Clay

Formed December 7, 1866 (58^th county)

Clay County (14,237), Ashland (1,988), Lineville (2,487)

The Clay County courthouse is a classy tan brick building with a large clock dome.  Charles W. Carlton is the designer of the Classic Revival Italian Renaissance style building.  This 1906 structure is located on Court Square surrounded by 1^st and 2^nd streets and 1^st and 2^nd avenues.  Alabama State Highway 77 is 1^st Avenue in the city.  Kentucky Senator Henry Clay gave the county got its name.  Clay County was the birthplace of 1 Alabama Governor, Robert R. Riley.  Ashland was the name of Henry Clay’s Kentucky estate.  The county was created on December 7, 1866 for parts of Randolph and Talladega counties as the 58^th county.  Ashland is the only city to serve as county seat. 

Clay County government consists of a sheriff, revenue commissioner, and coroner (executive).  It has 5 commissioners (legislative.)  A Circuit Judge serves Clay and Coosa counties and a District Judge, a Probate Judge, a District Attorney, and a County Clerk serve Clay County (judicial.)  The county is situated in eastern Alabama east of Birmingham, Alabama.  The center of the county is in Ashland .6 miles Southwest of the city center.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Cleburne, Randolph, Tallapoosa, Coosa, and Talladega counties.  Ashland is slightly east of the center of the county and it is the county seat.  Lineville is northeast of the county center and is the largest city.  Ashland is 14.0% of the county population while Lineville is 17.5% of the county population.

The county has an area of 604.0 square miles.  It ranks 53 out of 67 in size.  It ranks 56 out of 67 in population in the state.  It    a density of 23.5 persons per square mile making it 50 out of 67 in the state.  Clay County has 31.4% of its population in its incorporated areas.  There are no Interstate highways or United States highways passing through the county.  It is shaped like a fat J.