Hoover, Alabama Explained

Official Name:Hoover, Alabama
Settlement Type:City
Mapsize:250px
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:United States
Subdivision Type1:State
Subdivision Name1:Alabama
Subdivision Type2:Counties
Subdivision Name2:Jefferson, Shelby
Leader Title:Mayor
Leader Party:R
Leader Name:Frank V. Brocato
Leader Title1:City Council
Leader Name1:Curt Posey
Sam Swiney
John Lyda
Khristi Driver
Derrick Murphy
Casey Middlebrooks
Steve McClinton
Established Title:Settled
Established Date:1853[1]
Established Title1:Founded
Established Date1:1954[2]
Established Title2:Incorporated
Established Date2:April 28, 1967
Established Title3:Incorporated
Established Date3:May 18, 1967[3]
Named For:William H. Hoover
Unit Pref:Imperial
Area Footnotes:[4]
Area Total Km2:130.344
Area Land Km2:127.827
Area Water Km2:2.518
Area Total Sq Mi:50.326
Area Land Sq Mi:49.354
Area Water Sq Mi:0.972
Population As Of:2020
Population Est:92435
Pop Est As Of:2022
Population Total:92606
Population Density Km2:723.5
Population Density Sq Mi:1874
Population Rank:US: 367th
AL: 6th
Population Urban:774956 (US: 58th)
Population Density Urban Km2:587.5
Population Density Urban Sq Mi:1522
Population Metro:1181196 (US: 47th)
Population Density Metro Km2:96.07
Population Density Metro Sq Mi:248.8
Population Blank1 Title:Combined
Population Blank1:1362731 (US: 43rd)
Population Density Blank1 Km2:77.35
Population Density Blank1 Sq Mi:200.3
Timezone:Central (CST)
Utc Offset:–6
Timezone Dst:CDT
Utc Offset Dst:–5
Elevation M:151
Elevation Ft:495
Coordinates:33.3864°N -86.805°W
Postal Code Type:ZIP Codes
Postal Code:35022, 35080, 35124, 35142, 35216, 35222, 35226, 35236, 35242, 35244
Area Code:205 and 659
Blank Name:FIPS code
Blank Info:01-35896
Blank1 Name:GNIS feature ID
Blank1 Info:2404725

Hoover is a city in the Jefferson and Shelby counties in north central Alabama, United States. Hoover is the largest suburban city in Alabama and the 6th largest city in Alabama. The population was 92,606 at the 2020 census.[5] Hoover is part of the Birmingham, AL Metropolitan Statistical Area and is also included in the Birmingham-Cullman-Talladega, AL Combined Statistical Area.[6] Hoover's territory is along the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains.

The Birmingham Barons Minor League Baseball team, which traces its history to 1885, played its home games at the 10,800-seat Hoover Metropolitan Stadium from 1988 through 2013, when it moved to Regions Field in the Parkside District of Birmingham.

History

This suburban area near the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains had been known as the Green Valley community since the 1930s; it was mostly a bedroom or residential community into the late 1970s and early 1980s. The City of Hoover was incorporated in 1967, named for William H. Hoover (1890–1979), a local insurance company owner.[7]

On September 8, 1980, the city annexed the Riverchase business and residential community,[8] gaining large office buildings, employers, and workers to increase the city's tax base. When Interstate I-459 was opened, a major interchange with Interstate I-65 was constructed within the borders of Hoover, improving access.

In 1986 the Riverchase Galleria multi-use complex opened; it has significantly increased the tax revenue for the city. It has also attracted new residents and businesses to the area. The city has grown extremely fast, aided by its annexations of territory as well as new developments. The city has expanded its facilities, and now operates a Municipal Center, Library, and Public Safety Center. The city expects to continue to increase in population, which has risen significantly since 2008. It numbered 92,606 as of the 2020 census.

Geography

Hoover is located at .[9]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 50.326sqmi, of which 49.354sqmi is land and 0.972sqmi, is water.[4]

Many major highways pass through the city limits, including I-65, I-459, and U.S. Route 31. Via I-65 or US-31, downtown Birmingham is 11miles north, and Montgomery is 82miles south. Via I-459, Atlanta, GA is 152miles east, and Tuscaloosa is 53miles west.

Government

The municipal government has operated under the Mayor-Council form of government since incorporation. The Mayor and City Council are elected on a non-partisan basis to concurrent four-year terms of office, which begin on October 1 of election year. Policy-making and legislative authority is vested in the City Council, which consists of seven "at-large" elected members (prior to 2004, the council consisted of five at-large members.) (Candidates for at-large elections must gain a majority of voters; such a system has been found in other cities in Alabama to limit the ability of minority voters to elect candidates of their choice.)

The city council is responsible for considering local resolutions and ordinances, adopting an annual budget, and appointing members to local boards and committees. The Mayor is responsible for carrying out and enforcing the city's policies and ordinances.

Current Mayor
! colspan=3 Frank Brocato
Current City Council Membership
Council Place Representative Position
1 Curt Posey Council President Pro-Tem
2 Sam Swiney Councilor
3 John Lyda Council President
4 Khristi Driver Councilor (appointed 11/21/22 to fill the remainder of Mike Shaw's term, who won a special election to the Alabama House of Representatives)[10]
5 Derrick Murphy Councilor
6 Casey Middlebrooks Councilor
7 Steve McClinton Councilor

Economy

The Riverchase Galleria shopping-hotel-office complex generates tax revenues for the city; it is also the location of numerous retail, hotel, and office workers. The Riverchase Office Park, and other office parks and buildings throughout Hoover, house many large corporations. Major shopping centers in the city include Riverchase Galleria on US 31, Patton Creek on SR 150, and Village at Lee Branch on US 280. The Central Business District is intersected by US 31, SR 150, and US 280. I-65 and I-459 intersect in the city.

Top employers

According to the City's 2022 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report,[11] the largest employers in the city are:

Employer
  1. of Employees
1Regions Bank2,644
2Hoover City Schools1,869
3Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama1,711
4AT&T of Alabama1,170
5Walmart and Sam's Club950
6Publix868
7McLeod Software700
8City of Hoover667
9SS&C Health438
10Doster Construction184

Public safety

City Name:Decatur
Year:2022
Violent Crime:92
Homicide:2
Rape:18
Robbery:13
Aggravated Assault:59
Property Crime:1,500
Arson:1
Burglary:115
Larceny Theft:1,304
Motor Vehicle Theft:80
Source Url:https://cde.ucr.cjis.gov/LATEST/webapp/#/pages/explorer/crime/crime-trend
Source Name:2022 FBI UCR Data
Notes:2022 population: 92,435

Hoover Fire Department is a full-time career department operating from 11 fire stations throughout the city. The city has one battalion. There are eight engine companies, two quints, one ladder truck, three ALS rescue/ambulances, and two battalion chief cars. All engine companies are staffed with a minimum of three people, with at least two being firefighter/paramedics. All engines are classified ALS (Advanced Life Support). The department also operates one heavy rescue truck, and one hazmat unit. Hoover Fire Department holds a Class 1 ISO rating. In 2016, the department responded to over 10,000 calls.

Hoover operates its own enhanced 911 emergency call center, which has 24 operator positions, 2 communication supervisors, 1 department manager and is staffed 24/7.

Hoover provides traffic, severe weather, disaster information, and details on special events on low-power AM radio (1610 kHz).[12]

Demographics

2020 census

Hoover, Alabama – Racial and ethnic composition
!Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)!Pop 2000[13] !Pop 2010[14] ![15] !% 2000!% 2010!
White alone (NH)53,61659,254style='background: #ffffe6; 62,84185.45%72.60%style='background: #ffffe6; 67.86%
Black or African American alone (NH)4,23012,008style='background: #ffffe6; 15,5136.74%14.71%style='background: #ffffe6; 16.75%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)76143style='background: #ffffe6; 1140.12%0.18%style='background: #ffffe6; 0.12%
Asian alone (NH)1,8114,120style='background: #ffffe6; 5,9132.89%5.05%style='background: #ffffe6; 6.39%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)1616style='background: #ffffe6; 170.03%0.02%style='background: #ffffe6; 0.02%
Some Other Race alone (NH)51123style='background: #ffffe6; 3330.08%0.15%style='background: #ffffe6; 0.36%
Mixed Race or Multi-Racial (NH)5621,040style='background: #ffffe6; 3,1710.90%1.27%style='background: #ffffe6; 3.42%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)2,3804,915style='background: #ffffe6; 4,7043.79%6.02%style='background: #ffffe6; 5.08%
Total62,74281,619style='background: #ffffe6; 92,606100.00%100.00%style='background: #ffffe6; 100.00%
As of the 2020 census, there were 92,606 people, 36,799 households, and 25,337 families residing in the city.[16] The population density was 1926.6PD/sqmi There were 39,008 housing units.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 81,619 people in 32,478 households, including 22,476 families, in the city. The population density was 1870.3sp=usNaNsp=us. There were 35,474 housing units at an average density of 812.9sp=usNaNsp=us. The racial makeup of the city was 75.1% White, 14.8% Black, 0.2% Native American, 5.1% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 3.2% from other races, and 1.5% from two or more races. 6.0% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Of the 32,478 households 33.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.1% were married couples living together, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.8% were non-families. 25.8% of households were one person and 7.6% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 3.02.

The age distribution was 25.0% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 28.7% from 25 to 44, 26.6% from 45 to 64, and 12.0% 65 or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.4 males.

The median household income was $72,960 and the median family income was $94,066. Males had a median income of $65,023 versus $44,525 for females. The per capita income for the city was $39,141. About 3.4% of families and 5.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.6% of those under age 18 and 3.5% of those age 65 or over.

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, there were 62,742 people in 25,191 households, including 17,406 families, in the city. The population density was 1454.6sp=usNaNsp=us. There were 27,150 housing units at an average density of 629.4sp=usNaNsp=us. The racial makeup of the city was 87.66% White, 6.77% Black, 0.16% Native American, 2.89% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.40% from other races, and 1.09% from two or more races. 3.79% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Of the 25,191 households 33.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.4% were married couples living together, 7.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.9% were non-families. 25.9% of households were one person and 6.3% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 3.00.

The age distribution was 24.8% under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 32.6% from 25 to 44, 23.8% from 45 to 64, and 10.9% 65 or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.5 males.

According to a 2007 estimate, The median household income was $75,365, and the median family income was $89,513. Males had a median income of $55,660 versus $34,836 for females. The per capita income for the city was $33,361. About 2.1% of families and 3.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.7% of those under age 18 and 3.9% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

Hoover is served by two interstate highways, 65 and 459, with a major interchange near the center of the city. Major arterial roads include U.S. Route 31 as a north–south route through the middle of the city, U.S. Route 280 in the eastern portion of the city, Route 150 as an east–west road connecting the city center to the western side, and Valleydale Road connecting Route 31 and Route 280.Hoover is also served by the Birmingham-Jefferson County Transit Authority.

Communities

Parks

Education

Primary and secondary schools

See main article: Hoover City Schools. Hoover is served by Hoover City Schools. It has ten elementary schools, three middle schools, and two high schools, Spain Park High School and Hoover High School. Both schools have ranked high for excellent academics, being rated close to the top five hundred schools in the country. During the 2022–2023 school year, some 2,841 students enrolled in Hoover High School,[18] 1,503 in Spain Park High School,[19] with a total of 13,557 students in the Hoover City School system.[20] Spain Park received the National Blue Ribbon Award in 2008.[21]

Berry Middle School, which served as the city's first high school before the present Hoover High was constructed, was closed after the 2005–2006 academic year. Students were moved to a new Berry Middle School constructed near the site of Spain Park High School. A poll of residents in 2007 favored selling the school, possibly to the independent Shades Mountain Christian School.[22] Simmons Middle School and Bumpus Middle School are the city's other middle schools.

Given the population expansion, the city built Riverchase Elementary to relieve overcrowding of some schools. The student population bubble is advancing in the system, and in the 2011–2012 academic year, Bumpus Middle School and its students were relocated to the former freshman center of Hoover High School. The former Bumpus site became Brock's Gap Intermediate School in 2011. The former Berry site became the current Bumpus Middle School in 2011. Brock's Gap served 5th and 6th graders until 2018 when Hoover Rezoning went into effect. They now serve 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders. Bumpus Middle School served only 7th and 8th graders until 2018 because of Hoover Rezoning. They now serve 6th, 7th, and 8th graders.

Colleges and universities

The Shelby-Hoover campus of the Jefferson State Community College is in Shelby County, is in Hoover, near Spain Park High School.[23] [24] Faulkner University has a campus on Valleydale Road; The University of Alabama in Birmingham (UAB) in downtown Birmingham is only 8–10 miles away, and features the premier medical school of Alabama.

Miscellaneous education

The Birmingham Supplementary School Inc. (BSS, バーミングハム日本語補習校 Bāminguhamu Nihongo Hoshūkō), a part-time Japanese school, holds its classes at the Shelby-Hoover campus. Its office is at the Honda Manufacturing of Alabama, LLC facility in unincorporated Talladega County, near Lincoln. The school opened on September 1, 2001.[25]

Media

Hoover has one television station, WBMA, branded as ABC 33/40, with its studio within the Hoover city limits. The metro area has TV broadcasting stations that serve the Birmingham-Anniston-Tuscaloosa Designated Market Area (DMA), as defined by Nielsen Media Research. Charter Communications, Bright House Networks, and AT&T U-verse provide cable television service to specific communities in Hoover. DirecTV and Dish Network provide direct broadcast satellite television, including both local and national channels.

No radio stations operate from Hoover, although residents are served by numerous stations from the Birmingham market. (WERC-FM is licensed to Hoover but its studio is located in Birmingham.)

Two newspapers serve Hoover: the Over the Mountain Journal newspaper, published twice monthly and delivered for free to select neighborhoods in Hoover and nearby communities; and the Hoover Sun, published monthly and mailed for free to roughly 24,000 homes and businesses in Hoover.

Enjoy Hoover, a 6x/year magazine, is distributed freely at hundreds of locations throughout the city, editorially focused on dining, entertainment, shopping, and healthy living in Hoover.

Notable people

Points of interest

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: A History of Hoover. July 18, 2007. Vadie Honea. City of Hoover, AL. https://web.archive.org/web/20070928020944/http://www.hooveral.org/Default.asp?ID=504. September 28, 2007. dead.
  2. Web site: Patch Call: Hoover, Alabama, Police Department . FBI . March 9, 2024.
  3. Web site: Municipalities of Alabama Incorporation Dates . Alabama League of Municipalities . March 9, 2024.
  4. Web site: 2023 U.S. Gazetteer Files. United States Census Bureau. March 9, 2024.
  5. Web site: Explore Census Data . . March 9, 2024.
  6. Web site: OMB Bulletin No. 23-01, Revised Delineations of Metropolitan Statistical Areas, Micropolitan Statistical Areas, and Combined Statistical Areas, and Guidance on Uses of Delineations of These Areas. United States Office of Management and Budget. July 21, 2023. July 25, 2023.
  7. Book: Thornton, J. Mills . 2002 . Dividing Lines: Municipal Politics and the Struggle for Civil Rights in Montgomery, Birmingham, and Selma . Tuscaloosa . University of Alabama Press . 190 . 978-0-8173-1170-4.
  8. Web site: A History of Hoover. November 15, 2014.
  9. Web site: US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990. United States Census Bureau. April 23, 2011. February 12, 2011.
  10. Web site: Hoover council appoints Khristi Driver to replace Mike Shaw on council . November 21, 2022.
  11. Web site: City of Hoover 2022 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report. March 9, 2024.
  12. Web site: City of Hoover website . March 27, 2006 . https://web.archive.org/web/20061006145441/http://www.hooveral.org/CitySub.asp?PageID=206 . October 6, 2006 . dead.
  13. Web site: P004 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Hoover city, Alabama. United States Census Bureau.
  14. Web site: P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Hoover city, Alabama. United States Census Bureau.
  15. Web site: P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Hoover city, Alabama. United States Census Bureau.
  16. Web site: US Census Bureau, Table P16: Household Type . March 9, 2024 . United States Census Bureau.
  17. http://www.facebook.com/kibelka?ref=profile#!/pages/Hoover-AL/Blue-Ridge-Nature-Trail/298846307851 Facebook page of trail
  18. Web site: Hoover High School. March 9, 2024. 2023. schooldigger.com.
  19. Web site: Spain Park High School. March 9, 2024. 2023. schooldigger.com.
  20. Web site: Hoover City Schools. March 9, 2024.
  21. http://www.ed.gov/programs/nclbbrs/2008/2008-schools.html "No Child Left Behind-Blue Ribbon Schools Program - 2008 Schools"
  22. Web site: Joint offer made for Berry site. November 9, 2007. 2007. The Birmingham News.
  23. "2010 CENSUS - CENSUS BLOCK MAP: Hoover city, AL." (Archive). United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on May 11, 2014.
  24. "Shelby-Hoover Campus." Jefferson State Community College. Retrieved on May 11, 2014. Use the Google Maps function to see the buildings and where they are in relation to the city limits.
  25. "About Birmingham Supplementary School" (Archive). Birmingham Supplementary School. Retrieved on May 11, 2014. "Mailing Address 1800 Honda Drive Lincoln, AL 35096 c/o Honda Manufacturing of Alabama, LLC" and "Facility Jefferson State Community College, Shelby Campus 4600 Valleydale Road Birmingham, AL 35242 " Japanese page: "学校の概要" (Archive).