Tuscaloosa

Formed February 6, 1818 (15^th county)

Tuscaloosa County (227,041), Tuscaloosa (99,627)

This Modern concrete courthouse was built in 1964.  It is located on Greensboro Street between 7^th and 8^th streets.  United States Highway 43 is one block west of the location.   This courthouse was designed by Charles H. McCauley.  The grounds feature Lady Justice statues and veteran memorials.  There was a 1906 version of the courthouse in Tuscaloosa.  Newtown and Tuscaloosa have been the county seat.  Tuscaloosa County was created on February 6, 1818 from parts of Montgomery County and Choctaw Territory as the 15^th county.  The county and county seat were named for Native American Chief Tuskalusa.  Tuscaloosa County was the birthplace of 1 Alabama Governor, Lurleen B. B. Wallace. 

Tuscaloosa County government consists of a sheriff, revenue commissioner, and coroner (executive).  It has 5 commissioners (legislative.)  Six Circuit Judges, Two District Judges, a Probate Judge, a District Attorney, and a County Clerk serve Tuscaloosa County (judicial.)  The county is in west Alabama just west of Birmingham, Alabama.  The center of the county is in Tuscaloosa 5 miles Northeast of the city center.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Walker, Jefferson, Bibb, Hale, Greene, Pickens, and Fayette counties.  The Black Warrior River crosses through the county from northeast to south.  Tuscaloosa is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 43.9% of the county population.  The county and county seat are pronounced TUS-KA-LOO-SA. 

The county has an area of 1321.8 square miles.  It ranks 2 out of 67 in size.  It ranks 5 out of 67 in population in the state.  It has a density of 179.1 persons per square mile making it 12 out of 67 in the state.  Tuscaloosa County has 62.9% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highways 20/59 cut diagonally from northeast to southwest through the county from Jefferson County to Greene County.  United States Highway 11 parallels Interstate Highways 20/59 from Jefferson County to Greene County.  United States Highway 43 comes in from Fayette County, north, joins United States Highway 11 in Tuscaloosa and exits into Greene County.  United States Highway 82 crosses diagonally northwest to southeast, Pickens County to Bibb County.  The county is a rectangle with a “nose” sticking out to the east.  The City of Tuscaloosa is in the southern third of the county.  The county is in the Tuscaloosa Metropolitan Statistical Area.