Homewood
The City of Homewood is an "over the mountain" suburb of Birmingham, located directly south of it. As of the 2000 Census, the population of the city is 25,043. The current mayor is Barry R. McCulley.
History
Homewood was incorporated on October 29, 1926 when the communities of Edgewood, Rosedale, and Grove Park combined. The adjacent town of Hollywood, to the east, was annexed on October 14, 1929. The Homewood area's main attraction at the time of its creation was its rural setting located just minutes away from Birmingham.
The city grew through additional annexations from Oak Grove and Drexel Hills on November 14, 1955, the Lakeshore area (1959–1960), to Edgemont, additional parts of Oak Grove, West Valley Avenue, and Wildwood in the 1960s and '70s.
Homewood has built a local reputation as a good place to live. This is helped in part by its school system's reputation for excellence.
Geography
Homewood is located in Shades Valley between Red Mountain to the north and Shades Mountain to the south. The city's coordinates are 33°28′6″N, 86°48′29″W (33.468306, -86.808146). The city's average elevation is 637 feet above sea level. Several streams run through the city, including Shades Creek.
Homewood's city limits have been surrounded such that no further annexation can take place. It is bounded by Birmingham to the north and west, Mountain Brook to the east, and Vestavia Hills to the south. The bounding streets are, roughly, Valley Avenue, Highway 280, Lakeshore Drive/Shades Creek Parkway, and West Oxmoor Road. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 21.5 km² (8.3 mi²), all land.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 25,043 people, 10,688 households, and 5,878 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,163.6/km² (3,014.7/mi²). There were 11,494 housing units at an average density of 534.0/km² (1,383.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 59.75% White- or Caucasian American, 15.30% Black or African American, 0.20% Native American, 2.57% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.00% from other races, and 1.16% from two or more races. 20.80% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 10,688 households out of which 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 all households were made up of individuals and 9.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.16 and the average family size was 2.87.
In the city the population was spread out with 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% who were 65 years of age 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 income for a household in the city was $45,431, and the median income for a family was $60,256. 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 poverty line, including 4.5% of those under age 18 and 4.3% of those age 65 or over.
Government and city services
Homewood has had a mayor/council system of government since its beginning. The Homewood City Council has 10 members elected from five wards plus a council president, each of which have four-year terms.
Homewood City Hall is located in downtown Homewood at 1903 29th Avenue South. There are three fire stations, located on 29th Avenue South, Carr Avenue off Green Springs Highway, and Snow Drive off West Oxmoor Road. The Homewood Police Department is located across the street from City Hall at 1833 29th Avenue South.
Homewood has a single public library, which is part of the Jefferson County Library Cooperative.
There are several public parks in Homewood. The largest ones are Homewood Park at Oxmoor Road and Central Avenue, Patriot Park on Oak Grove Road, and West Homewood Park on West Oxmoor Road. Homewood Park and West Homewood Park have public swimming pools.
Homewood is serviced by MAX Transit Routes 39 and 42.
Education
Homewood has its own school system, Homewood City Schools, which consists of three elementary schools, a middle school, and a high school. In addition, privates schools Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic School and the Islamic Academy of Alabama are located in the city. Homewood is also the home of Samford University.
Designations
Almost all of Homewood falls within the 35209 ZIP code. Two small portions along the southern edge of the city are within the 35216 and 35226 ZIP codes instead.
The primary telephone exchanges in Homewood include 332, 870, 871, 877, 879, 940, 942, and 945.
| Homewood | |
|---|---|
| Topics |
City Council | Fire Dept | Mayor | Police Dept | Schools |
| Communities |
Edgemont | Edgewood | Grove Park | Hollywood | Mayfair | Rosedale | West Homewood |
See also
References
- Baggett, James L. "Homewood: The Life of a City" [1]. Alabama Review. Apr 2004. FindArticles.com. Accessed 20 Sep 2006.
- "City of Homewood Quick Facts" [2]. Homewood Chamber of Commerce website. Accessed 20 Sep 2006.
- "Homewood, Alabama" [3]. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 4 Aug 2006, 19:40 UTC. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. Accessed 20 Sep 2006.
External links
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