Owens Cross Roads first appeared on maps in 1850, and was named for a family of early settlers. A post office was established in 1861. The town relied heavily on cotton cultivation throughout much of its early history, with some crop diversification coming in the 1920s and 1930s.
Geography
Owens Cross Roads is located at . The town is situated in a broad valley carved by the Flint River. Rugged hills and mountains surround the town, including Green Mountain to the west, and Keel Mountain to the east. Huntsville lies across Green Mountain to the northwest, New Hope lies just to the southeast, and Paint Rock lies across Keel Mountain to the northeast. U.S. Route 431 passes through Owens Cross Roads, connecting the town with Huntsville and Guntersville. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the town has a total area of, of which is land and, or 1.42%, is water.
Demographics
At the 2000 census there were 1,124 people, 443 households, and 329 families in the town. The population density was 145.8 people per square mile. There were 482 housing units at an average density of 62.5 per square mile. The racial makeup of the town was 95.64% White, 0.71% Black or African American, 0.71% Native American, 0.27% Asian, 0.36% from other races, and 2.31% from two or more races. 0.62% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Of the 443 households 29.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.0% were married couplesliving together, 9.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.7% were non-families. 21.9% of households were one person and 8.6% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 2.88. The age distribution was 23.3% under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 29.6% from 25 to 44, 24.7% from 45 to 64, and 14.0% 65 or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.0 males. The median household income was $34,856 and the median family income was $45,167. Males had a median income of $30,781 versus $22,917 for females. The per capita income for the town was $17,534. About 4.6% of families and 7.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.9% of those under age 18 and 11.8% of those age 65 or over.
At the 2010 census there were 1,521 people, 593 households, and 409 families in the town. The population density was 183 people per square mile. There were 650 housing units at an average density of 78.3 per square mile. The racial makeup of the town was 91.5% White, 3.6% Black or African American, 1.0% Native American, 0.3% Asian, 0.6% from other races, and 3.0% from two or more races. 2.2% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Of the 593 households 30.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.3% were married couples living together, 10.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.0% were non-families. 27.0% of households were one person and 8.7% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 2.91. The age distribution was 23.1% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 28.3% from 25 to 44, 23.9% from 45 to 64, and 16.9% 65 or older. The median age was 38.1 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 107.0 males. The median household income was $40,625 and the median family income was $43,750. Males had a median income of $43,889 versus $33,393 for females. The per capita income for the town was $21,542. About 23.6% of families and 31.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 60.9% of those under age 18 and 6.1% of those age 65 or over.
