ST. CLAIR COUNTY
Because Ashville is geographically located in the center of St. Clair County, it was chosen as the county seat; however, early travel was difficult since the county was cut in half by Backbone Mountain, and in 1902 a branch county seat was established in Pell City.
St. Clair County, with a population of 64,742, is the sixth fastest growing county in the state and is Alabama's most populated county. It is located at the end of the Appalachian Mountain Range in northeast central Alabama and covers 646 square miles. St. Clair County has two excellent interstate systems, 1-59 and 1-20, and two railroads, the Norfolk and CSX.
The widely traveled U.S. 231 runs from north to south right through the middle of Ashville, the county seat and Pell City, the largest city in the county. Highway 411 runs east to west from Ashville to Leeds. St. Clair County lies almost entirely within the Tennessee section of the Valley and Ridge province. The eastern edge of the county is delineated by the Coosa River and the topography ranges from rolling to hilly in the southeastern part of the county, to valleys and ridges that trend northeastward in the central and northwestern part. The river has two dams, the H. Neely Henry Dam and the Logan Martin Dam, thus offering all kinds of water sports and recreation. St. Clair County is unequaled in natural beauty and in a county older than the state, you can expect to find a rich and interesting history.
St. Clair County has a well-diversified economy with a strong agricultural base with modern industries. The average annual rainfall is 48" inches.
DEMOGRAPHICS
As of the census² of 2000, there were 64,742 people, 24,143 households, and 18,445 families residing in the county. The population density was 102 people per square mile (39/km²). There were 27,303 housing units at an average density of 43 per square mile (17/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 90.03% White, 8.13% Black or African American, 0.37% Native American, 0.17% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.41% from other races, and 0.85% from two or more races. 1.06% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 24,143 households out of which 35.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.80% were married couples living together, 10.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.60% were non-families. 20.80% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.20% 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 3.01.
In the county the population was spread out with 25.40% under the age of 18, 7.90% from 18 to 24, 30.70% from 25 to 44, 24.30% from 45 to 64, and 11.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 101.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.80 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $37,285, and the median income for a family was $43,152. Males had a median income of $33,914 versus $24,433 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,960. About 9.60% of families and 12.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.20% of those under age 18 and 12.60% of those age 65 or over.
