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Alabama Counties
Alabama currently has sixty-seven counties. The oldest county, Washington, was created on June 4, 1800, when what is now Alabama was then part of the Mississippi Territory. The newest county is Houston, created on February 9, 1903.Chilton County, Alabama History
Chilton County Education, Geography, and History
Chilton County is a county of the state of Alabama. Based on the 2010 census, the
population was 43,643. Chilton County was
created on December 30, 1868 (Originally named Baker Co.,
Chilton Co. received its present name on December 17, 1874), from lands
taken from Autauga County, Bibb County, Perry County and Shelby County. The
county seat is Clanton. Chilton county
is named in honor of William Parish Chilton, Sr. (1810-1871), a lawyer who became Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court and later
represented Montgomery County in the Congress of the Confederate States of America.
Chilton County is included in the Birmingham-Hoover, AL Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Etymology - Origin of Chilton County Name
Originally named Baker County, Chilton County received its present name on December 17, 1874, in honor of Judge William Parish Chilton, chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court and a member of the provisional and regular Congress of the Confederacy.
Demographics:
County QuickFacts: CensusBureau Quick Facts
County History
Chilton County, Alabama
Chilton County is located in the central part of the state. The
county was formed by the Alabama legislature on December 30,1868 from lands taken from Autauga, Bibb, Perry, and Shelby counties. Chilton County encompasses 695 square miles. The Coosa River forms the eastern boundary of the county. Originally named Baker Co., Chilton Co. received its present name on December 17,
1874 in honor of Judge William Parish Chilton, chief justice of the AL Supreme Court and a member of the provisional and regular Congress of the Confederacy.
The original county seat was at Grantville. When the courthouse burned in 1870, the county seat was removed to Goose pond, a stop on the Louisville and Nashville Railroad. The town was renamed Clanton after Brig. Gen. James Holt Clanton. Other significant towns and communities are Jemison, Thorsby, Verbena, Maplesville, and Mountain Creek.
Geography: Land and Water
As reported by the Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 701 square miles (1,820 km2), of which 693 square miles (1,790 km2) is land and 7.9 square miles (20 km2) (1.1%) is water.
The Coosa River runs along the eastern edge of Chilton county, and its tributary, Waxahatchee Creek, crosses the area. In 1914 and 1922 Alabama Power built two dams on the Coosa River, creating Mitchell Lake and Lay Lake.
Chilton county is known for its peaches and its unique landscape. It is home to swamps, prairies and mountains due to the foothills of the
Appalachians which end in the county, the Coosa River basin, and its proximity to the Black Belt Prairie that was long a center of cotton
production.
Neighboring Counties
Bordering counties are as follows:
- North: Shelby County
- East: Coosa County
- Southeast: Elmore County
- South: Autauga County
- Southwest: Dallas County; Perry County
- Northwest: Bibb County
Education
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