Rural Studio is located in Hale County, a west-central area of Alabama within the state’s Black Belt region. Once known for its fertile soil, the county still retains its agrarian roots, though catfish ponds have now largely replaced cotton fields. The north’s bright-red clay, the west’s Black Warrior River, the south’s grassy prairies, and the northeast’s corner of the Talladega National Forest all hint at the county’s storied history and rich topographical complexity.
Rural Studio directly serves the persistently impoverished counties of Hale, Perry, Greene, Dallas, and Marengo Counties.
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Hale CountyPopulation: 14,995
Average Income: $34,679
Median Age: 39.8
People Below Poverty Level: 26.1% -
Perry CountyPopulation: 9,680
Average Income: $22,973
Median Age: 37.6
People Below Poverty Level: 41.9% -
Greene CountyPopulation: 8,533
Average Income: $20,954
Median Age: 42.0
People Below Poverty Level: 38.8% -
Dallas CountyPopulation: 40,755
Average Income: $30,065
Median Age: 39.3
People Below Poverty Level: 31.9% -
Marengo CountyPopulation: 19,743
Average Income: $32,255
Median Age: 42.1
People Below Poverty Level: 25.6%
Source: US Census Bureau, 2013-2017 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates
Hale County includes four incorporated municipalities: Greensboro, Akron, Moundville, and Newbern, as well as a number of smaller communities. Its population totals around 15,700 residents, which reside in Newbern, Rural Studio’s home base.
This is and always will be where my heart is. It is what I care about.
—William Christenberry, Photographer
