DeKalb County, Alabama

DeKalb County
County
DeKalb County courthouse in Fort Payne
Location within the U.S. state of Alabama
Alabama's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 34°27′26″N 85°48′24″W
Country	United States
State	Alabama
Founded	January 9, 1836
Named for	Johan DeKalb
Seat	Fort Payne
Largest city	Fort Payne
Area
• Total	779 sq mi (2,020 km2)
• Land	777 sq mi (2,010 km2)
• Water	1.6 sq mi (4 km2)  0.2%
Population  (2020)
• Total	71,608
• Density	92/sq mi (35/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Website	www.dekalbcountyal.us

DeKalb County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama. As of 2020, 71,608 people lived there. Its county seat is Fort Payne.

History

DeKalb County was formed on January 9, 1836. It was named for Major General Baron Johann de Kalb, a hero of the American Revolution.

DeKalb County was the one time home of the famous Cherokee Sequoyah.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 779 square miles (2,020 km²), of which 777 square miles (2,010 km²) is land and 1.6 square miles (4.1 km²) (0.2%) is water.

Major highways

• Interstate 59
• U.S. Highway 11
• State Route 35
• State Route 68
• State Route 75

Rail

• Norfolk Southern Railway

Border counties

• Jackson County, Alabama - north
• Dade County, Georgia - northeast
• Walker County, Georgia - east
• Chattooga County, Georgia - east
• Cherokee County, Alabama - southeast
• Etowah County, Alabama - south
• Marshall County, Alabama - west

National protected area

• Little River Canyon National Preserve (part)

Cities and towns

• Collinsville (part - part of Collinsville is in Cherokee County)
• Crossville
• Dawson
• Dogtown
• Fort Payne
• Fyffe
• Geraldine
• Hammondville
• Henagar
• Ider
• Lakeview
• Mentone
• Pine Ridge
• Powell
• Rainsville
• Sand Rock (part - part of Sand Rock is in Cherokee County)
• Shiloh
• Sylvania
• Valley Head