Lee County, Alabama

Lee County
County
Main façade of Lee Courthouse, 2009
Main façade of Lee Courthouse, 2009
Official seal of Lee County
Seal
Motto: 
"The Heart of Dixie"
Map of Alabama highlighting Lee County
Location within the U.S. state of Alabama
Map of the United States highlighting Alabama
Alabama's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 32°36′05″N 85°21′13″W / 32.601388888889°N 85.353611111111°W / 32.601388888889; -85.353611111111
Country United States
State Alabama
FoundedDecember 5, 1866; 157 years ago (1866-12-05)
Named forGeneral Robert E. Lee
SeatOpelika
Largest cityAuburn
Area
 • Total
616 sq mi (1,600 km2)
 • Land608 sq mi (1,570 km2)
 • Water8.3 sq mi (21 km2)  1.3%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
174,241
 • Estimate 
(2023)
183,215 Increase
 • Density280/sq mi (110/km2)
Time zoneUTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district3rd
Websitewww.leeco.us
  • County Number 43 on Alabama License Plates
  • Largest County by population not shuffled to top 08 on Alabama License Plates

Lee County is a county located in east central Alabama. As of the 2020 census the population was 174,241.[1] The county seat is Opelika,[2] and the largest city is Auburn. The county was established in 1866 and is named for General Robert E. Lee (1807–1870), who served as General in Chief of the Armies of the Confederate States in 1865.[3] Lee County comprises the Auburn-Opelika, AL Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Columbus-Auburn-Opelika, GA-AL Combined Statistical Area.

  1. ^ "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 15, 2024.
  2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  3. ^ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States (Report). U.S. Geological survey. Bulletin no. 258 (2nd ed.). Washington: Government Printing Office. p. 184. LCCN 05000751. OCLC 1156805 – via United States Geological Survey.