Limestone County /

Limestone County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama, and is included in the Huntsville Metropolitan Area. It is also included in the merged Huntsville-Decatur Metro Area. Its name comes from Limestone Creek, a local stream. In 2000, the population was 65,676. As of 2010 the county's population was 82,782. Its county seat is Athens. Limestone County was established by the Alabama Territory legislature on February 6, 1818. Limestone County comprises the Thirty-Ninth Judicial Circuit of Alabama. The Thirty-Ninth Judicial Circuit was created in the early 1980s when Limestone County broke away from Morgan County to form its own circuit. The Thirty-Ninth Judicial Circuit has two circuit judges and two district judges. The two circuit judges are Judge James W. Woodroof and Judge Robert M. Baker. The two district judges are Judge Jeanne W. Anderson and Judge Jerry L. Batts. The current District Attorney is Brian C.T. Jones. The current Sheriff of Limestone County is Mike Blakely, who has been sheriff for 7 terms (since 1982). The term for sheriff is 4 years, and there is no term limit. According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 607.08 square miles (1,572.3 km), of