Colbert County, Alabama



Colbert County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama. Its name is in honor of brothers George and Levi Colbert, Chickasaw Indian chiefs. George Colbert operated a ferry across the Tennessee River in 1790 near present-day Cherokee.

The county seat of Colbert County is Tuscumbia. It is part of the Florence - Muscle Shoals Metropolitan Statistical Area known as "The Shoals". As of 2010, 54,428 people lived there.

History
Colbert County was first formed on February 6, 1867. It split from Franklin County over political issues after the American Civil War. It was ended but was reestablished on February 24, 1870. It is also the location of Ivy Green, the birthplace of noted author Helen Keller. Colbert County is also home of the towns Sheffield and Muscle Shoals where many popular musicians such as Aretha Franklin and the Rolling Stones recorded music.

Geography
According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 623.61 sqmi. 594.53 sqmi (or 95.34%) is land and 29.08 sqmi (or 4.66%) is water.

Major Highways

 * [[Image:US 43.svg|20px]] U.S. Highway 43
 * [[Image:US 72.svg|20px]] U.S. Highway 72
 * [[Image:Alabama 20.svg|20px]] State Route 20
 * [[Image:Alabama 157.svg|20px]] State Route 157
 * [[Image:Alabama 247.svg|20px]] State Route 247
 * Natchez Trace Parkway

National protected area

 * Natchez Trace Parkway (part)

Rail

 * Norfolk Southern Railway - freight lines going South, East, and West.

River

 * Tennessee River

Border Counties

 * Lauderdale County, Alabama - north across the Tennessee River
 * Lawrence County, Alabama - southeast
 * Franklin County, Alabama - south
 * Tishomingo County, Mississippi - west

Cities

 * Muscle Shoals
 * Sheffield
 * Tuscumbia

Towns

 * Cherokee
 * Leighton
 * Littleville

Unincorporated communities

 * Allsboro
 * Barton
 * Buzzard Roost
 * Colbert Heights
 * Ford City
 * White Oak