Wilcox County, Alabama

History

Wilcox County was established on December 13, 1819. The county was named after Joseph M. Wilcox, a US Army lieutenant who was killed in Alabama during the Creek War.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 907 square miles (2,350 km²), of which 888 square miles (2,300 km²) is land and 19 square miles (49 km²) (2.1%) is water.

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Demographics

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 11,670 people residing in the county. 72.5% were Black or African American, 26.8% White, 0.1% Native American, 0.1% of some other race and 0.4% of two or more races. 0.6% were Hispanic or Latino (of any race).

As of the census of 2000, there were 13,183 people, 4,776 households, and 3,376 families residing in the county. The population density was 15 people per square mile (6/km²). There were 6,183 housing units at an average density of 7 per square mile (3/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 71.90% Black or African American, 27.51% White, 0.14% Native American, 0.13% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.11% from other races, and 0.19% from two or more races. Nearly 0.74% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 4,776 households out of which 36.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.80% were married couples living together, 26.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.30% were non-families. Nearly 27.50% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.70, and the average family size was 3.31.

In the county, the population was spread out with 30.70% under the age of 18, 9.10% from 18 to 24, 25.50% from 25 to 44, 21.00% from 45 to 64, and 13.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.00 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $16,646, and the median income for a family was $22,200. Males had a median income of $26,216 versus $17,274 for females. The per capita income for the county was $10,903. About 36.10% of families and 39.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 48.40% of those under age 18 and 32.10% of those age 65 or over.

Religion

As of the census of 2010:

Education

All public schools in the county are operated by the Wilcox County School District. It is also served by one private school, Wilcox Academy, founded in 1970 as a segregation academy.

Economy

Major industries in the county include a paper mill operated by International Paper, based in Memphis, Tennessee, on the Alabama River near Pine Hill that employs roughly 400 people and a copper tubing plant under construction during 2012–13 by Golden Dragon Copper Group of Xinxiang, China in Sunny South that is expected to employ approximately 500 people upon completion.

City

Towns

Census-designated places

Ghost town

Places of interest

Wilcox County is home to Roland Cooper State Park, Lake Dannelly, and Bridgeport Beach.