Montgomery County, Alabama

{{Infobox U.S. county

| county = Montgomery County

| state = Alabama

| type = County

| seal = Seal of Montgomery County, Alabama.png

| founded year = 1816A Digest of the Laws of the State of Alabama: Containing The Statutes and Resolutions in Force at the end of the General Assembly in January, 1823. Published by Ginn & Curtis, J. & J. Harper, Printers, New-York, 1828. Title 10. Chapter VII. Pages 83-84. [https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_JvtKAAAAYAAJ/page/n24 "An Act to divide the County of Monroe, and form a new County by the name of Montgomery—Passed December 6, 1816." (Internet Archive)]

| founded date = December 6

| seat wl = Montgomery

| largest city wl = Montgomery

| area_total_sq_mi = 800

| area_land_sq_mi = 784

| area_water_sq_mi = 16

| area percentage = 2.0

| population_as_of = 2020

| population_total = 228954

| pop_est_as_of = 2023

| population_est = 224980 {{decrease}}

| population_density_sq_mi = auto

| time zone = Central

| web = www.mc-ala.org

| ex image = Montgomery County Courthouse.JPG

| ex image cap = Montgomery County Courthouse in Montgomery

| district = 2nd

| named for = Lemuel P. Montgomery

| footnotes =

County Number 03 on Alabama License Plates
One of three counties shuffled to the top 3 numbers because of population size
Largest County by population not shuffled to top 07 on Alabama License Plates

}}

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.{{cite web|title=State & County QuickFacts|url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/montgomerycountyalabama/PST045223|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=March 15, 2024}} Its county seat is Montgomery, the state capital.{{cite web|url=http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx|access-date=June 7, 2011|title=Find a County|publisher=National Association of Counties}} 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. 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.{{cite book|last=Hardy|first=Michael C.|title=The Capitals of the Confederacy: A History|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Pn90CQAAQBAJ&pg=PA11|access-date=September 26, 2017|date=April 20, 2015|publisher=Arcadia Publishing Incorporated|isbn=9781625854322|page=11}}

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.

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.https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_MANUSCRIPTS/alabama/montgomeryAL1926/montgomeryAL1926.pdf Soil Survey of Montgomery County, Alabama By the 1940s county farms earned more from cattle than cotton.{{cite book|last1=Flynt|first1=Wayne|title=Poor But Proud|date=February 5, 2016|publisher=University of Alabama Press|location=6918}}

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of {{convert|800|sqmi}}, of which {{convert|784|sqmi}} is land and {{convert|16|sqmi}} (2.0%) is water.{{cite web|url=http://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/counties_list_01.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=August 22, 2015|date=August 22, 2012|title=2010 Census Gazetteer Files}}

=Major highways=

=Transit=

Montgomery Area Transit System

=Adjacent counties=

{{Adjacent communities

| Centre = Montgomery County

| North = Elmore County

| Northeast = Macon County

| East = Bullock County

| Southeast = Pike County

| South =

| Southwest = Crenshaw County

| West = Lowndes County

| Northwest = Autauga County

}}

Elmore County (north)
Macon County (northeast)
Bullock County (east)
Pike County (southeast)
Crenshaw County (southwest)
Lowndes County (west)
Autauga County (northwest)

=National protected area=

Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail (part)

Demographics

{{US Census population

|1820= 6604

|1830= 12695

|1840= 24574

|1850= 29711

|1860= 35904

|1870= 43704

|1880= 52356

|1890= 56172

|1900= 72047

|1910= 82178

|1920= 80853

|1930= 98671

|1940= 114420

|1950= 138965

|1960= 169210

|1970= 167790

|1980= 197038

|1990= 209085

|2000= 223510

|2010= 229363

|2020= 228954

|estyear=2023

|estimate=224980

|estref={{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/popest/2020s-counties-total.html|title=Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023|access-date=March 15, 2024}}

|align-fn=center

|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/prod/www/decennial.html|title=U.S. Decennial Census|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=August 22, 2015}}
1790–1960{{cite web|url=http://mapserver.lib.virginia.edu|title=Historical Census Browser|publisher=University of Virginia Library|access-date=August 22, 2015}} 1900–1990{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/population/cencounts/al190090.txt|title=Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990|publisher=United States Census Bureau|editor-last=Forstall|editor-first=Richard L.|date=March 24, 1995|access-date=August 22, 2015}}
1990–2000{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/briefs/phc-t4/tables/tab02.pdf|title=Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000|publisher=United States Census Bureau|date=April 2, 2001|access-date=August 22, 2015}} 2010–2020

}}

=2020 Census=

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"

|+Montgomery County, Alabama – Racial and ethnic composition
{{nobold|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{{Cite web|title=P004 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Montgomery County, Alabama|url=https://data.census.gov/table?q=p004&g=050XX00US01101&tid=DECENNIALSF12000.P004|website=United States Census Bureau}}

!Pop 2010{{Cite web|title=P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Montgomery County, Alabama|url=https://data.census.gov/table?q=p2&g=050XX00US01101&tid=DECENNIALPL2010.P2|website=United States Census Bureau}}

!{{partial|Pop 2020}}{{Cite web|title=P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Montgomery County, Alabama|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=p2&g=050XX00US01101&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2|website=United States Census Bureau}}

!% 2000

!% 2010

!{{partial|% 2020}}

White alone (NH)

|107,858

|88,099

|style='background: #ffffe6; |73,354

|48.26%

|38.41%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |32.04%

Black or African American alone (NH)

|108,146

|124,928

|style='background: #ffffe6; |129,801

|48.39%

|54.47%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |56.69%

Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)

|530

|520

|style='background: #ffffe6; |364

|0.24%

|0.23%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.16%

Asian alone (NH)

|2,189

|4,792

|style='background: #ffffe6; |7,952

|0.98%

|2.09%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |3.47%

Pacific Islander alone (NH)

|67

|84

|style='background: #ffffe6; |119

|0.03%

|0.04%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.05%

Other race alone (NH)

|178

|187

|style='background: #ffffe6; |722

|0.08%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.32%

Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)

|1,877

|2,439

|style='background: #ffffe6; |5,958

|0.84%

|1.06%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |2.60%

Hispanic or Latino (any race)

|2,665

|8,314

|style='background: #ffffe6; |10,684

|1.19%

|3.62%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |4.67%

Total

|223,510

|229,363

|style='background: #ffffe6; |228,954

|100.00%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |100.00%

As of the 2020 census, there were 228,954 people, 93,223 households, and 56,961 families residing in the county.{{Cite web|title=US Census Bureau, Table P16: Household Type |url=https://data.census.gov/table?q=Montgomery%20County,%20Alabama%20p16&y=2020 |access-date=March 15, 2024 |publisher=United States Census Bureau}} The population density was {{convert|291.5|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}} 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 {{convert|283|/mi2|/km2|disp=preunit|persons |persons}}. There were 95,437 housing units, at an average density of {{convert|121|/mi2|/km2|disp=preunit|units |units|}}. 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

Montgomery County is a strongly Democratic county like most of the Black Belt in Alabama. The last Republican to win the county was George H.W. Bush in 1992.

{{PresHead|place=Montgomery County, Alabama|source={{cite web|title=Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections|url=http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/|access-date=November 21, 2016}}}}

{{PresRow|1968|American Independent|6,746|12,088|27,691|Alabama}}

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

Image:Montgomery Public Schools Headquarters.JPG.]]

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.{{cite web|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st01_al/schooldistrict_maps/c01101_montgomery/DC20SD_C01101.pdf|title=2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Montgomery County, AL|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=July 4, 2022}} - [https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st01_al/schooldistrict_maps/c01101_montgomery/DC20SD_C01101_SD2MS.txt Text listing]: "Maxwell AFB School District" would mean the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) since that agency operates the on-base public schools. The DoDEA operates Maxwell Air Force Base Elementary/Middle School.{{cite web|url=https://www.dodea.edu/maxwellafbems/index.cfm|title=Home|publisher=Department of Defense Education Activity|accessdate=July 4, 2022}} For high school Maxwell AFB residents are zoned to Montgomery Public Schools facilities.{{cite web|url=https://www.dodea.edu/americas/southeast/maxwell/index.cfm|title=Maxwell AFB Community |publisher=Department of Defense Education Activity|accessdate=July 4, 2022}}

The Montgomery City-County Public Library operates public libraries.

Universities/Colleges include: