Jefferson County, Alabama

Jefferson County is a in the  of Alabama.

The county was named after, the third. The county has the largest population of all other counties in Alabama. As of the, 662,047 people lived there. The largest city in Jefferson County is Birmingham, Alabama.

Jefferson County is included in the Birmingham-Hoover, AL.

In 2011 Jefferson County was $4 billion in debt and declared bankruptcy. This was the second-largest Chapter 9 (municipal) bankruptcy in the United States, after that of Detroit, Michigan in 2013. Jefferson County emerged from bankruptcy in December 2013, following the approval of a bankruptcy plan by the United States bankruptcy court for the Northern District of Alabama.

History
Jefferson County was created by the Alabama legislature on December 13, 1819, 42 year before the, It was named in honor of Thomas Jefferson. The county is located in the north-central portion of the state, on the southernmost edge of the Appalachian Mountains, in the center of the (former), , and  belt of the.

Jefferson County has a land area of about 1,119 sqmi. Because of shifts in population, early county seats were established first at Carrollsville (1819 – 21), then Elyton (1821 – 73).

Birmingham was founded about 1871 and in 1873 gained designation as the county seat. It was named for the English city of the same name in. That city had long been a center of iron and steel production in. Birmingham was established by the merger of three towns, including Elyton. It has continued to grow by neighboring  and, including North Birmingham.

As Birmingham industrialized, its growth accelerated, particularly after 1890. It attracted numerous migrants, both black and white, from rural areas for its new jobs. It also attracted European immigrants. Despite the city's rapid growth, for decades it was underrepresented in the legislature and could not get its urban needs addressed, as rural counties hung on to their power in the legislature.

Racial tensions increased in the late 19th century as whites worked to maintain white supremacy. The white, -dominated legislature passed a new constitution in 1901 that disfranchised most blacks and many poor whites, excluding them totally from the political system. Economic competition also raised tensions.

Even after 1950, racial violence of whites against blacks continued, especially as civil rights activities increased in Birmingham. In the 1950s KKK chapters bombed black houses to discourage residents moving into new areas. In that period, the city was referred to as "Bombingham." The city finally agreed in 1963 to integrate public facilities and hire more African Americans, following a non-violent campaign based at the 16th Street Baptist Church and an economic boycott of white stores that refused to hire blacks. Whites struck again: on a Sunday in September 1963, KKK members bombed the, killing four young black girls and injuring many individuals. The African-American community quickly rebuilt the damaged church.

Bankruptcy
Jefferson County was spending more than its total revenue, so it sold to finance its operating. Normally, governments sell bonds to borrow money to build. But Jefferson County borrowed money to put off tax increases or service reductions. Jefferson County worked with banks (such as ) to sell the bonds and to make interest rate swaps on its debt. These financial deals happened in 2002 and 2003 while the economy was healthy. People who purchase bonds want to know the source of the money to pay back the bonds. So, Jefferson County used its sewer system fees to back its bonds. The county sold $3.14 billion in sewer bonds. It also paid the banks millions of dollars of fees for their help in selling the bonds and setting up the county's debt.

By 2011, Jefferson County could no longer borrow additional money and its total s fell because of the bad economy. So, the county went to Wall Street and asked them to forgive $1 billion of the debt. After months of talking, the county and the banks were $130 million apart from a final agreement. The banks wanted the county to raise sewer rates to cover the missing money. The county wanted the banks to forgive more debt.

On November 9, 2011, the county gave up and filed for bankruptcy. Jefferson County became the subject of the most expensive bankruptcy ever in the United States, at $4.1 billion, with debts of $3.14 billion relating to sewer work. This means that a court will unravel what the county owes. Under bankruptcy, people who loaned money to the county will not get all of their money back.

Geography
According to the, the county has a total area of 1,124 sqmi, of which 1,111 sqmi is land and 13 sqmi (1.1%) is water. It is the fifth-largest county in Alabama by land area. The county is home to the Watercress Darter National Wildlife Refuge.

Adjacent counties

 * Tuscaloosa County (west)
 * Bibb County (southwest)
 * Shelby County (south)
 * Walker County (north)
 * Blount County (north)
 * St. Clair County (northeast)

2010 census
According to the, residents of Birmingham identified as the following:


 * 53.0%
 * 42.0%
 * 0.3%
 * 1.4%
 * 0.0% or
 * 1.1%
 * 3.9% (of any race)

2000 census
As of the of 2000, there were 662,047 people, 263,265 households, and 175,861 families residing in the county. The was 595 people per square mile (230/km2). There were 288,162 housing units at an average density of 259 per square mile (100/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 58.10% White, 39.36% Black or African American, 0.21% Native American, 0.90% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.59% from other races, and 0.80% from two or more races. About 1.55% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

The largest self-reported European ancestries in Jefferson County, Alabama are 9.7%(64,016), "" 9.6%(63,015),  8.6%(56,695),  7.2%(47,690). Those citing "American" ancestry   in Alabama are of overwhelmingly English extraction; however, most English Americans identify simply as having American ancestry because their families have been in North America for so long, in many cases since the 17th century. Demographers estimate that roughly 20–23% of people in Alabama are of predominantly English and related British Isles ancestry. There are also many more people in Alabama of origins than are self-reported.

There were 263,265 households, out of which 30.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.10% were living together, 17.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.20% were non-families. Nearly 28.70% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45, and the average family size was 3.04.

In the county, the population was spread out with 24.80% under the age of 18, 9.60% from 18 to 24, 29.70% from 25 to 44, 22.30% from 45 to 64, and 13.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.50 males.

In 2007 Jefferson County had the highest rate of syphilis cases per 100,000 in the US, according to data from the ."Jefferson County tops country for number of syphilis cases", Birmingham Business Journal, November 15, 2007.

The median income for a household in the county was $36,868, and the median income for a family was $45,951. Males had a median income of $35,954 versus $26,631 for females. The for the county was $20,892. About 11.60% of families and 14.80% of the population were below the, including 20.20% of those under age 18 and 12.70% of those age 65 or over.

Railroads
passenger service is provided by the Crescent, which stops in Birmingham. Freight service is provided by, CSX Transportation, Norfolk Southern Railway, Alabama & Tennessee River Railway, and Birmingham Terminal Railway (formerly Birmingham Southern Railroad). There is also one switching and terminal railroad, Alabama Warrior Railway.

Air travel
Birmingham is the location of the Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport, which provides service, either direct or connecting, to most of the rest of the United States.

Cities

 * Adamsville
 * Bessemer
 * Birmingham (county seat; partly in Shelby County)
 * Brighton
 * Center Point
 * Clay
 * Fairfield
 * Fultondale
 * Gardendale
 * Graysville
 * Helena (partly in Shelby County)
 * Homewood
 * Hoover (partly in Shelby County)
 * Hueytown
 * Irondale
 * Kimberly
 * Leeds (partly in Shelby County and St. Clair County)
 * Lipscomb
 * Mountain Brook
 * Pinson
 * Pleasant Grove
 * Sumiton (partly in Walker County)
 * Tarrant
 * Trussville (partly in St. Clair County)
 * Vestavia Hills (partly in Shelby County)
 * Warrior (partly in Blount County)

Towns

 * Argo (partly in St. Clair County)
 * Brookside
 * Cardiff
 * County Line (partly in Blount County)
 * Maytown
 * Midfield
 * Morris
 * Mulga
 * North Johns
 * Sylvan Springs
 * Trafford
 * West Jefferson

Census-designated places

 * Chalkville (former; annexed by city of Clay)
 * Concord
 * Edgewater
 * Forestdale
 * Grayson Valley
 * McCalla
 * McDonald Chapel
 * Minor
 * Mount Olive
 * Rock Creek

Unincorporated communities

 * Adger
 * Alton
 * Bayview
 * Bagley
 * Bradford
 * Coalburg
 * Corner
 * Crumley Chapel
 * Docena
 * Dolomite
 * Flat Top
 * Hopewell
 * Kimbrell
 * New Castle
 * Palmerdale (Neighborhood of Pinson, Alabama)
 * Robbins Crossroads
 * Sayre
 * Shannon
 * Watson

Former towns

 * Acipcoville, (former community, now a neighborhood in Birmingham)
 * Elyton (former Jefferson County Seat, now a neighborhood in Birmingham)
 * Ensley (former town, now a neighborhood in Birmingham)
 * North Birmingham, (former city, now a neighborhood in Birmingham)
 * Woodlawn, (former city, now a neighborhood in Birmingham)