Brighton

City of Brighton
Incorporated	1901
Population	3,376
Mayor	Angelo Hinkle
School district	Jefferson County School System
Government	Brighton City Council Brighton Fire Department Brighton Police Department
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Brighton is an incorporated town of 3,376 on 1.4 square miles in western Jefferson County near I-59 southwest of Fairfield and north of Bessemer. The community, centered on the old Hunstville Road (now Huntsville Avenue) was first called Woodward Crossing for the spur connecting it to the adjacent Woodward Iron Company factory town, Woodward.

In 1889, the Bessemer & Birmingham Railroad Company completed a passenger line through the community. In 1892 developer G. B. Edwards began subdividing lots for residences and financing the sales on generous terms. The town was renamed for the English resort town when its post office was established in 1894. The town was incorporated in 1901 and boasted a population of 500, along with 17 commercial establishments, in the 1910 census.

The current mayor is Angelo Hinkle.

Brighton's southeast border adjoins Birmingham along Bessemer Road. The city considered annexation into Birmingham in the 1980s, but remained independent. In June 2008 Birmingham mayor Larry Langford proposed that Brighton and Lipscomb should both consider merging with the city as a "business decision" to improve services and open the door to development. A 244-name petition for an annexation referendum was certified and received by Birmingham in January 2009.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 3,640 people, 1,413 households, and 921 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,599.1/mi². There were 1,636 housing units at an average density of 1,168.2/mi². The racial makeup of the city was 89% African American and 9% White. 1.7% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 1,413 households out of which 25.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 29.9% were married couples living together, 29.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.8% were non-families. 32.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.29.

In the city the population was spread out with 25.5% under the age of 18, 10.3% from 18 to 24, 26.0% from 25 to 44, 21.8% from 45 to 64, and 16.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 87.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $21,364, and the median income for a family was $27,926. Males had a median income of $24,018 versus $20,192 for females. The per capita income for the city was $11,002. About 20.2% of families and 27.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 38.3% of those under age 18 and 20.3% of those age 65 or over.

In 2007 the Jefferson County Board of Equalization evaluated 1,250 homes in Brighton and determined that their average market value for 2007 was $36,971, a 3.0% increase since 2006.

References

• White, Marjorie Longenecker (1981) The Birmingham District: An Industrial History and Guide. Birmingham: Birmingham Historical Society ISBN 9990230099
• "Brighton, Alabama (June 22, 2010) Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia- accessed June 22, 2010
• Bryant, Joseph D. (June 4, 2008) "Birmingham Mayor Larry Langford proposes city annex Brighton, Lipscomb." Birmingham News