Vestavia Hills

History

Vestavia Hills is named for the estate of former Birmingham mayor George B. Ward. It was situated on the crest of Shades Mountain in what is now the northern edge of the city. Ward's mansion at the Vestavia estate became a landmark in the area as soon as it was completed in 1925. The -story house was patterned after the circular Temple of Vesta in Rome, with dark pink sandstone walls encircled by 20 massive white Doric columns surmounted by a carved entablature. The extensive gardens, populated by statuary and peacocks, surrounded a smaller domed gazebo patterned after the Temple of Sibyl in Tivoli. After Ward's death, the house, something of a tourist stop near the highway between Birmingham and Montgomery, was used as a tearoom and reception hall before being purchased by Vestavia Hills Baptist Church. The church met in the temple like structure for several years before demolishing a portion of the building in 1971 to make way for a larger building; a central portion of the original building remains. The local garden club moved the gazebo to a prominent outcropping closer to the highway, there to serve as a landmark gateway into the community. The development of Vestavia Hills as a residential suburb began in 1946, when developer Charles Byrd planned a subdivision for approximately 1,000 people on the southern flank of Shades Mountain. The suburb was incorporated as a separate city on November 8, 1950, and has since grown, by rapid development and annexation, into a thriving small city of over 39,000 by 2020.

Geography

The city is located along U.S. Route 31, which runs north to south through the city, leading north 7 mi (11 km) to downtown Birmingham and southwest 4 mi (6 km) to Hoover. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and , is water.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  17,616
• Carolina Wren

  Thryothorus ludovicianus (Latham, 1790) · Aves
  13,505
• Tufted Titmouse

  Baeolophus bicolor (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  13,009
• Carolina Chickadee

  Poecile carolinensis (Audubon, 1834) · Aves
  12,561
• Eastern Towhee

  Pipilo erythrophthalmus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  12,267
• Downy Woodpecker

  Dryobates pubescens (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  11,504
• House Finch

  Haemorhous mexicanus (P.L.Statius Müller, 1776) · Aves
  10,905
• Red-bellied Woodpecker

  Melanerpes carolinus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  10,272

Largest nearby schools

• Hoover High School
  High · Hoover · 2,841 students · 15.7:1 ratio
• Vestavia Hills High School
  High · Vestavia Hills · 1,578 students · 13.8:1 ratio
• Homewood High School
  High · Homewood · 1,330 students · 12.7:1 ratio
• Shades Valley High School
  High · Irondale · 1,200 students · 20.3:1 ratio
• Pizitz Middle School
  Middle · Vestavia · 1,158 students · 15.9:1 ratio
• Fultondale Elementary School
  Elementary · Fultondale · 982 students · 18.2:1 ratio
• Mountain Brook Junior High School
  Middle · Mountain Brook · 982 students · 12:1 ratio
• Mountain Brook High School
  High · Mountain Brook · 967 students · 10.2:1 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