Coffee County, Alabama

History

The land in Coffee County was originally part of Dale County, which was incorporated in 1824. Coffee County was formed from the western part of Dale County on December 29, 1841. It was named after John R. Coffee, a soldier in the Creek War of 1813—14. The first county seat was in Wellborn. After the courthouse was destroyed by fire in 1851, the county seat was moved to Elba.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 680 sqmi, of which 679 sqmi is land and 1.5 sqmi (0.2%) is water. The county is located in the Wiregrass region of southeast Alabama.

Major highways

• [[Image:US 84.svg|20px]] U.S. Highway 84
• [[Image:US 231.svg|20px]] U.S. Highway 231
• [[Image:Alabama 27.svg|20px]] State Route 27
• [[Image:Alabama 51.svg|20px]] State Route 51
• [[Image:Alabama 87.svg|20px]] State Route 87
• [[Image:Alabama 88.svg|20px]] State Route 88
• [[Image:Alabama 92.svg|20px]] State Route 92
• [[Image:Alabama 134.svg|20px]] State Route 134
• [[Image:Alabama 189.svg|20px]] State Route 189
• [[Image:Alabama 192.svg|20px]] State Route 192

Adjacent counties

• Pike County (north)
• Dale County (east)
• Geneva County (south)
• Covington County (west)
• Crenshaw County (northwest)

Demographics

|align-fn=center 1790–1960 1900–1990 1990–2000 2010–2020

Racial and ethnic composition

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 53,465. The median age was 39.0 years. 23.7% of residents were under the age of 18 and 17.4% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 97.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 95.4 males age 18 and over.

The racial makeup of the county was 69.4% White, 16.4% Black or African American, 1.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.7% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 3.6% from some other race, and 7.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 9.1% of the population.

52.5% of residents lived in urban areas, while 47.5% lived in rural areas.

There were 21,263 households in the county, of which 31.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 27.5% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 27.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 24,105 housing units, of which 11.8% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 67.5% were owner-occupied and 32.5% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.9% and the rental vacancy rate was 9.3%.

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 49,948 people, 19,849 households, and 13,837 families residing in the county. The population density was 74 /mi2. There were 22,330 housing units at an average density of 33 /mi2. The racial makeup of the county was 74.7% White, 16.7% Black or African American, 1.3% Native American, 1.3% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 3.2% from other races, and 2.5% from two or more races. 6.4% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

The largest self-reported ancestry groups in Coffee County were English (59.9%), German (4.4%), Irish (3.3%), "American" (3.1%), (1.8%), Scottish (1.2%) and Portuguese (1.0%).

There were 19,849 households, out of which 30.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.6% were married couples living together, 12.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.3% were non-families. 25.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 2.98.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.2% under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 27.1% from 25 to 44, 25.7% from 45 to 64, and 14.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37.6 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.3 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $42,253, and the median income for a family was $54,929. Males had a median income of $41,635 versus $29,082 for females. The per capita income for the county was $22,797. About 14.1% of families and 17.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 26.4% of those under age 18 and 13.4% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Coffee County is reliably Republican at the presidential level. The last Democrat to win the county in a presidential election is Jimmy Carter, who won it by a majority in 1976.

Communities

Cities

• Elba (county seat)
• Enterprise (partly in Dale County)

Towns

• Kinston
• New Brockton

Unincorporated communities

• Alberton
• Basin
• Battens Crossroads
• Brooklyn
• Central City
• Clintonville
• Curtis
• Damascus
• Danleys Crossroads
• Frisco
• Goodman
• Ino
• Jack
• Java
• Keyton
• Pine Level
• Richburg
• Roeton
• Tabernacle
• Victoria

Education

School districts include:

• Coffee County School District
• Elba City School District
• Enterprise City School District

Fort Rucker residents are within the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) system,

Notable people

• Katie Britt (b. 1982) – U.S. senator
• Jim Folsom (1908–1987) – governor of Alabama
• Barry Moore (b. 1966) – U.S. representative
• Alex Ríos (b. 1981) – baseball player
• Zig Ziglar (1926–2012) – author, salesman, and Christian motivational speaker

In popular culture

The county is referred to in Joe David Brown's 1971 novel Addie Pray, which inspired the movie Paper Moon.

References

References

1. Coffee County, Alabama. "History of Coffee County".
2. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau.
3. (March 23, 2010). "Table 1. Annual Estimates of the Population of Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2009 (CBSA-EST2009-01)". [[United States Census Bureau]], Population Division.
4. link. [[United States Census Bureau]]
5. (March 6, 2020). "OMB Bulletin No. 20-01: Revised Delineations of Metropolitan Statistical Areas, Micropolitan Statistical Areas, and Combined Statistical Areas, and Guidance on Uses of the Delineations of These Areas". [[United States Office of Management and Budget]].
6. "Find a County". National Association of Counties.
7. (April 9, 2010). "Alabama Counties: Coffee County". Alabama Department of Archives and History.
8. Gannett, Henry. (1905). "The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States". Govt. Print. Off..
9. (August 22, 2012). "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau.
10. "County Population Totals and Components of Change: 2020-2024". United States Census Bureau.
11. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau.
12. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library.
13. (March 24, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau.
14. (April 2, 2001). "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000". United States Census Bureau.
15. "P004 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Coffee County, Alabama".
16. "P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Coffee County, Alabama".
17. "P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Coffee County, Alabama".
18. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)".
19. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)".
20. (2023). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)".
21. "U.S. Census website". [[United States Census Bureau]].
22. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections".
23. "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Coffee County, AL". [[United States Census Bureau]].
24. "Fort Rucker Education". [[Military One Source]].
25. "MOORE, Barry".