Fayette County


Located in northwestern Alabama, Fayette County is home to large portions of the Sipsey River, one of the longest free-flowing swamp and stream systems in the state. The county is governed by an elected six-member commission and includes four incorporated communities.

· Founding Date: December 20, 1824
· Area: 630 square miles
· Population: 18,005 (2006 Census Bureau estimate)
· Major Waterways: Sipsey River
· Major Highways: U.S. 43
· County Seat: Fayette
· Largest City: Fayette

History 

Marquis de Lafayette (1757-1834) was a French military Marquis de LafayetteFayette County was created by an act of the Alabama State Legislature on December 20, 1824, from portions of Tuscaloosa and Marion counties. The county was named for French general and supporter of the American Revolution Marquis de Lafayette, who was touring Alabama at the time of the county's formation. The first settlement around what is now the county seat, Fayette, was originally called LaFayette; on January 15, 1821, the town was incorporated and renamed Fayette Court House. The present courthouse was built in 1911. In 1912, the Church of Christ opened the coeducational Alabama Christian College in the town of Berry in the eastern portion of the county.

Major Cities and Demographics 

According to U.S. Census Bureau estimates the 2006 population of Fayette county was 18,005, with 87.4 percent White, 11.8 percent African-American, and less than 1 percent Hispanic. In 2004 the median household income was $30,595, compared with $36,131 for the state as a whole. The per capita income was $14,439 in 1999, compared with $18,189 for the state as a whole. The county seat, Fayette, had an estimated population of 4,719 in 2006. Other population centers in the county include Berry (1,215), Glen Allen (433), and Belk (209).

Economy 

During the nineteenth century, the economy of Fayette County was centered around farming, with cotton and corn being the primary cash crops. The Richmond and Danville Extension Company completed a line of the Georgia Pacific Railroad through Fayette County in 1887. The line extended from Atlanta, Georgia, to Greenville, Mississippi, and was later taken over by Southern Railway Company. Current agricultural crops include cotton, soybeans, and corn. Clothing, latex gloves, truckbeds, hardwood flooring, and manufactured homes and lumber are major industries in the county. The county's largest employers are Georgia Pacific, Fayette Glove Company, Fayette Manufacturing, and Ox Bodies.

The city of Fayette is the seat of Fayette County CourthouseThe workforce in present day Fayette County is made up of the following occupations: 30.4 percent production transportation, and material moving; 20.8 percent sales and office; 20.7 percent management and professional; 14.2 percent construction, extraction, and maintenance; 11.4 percent service industry; and 2.5 percent fishing and agriculture. The Fayette County School System currently employs 172 teachers who serve more than 2,600 students in six schools.

Geography 

Fayette County is 43rd in size among Alabama Fayette County MapComprising approximately 630 square miles, Fayette County lies in the northwestern area of the state, with the western section located in the East Gulf Coast physiographic section and the east in the Cumberland Plateau. It is bounded to the east by Walker County, to the south by Tuscaloosa and Pickens counties, to the west by Lamar County, and to the north by Marion County.

The Sipsey River, a tributary of the Tombigbee River flows through the center of the county, while the North River, a tributary of the Upper Black Warrior River, flows through the eastern half. Luxapalila Creek, a tributary of the Upper Tombigbee River, flows south to north through the western half of the county. U.S. 43 runs south to north through the north-central and eastern portions of the county.

Events and Places of Interest 

The Fayette Art Museum in Fayette County displays Fayette Art MuseumThe Sipsey River, which flows through the entirety of central Fayette County, is one of the last free-flowing swamp streams in Alabama. One of the largest bottomland wetlands, the river is highly prized among canoers for its scenery. The river also offers sport fishing including catfish, crappie, pickerel, bream, and largemouth and spotted bass. The area also offers waterfowl and deer hunting. The Fayette Art Museum features folk art by local artists including outsider artist Jimmy Lee Sudduth, whose works hang in the Smithsonian.

Additional Resources  

Heritage of Fayette County, Alabama. Clanton, Ala.: Heritage Publishing Consultants, Inc., 1999.

Patricia Hoskins Morton
Auburn University


Published August 30, 2007
Last updated December 10, 2009