Jackson is located in southwest Alabama in Clarke County, on the Tombigbee River. It has a mayor-council form of government and is the largest city in Clarke County.
History


The first school, an agricultural school, opened in the 1890s, as did the first school for African Americans. The agricultural school developed into the town's first "graded" school in 1909. A telephone system was installed in the early 1900s; it was bought by Southern Bell Telephone and Telegraph in 1906. The town began supplying water to multiple homes in the 1920s through wells dug by the city; today, its water supply comes from the Tombigbee River. A power-generating plant was built in 1917; Gulf Electric bought a later incarnation of the plant in 1927, and it then became a part of Alabama Power. Jackson's volunteer fire department also was established in 1927.
A new high school for African Americans was constructed in 1934, and one for whites in 1935. After integration of the schools in the 1960s, the African American high school became the middle school. The current high school, Jackson High, was built in 1982.
Jackson was the site of a World War II prisoner of war camp, which was built in 1943 and began housing Axis prisoners that same year. At its peak, it held about 200 prisoners. The camp was dismantled after the war ended in 1945; all that remains of it today are a few concrete slabs on which some of the camp buildings were constructed.
Demographics
According to 2016 Census estimates, Jackson recorded a population of 5,002. Of that number, 52.8 percent identified themselves as white and 47.2 percent as African American. The city's median household income was $31,096, and per capita income was $20,991.
Employment
According to 2016 Census estimates, the workforce in present-day Jackson was divided among the following occupational categories:
· Manufacturing (23.4 percent)
· Educational services, and health care and social assistance (17.8 percent)
· Retail trade (16.0 percent)
· Arts, entertainment, recreation, and accommodation and food services (9.0 percent)
· Finance, insurance, and real estate, rental, and leasing (5.8 percent)
· Construction (5.2 percent)
· Information (5.1 percent)
· Professional, scientific, management, and administrative and waste management services (5.1 percent)
· Public administration (5.1 percent)
· Transportation and warehousing and utilities (3.8 percent)
· Other services, except public administration (2.9 percent)
· Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and extractive (0.5 percent)
· Wholesale trade (0.2 percent)
· Educational services, and health care and social assistance (17.8 percent)
· Retail trade (16.0 percent)
· Arts, entertainment, recreation, and accommodation and food services (9.0 percent)
· Finance, insurance, and real estate, rental, and leasing (5.8 percent)
· Construction (5.2 percent)
· Information (5.1 percent)
· Professional, scientific, management, and administrative and waste management services (5.1 percent)
· Public administration (5.1 percent)
· Transportation and warehousing and utilities (3.8 percent)
· Other services, except public administration (2.9 percent)
· Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and extractive (0.5 percent)
· Wholesale trade (0.2 percent)
Education
Schools in Jackson are part of the Clarke County School District; the city has approximately 1,964 students and 123 teachers in elementary, intermediate, middle, and high schools.
Transportation
Jackson is intersected by State Highway 177, which loops through the city before rejoining U.S. Highway 43 (north-south). Jackson Municipal Airport is located south of the city and has one runway, serving general aviation.
Events and Places of Interest

The Clarke Mills building in Jackson is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Kimbell House, an event center operated by the city, was originally built by Isham Kimbell, sole member of his family to survive a massacre related to the Creek War of 1813-14.
Parks in Jackson include the H. W. Pearce Jr. Memorial Park, which features a nine-hole golf course, a swimming pool, basketball and volleyball courts, picnic grounds, play areas, and a community center. The city also has a second municipal pool and a recreation center. The 5,500-acre Fred T. Stimpson Wildlife Sanctuary is located 12 miles south of the city, and the Upper State Game Sanctuary is five miles to the north.
Additional Resources
Clarke County Historical Society. Historical Sketches of Clarke County: A Story of the Communities of Clarke County, Alabama. Huntsville, Ala.: Strode Publishers, 1977.
Additional Resources
Clarke County Historical Society. Historical Sketches of Clarke County: A Story of the Communities of Clarke County, Alabama. Huntsville, Ala.: Strode Publishers, 1977.
The Heritage of Clarke County, Alabama. Clanton, Ala.: Heritage Publishing Consultants, 2001.