DeKalb County, whose county seat is Fort Payne, is a relatively small county in the state of Alabama. Named after Major General Baron Johan DeKalb, the county had a population just over 71,000 when the decennial census was taken in 2010.
After members of the Cherokee Native American Tribe — Sequoyah once called this area home — ceded land to the federal government, the state of Alabama established DeKalb County in early 1836. For the most part, DeKalb County continues to function as a dry county — i.e. alcohol-free. Due to a minor softening of this policy in 2005, Collinsville and Fort Payne are now the only two cities in DeKalb County that can legally sell alcohol.
Geographically speaking, DeKalb County is surrounded by Marshall County (west), Jackson County (north), Etowah County (south), Dade County, Georgia (northeast), Cherokee County (southeast), Walker County, Georgia (east), and Chattanooga County, Georgia (east). As of the 2010 census, DeKalb County is 84.5% white, 13.6% Hispanic, and 1.5% African-American.
Towns within the borders of DeKalb County include Valley Head, Collinsville, Sylvania, Crossville, Shiloh, Fyffe, Sand Rock, Geraldine, Powell, Hammondville, Pine Ridge, Ider, Lakeview, and Mentone. Ghost towns include Rawlingsville, Battelle, and Bootsville.
The DeKalb County Circuit Clerk is located at 300 Grand Ave S., #202, Fort Payne, AL 35967.
