Choctaw County was originally part of theChoctaw Nation, with Choctaw settlements known to be in the vicinity ofPushmataha prior to the removal of Native Americans from the southeastern United States during theTrail of Tears.[4]
Most of the early European American pioneers of Choctaw County were farmers fromNorth andSouth Carolina. In 1912 theAlabama, Tennessee and Northern Railroad was completed through the county from north to south, connecting the area to thePort of Mobile and northern Alabama. It induced a population shift from areas near theTombigbee River to the central part of the county.[5]
The county's population reached its peak in the 1920s, due in part from jobs created by asawmill boom with companies as the E. E. Jackson Lumber Company and Choctaw Lumber Company. The sawmill industry collapsed during theGreat Depression. The first successful oil well in Alabama was drilled atGilbertown in 1944, withoil andgas becoming the county's most important industry. This industry waned by the 1970s as the wells lost profitability.[5]
AnAfrican-American family, the Thorntons ofMobile, was featured in the September 24, 1956, issue ofLife. The article included an interview with the Thorntons' daughter, Allie Lee Causey, of Shady Grove in Choctaw County. In the article, Mrs. Causey, a schoolteacher, spoke openly about her family's life, stating that "integration is the only way in which Negroes will receive justice. We cannot get it as a separate people. If we can get justice on our jobs, and equal pay, then we'll be able to afford better homes and good education."[6] When the magazine was seen in Choctaw County, the Causeys were subjected to brutal economic retaliation by white residents, who tried to coerce Mrs. Causey into recanting her remarks. Their loans were called in, local stores refused to sell them food and gasoline, Willie Causey was cut off from his employment as a woodcutter, and Mrs. Causey was fired from her job as a teacher. The Causeys left Shady Grove and Alabama for good in October 1956.[7]
Apparel factories opened during the 1950s–60s in Silas, Toxey, and Butler, although the plants had largely closed by the 21st century. The 1950s also saw the building apaper mill atNaheola, now owned and operated byGeorgia-Pacific.[5][8] The county was declared a disaster area in September 1979, due to damage fromHurricane Frederic. The 1980s saw the main railroad close and the tracks removed.[5]
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 921 square miles (2,390 km2), of which 914 square miles (2,370 km2) is land and 7.4 square miles (19 km2) (0.8%) is water.[12]
Choctaw 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 12,665. The median age was 47.6 years. 19.7% of residents were under the age of 18 and 22.9% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 93.3 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 89.5 males age 18 and over.[21][22]
0.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.[23]
There were 5,675 households in the county, of which 24.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 33.8% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 35.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[21]
There were 7,104 housing units, of which 20.1% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 81.2% were owner-occupied and 18.8% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.2% and the rental vacancy rate was 10.4%.[21]
As of thecensus[24] of 2000, there were 15,922 people, 6,363 households, and 4,574 families living in the county. Thepopulation density was 17 people per square mile (6.6 people/km2). There were 7,839 housing units at an average density of 9 units per square mile (3.5 units/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 55.14%White, 44.13%Black orAfrican American, 0.16%Native American, 0.04%Asian, 0.11% fromother races, and 0.42% from two or more races. 0.67% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race.
There were 6,363 households, out of which 32.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.00% weremarried couples living together, 16.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.10% were non-families. 26.50% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 2.99.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 26.10% under the age of 18, 7.90% from 18 to 24, 26.20% from 25 to 44, 25.20% from 45 to 64, and 14.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 88.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.40 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $24,749, and the median income for a family was $31,870. Males had a median income of $32,316 versus $18,760 for females. Theper capita income for the county was $14,635. About 20.70% of families and 24.50% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 34.80% of those under age 18 and 26.10% of those age 65 or over.
Choctaw County leans Republican at the presidential level. The last Democrat to win the county in a presidential election isAl Gore, who won it by a slim majority in2000.
United States presidential election results for Choctaw County, Alabama[27]
