88 THE ALABAMA OPPORTUNITY. 



cold, census figures show that the population of the county 

 more than doubled in the ten. years between 1890 and 1900. 

 These figures show that the percentage of increase was more 

 than 100. 



If any man who is the fortunate possessor of one of these 

 excellent Alabama maps The Advertiser is now sending out 

 should turn tq its margin, so rich in statistical information, he 

 will find the census figures of 1890 and of 1900 as they relate 

 to the counties. of the State so carefully s'et down that they 

 may be easily compared. 



If he puts his finger on Covington County he will see that 

 in 1900 the county only had 7,536 people and that in 1900 that 

 population had increased to 15.346 — more than doubled. 



Suppose that Georgia County of Fulton in which is located 

 the timid, shrinking city of Atlanta, had been given so brave 

 or dear a compliment by the census people ; those conservative 

 papers which have so praised Atlanta year in and year out 

 would have been speechless with pleased astonishment and 

 would have used, when they recovered, page after page in ex- 

 plaining just how it happened. 



Fancy that rapid growth County of Jefiferson in Alabama had 

 more than doubled its population. Then consider what the pa- 

 pers and the people of Birmingham would have — but such a 

 thing as that is beyond the flight of imagination. 



Even dignified Montgomery would have temporarily lost 

 her poise had so fine a thing come her way from the census 

 bureau. 



THE RAILROAD CAME IN. 



This same census was' over four years ago. The railroad had 

 just come in a couple of years previous. The census takers 

 were doing their work in the first flush of the County's reju- 

 venation. This growth so' remarkable has more than held it? 

 own. For instance the same census shows Andalusia with a 

 population of 500, which was accurate enough over four years 

 ago. But to-day Andalusia is over four times as large as it 

 was when the census was taken. The County itself is claimed 

 to have a population of 20,000 which may not be far of the 

 m.ark. 



This wide expanse of territory, Covington's 647.680 acres of 

 land, and a population of 20.000 people are to be considered 



