, the final battle of the Creek Indian war, which was waged concurrently with the War of 1812.<ref name="Hardy2015">Template:Cite book</ref>

The city of Montgomery, which is the county seat, is named for Richard Montgomery, an American Revolutionary War general killed in 1775 while attempting to capture Quebec City, Canada.<ref name="Hardy2015" />

Over much of the 19th century great wealth was derived from the cotton crop, with the Civil War producing a temporary setback. More lasting trouble came in 1914 with the arrival of the boll weevil, which became very destructive to the cotton harvest from 1915 on.<ref>https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_MANUSCRIPTS/alabama/montgomeryAL1926/montgomeryAL1926.pdf Soil Survey of Montgomery County, Alabama</ref> By the 1940s county farms earned more from cattle than cotton.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert is land and Template:Convert (2.0%) is water.<ref name="GR1">Template:Cite web</ref>

Demographics

Template:US Census population

2020 Census

**Montgomery County, Alabama – Racial and ethnic composition**
Template:Nobold
Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)	Pop 2000<ref name=2000CensusP004>Template:Cite web</ref>	Pop 2010<ref name=2010CensusP2>Template:Cite web</ref>	Template:Partial<ref name=2020CensusP2>Template:Cite web</ref>	% 2000	% 2010	Template:Partial
White alone (NH)	107,858	88,099	73,354	48.26%	38.41%	32.04%
Black or African American alone (NH)	108,146	124,928	129,801	48.39%	54.47%	56.69%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	530	520	364	0.24%	0.23%	0.16%
Asian alone (NH)	2,189	4,792	7,952	0.98%	2.09%	3.47%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	67	84	119	0.03%	0.04%	0.05%
Other race alone (NH)	178	187	722	0.08%	0.08%	0.32%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)	1,877	2,439	5,958	0.84%	1.06%	2.60%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	2,665	8,314	10,684	1.19%	3.62%	4.67%
Total	223,510	229,363	228,954	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%

As of the 2020 census, there were 228,954 people, 93,223 households, and 56,961 families residing in the county.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The population density was Template:Convert There were 105,293 housing units.

2010 census

The 2010 census reported the following county population:

54.7% Black
39.5% White
3.6% Hispanic or Latino (of any race)
1.3% Two or more races
1.2% Asian
0.3% Native American
0.0% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, there were 223,510 persons, 86,068 households, and 56,804 families in the county. The population density was Template:Convert. There were 95,437 housing units, at an average density of Template:Convert. The racial makeup of the county (including Hispanics in the racial counts) was 48.85% White, 48.58% Black or African American, 0.99% Asian, 0.25% Native American, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.35% from other races, and 0.94% from two or more races. Hispanics and Latinos, of any race, made up 1.19% of the population.

There were 86,068 households, 32.20% of which included children under the age of 18, 43.80% were married couples living together, 18.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.00% were non-families. Single-persons households were 29.50% of the total; 9.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46. The average family size was 3.06.

Persons younger than 18 were 25.80% of the population; those 18–24, 11.70%; 25–44, 29.80%; 45–64, 20.90%; and 65 and older, 11.80%. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.80 males. For every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were 86.70 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $35,962, and the median income for a family was $44,669. Males had a median income of $32,018; females, $24,921. The per capita income for the county was $19,358. About 13.50% of families and 17.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.10% of those under age 18 and 13.70% of those 65 and older.

Politics

Infrastructure inside Montgomery County includes both Interstate 85 and 65 along with shipping hubs on the Alabama River and rail hubs located in the City of Montgomery. The Montgomery Regional Airport also serves as a major airport for the State of Alabama and the Southeastern US for passenger service, military aviation, and commercial aviation.

Education

File:Montgomery Public Schools Headquarters.JPG

The Montgomery Public Schools headquarters and Montgomery County Board of Education is located at 307 S. Decatur Street in Montgomery.

Montgomery Public Schools operates public schools serving most of the county. However, Pike Road City School District operates public schools in Pike Road. Additionally Maxwell Air Force Base is zoned to Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) schools.<ref>Template:Cite web - Text listing: "Maxwell AFB School District" would mean the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) since that agency operates the on-base public schools.</ref> The DoDEA operates Maxwell Air Force Base Elementary/Middle School.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> For high school Maxwell AFB residents are zoned to Montgomery Public Schools facilities.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The Montgomery City-County Public Library operates public libraries.

Universities/Colleges include: