Monroe County, Alabama | |
|---|---|
 TheOld Monroe County Courthouse in Monroeville | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofAlabama | |
 Alabama's location within theU.S. | |
| Coordinates:31°34′15″N87°22′11″W / 31.570833333333°N 87.369722222222°W /31.570833333333; -87.369722222222 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Alabama |
| Founded | June 29, 1815 |
| Named after | James Monroe |
| Seat | Monroeville |
| Largest city | Monroeville |
| Area | |
• Total | 1,034 sq mi (2,680 km2) |
| • Land | 1,026 sq mi (2,660 km2) |
| • Water | 8.7 sq mi (23 km2) 0.8% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 19,772 |
• Estimate (2024) | 19,057 |
| • Density | 19.27/sq mi (7.441/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional district | 2nd |
| Website | www |
| |
Monroe County is acounty located in the southwestern part of theU.S. state ofAlabama. As of the2020 census, the population was 19,772.[1] Itscounty seat isMonroeville.[2] Its name is in honor ofJames Monroe, fifthPresident of the United States.[3] It is a dry county, in which the sale of alcoholic beverages is restricted or prohibited, but Frisco City and Monroeville are wet cities.
In 1997, theAlabama Legislature designated Monroeville and Monroe County as the "Literary Capital of Alabama". It is the birthplace of notable writerHarper Lee and served as the childhood home forTruman Capote, her lifelong friend and a fellow writer. Lee lived here most of her life. The enduring popularity of her novel,To Kill a Mockingbird (1960), as well as its film and stage adaptations, has attracted tourists to the city and area. Monroeville is also central to the 2019 filmJust Mercy, based upon the 2014eponymous book byBryan Stevenson, recounting the wrongful conviction and sentencing to death of African AmericanWalter McMillian.
For thousands of years the area was inhabited byindigenous peoples. In historic times, it was primarily the territory of theMuscogee or Creek peoples, who became known to European-American settlers as one of theFive Civilized Tribes of the Southeast.
The prominentUpper Creek chief Red Eagle (also known asWilliam Weatherford), of theWind Clan, settled here after theCreek War (1813-1814). At the time, the United States was also involved in the War of 1812 against Great Britain. Red Eagle established a successfulcotton plantation. He was of Creek and European descent, and had adopted the system ofchattel slavery to gain workers for his plantation and horse breeding. In the 1830s the United States forced theremoval of most of the Creek people from Alabama toIndian Territory (nowOklahoma), in order to take over their territory.
The area was settled by European Americans, primarily of English and Scots-Irish descent. It was largely developed as cotton plantations in the antebellum years. Planters moving from the Upper South sometimes brought slave workers with them, or purchased more slaves from traders and markets after acquiring land. The population was made up of numerous slaves, who in some sections outnumbered the whites.
Following the American Civil War and Emancipation, in the period after theReconstruction era and into the early 20th century, white Democrats regained control of the state legislature and worked to restore and maintainwhite supremacy. The legislature passed a new constitution in 1901 thatdisenfranchised most blacks and tens of thousands of poor whites, excluding them from the political system. The legislators also passed laws imposing racial segregation and other forms ofJim Crow, and centralized power in the legislature.
Physical violence by whites against blacks was part of the oppressive social system. Racial terrorism was perpetrated throughlynchings of African Americans, mostly of men, which took place outside the justice system. They were often conducted as public displays on the courthouse square, spectacles attended by large white mobs in an enactment of their power. Monroe had a total of seventeen lynchings from 1877 to 1950, the second highest number of any county in Alabama.[4]
The county seat,Monroeville, is the home of two notable 20th-century authors,Truman Capote andNelle Harper Lee, who were childhood neighbors. The novelistMark Childress and journalistCynthia Tucker are also Monroe County natives. In 1997 the Alabama Legislature designated Monroeville and Monroe County as the "Literary Capital of Alabama".
The county is near theGulf Coast and is affected by storms from the Gulf. It has twice been declared a disaster area by the federal government due to extensivehurricane damage: in September 1979 due toHurricane Frederic, and in September 2004 due toHurricane Ivan.
AttorneyBryan Stevenson published his memoir,Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption in 2014. He has worked since his early 20s inMontgomery, establishing theEqual Justice Initiative and serving as legal counsel for people on death row in Alabama prisons. He has succeeded in gaining freedom for more than 100 men who werewrongfully convicted. Among the cases he discusses is that ofWalter McMillian of Monroeville, who was wrongfully convicted of murder in 1989. McMillian, an African American man, was sentenced to death by the trial judge, who overrode the lesser sentence reached by the jury. McMillian was kept on death row for 6 years, nearly 2 of which were prior to his trial, in an effort to make him confess. In 1993 the Alabama Appeals Court ruled that McMillian should be freed because of the lack of evidence, his alibi, the unreliability of witnesses, and mishandling of the trial.[5]
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,034 square miles (2,680 km2), of which 1,026 square miles (2,660 km2) is land and 8.7 square miles (23 km2) (0.8%) is water.[6]
U.S. Highway 84
State Route 21
State Route 41
State Route 47
State Route 59
State Route 83
State Route 136| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1820 | 8,838 | — | |
| 1830 | 8,782 | −0.6% | |
| 1840 | 10,680 | 21.6% | |
| 1850 | 12,013 | 12.5% | |
| 1860 | 15,667 | 30.4% | |
| 1870 | 14,214 | −9.3% | |
| 1880 | 17,091 | 20.2% | |
| 1890 | 18,990 | 11.1% | |
| 1900 | 23,666 | 24.6% | |
| 1910 | 27,155 | 14.7% | |
| 1920 | 28,884 | 6.4% | |
| 1930 | 30,070 | 4.1% | |
| 1940 | 29,465 | −2.0% | |
| 1950 | 25,732 | −12.7% | |
| 1960 | 22,372 | −13.1% | |
| 1970 | 20,883 | −6.7% | |
| 1980 | 22,651 | 8.5% | |
| 1990 | 23,968 | 5.8% | |
| 2000 | 24,324 | 1.5% | |
| 2010 | 23,068 | −5.2% | |
| 2020 | 19,772 | −14.3% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 19,057 | [7] | −3.6% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[8] 1790–1960[9] 1900–1990[10] 1990–2000[11] 2010–2020[1] | |||
| Race / Ethnicity(NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 2000[12] | Pop 2010[13] | Pop 2020[14] | % 2000 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 13,962 | 12,621 | 10,334 | 57.40% | 54.71% | 52.27% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 9,683 | 9,581 | 8,253 | 39.81% | 41.53% | 41.74% |
| Native American orAlaska Native alone (NH) | 232 | 256 | 281 | 0.95% | 1.11% | 1.42% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 69 | 67 | 88 | 0.28% | 0.29% | 0.45% |
| Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0.00% | 0.02% | 0.00% |
| Other race alone (NH) | 13 | 8 | 44 | 0.05% | 0.03% | 0.22% |
| Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) | 174 | 311 | 565 | 0.72% | 1.35% | 2.86% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 190 | 220 | 207 | 0.78% | 0.95% | 1.05% |
| Total | 24,324 | 23,068 | 19,772 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
As of the2020 United States census, there were 19,772 people, 8,166 households, and 5,124 families residing in the county.
According to the2010 United States census:
As of thecensus[15] of 2000, there were 24,324 people, 9,383 households and 6,774 families residing in the county. Thepopulation density was 24 people per square mile (9.3 people/km2). There were 11,343 housing units at an average density of 11 units per square mile (4.2 units/km2). The ethnic makeup of the county was 57.75%White, 40.07%Black orAfrican American, 0.97%Native American, 0.29%Asian, 0.01%Pacific Islander, 0.13% fromother races, and 0.79% from two or more ethnicities while 0.78% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any ethnicity.
There were 9,383 households, out of which 35.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.30%married couples living together, 16.10% with a female householder and no husband present and 27.80% non-families. Slightly more than a quarter (25.70%) of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.09.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 28.30% under the age of 18, 8.60% from 18 to 24, 26.80% from 25 to 44, 22.50% from 45 to 64, and 13.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years old. For every 100 females, there were 90.80 males. For every 100 females, aged 18 and over, there were 86.40 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $29,093, and the median income for a family was $34,569. Males had a median income of $31,096 versus $18,767 for females. Theper capita income for the county was $14,862. About 18.20% of families and 21.30% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 27.00% of those under age 18 and 21.40% of those aged 65 or over.
Monroe County is a reliably Republican county. The last Democrat to win the county wasJimmy Carter in 1976.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1824 | 120 | 20.91% | 419 | 73.00% | 35 | 6.10% |
| 1828 | 70 | 9.38% | 676 | 90.62% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1832 | 0 | 0.00% | 336 | 100.00% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1836 | 447 | 59.28% | 307 | 40.72% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1840 | 646 | 64.15% | 361 | 35.85% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1844 | 567 | 61.23% | 359 | 38.77% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1848 | 479 | 68.92% | 216 | 31.08% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1852 | 264 | 46.40% | 260 | 45.69% | 45 | 7.91% |
| 1856 | 0 | 0.00% | 604 | 56.29% | 469 | 43.71% |
| 1860 | 0 | 0.00% | 222 | 18.52% | 977 | 81.48% |
| 1868 | 58 | 4.63% | 1,196 | 95.37% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1872 | 481 | 25.05% | 1,439 | 74.95% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1876 | 606 | 28.34% | 1,532 | 71.66% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1880 | 821 | 43.03% | 1,087 | 56.97% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1884 | 794 | 41.68% | 1,111 | 58.32% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1888 | 767 | 34.67% | 1,445 | 65.33% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1892 | 8 | 0.31% | 1,850 | 72.35% | 699 | 27.34% |
| 1900 | 145 | 13.58% | 909 | 85.11% | 14 | 1.31% |
| 1904 | 46 | 5.16% | 836 | 93.72% | 10 | 1.12% |
| 1908 | 18 | 2.03% | 856 | 96.61% | 12 | 1.35% |
| 1912 | 2 | 0.22% | 878 | 97.12% | 24 | 2.65% |
| 1916 | 17 | 1.62% | 1,029 | 98.09% | 3 | 0.29% |
| 1920 | 20 | 1.51% | 1,295 | 97.52% | 13 | 0.98% |
| 1924 | 22 | 1.83% | 1,155 | 96.09% | 25 | 2.08% |
| 1928 | 1,074 | 44.44% | 1,343 | 55.56% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1932 | 66 | 3.23% | 1,972 | 96.52% | 5 | 0.24% |
| 1936 | 29 | 1.12% | 2,558 | 98.54% | 9 | 0.35% |
| 1940 | 40 | 1.33% | 2,953 | 98.17% | 15 | 0.50% |
| 1944 | 46 | 2.25% | 1,991 | 97.55% | 4 | 0.20% |
| 1948 | 31 | 1.80% | 0 | 0.00% | 1,694 | 98.20% |
| 1952 | 637 | 19.72% | 2,587 | 80.07% | 7 | 0.22% |
| 1956 | 759 | 25.66% | 2,069 | 69.95% | 130 | 4.39% |
| 1960 | 989 | 31.37% | 2,130 | 67.55% | 34 | 1.08% |
| 1964 | 3,870 | 81.37% | 0 | 0.00% | 886 | 18.63% |
| 1968 | 375 | 5.12% | 1,673 | 22.84% | 5,276 | 72.04% |
| 1972 | 5,155 | 74.82% | 1,636 | 23.74% | 99 | 1.44% |
| 1976 | 3,476 | 47.86% | 3,669 | 50.52% | 118 | 1.62% |
| 1980 | 4,615 | 50.87% | 4,262 | 46.98% | 195 | 2.15% |
| 1984 | 5,917 | 60.65% | 3,725 | 38.18% | 114 | 1.17% |
| 1988 | 5,379 | 60.07% | 3,509 | 39.19% | 66 | 0.74% |
| 1992 | 4,919 | 50.48% | 3,872 | 39.73% | 954 | 9.79% |
| 1996 | 4,382 | 50.38% | 3,815 | 43.86% | 501 | 5.76% |
| 2000 | 5,153 | 57.57% | 3,741 | 41.79% | 57 | 0.64% |
| 2004 | 5,831 | 61.16% | 3,666 | 38.45% | 37 | 0.39% |
| 2008 | 6,175 | 54.88% | 5,025 | 44.66% | 52 | 0.46% |
| 2012 | 5,741 | 53.57% | 4,914 | 45.85% | 62 | 0.58% |
| 2016 | 5,795 | 56.42% | 4,332 | 42.18% | 144 | 1.40% |
| 2020 | 6,147 | 57.62% | 4,455 | 41.76% | 66 | 0.62% |
| 2024 | 6,007 | 61.20% | 3,740 | 38.10% | 68 | 0.69% |
There is one school district in the county:Monroe County School District.[20]
Monroe County is home to several attractions, such as the Alabama River Museum, the Monroe County Heritage Museum, and the Courthouse Museum which hosts the annual stage production ofTo Kill a Mockingbird. The county also contains Claude Kelly State Park.
Municipalities and communities ofMonroe County, Alabama,United States | ||
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| City |  | |
| Towns | ||
| CDPs | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Ghost town | ||
| Indian reservation | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
31°34′15″N87°22′11″W / 31.57083°N 87.36972°W /31.57083; -87.36972
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