Homewood is a city in southeastern Jefferson County,

Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...

, United States. It is a suburb of

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...

, located on the other side of Red Mountain due south of the city center. The population was 26,414 at the 2020 census.

History

Early history and development

In 1800, the first settlers arrived in the area that is now known as Homewood. However, the area's population would not grow significantly until a

cholera Cholera () is an infection of the small intestine by some Strain (biology), strains of the Bacteria, bacterium ''Vibrio cholerae''. Symptoms may range from none, to mild, to severe. The classic symptom is large amounts of watery diarrhea last ...

epidemic ravaged the city of Birmingham in 1873, an issue only made worse by the financial crisis brought on by the

Panic of 1873 The Panic of 1873 was a financial crisis that triggered an economic depression in Europe and North America that lasted from 1873 to 1877 or 1879 in France and in Britain. In Britain, the Panic started two decades of stagnation known as the "L ...

. (See

Timeline of Birmingham, Alabama The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Birmingham, Alabama, USA. 19th century * 1871 ** Birmingham founded and incorporated. ** Robert Henley becomes mayor. * 1874 ** Birmingham becomes seat of Jefferson County. ** First ...

). Seeking new beginnings and safer living spaces, many Birmingham residents began moving out of the city, buying up land and developing communities in the surrounding areas. Many of the smaller communities which would eventually become Homewood were developed during this time period, including Rosedale, Grove Park, Edgewood, and Oak Grove. Edgewood saw the greatest amount of development. The community had an

electric railway Railway electrification is the use of electric power for the propulsion of rail transport. Electric railways use either electric locomotives (hauling passengers or freight in separate cars), electric multiple units ( passenger cars with their own ...

leading to downtown Birmingham by 1911 and a man-made lake by 1915. The lake was created by the construction of a dam along Shades Creek near Columbiana Road. Two parallel roads were graded on either side of the lake with the intention of creating a race track around the lake, however these plans never came to fruition. The roads eventually became Lakeshore Drive and South Lakeshore Drive.

Incorporation

On December 29, 1926, a local attorney named Charles Rice started a movement to merge several of the communities surrounding Birmingham. In September of the same year, Rosedale, Edgewood, and Grove Park voted to incorporate under the name Homewood. The city of Hollywood, Alabama was annexed into Homewood in 1929. In 1955, Oak Grove was also annexed into Homewood.

Great Depression and World War II

The Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank an ...

, beginning in 1929, greatly damaged Homewood's economy. Additionally, a

polio Poliomyelitis ( ), commonly shortened to polio, is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus. Approximately 75% of cases are asymptomatic; mild symptoms which can occur include sore throat and fever; in a proportion of cases more severe ...

epidemic, which sickened 80 children in Homewood, struck around the same time. However, the regional community and economy began to recover with the outbreak of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

and the accompanying boom in Birmingham's steel industry, where production ramped up to support the war effort. Partly due to the steel boom, Homewood's population increased by 74% between 1940 and 1950.

Civil rights era

In 1959, Homewood voters defeated a move by Birmingham to annex the city. In July 1964, a second annexation attempt allegedly succeeded, but voting issues and lawsuits caused the Alabama Supreme Court to rule the election null and void on September 9, 1966 (See "City of Birmingham v. Bouldin"). In a special election on December 13, 1966, another vote for annexation failed with 65% of Homewood residents voting against it. Homewood avoided the worst of the turmoil associated with the Civil Rights Movement and, more specifically, the

Southern Christian Leadership Conference The Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) is an African Americans, African-American civil rights organization based in Atlanta, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. SCLC is closely associated with its first president, Martin Luther King Jr., ...

's 1963

Birmingham campaign The Birmingham campaign, also known as the Birmingham movement or Birmingham confrontation, was an American movement organized in early 1963 by the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) to bring attention to the integration efforts ...

. However, in September 1963, the ''Shades Valley Sun'' newspaper reported on a racially motivated bombing on Central Avenue in Rosedale. Homewood broke away created its own school system separate from the Jefferson County school system in 1970, opening the new Homewood High School in December 1972.

Hollywood

Hollywood is a former town annexed into Homewood, Alabama, in 1929. A

historic district A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains historic building, older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries or jurisdictions, historic districts receive legal p ...

of much of the area is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

as Hollywood Historic District. The district is roughly bounded by U.S. Highway 31, U.S. Highway 280, and Lakeshore Drive and is significant for the

Mission Revival The Mission Revival style was part of an architectural movement, beginning in the late 19th century, for the revival and reinterpretation of American colonial styles. Mission Revival drew inspiration from the late 18th and early 19th century ...

and

Spanish Colonial Revival The Spanish Colonial Revival architecture (), often known simply as Spanish Revival, is a term used to encompass a number of revivalist architectural styles based in both Spanish colonial architecture and Spanish architecture in general. Thes ...

architectural style of surviving houses and other buildings. Clyde Nelson began developing Hollywood Boulevard as a residential subdivision in 1926. He employed a sales force of 75, armed with the memorable slogan "Out of the Smoke Zone, Into the Ozone", to entice

residents over Red Mountain. Architect George P. Turner designed many of the new homes in the

Spanish Colonial Revival architecture The Spanish Colonial Revival architecture (), often known simply as Spanish Revival, is a term used to encompass a number of revivalist architectural styles based in both Spanish colonial architecture and Spanish architecture in general. Thes ...

, which had become fashionably linked with the glamour of

Hollywood, California Hollywood, sometimes informally called Tinseltown, is a List of districts and neighborhoods in Los Angeles, neighborhood and district in the Central Los Angeles, central region of Los Angeles County, California, within the city of Los Angeles. ...

in the early days of the motion picture industry there. Turner also nodded to the English Tudor style which was already widespread in Birmingham and over the mountain. The Hollywood Country Club on Lakeshore Drive (destroyed in 1984 by fire) and the

American Legion The American Legion, commonly known as the Legion, is an Voluntary association, organization of United States, U.S. war veterans headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. It comprises U.S. state, state, Territories of the United States, U.S. terr ...

Post 134 (originally Hollywood's Town Hall) were also built at this time. In order to support his new development, Nelson created the area's first

autobus A bus (contracted from omnibus, with variants multibus, motorbus, autobus, etc.) is a motor vehicle that carries significantly more passengers than an average car or van, but fewer than the average rail transport. It is most commonly used i ...

line and extended the first natural gas pipeline into Shades Valley. Hollywood incorporated as a town on January 14, 1927 with Clarence Lloyd as its first and only mayor. The town was annexed into Homewood on October 14, 1929. The

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

virtually ended development of the subdivision. In 2002, the Hollywood Historic District was registered with the

, and is home to The

American Institute of Architects The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is a professional organization for architects in the United States. It is headquartered in Washington, D.C. AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach progr ...

(AIA)-nominated houses like 11 Bonita Drive. The listing includes 412

contributing buildings In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing property or contributing resource is any building, object, or structure which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic dist ...

and one

contributing site In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing property or contributing resource is any building, object, or structure which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic distr ...

, over a area.

Geography

Homewood is located at (33.468306, -86.808146). According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the city has a total area of , all land. The city, along with the rest of Jefferson County, lies atop iron, coal, and limestone deposits. Shades Creek, which is part of the

Cahaba River The Cahaba River is the longest substantially free-flowing river in Alabama. It is a major tributary of the Alabama River and part of the larger Mobile River basin. With headwaters near Birmingham, the Cahaba flows southwest, then at Heiberger tu ...

system, runs through Homewood.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 26,414 people, 9,770 households, and 5,966 families residing in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was There were 10,942 housing units.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 25,167 people, 10,092 households, and 5,760 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 11,385 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 69.696% White, 17.3% Black or

African-American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa. ...

, 0.2% Native American, 2.2% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 4.4% from other races, and 1.4% from two or more races. 7.3% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Of the 10,092 households 30.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.3% were married couples living together, 12.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.9% were non-families. 34.4% of households were one person and 9.9% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 3.02. The age distribution was 22.8% under the age of 18, 17.4% from 18 to 24, 30.8% from 25 to 44, 19.9% from 45 to 64, and 9.1% 65 or older. The median age was 29.8 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.3 males. The median family income was $78,252. Males had a median income of $50,163 versus $41,023 for females. The per capita income for the city was $30,601. About 5.1% of families and 10.1% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 6.9% of those under age 18 and 5.6% of those age 65 or over.

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, there were 25,043 people, 10,688 households, and 5,878 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 11,494 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 79.75% White, 15.30% Black or

, 0.20% Native American, 2.57% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.00% from other races, and 1.16% from two or more races. 2.80% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Of the 10,688 households 27.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.0% were married couples living together, 11.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 45.0% were non-families. 36.2% of households were one person and 9.4% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.16 and the average family size was 2.87. The age distribution was 20.3% under the age of 18, 17.8% from 18 to 24, 34.0% from 25 to 44, 17.3% from 45 to 64, and 10.6% 65 or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.9 males. The median household income was $55,431 and the median family income was $70,256. Males had a median income of $40,969 versus $34,694 for females. The per capita income for the city was $25,491. About 4.4% of families and 7.6% of the population were below the

, including 4.5% of those under age 18 and 4.3% of those age 65 or over.

Schools

Public schools

The Homewood City School System is made up of five schools, including three

elementary schools A primary school (in Ireland, India, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, South Africa, and Singapore), elementary school, or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ...

, one

middle school Middle school, also known as intermediate school, junior high school, junior secondary school, or lower secondary school, is an educational stage between primary school and secondary school. Afghanistan In Afghanistan, middle school includes g ...

and one

high school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...

: * Shades Cahaba Elementary School * Edgewood Elementary School * Hall Kent Elementary School * Homewood Middle School * Homewood High School

Colleges and universities

Samford University Samford University is a Private university, private Christian university in Homewood, Alabama, United States. It was founded by Baptist Church, Baptists in 1841 as Howard College and located until 1887 in Marion, Alabama. It is governed by an in ...

Parks

* Patriot Park * Homewood Central Park * West Homewood Park * Woodland Park * Overton Park * Spring Park * Homewood Soccer Park

Transportation

Transit service in Homewood is provided by Birmingham-Jefferson County Transit Authority, which operates Max Transit bus service.

Notable people

Ameer Abdullah Ameer Abdullah (born June 13, 1993) is an American professional football running back and kickoff returner, who most recently played for the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Detroit Lions in the se ...

American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offense ...

* Mary Anderson (1918–2014), actress * Paul DeMarco, lawyer and former Alabama State Representative * Aaron Ernest, sprinter * Katy Freels, professional soccer

midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...

* Charles Ghigna,

children's author Children's literature or juvenile literature includes stories, books, magazines, and poems that are created for children. In addition to conventional literary genres, modern children's literature is classified by the intended age of the reade ...

* Evan Mathis, former American football

offensive lineman In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line (OL), while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line ( ...

Ronald Nored Ronald Nored (born March 1, 1990) is an American basketball coach, currently an assistant coach for the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Previously he served as the head coach of the Long Island Nets of the NBA G League ...

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

assistant coach *

Eric Ramsey Eric Ramsey was a defensive back for Auburn University's football team in the early 1990s who used a tape recorder to secretly record conversations between his football coaches and Booster "Corky" Frost regarding an illicit player payment scheme. ...

, former American football player * Samantha Shaw, former

State Auditor of Alabama The state auditor of Alabama is constitutionally required to make a complete report to the governor of Alabama showing the receipts and disbursement of every character, all claims audited and paid out, and all taxes and revenues collected and paid ...

Luther Strange Luther Johnson Strange III (born March 1, 1953) is an American lawyer and politician who served as a United States Senator from Alabama from 2017 to 2018. He was appointed to fill that position after it was vacated by Jeff Sessions upon Sessions' ...

, U.S. Senator * William C. Thompson, Presiding Judge,

Alabama Court of Civil Appeals The Alabama Court of Civil Appeals is one of two appellate courts in the Alabama judicial system. The court was established in 1969 when what had been one unitary state Court of Appeals was broken into a criminal appeals court and a civil appeals ...

References

;General * Baggett, James L. (April 2004) "Homewood: The Life of a City." ''Alabama Review.''

External links

City of Homewood – Official Website

Homewood Chamber of Commerce

Encyclopedia of Alabama: Homewood
{{authority control Cities in Alabama Cities in Jefferson County, Alabama Birmingham metropolitan area, Alabama