Tallapoosa County

Location of Tallapoosa County

Tallapoosa County is a 701 square-mile county in the Piedmont region of in eastern central Alabama. As of the 2020 census, the estimated population was 41,311. The county seat is Dadeville, though the largest city is Alexander City.

The Battle of Horseshoe Bend, fought on March 27, 1814 at a bend in the Tallapoosa River forced a major cession of land in the Treaty of Fort Jackson and boosted the career of Andrew Jackson. During Jackson's presidency, the Indian Removal Act of 1830 laid out the intention of the United States to claim all remaining lands east of the Mississippi River.

Tallapoosa county was created on December 18, 1832 from land ceded by the Creeks in the Treaty of Cusseta. It was named for the river. A seat of government was established in Okfuskee and the newly-opened lands were the focus of a regional gold rush in 1836 and 1837. Dadeville became the county seat in 1838 and erected a two-story brick courthouse building in 1839. The present Tallapoosa County Courthouse was built on the same site in 1961.

Tallasee Falls was site of one of the first textile mills in the state, built in the 1840s. After the Civil War a portion of southwestern Tallapoosa County was ceded to the newly-created Elmore County in 1866. Universalist minister Lyman Ward founded his Southern Industrial Institute boarding school at Camp Hill in 1898.

In the 20th century, Alexander City Cotton Mills and the Russell Corporation established themselves as significant industries. The 44,000-acre Lake Martin was impounded by the Alabama Power Company in 1926 providing a source of electrical power as well as a recreational destination. Russell Lands has developed several luxury communities and clubs on their properties around the lake. Wind Creek State Park and Children's Harbor are also located on it.

No interstate highways traverse Tallapoosa County. U.S. Highway 280 is the major road running across the county and connecting Alexander City, Dadeville and Camp Hill.

The Tallapoosa County Board of Education operates six public schools, including Dadeville High School, Reeltown High School, the K-12 Horseshoe Bend School, and the Edward Bell Career Tech Center in Camp Hill. Alexander City and Tallassee operate their own school systems. Central Alabama Community College operates in Alexander City.

Demographics

As of the census of 2020, there were 41,311 residents of Tallapoosa County, of which 68.$% where white and 25.1% were Black or African American. 2.8% of residents were mixed race and 2.8% were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Historical population

Year	Pop.	Change
1840	6,444	-
1850	15,584	141.8%
1860	23,827	52.9%
1870	16,963	-28.8%
1880	23,401	38.0%
1890	25,460	8.8%
1900	29,675	16.6%
1910	31,034	4.6%
1920	29,744	-4.2%
1930	31,188	4.9%
1940	35,270	13.1%
1950	35,074	-0.6%
1960	35,007	-0.2%
1970	33,840	-3.3%
1980	38,766	14.6%
1990	38,826	0.2%
2000	41,475	6.8%
2010	41,616	0.3%
2020	41,311	-0.7%

Cities and towns

• Alexander City
• Camp Hill
• Dadeville (county seat)
• Daviston
• Goldville
• Jackson's Gap
• New Site
• Tallassee (partly in Elmore County)

Census-designated places and unincorporated communities

• Andrew Jackson
• Bulgers
• Cherokee Bluffs
• Church Hill
• Dudleyville
• Fosheeton
• Frog Eye
• Hackneyville
• Our Town
• Reeltown

References

• The Heritage of Tallapoosa County, Alabama. (2000) Heritage Publishing Consultants
• Siebenthaler, Donna J. (August 20, 2024) "[ Tallapoosa County]". Encyclopedia of Alabama - accessed February 9, 2025
• "Tallapoosa County, Alabama" (February 9, 2025) Wikipedia - accessed February 9, 2025

External links

• Tallapoosa County website
• "Tallapoosa County" map by the University of Alabama Department of Geography
• Tallapoosa County at USGenWeb Archives Project