Wilcox County, Alabama Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Wilcox County
U.S. county
Wilcox County Courthouse in Camden, Alabama
Location within the U.S. state of Alabama
Alabama's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Alabama
Founded	December 13, 1819
Named for	Joseph M. Wilcox
Seat	Camden
Largest city	Camden
Area
• Total	907 sq mi (2,350 km²)
• Land	888 sq mi (2,300 km²)
• Water	19 sq mi (50 km²) 2.1%
Population (2020)
• Total	10,600
• Estimate (2023)	9,944
• Density	11.69/sq mi (4.512/km²)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	7th
County Number 66 on Alabama Licence Plates

Wilcox County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama. As of the 2020 census, the population was 10,600. Its county seat is Camden.

History
Geography
- Major highways
- Adjacent counties
Demographics
- 2020 Census
- 2010 census
Religion
Education
Economy
Communities
Places of interest
Notable people
See also

History

Wilcox County was established on December 13, 1819. The county was named after Joseph M. Wilcox, a United States Army lieutenant who was killed in Alabama during the Creek War.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 907 square miles (2,350 km²), of which 888 square miles (2,300 km²) is land and 19 square miles (49 km²) (2.1%) is water.

Major highways

State Route 5
State Route 10
State Route 21
State Route 25
State Route 28
State Route 41
State Route 89
State Route 162
State Route 164
State Route 221
State Route 265

Adjacent counties

Dallas County (northeast)
Lowndes County (east-northeast)
Butler County (east-southeast)
Monroe County (south)
Clarke County (southwest)
Marengo County (northwest)

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1820	2,917	—
1830	9,548	227.3%
1840	15,278	60.0%
1850	17,352	13.6%
1860	24,618	41.9%
1870	28,377	15.3%
1880	31,828	12.2%
1890	30,816	−3.2%
1900	35,631	15.6%
1910	33,810	−5.1%
1920	31,080	−8.1%
1930	24,880	−19.9%
1940	26,279	5.6%
1950	23,476	−10.7%
1960	18,739	−20.2%
1970	16,303	−13.0%
1980	14,755	−9.5%
1990	13,568	−8.0%
2000	13,183	−2.8%
2010	11,670	−11.5%
2020	10,600	−9.2%
2023 (est.)	9,944	−14.8%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790–1960 1900–1990 1990–2000 2010–2020

2020 Census

**Wilcox 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.*
Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)	Pop 2000	Pop 2010	Pop 2020	% 2000	% 2010	% 2020
White alone (NH)	3,611	3,110	2,866	27.39%	26.65%	27.04%
Black or African American alone (NH)	9,423	8,420	7,425	71.48%	72.15%	70.05%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	19	14	11	0.14%	0.12%	0.10%
Asian alone (NH)	8	4	7	0.06%	0.03%	0.07%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	2	1	5	0.02%	0.01%	0.05%
Some Other Race alone (NH)	0	2	16	0.00%	0.02%	0.15%
Mixed Race or Multi-Racial (NH)	23	47	158	0.17%	0.40%	1.49%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	97	72	112	0.74%	0.62%	1.06%
Total	13,183	11,670	10,600	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 10,600 people, 3,854 households, and 2,284 families residing in the county.

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 11,670 people living in the county. 72.5% were Black or African American, 26.8% White, 0.1% Native American, 0.1% of some other race and 0.4% of two or more races. 0.6% were Hispanic or Latino (of any race).

Religion

According to the Association of Religion Data Archives at Pennsylvania State University, religious affiliation in Wilcox County in 2010 was as follows:

African Methodist Episcopal Church (2443 adherents)
Southern Baptist Convention (2177)
Nondenominational Protestant (477)
The United Methodist Church (463)
Pentecostalism (320)
Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (262)
Christian Methodist Episcopal Church (251)
Churches of Christ (206)

Education

All public schools in the county are operated by the Wilcox County School District and include Camden School of Arts and Technology and Wilcox Central Academy. The community is also served by one private school, Wilcox Academy, founded in 1970 as a segregation academy. The public schools are effectively all-Black.

Economy

Major industries in the county include a paper mill operated by International Paper, based in Memphis, Tennessee, on the Alabama River near Pine Hill that employs roughly 400 people, and a copper tubing plant owned by Golden Dragon Copper Group of Xinxiang, China in Sunny South that opened in 2014; it employs approximately 300.

Communities

City

Camden (county seat)

Towns

Census-designated places

Unincorporated communities

Ghost towns

Places of interest

Wilcox County is home to Roland Cooper State Park, Lake Dannelly, and Bridgeport Beach.

Notable people

William Q. Atwood, former slave who became a lumber baron based in Saginaw, Michigan
Judy L. Bonner, 28th President of The University of Alabama
Fred Cone, former running back in the NFL for the Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys
James Crawford (basketball), former professional basketball player who played in the Australian National Basketball League
Laurance L. Cross, Presbyterian minister and Mayor of Berkeley, California
Marie Foster, leader in the U.S. Civil Rights Movement
Kenneth R. Giddens, Broadcaster and Voice of America executive
John Cooper Godbold, United States Circuit Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit and the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
Kay Ivey, 54th governor of Alabama
Philemon T. Herbert, former U.S. Representative from California
Bill Lee (musician), American musician
Noah Purifoy, visual artist and sculptor
Benjamin M. Miller, 39th governor of Alabama
Lucy Mingo, American quilt maker and member of the Gee's Bend Collective
Estella Payton, co-star on the Woman's World cooking show that aired on WKRG-TV in Mobile, Alabama
Joseph Smitherman, mayor of Selma, Alabama
William J. Vaughn, American university professor, school principal, librarian and book collector
Rosa Young, Lutheran educator from Rosebud

Wilcox County, Alabama facts for kids

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