Houston

Formed February 9, 1903 (67^th county)

Houston County (107,204), Dothan (71,050)

A Modern concrete and red brick building is the county courthouse.   Built in 1962 and renovated in 2003, it is located at North Oates at Main.  United States Highway 231 is Oates Street.  Donofro and Associates designed this building.  A Liberty Bell replica sits in front of the courthouse.  The 1902 version of the courthouse was also in Dothan.  Dothan is the only city to serve as the county seat.  Governor George Smith Houston was the namesake for the county.  The county seat name is a Biblical town.  Houston County was created from parts of Dale, Geneva and Henry counties on February 9, 1903 as the 67^th and last county. 

Houston County government consists of a sheriff, revenue commissioner, and coroner (executive).  It has 5 commissioners (legislative.)  Six Circuit Judges serve Houston and Henry counties and two District Judges, a Probate Judge, a District Attorney, and a County Clerk serve Houston County (judicial.)  The county is in southeast corner of Alabama.  Montgomery, Alabama is northwest and Tallahassee, Florida is southeast of the county.  The center of the county is in Dothan 3.8 miles Southeast of the city center.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Henry County and Georgia and Florida and Geneva and Dale counties.  The Chattahoochee River is the eastern border with Georgia.  Dothan is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 66.3% of the county population.  The county seat is pronounced DOE-THAN. 

The county has an area of 579.9 square miles.  It ranks 58 out of 67 in size.  It ranks 12 out of 67 in population in the state.  It has a density of 186.4 persons per square mile making it 11 out of 67 in the state.  Houston County has 78.3% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 84 crosses the county from east to west from Georgia to Dale County.  United States Highway 231 enters from the northwest, Dale County, and exits to the south, Florida.  United States Highway 431 comes from Henry County, north, and terminates.  Florida is the southern border.  The county is shaped like a teapot.  Dothan is in the far northwest corner of the county and extends into Dale and Henry counties.  Dothan is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 63.6% of the county population.  The county seat is pronounced DOE-THAN.  The county is in the Dothan Metropolitan Statistical Area.