Homewood

City of Homewood
Incorporated	1926
Population	25,043
Mayor	Barry R. McCulley
School district	Homewood City Schools
Government	Homewood City Council Homewood Fire Department Homewood Police Department
Web site	homewoodal.net
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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.

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 1970s.

Geography

Homewood is located in Shades Valley between Red Mountain to the north and Shades Mountain to the south. 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 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 3,014.7/mi². There were 11,494 housing units at an average density of 1,383.6/mi². The racial makeup of the city was 60% White and 15% African American. 2.8% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

27% of Homewood's households had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41% were married couples living together, 11% had a female householder with no husband present, and 45% were non-families. 36% of all households were made up of individuals and 9% 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% under the age of 18, 18% from 18 to 24, 34% from 25 to 44, 17% from 45 to 64, and 11% 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.

The Jefferson County Board of Equalization evaluated 5,823 homes in Homewood and determined that their average market value for 2007 was $292,953, a 6.4% increase since 2006.

Government and city services

Homewood has had a mayor/council system of government since its beginning. The current mayor is Barry R. McCulley. The Homewood City Council has 10 members elected from five wards plus a council president, each of which have four-year terms.

The original City Hall was completed January 5, 1928 at 1903 29th Avenue South. In 2005, a new City Hall was completed in the middle of SoHo Square at 2850 19th Street 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 the old City Hall at 1833 29th Avenue South.

Homewood operates its own school system. which is considered one of the community's biggest assets. 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.

References

• "Homewood, now 50, is in second phase of growth." (October 17, 1976.) The Birmingham News.
• City of Homewood and Birmingham-Jefferson Historical Socity. (2003.) "Homewood" historical marker outside Homewood City Hall (1928).
• Baggett, James L. "Homewood: The Life of a City" [1]. (April 2004.) Alabama Review. FindArticles.com. Accessed September 20, 2006.
• "City of Homewood Quick Facts" [2]. Homewood Chamber of Commerce website. Accessed September 20, 2006.
• "Homewood, Alabama" [3]. (August, 4 2006, 19:40 UTC.) Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Accessed September 20, 2006.

External links

• City of Homewood website
• City of Homewood Police Dept.
• City of Homewood Fire Dept.
• Homewood Park
• Homewood Public Library
• Homewood Chamber of Commerce