Montevallo

History

The area where Montevallo is now was controlled by the Creek Indians. After being acquired in 1814, Jesse Wilson claimed a small hill on the northern bank of Wilson's Creek by the present Montevallo City Cemetery and created a homestead there, making it the oldest settlement in Shelby County. Wilson's friends and family followed afterwards and also settled in the area, and a settlement known as Wilson's Hill developed on the site. The settlement's location at almost the exact center of Alabama meant it was considered one of the potential sites for the University of Alabama. In an attempt to encourage the university to choose the site the settlement changed its name to Montevallo, which is Italian for the hill in the valley. Montevallo was used by local farmers as a market town where they could sell and package their produce. It was incorporated as a city in 1848. In 1853 a railway was built between Montevallo and Selma which allowed further economic growth to Montevallo and in 1856 a coal mine was created nearby leading to further growth. During the American Civil War, Union troops under the command of James H. Wilson camped in Montevallo in the spring of 1865 and skirmished with Confederates near the railroad depot. After the war, commercial life and growth was dominated by the coal mine owned by Truman Aldrich who leased the mine and attempted to increase production in response to the growing iron industry in the region and the growing city of Birmingham. Starting in 1890, company owned worker housing was built in Montevallo to house miners. In the early 1890s, residents of Montevallo entered the city in a competition to be selected for the site of the Alabama Girl's Industrial School (later the University of Montevallo) a technical college for white women,…

Geography

A plaque on Reynolds Cemetery Road, just off Alabama State Route 25, in the eastern corner of the town, marks the geographic center of the state of Alabama. Middle Street, formerly known as Main Street, had its name changed in 1899 for this reason, upon the completion of a new state survey. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and (0.66%) is water.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  4,022
• Northern Mockingbird

  Mimus polyglottos (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  3,818
• Carolina Wren

  Thryothorus ludovicianus (Latham, 1790) · Aves
  3,430
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  3,332
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  2,962
• Eastern Bluebird

  Sialia sialis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  2,784
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  2,745
• Tufted Titmouse

  Baeolophus bicolor (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  2,554

Largest nearby schools

• Thompson High School
  High · Alabaster · 2,203 students · 17.5:1 ratio
• Thompson Middle School
  Middle · Alabaster · 1,434 students · 17.7:1 ratio
• Calera High
  High · Calera · 1,066 students · 19.4:1 ratio
• Creek View Elementary School
  Elementary · Maylene · 946 students · 16.3:1 ratio
• Meadow View Elementary School
  Elementary · Alabaster · 944 students · 16.3:1 ratio
• Thompson Intermediate School
  Elementary · Alabaster · 898 students · 20.9:1 ratio
• Calera Intermediate School
  Elementary · Calera · 766 students · 19.6:1 ratio
• Calera Middle
  Middle · Montevallo · 755 students · 18:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 3.1 — 2021-12-22
  10 km E of Maplesville, Alabama
• M 2.87 — 2020-06-25
  4 km NNW of Berry, Alabama
• M 2.7 — 2017-02-17
  22 km S of Oakman, Alabama
• M 2.6 — 2017-02-17
  16 km S of Oakman, Alabama
• M 2.5 — 2016-08-23
  20 km S of Oakman, Alabama
• M 2.8 — 2016-05-16
  8 km W of North Johns, Alabama