Section

Section is located in southeastern Jackson County in the northeastern corner of the state. It has a mayor/city council form of government.

History

Section was originally known as Mt. Zion when the first post office was established in 1875. Settlers had been coming to the area for free land as early as 1862; they had to agree to occupy the land for five years to own it. It became known later as Section because it was the location of a square-mile parcel of land, known as the 16th Section, required by the federal government to be set aside in support of public schools. The first store in the community was built in 1889. The first school was built in the 1880s but burned in 1890. Its successor lasted 25 years before it also burned. In 1910, Section incorporated, annexing several smaller communities into the town limits. A Van Heusen Shirt factory began operating in Section in 1965, but it had closed by 1975.

Demographics

According to 2020 Census estimates, Section recorded a population of 998. Of that number, 95.7 percent of respondents identified themselves as white, 1.7 percent as Hispanic, 1.5 percent as two or more races, and 1.1 percent as American Indian. The town’s median household income was $32,279, and the per capita income was $22,766.

Employment

According to 2020 Census estimates, the workforce in Section was divided among the following industrial categories:

  • Manufacturing (36.3 percent)
  • Educational services and health care and social assistance (19.0 percent)
  • Retail trade (15.4 percent)
  • Construction (4.7 percent)
  • Arts, entertainment, and recreation, and accommodation and food services (4.5 percent)
  • Public administration (4.2 percent)
  • Professional, scientific, and management, and administrative and waste management services (3.9 percent)
  • Transportation and warehousing, and utilities (3.9 percent)
  • Finance and insurance, and real estate and rental and leasing (2.2 percent)
  • Wholesale trade (2.0 percent)
  • Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and extraction (1.7 percent)
  • Information (1.1 percent)
  • Other services, except public administration (1.1 percent)

Education

Schools in Section are part of the Jackson County school system; the town one K-8 school and one high school.

Transportation

State Highway 35 runs southeast-northwest through the town and State Highway 71 runs northeast from the center of town. County Road 43 bisects the town going north-south, and County Road 265 runs southwest from the center of town.

Events and Places of Interest

The city maintains a park with an Olympic-sized pool, built in 1974. Section holds an annual Labor Day Celebration, which includes vendors, food, entertainment for children, and live music.

Additional Resources

Jackson County Heritage Book Committee. Heritage of Jackson County, Alabama. Clanton, Ala.: Heritage Publishing Consultants, Inc., 1998.

Kennamer, John Robert. History of Jackson County, Alabama. Scottsboro, Ala.: Jackson County Historical Association, 1993.

External Links

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