Bibb County, Alabama Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Bibb County
U.S. county
Bibb County Courthouse and Confederate monument in Centreville
Location within the U.S. state of Alabama
Alabama's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Alabama
Founded	February 7, 1818
Named for	William W. Bibb
Seat	Centreville
Largest city	Brent
Area
• Total	626 sq mi (1,620 km²)
• Land	623 sq mi (1,610 km²)
• Water	3.6 sq mi (9 km²) 0.6%
Population (2020)
• Total	22,293
• Estimate (2023)	21,868
• Density	35.612/sq mi (13.750/km²)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	6th
County Number 07 on Alabama License Plates

Bibb County is a county in the central portion of the U.S. state of Alabama. The county is included in the ARC's definition of Appalachia. As of the 24th decennial 2020 census, its population was 22,293. The county seat is Centreville. The county is named in honor of William W. Bibb (1781–1820), the Governor of Alabama Territory (1817–1819) and the first Governor of Alabama (1819–1820, when he died). He is also the namesake for Bibb County, Georgia, where he began his political career. It is a "prohibition" or dry county; however, a few towns have become "wet" by allowing the sale of alcoholic beverages: Woodstock (December 2017), West Blocton (August 2012), Centreville (June 2010), and Brent (May 2010). The Bibb County Courthouse is located in the county seat of Centreville.

History

Cahawba County was established ("erected") on February 7, 1818, named for the Cahawba River, (now more commonly spelled as Cahaba River). This name came from the Choctaw language word meaning "water above." On December 4, 1820, it was renamed as Bibb County.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 626 square miles (1,620 km²), of which 623 square miles (1,610 km²) is land and 3.6 square miles (9.3 km²) (0.6%) is water.

Adjacent counties

Jefferson County - north
Shelby County - northeast
Chilton County - southeast
Perry County - southwest
Hale County - southwest
Tuscaloosa County - northwest

National protected areas

Cahaba River National Wildlife Refuge
Talladega National Forest (part)

Endemic species

Several species of plants are endemic to Bibb County, Alabama; that is, they grow in this county and nowhere else in the world.

Xyris spathifolia
Dalea cahaba
Spigelia alabamensis
Lithospermum decipiens
Solanum pumilum
Castilleja kraliana
Erigeron dolomiticola
Liatris oligocephala
Silphium glutinosum

Transportation

Major highways

U.S. Highway 11
U.S. Highway 82
State Route 5
State Route 25
State Route 58
State Route 139
State Route 209
State Route 219

Rail

Norfolk Southern Railway

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1820	3,676	—
1830	6,306	71.5%
1840	8,284	31.4%
1850	9,969	20.3%
1860	11,894	19.3%
1870	7,469	−37.2%
1880	9,487	27.0%
1890	13,824	45.7%
1900	18,498	33.8%
1910	22,791	23.2%
1920	23,144	1.5%
1930	20,780	−10.2%
1940	20,155	−3.0%
1950	17,987	−10.8%
1960	14,357	−20.2%
1970	13,812	−3.8%
1980	15,723	13.8%
1990	16,576	5.4%
2000	20,826	25.6%
2010	22,915	10.0%
2020	22,293	−2.7%
2023 (est.)	21,868	−4.6%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790–1960 1900–1990 1990–2000 2010–2020

2020 census

Bibb County racial composition
Race	Num.	Perc.
White (non-Hispanic)	16,442	73.75%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)	4,390	19.69%
Native American	39	0.17%
Asian	26	0.12%
Pacific Islander	9	0.04%
Other/Mixed	647	2.9%
Hispanic or Latino	740	3.32%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 22,293 people, 6,891 households, and 4,789 families residing in the county.

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 22,915 people, 7,953 households, and 5,748 families residing in the county. The population density was 37 people per square mile (14/km²). There were 8,981 housing units at an average density of 14.3 per square mile (5.5/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 75.8% White, 22.0% Black or African American, 0.3% Native American, 0.1% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.8% from other races, and 0.9% from two or more races. 1.8% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 7,953 households, out of which 29.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.5% were married couples living together, 14.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.7% were non-families. 24.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.09.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 22.7% under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 28.9% from 25 to 44, 26.7% from 45 to 64, and 12.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37.8 years. For every 100 females, there were 115.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 127.5 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $41,770, and the median income for a family was $51,956. Males had a median income of $40,219 versus $28,085 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,918. About 9.4% of families and 12.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.4% of those under age 18 and 11.3% of those age 65 or over.

Rural flight

From 1920 to 1970, the population of the rural county declined considerably. Many African Americans joined the Great Migration to northern and western cities, to escape the violence and racial oppression of Jim Crow.

Education

Bibb County contains one public school district. There are approximately 3,100 students in public K-12 schools in Bibb County.

Districts

School districts include:

Bibb County School District

Communities

Cities

Brent
Centreville (county seat)

Towns

Vance (part - Part lies in Tuscaloosa County)
West Blocton
Woodstock (Part lies in Tuscaloosa County)

Unincorporated communities

Ghost towns

Cadle

Places of interest

Bibb County is home to the Talladega National Forest supervised by the United States Forestry Service (of the U.S. Department of Agriculture), and a section of the Cahaba River which draws visitors to view the unique "Cahaba Lily" (known by its scientific Latinized name Hymenocallis coronaria).

Bibb County, Alabama facts for kids

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