Sumter

Formed December 18, 1832 (44^th county)

Sumter County (12,348), Livingston (3,438)

This red brick and stone, domed building was built in 1901 and renovated in 2002.  It is situated on Lafayette Street between Franklin and Marshall streets.  United States Highway Business 11 is Lafayette Street in the city.  Ausfield and Chapman provided the designs for the Neo-Classical Revival courthouse.  The park setting is enclosed in a rot iron fence.  Veteran memorials and canon adorn the grounds.  An 1877 Annex supports the courthouse.  General Thomas Sumter is the namesake of the county.  Statesman Edward Livingston provided the county seat’s name.  Sumter County was created on December 18, 1832 from Choctaw Territory as the 44^th county.  Livingston has been the only county seat. 

Sumter County government consists of a sheriff, revenue commissioner, and coroner (executive).  It has 6 commissioners (legislative.)  A Circuit Judge serves Sumter, Greene, and Marengo counties and a District Judge, a Probate Judge, a District Attorney, and a County Clerk serve Sumter County (judicial.)  The county is located in the far west part of the state on the border with Mississippi.  The Tombigbee River forms the eastern border of the county.  Tuscaloosa, Alabama is northeast and Meridian, Mississippi is west of the county.  The center of the county is 3.3 miles Southwest of Livingston.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Pickens, Greene, Marengo, and Choctaw counties and Mississippi.  The county is a capital L on a base stand.  Livingston is near to the center in the county. 

The county has an area of 903.9 square miles.  It ranks 15 out of 67 in size.  It ranks 60 out of 67 in population in the state.  It has a density of 13.1 persons per square mile making it 64 out of 67 in the state.  Sumter County has 55.0% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highways 20/59 cross the county from northeast to southwest, from Greene County to Mississippi.  United States Highway 11 parallels Interstate Highways 20/59 from Greene County to Mississippi.  United States Highway 80 comes east to west through the county, entering from Marengo County and exiting into Mississippi.  Livingston is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 27.8% of the county population. 

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