Walker County

Walker County is a county located to the northeast of Birmingham and Jefferson County. As of 2000 the population was 70,713, declining to an estimated 68,742 by 2009. The county seat is Jasper.

History

Walker County was established on December 26, 1823. It is named in honor of John Williams Walker, Alabama's first member of the United States Senate.

Geography

Location of Walker County

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 2,086 km² (805 mi²). 2,057 km² (794 mi²) of it is land and 28 km² (11 mi²) of it (1.35%) is water.

Adjacent Counties

• Winston County (north)
• Cullman County (northeast)
• Blount County (east)
• Jefferson County (southeast)
• Tuscaloosa County (southwest)
• Fayette County (west)
• Marion County (northwest)

Major Highways

• Interstate 22
• U.S. Highway 78
• State Highway 5
• State Highway 13
• State Highway 18
• State Highway 69
• State Highway 269

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 70,713 people, 28,364 households, and 20,478 families residing in the county. The population density was 34/km² (89/mi²). There were 32,417 housing units at an average density of 16/km² (41/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 92% White and 6.2% Black or African American. 0.9% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 28,364 households out of which 30.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.30% were married couples living together, 11.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.80% were non-families. 25.30% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.93.

In the county the population was spread out with 23.50% under the age of 18, 8.60% from 18 to 24, 28.00% from 25 to 44, 25.10% from 45 to 64, and 14.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 93.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.80 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $29,076, and the median income for a family was $35,221. Males had a median income of $31,242 versus $20,089 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,546. About 13.20% of families and 16.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.00% of those under age 18 and 17.40% of those age 65 or over.

References

• Walker County, Alabama. (March 24, 2007). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Accessed March 26, 2007