Chilton County, Alabama

Chilton County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama. In 1942, the U.S. Navy commissioned a new vessel, the USS Chilton, in honor of Chilton County. In 2010, the population was 43,643. The county seat is Clanton. It is a dry county which means alcoholic drinks cannot be sold.

The county is known for its peaches and its unique landscape. It is home to swamps, prairies and mountains due to the foothills of the Appalachians. It also has the Coosa River basin and is close to the Black Belt Prairie.

History
Baker County was formed on December 30, 1868. It was named for Alfred Baker, with its county seat at Grantville. Residents of the county asked the Alabama legislature for the renaming of their county. In 1874, they chose the name Chilton County. William Parish Chilton, Sr. (1810–1871), was a lawyer who became Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court. Later he represented Montgomery County in the Congress of the Confederate States of America. It is not known when the county seat was moved.

Geography
According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 700.76 sqmi. 693.98 sqmi (or 99.03%) is land and 6.78 sqmi (or 0.97%) is water.

Major highways

 * [[Image:I-65 (AL).svg|20px]] Interstate 65
 * [[Image:US 31.svg|20px]] U.S. Highway 31
 * [[Image:US 82.svg|20px]] U.S. Highway 82
 * [[Image:Alabama 22.svg|20px]] State Route 22
 * [[Image:Alabama 139.svg|20px]] State Route 139
 * [[Image:Alabama 145.svg|20px]] State Route 145
 * [[Image:Alabama 155.svg|20px]] State Route 155

Adjacent counties

 * Shelby County (north)
 * Coosa County (east)
 * Elmore County (southeast)
 * Autauga County (south)
 * Perry County (southwest)
 * Dallas County (southwest)
 * Bibb County (northwest)

National protected area

 * Talladega National Forest (part)

Cities

 * Calera
 * Clanton

Towns

 * Jemison
 * Maplesville
 * Thorsby
 * Verbena

Unincorporated communities

 * Isabella
 * Mountain Creek
 * Stanton