Shelby County was established on February 7, 1818, and it was named for the Revolutionary War hero and the firstGovernor of Kentucky,Isaac Shelby. Beginning in 1820, the first county seat was located at Shelbyville. This long defunct settlement was located within the modern city limits ofPelham. The first courthouse was built of logs. The seat was moved to Columbia, nowColumbiana, in 1826. Initially housed in an old school building, a new brick courthouse building was completed in 1854. It is now known as theOld Shelby County Courthouse and houses the Shelby County Museum and Archives. The current limestone courthouse was built from 1905 to 1906, at a cost of $300,000.[3]
Shelby County has a long history inagriculture, and since about 1990, it has become an important location for growingsoybeans, which has exceededcotton as the most important crop grown there.
With the advent of the automobile and the truck, Shelby County was soon crossed from north to south byU.S. Highway 31, the major one that followed the same route as the Louisville and Nashville Railroad did. (All odd-numberedU.S. Highways are north–south routes: e.g. U.S. 1, 11, 21, 31, 41, 51, 61, and 71, 101, going from East to West) The eastern part of Shelby County was later crossed byU.S. Highway 231 andU.S. 280.
Decades later, Shelby County was crossed byInterstate Highway 65. Hence, an important ingredient in the eventual growth of Shelby County has been its ready access to modern systems of transportation. Interstate 65 and U.S. Highway 31 have long provided strong connections between Shelby county and the more populousJefferson County directly to its north, leading to suburban development in towns such asPelham,Helena,Alabaster, andChelsea.
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 810 square miles (2,100 km2), of which 785 square miles (2,030 km2) is land and 25 square miles (65 km2) (3.0%) is water.[4]
Parts of Shelby County are crossed by the southernmost extensions of theAppalachian Mountains, such asOak Mountain and Double Oak Mountain. However, large parts of Shelby County are much flatter, giving good land for farms and pastures. Shelby County also has lowlands along two rivers, and one large man-madereservoir,Lay Lake, which also bordersCoosa,Talladega andChilton counties.
Most of Shelby County is drained either by theCahaba River, which flows along the northern edge of the county, and then to the southwest, or by theCoosa River, whose valley includes the eastern end of the county. These are both important rivers in Alabama. Much farther south, both the Cahaba River and the Coosa River flow into theAlabama River, and thence to theGulf of Mexico. To be more precise, the Coosa River and theTallapoosa River flow together atWetumpka, Alabama, to form the Alabama River, and then the Cahaba River is atributary to that one farther to the west.Waxahatchee Creek, a major tributary of the Coosa River, forms the southeastern portion of the border between Shelby County and Chilton County.
Shelby 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, there were 223,024 people, 84,241 households, and 60,985 families residing in the county.[13] Thepopulation density was 283.9 inhabitants per square mile (109.6/km2) There were 89,060 housing units.
As of the2010 census, there were 195,085 people, 74,072 households, and 53,733 families living in the county. The population density was 249 people per square mile (96 people/km2). There were 80,970 housing units at an average density of 103 units per square mile (40 units/km2). Theracial makeup of the county was 83.0% White, 10.6% Black or African American, 0.3% Native American, 1.9% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 2.8% from other races, and 1.4% from two or more races. 5.9% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
The largest self-identified ancestry groups in Shelby County were
English – 15.8%
Irish – 13.9%
German – 11.1%
American – 11.0%
African American - 10.6%
Italian – 4.3%
Scots-Irish – 3.9%
Scottish – 3.7%
French (except Basque) – 2.7%
Polish – 1.5%
Dutch – 1.3%
Welsh – 0.8%
Swedish – 0.7%
Arab – 0.6%
Norwegian – 0.5%
Greek – 0.4%
Of the 74,072 households 34.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.7% were married couples living together, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.5% were non-families. 23.2% of households were one person and 6.2% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.08.
The age distribution was 25.6% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 29.2% from 25 to 44, 26.9% from 45 to 64, and 10.6% 65 or older. The median age was 36.9 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.0 males.
The median household income was $68,380 and the median family income was $81,406. Males had a median income of $57,405 versus $41,692 for females. The per capita income for the county was $33,978. About 5.4% of families and 7.4% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 10.3% of those under age 18 and 4.9% of those age 65 or over.
As of the2000 census, there were 143,293 people, 54,631 households, and 40,590 families living in the county. The population density was 180 people per square mile (69 people/km2). There were 59,302 housing units at an average density of 75 units per square mile (29 units/km2). Theracial makeup of the county was 89.80% White, 7.40% Black or African American, 0.33% Native American, 1.03% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.71% from other races, and 0.72% from two or more races. 2.03% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
The largest self-reported ancestry groups in Shelby County are:English (16.3%),Irish (13.3%),American (mostly English and Scots-Irish) (11.5%),German (11.0%),Italian (4.2%),Scots-Irish (4.2%) andScottish (3.9%).
Of the 54,631 households 36.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.60% were married couples living together, 8.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.70% were non-families. 21.70% of households were one person and 5.20% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 3.04.
The age distribution was 26.30% under the age of 18, 8.20% from 18 to 24, 33.70% from 25 to 44, 23.40% from 45 to 64, and 8.50% 65 or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.60 males.
The median household income was $55,440 and the median family income was $64,105. Males had a median income of $45,798 versus $31,242 for females. The per capita income for the county was $27,176. About 4.60% of families and 6.30% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 7.10% of those under age 18 and 8.20% of those age 65 or over.
Prior to the early 1980s, theDemocratic Party dominated Shelby County politics, although at a national level the county often supported Republicans even during the "Solid South" era – it was one of four counties in Alabama to vote forTheodore Roosevelt overWoodrow Wilson in 1912. The county has not supported a Democrat for president since 1960, but Democrats continued to hold most offices for some time. Between 1984 and 1992, the county saw a complete reversal from Democratic dominance toRepublicans in control of all but a couple of offices. It was not until the election of 2010, and specifically the results inAlabama House of Representatives District 42,[14] that Republicans held every partisan elected office with jurisdiction or residency (or both) in Shelby County.[15] (In Alabama, municipal officials are elected on a non-partisan basis.)
United States presidential election results for Shelby County, Alabama[16]
Shelby County Schools operates public schools in the county. Alabaster City Schools operates the six public schools in Alabaster. In 2014, Pelham began operating their own school system with three schools taken over from the Shelby County School System: Pelham High School, Riverchase Middle School, and Valley Elementary School. On May 5, 2015, ground was broken for the construction of Pelham Ridge Elementary School[17] which opened during the 2016–2017 school year. Also that year, Valley Elementary School closed and teachers relocated to Valley Intermediate School, renamed Pelham Oaks Elementary School (now serving kindergarten through fifth grade).
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