Clay County, Alabama

Clay County
County
Clay County Courthouse in Ashland
Location within the U.S. state of Alabama
Alabama's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 33°16′20″N 85°51′40″W
Country	United States
State	Alabama
Founded	December 7, 1866
Named for	Henry Clay
Seat	Ashland
Largest city	Lineville
Area
• Total	606 sq mi (1,570 km2)
• Land	604 sq mi (1,560 km2)
• Water	2.0 sq mi (5 km2)  0.3%
Population  (2020)
• Total	14,236
• Density	23/sq mi (9.1/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Website	alabamaclaycounty.com

Clay County is a county of the US state of Alabama. As of 2020 the population was 14,236. Its county seat is Ashland. It is a prohibition or dry county, which means alcoholic drinks cannot be sold, except in the cities of Ashland and Lineville.

History

Clay County was formed on December 7, 1866 from land taken from Randolph and Talladega County. Its name is in honor of Henry Clay, famous American statesman, member of the United States Senate from Kentucky and United States Secretary of State. Clay County is one of only three counties in Alabama to have no U.S. Highways in its boundaries.

During the Desert Shield/Storm conflict, Clay County had more soldiers serving per capita than any other county in the United States.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 606 square miles (1,570 km²), of which 604 square miles (1,560 km²) is land and 2.0 square miles (5.2 km²) (0.3%) is water.

Major highways

• State Route 9
• State Route 48
• State Route 49
• State Route 77

Rail

• CSX Transportation
• Norfolk Southern Railway

Border counties

• Cleburne County, Alabama – north
• Randolph County, Alabama – east
• Tallapoosa County, Alabama – south
• Coosa County, Alabama – southwest
• Talladega County, Alabama – west

National protected area

• Talladega National Forest (part)

Cities and towns

• Ashland
• Lineville

Notable natives

• Hugo Black (1886–1971), born in Harlan, served as an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court from 1937 until 1971
• LaFayette L. Patterson (1888–1987), born near Delta, served three terms in the U.S. Congress from 1928 to 1933
• Byron Lavoy Cockrell (1935–2007), born in Lineville, rocket scientist and engineer
• Bob Riley (b. 1944), Alabama's 52nd governor, native of Ashland

Places of interest

Clay County is home to parts of Cheaha State Park in the Talladega National Forest and Lake Wedowee on the eastern boundary. The Pinhoti Trail system Archived 2009-04-09 at the Wayback Machine weaves its way through the Talladega National Forest to Mt. Cheaha, the highest point in Alabama. Hikers along the trail may see some of the local wildlife, including whitetail deer, wild turkey, and the rare bald eagle.