Jefferson County

Jefferson County, established December 13, 1819, is Alabama's most populous county and the center of the Birmingham-Hoover-Cullman Metropolitan Area.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,124 square miles. 1,113 mi² of it is land and 11 mi² (1%) of it is water.

The county is located in the north-central portion of the state, on the southern extension of the Appalachians, in the center of the iron, coal and limestone belt of the South. Jefferson County is bordered by Blount, Bibb, St. Clair, Shelby, Tuscaloosa, and Walker counties. It encompasses 1,119 square miles. The county seat was at Carrollsville from 1819-21, at Elyton from 1821-73, and since 1873 has been at Birmingham.

History

Jefferson County was established on December 13, 1819 by the Alabama legislature. It was named in honor of Thomas Jefferson.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 662,047 people, 263,265 households, and 175,861 families residing in the county. The population density was 595/mi². There were 288,162 housing units at an average density of 259/mi². The racial makeup of the county was 58.10% White, 39.36% Black or African American, 0.21% Native American, 0.90% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.59% from other races, and 0.80% from two or more races. 1.55% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 263,265 households out of which 30.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.10% were married couples living together, 17.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.20% were non-families. 28.70% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 3.04.

In the county the population was spread out with 24.80% under the age of 18, 9.60% from 18 to 24, 29.70% from 25 to 44, 22.30% from 45 to 64, and 13.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 89.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.50 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $36,868, and the median income for a family was $45,951. Males had a median income of $35,954 versus $26,631 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,892. 14.80% of the population and 11.60% of families were below the poverty line. 20.20% of those under the age of 18 and 12.70% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

The 2005 Census estimate shows a loss 4,818 for an estimated current population of 657,229.

Government and Law

Jefferson County is one of the few counties in Alabama that has a limited-form of home rule government. This limited ability of home rule allows the county to be able to establish its own land use zoning, maintain sewers and roads, carry out garbage disposal, and enforce taxation (except property taxes). The county is governed by a five-member commission with legislative and executive duties.

See main article Jefferson County Commission

Jefferson County is served by the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department. The Sheriff is chosen in an "at large" election. The current sheriff of Jefferson County is Mike Hale. The department fields about 175 officers who patrol the unincorporated areas of the county and municipalities that do not have their own police. They maintain jails in Birmingham and Bessemer that house inmates awaiting trial and serving sentences.

The judicial system of Jefferson County is unique within the state because there are two judicial courthouses in the county. This came about when the state legislature made preparations to split off a portion of Jefferson county to create a new county with Bessemer as its county seat. The idea was dropped but the additional courthouse and parallel positions remain. The main courthouse is in Birmingham and the second, known as the courthouse annex, is located in Bessemer. There are elected officials who maintain offices in the annex such as the Assistant Tax Collector, Assistance Tax Assessor, and Assistant District Attorney.

Except for cities that have established their own local school districts, all parts of Jefferson County outside of the city limits of Birmingham are served by Jefferson County School System.

Taxation

Jefferson County has a 9% sales tax on each dollar on anything from groceries to clothing items (the highest county sales tax rate in Alabama). In January 2005, an additional 1% sales tax for the funding of construction of education facilities went to affect. This controversial tax was passed during a regular weekly meeting of the Jefferson County Commission anonymously without a public referendum in October 2004. This addition 1% has led to county municipalities like Fairfield to have sales tax rates as high as 10% on a dollar while other municipalities and incorporated communities saw an increase in their sales tax rate from 8% to 9% .

External links

• Official Website of Jefferson County
• Jefferson County Department of Health
• Jefferson County Library System
• Jefferson County Sheriff's Department