¶ 2. Geography and Communities
- Spatial extent: District footprint bounding box spans west longitude -87.558543 to east longitude -86.953616, and south latitude 33.657361 to north latitude 34.005304.
- Primary county overlap: Walker County, Alabama, comprising the geographic core of the district, as established in the Census Reporter County Boundaries.
- Municipality containment: Jasper, Alabama, the county seat of Walker County, falls nearly entirely within the district boundary based on Census Reporter Census Place Boundaries.
- Municipality containment: Cordova, Alabama, situated along the Mulberry Fork, falls nearly entirely inside the district footprint.
- Municipality containment: Sipsey, Alabama, located along the Sipsey Fork drainage, falls nearly entirely inside the district.
- Partial municipal intersections: Dora, Alabama, and Sumiton, Alabama, located in eastern Walker County along the Jefferson County border, exhibit partial overlaps with the district boundary.
- Partial municipal intersections: Nauvoo, Alabama, positioned in northwest Walker County, exhibits a partial border overlap.
- Hydrology and terrain: The district sits within the Black Warrior River watershed, drained by the Mulberry Fork and Sipsey Fork systems.
- Highway transportation corridors: Traversed east-to-west by Interstate 22 and US Highway 78, linking Jasper toward the Birmingham metropolitan area to the southeast and Tupelo/Memphis to the northwest.
- Regional connectors: Alabama State Route 69 and Alabama State Route 195 connect Jasper northward into Winston County and southward toward Tuscaloosa County.
¶ 3. Population and Electorate
- Total population: 48,279 residents, with a margin of error of ±965, as reported by the US Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates.
- Household income: Median household income is 59,074 USD (in 2024 inflation-adjusted dollars), with a margin of error of ±4,546, according to the US Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates.
- Poverty status: 8,506 individuals are estimated below the poverty level out of a determined poverty universe of 47,319 individuals, with a margin of error of ±1,102, as detailed in the US Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates.
- Demographic baseline comparison: As of the 2020 decennial redistricting baseline, target population per Alabama House district was approximately 47,905 residents, placing District 13 within standard deviations of parity.
¶ 4. Elections and Political Context (dated historical records)
- 2022 general election: On 2022-11-08, Republican nominee Matt Woods won election to Alabama House District 13, receiving 11,422 votes (94.3%) against Libertarian nominee Mark Davenport, who received 663 votes (5.5%), with certified results recorded by the Alabama Secretary of State Election Records.
- 2022 Republican primary: On 2022-05-24, Matt Woods secured the nomination with 5,238 votes (55.4%) against Charlie Waits (1,337 votes; 14.1%), Greg Barnes (1,082 votes; 11.4%), Keith Davis (980 votes; 10.4%), and Matt Dozier (821 votes; 8.7%).
- 2025 vacancy: Representative Matt Woods resigned his seat on 2025-06-27 following his election to the Alabama State Senate (District 5) in a special election to succeed Greg Reed.
- 2025 special election: Governor Kay Ivey scheduled a special election cycle with candidate filing deadlines in July 2025; no Democratic or third-party candidates filed by the 2025-09-30 deadline, cancelling the scheduled 2026 special general election.
- 2025 special Republican primary: On 2025-09-30, Greg Barnes won the seat outright with 2,504 votes (69.2%) over Dustin Beaty, who secured 1,113 votes (30.8%), as recorded by Ballotpedia District 13 Historical Records.
- 2026 regular Republican primary: On 2026-05-19, challenger Mike Elliott defeated incumbent representative Greg Barnes, securing 5,883 votes (57.6%) to Barnes's 4,322 votes (42.4%).
- 2026 general election: Scheduled for 2026-11-03, where Republican nominee Mike Elliott faces no major-party opposition on the ballot.
¶ 5. Economic and Civic Anchors
- Higher education anchor: Bevill State Community College maintains its Walker County campus located inside the district at 1411 Indiana Avenue in Jasper, as documented in the American Association of Community Colleges Profile.
- Healthcare anchor: Walker Baptist Medical Center, a 267-bed acute care facility operated within the Brookwood Baptist Health network and partnered with Orlando Health, operates inside the district at 3400 Highway 78 East in Jasper, detailed by Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Hospital Compare.
- Industrial anchors: Manufacturing and distribution facilities centered in the Jasper Industrial Park along Interstate 22 and US Highway 78 support local automotive supply, fabricated metal, and logistics employers.
- Regional healthcare connections: Specialized tertiary care and level-one trauma services serving district residents are accessed outside the district footprint in Birmingham at the UAB Hospital complex in Jefferson County.
- Regional economic network: The Walker County Chamber of Commerce coordinates regional commercial recruitment across Jasper, Cordova, and eastern municipal clusters.
¶ 6. People and Organizations to Map
- Greg Barnes: Current representative for Alabama House District 13, seated in October 2025 following the special primary victory.
- Matt Woods: Former representative for District 13 (2022 to 2025), former Walker County Chamber of Commerce chairman, and currently representing Alabama Senate District 5.
- Mike Elliott: Republican nominee for District 13 following victory in the May 2026 regular primary.
- Bevill State Community College: Regional postsecondary institution providing workforce training, technical certificates, and associate degrees across Walker and adjacent counties.
- Walker Baptist Medical Center: Dominant inpatient care provider and major private healthcare employer in central Walker County.
- Research question: What relationship, if any, exists between Bevill State Community College vocational training tracks and local manufacturing employment patterns in Walker County?
- Research question: What relationship, if any, exists between the development of the Interstate 22 and US Highway 78 corridors and industrial distribution clustering between Jasper and Cordova?
- Research question: What relationship, if any, exists between regional health network affiliations at Walker Baptist Medical Center and specialty medical service accessibility in eastern Walker County?
¶ 7. Representation and Legislative Work
- Chamber standing: The district is represented by Greg Barnes, who assumed office on 2025-10-01 as recorded on the Alabama Legislature Alison Portal.
- Committee assignments: Detailed standing committee assignments following the late 2025 special legislative seating are managed through the House Speaker's office under the 2022–2026 quadrennium organization.
- Preceding legislative focus: Under former representative Matt Woods (2022–2025), district legislative sponsorship focused on child protection measures, workforce development initiatives, and infrastructure financing along northern Alabama corridors.
- Legislative district continuity: Alabama House District 13 continues to encompass the municipal seat of Jasper, retaining its compact single-county Walker County orientation throughout the 2021 redistricting plan.