Mountain Brook, Alabama Explained

Settlement Type:City
Motto:"Find Peace. Find Mountain Brook."
Mapsize:250px
Coordinates:33.4869°N -86.7406°W
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:United States
Subdivision Type1:State
Subdivision Type2:County
Subdivision Name1:Alabama
Subdivision Name2:Jefferson
Established Title:Incorporated
Established Date:March 24, 1942
Government Type:Council-manager
Leader Title:Mayor
Leader Name:Stewart Welch III
Area Total Sq Mi:12.84
Area Land Sq Mi:12.82
Area Water Sq Mi:0.02
Elevation Ft:955
Population Total:22461
Population As Of:2020
Population Density Sq Mi:1752.03
Postal Code Type:ZIP codes
Postal Code:35213, 35223, 35243
Area Code:205 & 659
Website:http://www.mtnbrook.org/
Footnotes:Mtn. Brook City Schools @ www.mtnbrook.k12.al.us. —4 Primary schools, 1 Jr. High School, 1 Sr. High School
Timezone:CST
Utc Offset:-6
Timezone Dst:CDT
Utc Offset Dst:-5
Blank Name:FIPS code
Blank Info:01-51696
Blank1 Name:GNIS feature ID
Blank1 Info:2404329
Unit Pref:Imperial
Area Footnotes:[1]
Area Total Km2:33.25
Area Land Km2:33.20
Area Water Km2:0.05
Population Density Km2:676.47
Mountain Brook, Alabama
Nickname:Home of the Hereford

Mountain Brook is a city in southeastern Jefferson County, Alabama, United States, and a suburb of Birmingham. Its population at the 2020 census was 22,461.[2]

It is one of the wealthiest suburbs of Birmingham, as well as one of the wealthiest cities in Alabama.

History

The city was originally developed in 1929 by real-estate businessman Robert Jemison, Jr., as a whites-only suburb of Birmingham along the ridges known as Red Mountain and Shades Mountain.[3] [4] It was incorporated on May 24, 1942.[5] The plans, by Boston-based landscape architect Warren H. Manning, called for estate-sized lots along winding scenic roads and denser commercial development centering on three picturesque "villages": English Village, Mountain Brook Village and Crestline Village. Most of Mountain Brook's development preserved the existing trees: 92.03% is under tree cover, one of the highest ratios in the nation.[6] Residential sections such as Cherokee Bend, Brookwood Forest, Overton, and Crestline have houses in a forest setting, with a recreational network of bridle paths. This has protected the area from urban encroachment.[5]

Mountain Brook is the location of the first office park in the U.S., built in 1955.[7] It featured the then novel concepts of ample free parking and low-profile office buildings surrounded by waterspouts and landscaped grounds.

A new city hall, including a fire and police station, was completed in 2013.[8]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, it has a total area of 12.82sqmi, all land.

Demographics

2020 census

Mountain Brook racial composition[9] !Race!Num.!Perc.
White (non-Hispanic)21,24194.57%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)910.41%
Native American100.04%
Asian2391.06%
Other/Mixed5292.36%
Hispanic or Latino3511.56%
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 22,461 people and 8,365 households.

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 20,413 people, 7,731 households, and 5,864 families residing in the city. The population density was 1673.2sp=usNaNsp=us. There were 8,266 housing units at an average density of 675.8sp=usNaNsp=us. The racial makeup of the city was 97.2% White, 1.0% Black or African American, 0.1% Native American, 0.9% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 0.2% from other races, and 0.6% from two or more races. 1.0% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 7,731 households, out of which 37.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 68.2% were married couples living together, 6.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.1% were non-families. 22.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.64 and the average family size was 3.12.

29.3% of the population was under the age of 18, 4.5% was from 18 to 24, 20.8% from 25 to 44, 29.7% from 45 to 64, and 15.7% was 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41.9 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.4 males.

The median income for a household was $130,721, and the median income for a family was $164,750. Males had a median income of $124,224 versus $54,420 for females. The per capita income for the city was $76,763. 1.8% of families and 3.7% of individuals were below the poverty line, including 2.1% of individuals under 18 and 2.5% of those 65 and over.

According to a list compiled in 2008 by Stephen Higley, it is the ninth wealthiest community in the United States.[10] It is often referred to as "The Tiny Kingdom" due to its high concentration of the region's business and professional leaders,[11] and the disparity of wealth between it and Birmingham where according to census data nearly a quarter of the population lives below the poverty line.

Government

Mountain Brook has a city council/mayor/city manager system of government.

The city council, consisting of five members elected at large, considers most issues and appoints the police chief and fire chief.

The mayor is Stewart Welch, III, first elected in 2016.[12]

The city manager is Sam Gaston, appointed by the council and mayor in January 2008.[13]

Education

See main article: Mountain Brook School System. The Mountain Brook School System is consistently rated one of the best in the state.[14] It includes the following six schools, all of which have been awarded the Blue Ribbon:

Notable people

Cultural references

In , Joan Didion writes, "It is said that the dead center of Birmingham society is the southeast corner of the locker room at the Mountain Brook country club." She adds, "it is hard to make the connection between this Birmingham and that of Bull Connor."[33]

During his 1970 gubernatorial campaign, George Wallace derisively referred to Mountain Brook as "where the rich folks live in the suburbs up across the mountain from Birmingham."[34]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files. United States Census Bureau. October 29, 2021.
  2. Web site: U.S. Census website. Bureau. U.S. Census. United States Census Bureau. June 6, 2016.
  3. Web site: Archives: Robert Jemison, Jr.. Birmingham Public Library.
  4. Web site: Miles . Kyra . WBHM . August 7, 2021 . Echoes of the Past as Overwhelmingly White Mountain Brook Debates Diversity . July 1, 2022 . BirminghamWatch . en-US.
  5. Book: Barefield, Marilyn Davis . A History of Mountain Brook, Alabama & Incidentally of Shades Valley . 1989 . Southern University Press . 0-87651-990-7.
  6. Web site: Success Story - "Hiring First City Arborist" - the City of Mountain Brook . Alabama's Urban & Community Forestry Program . February 16, 2016 .
  7. News: Ana . Rodriguez . Historical marker in Mountain Brook planned to recognize nation's first office park . The Birmingham News . blog . September 19, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150708220823/http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2012/09/post_789.html . July 8, 2015 .
  8. News: Ana . Rodriguez . First look inside Mountain Brook's new $15.3 million municipal complex . The Birmingham News . April 10, 2013 .
  9. Web site: Explore Census Data. December 11, 2021. data.census.gov.
  10. News: Joe B. . Crowe . Mountain Brook one of wealthiest communities in U.S. . December 30, 2008 . The Birmingham News . blog .
  11. Book: Eskew, Glenn T. . But for Birmingham: The Local and National Movements in the Civil Rights Struggle . 1997 . The University of North Carolina Press . 0-8078-4667-8 . 183 . Businessmen's Reform.
  12. Web site: Mayor – City of Mountain Brook. www.mtnbrook.org. August 18, 2018.
  13. Web site: Sam Gaston – City of Mountain Brook. www.mtnbrook.org. August 18, 2018.
  14. Best High Schools in Alabama. U.S. News & World Report. May 18, 2014.
  15. News: April 26, 2017 . Mountain Brook students enjoy Writers' Festival . villagelivingonline.com . August 18, 2018.
  16. News: Inside Sara Evans and Jay Barker's Mountain Brook home, life in Birmingham . AL.com . August 18, 2018.
  17. News: Nathan Bland . Birmingham-Southern College . July 24, 2014 . August 9, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140809020607/http://www.bscsports.net/sports/bsb/coaches/nathan_bland . dead .
  18. Web site: Emory . August 18, 2018 . Emory.
  19. News: Former Auburn linebacker Gregg Carr took the path less traveled to the Hall of Fame . AL.com . August 18, 2018.
  20. News: Mia . Watkins . Happy belated birthday, Courteney Cox: hometown girl, actress turns 50 . The Birmingham News . June 16, 2014 .
  21. News: Harvey . Alec . February 12, 2013 . Birmingham's Tommy Dewey lands lead in new Seth McFarlane Fox sitcom . The Birmingham News . July 24, 2014.
  22. Web site: USATODAY.com - Search continues in Aruba for missing teen . February 4, 2018 . usatoday30.usatoday.com.
  23. News: Birmingham's Alan Hunter looks back at his MTV years for 'VJ' book (photos, video) . AL.com . February 4, 2018.
  24. News: Grubb . Jeff . July 18, 2014 . Why triple-A devs are going indie (and why indies aren't going triple-A) . Yahoo! News . July 24, 2014.
  25. News: Things to know about Alabama's new U.S. senator, Doug Jones . The Salt Lake Tribune . August 18, 2018.
  26. News: Anderson . Ric . November 15, 2001 . Short shots: KU lands QB . Topeka Capital-Journal . July 24, 2014.
  27. News: Alec . Harvey . Birmingham's Tribble Reese has his pick as the star of 'Sweet Home Alabama 2'. The Birmingham News . blog . October 16, 2011 .
  28. News: April 6, 2007 . Emeel Salem Wins H. Boyd McWhorter Post-Graduate Scholarship . University of Alabama . July 24, 2014.
  29. News: Colurso . Mary . April 22, 2013 . Birmingham's Sarah Simmons channels team spirit for her battle round on 'The Voice' (video) . The Birmingham News . July 24, 2014.
  30. News: August 9, 2017 . Prelude to the primaries — U.S. Senate seat up for grabs in Aug. 15 election - Lagniappe Mobile . Lagniappe Mobile . August 18, 2018.
  31. News: Queen of the World Wide Web: Birmingham's Barret Swatek stars in new Internet sitcom. AL.com. August 18, 2018.
  32. News: Gribble . Andrew . April 5, 2013 . Former center William Vlachos back at Alabama as a graduate assistant . The Birmingham News . July 24, 2014.
  33. Book: Didion. Joan. South and West: From a Notebook. 2017. 4th Estate. London, U.K.. 978-0-00-825717-0. 70.
  34. News: Robertson. Campbell. Martin. Jonathan. Alabama, Despite History of Unruly Politics, Has 'Never Seen Anything Like This'. December 12, 2017. The New York Times. December 9, 2017.

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