Formed December 18, 1832 (43rd county)
Russell County (59,187), Phenix City (38,810)
This red brick and stone courthouse is located on Broad and Dillingham streets. United States Highway 431 is Broad Street in the city. It was purchased in 2007 to convert to the County Government building. A 1938 Justice Center is located further in the city at Broad and 14th streets. It was enlarged in 1949 and renovated and enlarged in 2010. James J. W. Biggers provided the designs for this Classical Revival structure. Seale was an earlier county seat with an 1868 courthouse as was Girard and Crawford. Colonel Gilbert C. Russell provided his name for the county. The county seat was named for Phoenix Mills on the Chattahoochee River. Russell County was created on December 18, 1832 from Montgomery and Pike counties as the 43rd county.
Russell County government consists of a sheriff, revenue commissioner, and coroner (executive). It has 4 commissioners (legislative.) Two Circuit Judges, Two District Judges, and a Probate Judge, a District Attorney, and a County Clerk serve Russell County (judicial.) The county is situated in eastern Alabama on the border with Georgia. The Chattahoochee River is the east border. The center of the county is 10 miles Southwest of Phenix City nearer Seale. The county is surrounded clockwise by Lee County and Georgia and Barbour, Bullock, and Macon counties. Phenix City is the county seat and the largest city. It is 65.6% of the county population. The county seat is pronounced FEE-NIKS SI-TEE.
The county has an area of 641.1 square miles. It ranks 40 out of 67 in size. It ranks 24 out of 67 in population in the state. It has a density of 91.3 persons per square mile making it 24 out of 67 in the state. Russell County has 65.6% of its population in its incorporated areas. United States Highway 80 crosses from Georgia to Lee County, east to west. United States Highway 280 comes from the north, Lee County and goes east into Georgia. United States Highway 431 is joined with United States Highway 280 coming from Lee County, splits in Phenix City, and going south into Barbour County. The county is shaped like a fat capital C. Phenix City is in the extreme northeast corner of the county and extends into Lee County. The county is in the Columbus Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Hurtsboro
Phenix City
