Geneva County was established on December 26, 1868 from Coffee, Dale, and Henry counties.[4] The county was named after its county seat, which in turn was named afterGeneva, New York, which was named afterGeneva, Switzerland, by Walter H. Yonge, an early town resident and Swiss native.[5]
The county was declared a disaster area in September 1979 due to damage fromHurricane Frederic.
On March 10, 2009, a gunman, identified as Michael McLendon, went ona shooting spree at nine locations in Geneva County from the town ofSamson to the city ofGeneva, killing ten people and wounding six others. McLendon entered his former place of employment, Reliable Metal Products on the northeastern side of Geneva, where he killed himself.
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 579 square miles (1,500 km2), of which 574 square miles (1,490 km2) is land and 4.5 square miles (12 km2) (0.8%) is water.[6] The county is located in theWiregrass region of southeast Alabama.
It is the fifth-smallest county in Alabama by total area.
Geneva County, Alabama – Racial and ethnic composition Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
As of the2020 census, the county had a population of 26,659. The median age was 43.8 years. 21.9% of residents were under the age of 18 and 21.1% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 96.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 93.8 males age 18 and over.[15][16]
0.6% of residents lived in urban areas, while 99.4% lived in rural areas.[17]
There were 10,874 households in the county, of which 28.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 27.8% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 28.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[15]
There were 12,452 housing units, of which 12.7% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 73.1% were owner-occupied and 26.9% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.2% and the rental vacancy rate was 7.2%.[15]
As of thecensus[18] of 2000, there were 25,764 people, 10,477 households, and 7,459 families residing in the county. Thepopulation density was 45 people per square mile (17 people/km2). There were 12,115 housing units at an average density of 21 units per square mile (8.1 units/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 87.11%White, 10.65%Black orAfrican American, 0.76%Native American, 0.12%Asian, 0.02%Pacific Islander, 0.62% fromother races, and 0.72% from two or more races. 1.76% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race.
There were 10,477 households, out of which 30.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.40% weremarried couples living together, 11.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.80% were non-families. 26.30% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.92.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.00% under the age of 18, 7.50% from 18 to 24, 26.80% from 25 to 44, 25.30% from 45 to 64, and 16.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.70 males. For every 100 women age 18 and over, there were 90.00 men.
The median income for a household in the county was $26,448, and the median income for a family was $32,563. Males had a median income of $26,018 versus $19,341 for females. Theper capita income for the county was $14,620. About 15.90% of families and 19.60% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 27.20% of those under age 18 and 21.80% of those age 65 or over.
Much like the state and the rest of the Deep South, Geneva County was locked for the Democrats before1964, untilHerbert Hoover won against Democrat nomineeAl Smith in1928 by 48 votes. However, ever since1980, Geneva County has been a Republican stronghold. The last Democrat to carry the county wasDeep South nativeJimmy Carter in1976.
