The Lawrence County Alabama map is best read as a north-to-south transition: the flat Wheeler Lake and Tennessee River lowlands in the north, the Moulton plateau in the center, and the wooded Bankhead National Forest and Sipsey country in the south. Courtland, North Courtland, and Hillsboro belong to the northern river-and-industry corridor, while Town Creek and Trinity face more directly toward Decatur.
Table of Contents
Download the Lawrence County map
The standalone JPG separates Moulton, the Courtland–Hillsboro river corridor, the Town Creek–Trinity eastern side, Wheeler Lake, and the southern Bankhead forest landscape.
- Map file: Lawrence County map
- File format: JPG
- Coverage: County boundary and selected labeled places
Quick Facts
| State | Alabama |
|---|---|
| County | Lawrence County |
| County seat | Moulton |
| 2025 population estimate | 33,843 |
| 2020 census population | 33,073 |
| 2020 land area | 690.68 sq mi |
| 2020 population density | 47.9 per sq mi |
| Main routes | U.S. 72 Alternate/AL 20, AL 24, AL 33, AL 101, AL 157 |
| Major waters | Tennessee River, Wheeler Reservoir, Sipsey Fork system |
| Terrain | Northern river plain, central plateau, southern Bankhead forest |
The U.S. Census Bureau estimates 33,843 residents as of July 1, 2025, up 2.3 percent from the 2020 estimates base of 33,071. The 2020 census counted 33,073 residents. Population remains modest, but Lawrence County sits within practical commuting and industrial reach of Decatur, Florence, and Huntsville.
The county contains 690.68 square miles of land and had a 2020 density of 47.9 people per square mile. The north is flatter and more intensively farmed and developed, while the southern quarter becomes increasingly wooded and rugged inside the Bankhead National Forest.
What the Map Shows
Moulton is the county seat and the strongest central reference point. Alabama 24 and Alabama 33 meet the broader local road network here, giving the city direct relationships with Courtland to the west, Decatur and Trinity to the east, and the Bankhead forest to the south.
Courtland and North Courtland define the northwestern side. They sit close to the U.S. 72 Alternate/Alabama 20 corridor, rail infrastructure, industrial land, and the broad Tennessee River lowland. Their setting is flatter and more transportation-oriented than Moulton’s.
Hillsboro lies between Courtland and Decatur along Alabama 20. Pond Spring, the General Joe Wheeler Home, is just east of Courtland near Hillsboro, adding a major historic site to a corridor that is otherwise dominated by farmland, road access, and river-related development.
Town Creek is the principal eastern town. Its location gives it strong access toward Morgan County and Decatur as well as nearby Tennessee River recreation areas. It serves a different regional direction from the Courtland side even though both are in the northern plain.
Trinity lies at the eastern edge of the county and functions more like a Decatur-area community than a Moulton-centered rural town. Its highway connections and proximity to Morgan County make the eastern county part of a broader employment and service market.
Hatton marks the rural transition between Moulton and the northwestern corridor. The seven mapped labels—Courtland, Hatton, Hillsboro, Moulton, North Courtland, Town Creek, and Trinity—are therefore most meaningful when grouped into northwestern river, central plateau, and eastern Decatur-facing zones.
County Layout and Location
Lawrence County lies in northwestern Alabama. Wheeler Lake and the Tennessee River form the northern edge opposite Lauderdale and Limestone counties; Colbert and Franklin lie to the west, Morgan and Cullman to the east, and Winston County to the south.
U.S. 72 Alternate/Alabama 20 is the main east-west transportation corridor across the northern plain. It connects Courtland and Hillsboro toward Decatur and follows terrain that is much flatter than the southern forest roads.
Alabama 24 serves Moulton and links the county seat with the eastern side and broader Decatur corridor. It is one of the most important connections between county-government functions in the center and the more developed northern edge.
Alabama 33 runs south from Moulton toward Bankhead National Forest. It is a particularly useful map line because it crosses the county’s major terrain transition from agricultural plateau to wooded hill and gorge country.
Alabama 101 and Alabama 157 connect western and central rural areas with Florence and Moulton, while the eastern road network increasingly points toward Decatur. Without an Interstate inside the county, U.S. and state highways remain the primary regional framework.
ALDOT’s current published functional-classification sheet for Lawrence County is dated March 2013. It combines the principal highways with county roads, rail lines, municipal boundaries, and Wheeler Lake, giving the simplified place map a more detailed transportation context.
Local Context
Lawrence County’s defining landscape contrast runs from Wheeler Lake in the north to Bankhead National Forest in the south. The local Chamber describes the northern river edge as relatively flat, followed by a central plateau and then a rise into the forested southern hills.
Wheeler Reservoir is a major Tennessee River impoundment. TVA lists 67,070 acres of water surface and 1,027 miles of shoreline, with the reservoir extending through Lawrence and five other north Alabama counties. In Lawrence County it functions simultaneously as a county boundary, navigation corridor, industrial asset, and recreation landscape.
Wheeler Dam was built from 1933 to 1936 as one of TVA’s earliest projects. Navigation, flood control, hydropower, and industrial waterfront development reshaped the Tennessee River corridor, helping explain why the northern part of Lawrence County is more closely tied to Decatur and river-based industry than the forested south.
Bankhead National Forest occupies much of the southern county and extends into Winston and Franklin counties. The Forest Service manages the Sipsey Wilderness within Bankhead, and its Bee Branch Research Natural Area is specifically identified in Lawrence County.
The southern landscape contains deep gorges, waterfalls, steep wooded slopes, and lower road density. Driving south from Moulton on Alabama 33 therefore reveals a sharp transition from agricultural and town-centered land use into a much more continuous forest environment.
Pond Spring, the General Joe Wheeler Home, lies in Hillsboro about three miles east of Courtland on Alabama 20. The Alabama Historical Commission describes the 50-acre property as containing 12 historic buildings, gardens, and archaeological features spanning thousands of years.
Oakville Indian Mounds in southeastern Lawrence County adds a much older cultural layer. Local heritage material describes more than 10,000 years of Native American use in the area, with major Woodland and Copena mound features preserved near the Bankhead forest edge.
The Jesse Owens Memorial Park and Museum near Danville connects the rural southeastern county with twentieth-century global history. Owens was born in Lawrence County before becoming one of the most celebrated Olympic sprinters, giving the county a cultural landmark far beyond its population size.
Ways to Use This Map
Begin with Wheeler Lake as the northern boundary and Moulton as the central anchor. Then draw U.S. 72 Alternate/Alabama 20 across the Courtland–Hillsboro–Decatur corridor and Alabama 33 south from Moulton toward Bankhead National Forest.
Group Courtland and North Courtland with the northwestern river-and-industry side, and Town Creek and Trinity with the Decatur-facing east. Moulton sits between those zones as the administrative and local-service center.
For physical geography, compare Wheeler Lake with the Bankhead/Sipsey landscape rather than treating the county as one uniform rural area. The flat river plain and the southern forest gorges produce very different road densities, land uses, and settlement patterns.
- Use Moulton as the county-government and Alabama 24/33 reference point.
- Read Courtland and Hillsboro along the U.S. 72 Alternate/Alabama 20 river corridor.
- Group Town Creek and Trinity with the eastern Decatur-facing side.
- Treat Wheeler Lake as the northern navigation, industry, and recreation axis.
- Use Bankhead National Forest and Sipsey Wilderness to define the low-density southern gorge country.
FAQ
Why do northern and southern Lawrence County look so different on a map?
The north follows the flat Wheeler Lake and Tennessee River plain, where farming, industry, rail lines, and larger roads are concentrated. The south rises into Bankhead National Forest and Sipsey country, where wooded ridges and gorges reduce road density and settlement.
Do Courtland–Hillsboro and Town Creek–Trinity belong to the same local corridor?
Not entirely. Courtland and Hillsboro align more strongly with the northwestern river, rail, and Alabama 20 corridor, while Town Creek and Trinity have more direct connections toward Morgan County and Decatur. They share the northern plain but face different regional centers.
Related Alabama County Maps
- Lee County Map | Auburn, Opelika, and 10 Places
- Limestone County Map | Athens, I-65, and 11 Places
- Lowndes County Map
- Macon County Map | Tuskegee, I-85, and Six Places
Sources
- U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts
- Lawrence County Chamber county overview
- ALDOT Highway Functional Classification Maps
- TVA: Wheeler Reservoir
- TVA Wheeler Reservoir Land Management Plan
- U.S. Forest Service: Sipsey Wilderness
- Alabama Historical Commission: Pond Spring
- Lawrence County: Oakville Indian Mounds
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