right|thumbnail|Colbert County Courthouse Square District Historic Marker, September 2007

Colbert County () is a county located in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Alabama. As of the 2020 census the county's population was 57,227. The county seat is Tuscumbia. The largest city is Muscle Shoals.

The county is named in honor of brothers George and Levi Colbert, who were Chickasaw chiefs in the early 19th century in this territory. Ultimately the federal government forced the removal of most of the Chickasaw and other historic tribes from the Southeast.

Colbert County is part of the Florence–Muscle Shoals, AL metropolitan statistical area, also known as "The Shoals".

History

The Chickasaw and Cherokee peoples are the earliest known inhabitants of Colbert County, an area that was part of their territories for hundreds of years. Before they emerged, there were earlier cultures of indigenous peoples who established settlements and seasonal villages for thousands of years in the area.

In the 1810s, settlers began to settle in an area at a crossroads that developed as Leighton, Alabama. Colbert County was originally established during the Reconstruction era after the American Civil War on February 6, 1867. The state legislature split it from Franklin County over political issues. It was abolished eight months later on November 29, 1867 by an Alabama constitutional convention. The general assembly on December 29, 1869 authorized an election to determine if the former county residents wanted their county restored. A vote then took place on January 6, 1870. The county was then reestablished by the legislature on February 24, 1870.

In 1890, the eastern boundary of Colbert County was changed from County Line Road to Town Creek; this resulted in all of the town of Leighton placed within Colbert County. Coon dogs were bred and trained for hunting in this region.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (4.7%) is water. The county's elevation ranges from 410 feet at the Tennessee River in northwestern Colbert County to 980 feet in southeastern Colbert County at the broadcast facility's tower of WQPR-FM/WFIQ-TV.

National protected area

  • Natchez Trace Parkway (part)

River

  • Tennessee River

Major creeks

  • Bear Creek
  • Cane Creek
  • Mulberry Creek
  • Spring Creek
  • Town Creek

Waterfalls

  • Cane Creek Canyon Waterfall
  • Rainbow Branch Waterfall
  • Wilson Dam Waterfall

Notable springs

  • Big Spring at Tuscumbia
  • Buzzard Roost Spring at Margerum
  • Chalybeate Spring at Littleville
  • Milk Springs at Colbert Heights
  • Shegog Spring at Ford City

Notable mountains

  • Bald Knob
  • Coburn Mountain
  • Colbert Mountain
  • Hawk Pride Mountain
  • LaGrange Mountain
  • Mountain Mills Ridge
  • Sand Mountain
  • Underwood Mountain
  • Wagnon Mountain
  • Wheeler Mountain

Adjacent counties

  • Lauderdale County, Alabama – north
  • Lawrence County, Alabama – southeast
  • Franklin County, Alabama – south
  • Tishomingo County, Mississippi – west

Transportation

Major highways

  • 20px U.S. Highway 43
  • 20px U.S. Highway 72
  • 20px State Route 13
  • 20px State Route 17
  • 20px State Route 20
  • 20px State Route 133
  • 20px State Route 157
  • 20px State Route 184
  • 20px State Route 247
  • Natchez Trace Parkway

Rail

  • Norfolk Southern Railway – freight lines going south, east, and west.

Airports

  • Big River Airpark
  • Northwest Alabama Regional Airport

Demographics