Talladega County

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Talladega County seal.png
Location of Talladega County in Alabama and relative to the Birmingham Metropolitan Area

Tallapoosa County is a 760 square-mile county in the Piedmont and Ridge and Valley region of in eastern central Alabama. Much of the county is drained by Choccolocco Creek, a tributary of the Coosa River, which forms the county's western border. As of the 2020 census, the estimated population was 82,149. The county seat and largest city is Talladega. The county's name is taken from the city, which is derived from the native Muscogean term "tvlvteke" or "Talatigi" meaning "border town."

In the 16th century, the area of present-day Talladega County was part of the post-Mississippian Coosa chiefdom, which was described by chroniclers attached to expeditions led by Hernando De Soto in 1540, Tristán de Luna in 1560, and Juan Pardo in 1567.

In the 18th century, the banks of the upper Coosa River and Alabama River in present-day Talladega County were home to the Abihka, remnants of the Coosa chiefdom and a primary community of Upper Creeks, also known as "Red Sticks", who resisted assimilation. In the face of President Andrew Jackson's enforcement of the Indian Removal Act, the Upper Creeks were compelled to sign the "Treaty of Cusseta", ceding their western territory to the newly-ratified State of Alabama.

The Alabama State Legislature created Talladega County on December 18, 1832, and its seat was established at Talladega in 1834. The first Talladega County Courthouse, a 3-story frame building, was completed in 1838. It has since been modified several times

The Talladega National Forest covers much of the eastern portion of the county, and Mount Cheaha, the state's highest point, lies on the northeast border of Talladega County with Cleburne County. The county's other neighbors are Clay County to the east, Coosa County to the south, Shelby County and St Clair County to the west, and Calhoun County to the north.

I-20 parallels the older U.S. Highway 78 across the northern portion of the county. U.S. Highway 280 runs diagonally across the southern part. Alabama State Highway 21 and Alabama State Highway 77 cross at Talladega.

The Talladega County Board of Education operates 17 public schools serving approximately 7,100 students. Its 1,000 employees make it the 4th largest employer in the county. Sylacauga and Talladega have their own public school systems. Talladega College is the state's oldest HCBU. The Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind is the only other college in the county.

Early economic activity in Talladega County centered on farming (primarily wheat) and timber harvesting. Locks and dams on the Coosa River ushered in industries such as Avondale Mills textile operations, marble production at Gantts Quarry, and, [during World War II, the massive Alabama Army Ammunition Plant. The massive Logan Martin Dam was constructed by the Alabama Power Company in [[1960]–1964, creating Lake Logan Martin. Camp Tele-Teka opened on the shores of the lake, and was acquired by YMCA of Greater Birmingham as the new home of its Camp Cosby in 1972.

The opening of the Talladega Superspeedway in 1969 gave the county two annual large-scale spectator events. In 1999 Honda Motor Company announced construction of the a new manufacturing plant in Lincoln, now by far the county's largest employer.

Demographics

As of the 2020 U.S. census, there were 82,149 people, 30,602 households, and 20,515 families residing in the county. The population was 62% white, 32% Black or African-American, 3% mixed race, and 2% Hispanic or Latino of any race. Talladega County's median household income was $43,969 and per capita income was $24,244.

Historical population

Year Pop. Change
1840 12,587 -
1850 18,624 48.0%
1860 23,520 26.3%
1870 18,064 -23.2%
1880 23,360 29.3%
1890 29,346 25.6%
1900 35,773 21.9%
1910 37,921 6.0%
1920 41,005 8.1%
1930 45,241 10.3%
1940 51,832 14.6%
1950 63,639 22.8%
1960 65,495 2.9%
1970 65,280 -0.3%
1980 73,826 13.1%
1990 74,107 0.4%
2000 80,321 8.4%
2010 82,291 2.5%
2020 82,149 -0.2%

Municipalities

City Incorporated Population Area Mayor Notes
Bon Air 1932 172 1.33 Starlen Jackson
Childersburg 1889 4,754 12.58 Ken Wesson
Lincoln 1911 6,845 25.87 Lew Watson
Munford 2002 1,351 2.56 Jo Ann Fambrough
Oak Grove 1966 564 1.85 Tony White
Oxford 1852 22,069 32.19 Alton Craft mostly in Calhoun County
Sylacauga 1838 12,578 20.42 Jim Heigl
Talladega 1835 15,861 26.13 Ashton Hall county seat
Talladega Springs 1913 144 1.24 James Dickinson Jr
Vincent 1897 1,982 20.96 James Latimer partly in St Clair and Shelby County
Waldo 1972 258 2.86 Susan Crim

Communities

Talladega County seal.png Talladega County
Topics

Communities | County Commission | Schools | Sheriff

Municipalities

Bon Air | Childersburg | Lincoln | Munford | Oak Grove | Oxford | Sylacauga | Talladega (seat)  Talladega Springs | Vincent | Waldo |

References

External links

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