Jefferson County


Located in the north-central part of Alabama, Jefferson County is the most populous county in Alabama. The county was the seat of Alabama's industrial revolution during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries as well as the site of many important moments in the civil rights movement. Jefferson County is governed by an elected five-member commission and includes 36 incorporated communities, including the county seat of Birmingham.

· Founding Date: December 13, 1819
· Area: 1,119 square miles
· Population: 656,700 (2006 Census Bureau estimate)
· Major Waterways: Black Warrior River, Cahaba River
· Major Highways: Interstates 65, 59, and 20; Highway 78
· County Seat: Birmingham
· Largest City: Birmingham

History 

Jefferson County was created by the Alabama legislature on December 13, 1819, and by 1820 its boundaries were fixed at their current locations. The area now encompassed in Jefferson County was originally part of Monroe County in the Mississippi Territory on land acquired from the Creek Indians in the 1814 Treaty of Fort Jackson. It was then named Blount County in 1816 before the land that became Jefferson County was carved out. The county was named in honor of U.S. President Thomas Jefferson. The first settlers were largely of English descent from the Carolinas, Tennessee, and Georgia. Some of the earliest settlements and towns were Jonesboro (now Bessemer), Blountsville, Carrollsville, Bethlehem, Greensville, Trussville, and Elyton.

The current Jefferson County Courthouse was built in Jefferson County CourthouseCarrollsville served as the first county seat of Jefferson County from 1819 to 1821. The courthouse in Carrollsville was a simple log structure that is no longer in existence. In 1821, the county seat moved to Elyton, where it remained until 1873. Little is known about the Elyton courthouse other than that it was a wooden structure. Finally, in 1873, the county seat moved to its present location in Birmingham. The first courthouse in Birmingham was a two-story brick structure, followed by a three-story brick courthouse built in the late 1880s. The three-story structure was in use until 1931, when a new granite and limestone courthouse was built. Additions were made to this courthouse in 1964, when a northern annex was built. Sculptured reliefs on the western face of the courthouse depict the history of Jefferson County. In 1920, Jefferson County created the Bessemer Division and built a courthouse in the town. The Bessemer courthouse underwent several enlargements and improvements throughout the twentieth century.

Major Cities and Demographics 

Downtown Birmingham, as seen from Red Mountain. Located BirminghamIn the mid- to late-nineteenth century, Birmingham became the leading industrial city of Alabama. Companies such as the Pratt Coal and Coke Company, the Sloss Furnace Company, and Tennessee Coal, Iron and Railroad Company processed steel, coal, and iron ore that drove production in numerous other industries. By 1915, a system of locks and dams on the Tombigbee and Warrior rivers further boosted economic development. From the late 1950s to the early 1970s, Birmingham played a major role in the civil rights movement, producing such notable events as the Birmingham Campaign of 1963 and Martin Luther King Jr.'s renowned "Letter from Birmingham Jail." The city was also home to noted civil rights leader Fred Shuttlesworth and infamous commissioner of public safety Eugene "Bull" Connor. Today, Birmingham remains an important industrial center as well as the home of emerging economic sectors in medical research, banking, and insurance.

The Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail at Ross Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail at Ross BridgeAccording to U.S. Census Bureau estimates, the 2006 population of Jefferson County was 656,700, making it the largest county in Alabama by far. This was a slight decrease from 662,047 in 2000. In 1990, the population of Jefferson County was 651,525. At the time of the 2000 census, the population consisted of 55.7 percent White, 41.3 percent African American, and 2.6 percent Hispanic. The largest city in Jefferson County is Birmingham, with a 2006 estimated population of 229,424. Other significant population centers include Hoover (68,707), Bessemer (28,416), Homewood (23,780), and Mountain Brook (20,927). In 2006, the estimated median household income for Jefferson County was $41,691, compared with $35,131 for the state as a whole. The estimated per capita income was $24,703, compared with $18,189 for the state as a whole.

Economy 

Harvested corn awaiting conversion to cattle feed near Jefferson County Farm, 1926Until well into the twentieth century, farming was the prevailing occupation in Jefferson County. Cotton was the major agricultural product until the early twentieth century, when farmers diversified into corn, wheat, peanuts, soybeans, and vegetables. Early settlers also took advantage of the abundant minerals in the area such as iron ore and coal. Iron production increased throughout the nineteenth century, and Jefferson County became a major supplier of coal to the Confederate Army in the Civil War. By 1865, the county had become one of the South's major suppliers of iron and steel, with the state of Alabama delivering more iron to the Confederacy than the rest of the southern states combined. Following the war, the county spent a great deal of time and money to improve Jefferson County's transportation system, resulting in the continuing importance of the iron and steel industries up until the present day. Textile mills also benefited from improved transportation and remained an important component of the county's economy well into the twentieth century. By the mid-twentieth century, Jefferson County also benefited from a rise in the health-care industry and became the state leader by the turn of the twenty-first century.

The University of Alabama at Birmingham is home University of Alabama at BirminghamMost of the workforce in present-day Jefferson County is divided fairly evenly between management (34.0 percent) and sales (30.7 percent). Service makes up 13.7 percent of the workforce, whereas production makes up 12.7 percent. Construction makes up 8.8 percent of the workforce, and farming makes up .01 percent of employment. Some of the largest employers include the University of Alabama at Birmingham, the U.S. Government, the State of Alabama, Baptist Health System, Bruno's, Jefferson County Board of Education, SouthTrust Bank, BellSouth, the City of Birmingham, and Birmingham Public Schools.

The Jefferson County school system employs approximately 4,280 teachers and administrators who serve more than 40,000 students in 64 primary and secondary schools. The Birmingham City school system serves more than 36,000 students in 92 primary and secondary schools, employing nearly 4,000 teachers and administrators. Jefferson County is home to two colleges, three technical schools, three religious training schools, four business schools, and three universities, including the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Geography 

Jefferson County is fifth in size among Alabama Jefferson County MapLocated in the north-central part of the state on the southern extension of the Appalachian Mountains, Jefferson County lies within the Cumberland Plateau and Tennessee Valley and Ridge physiographic sections. The county encompasses 1,119 square miles that run through the center of the iron, coal, and limestone belt of the South. Shades Mountain in southeastern Jefferson County is the county's highest elevation, at 1,150 feet. Jefferson County is bordered by Blount County to the northeast, St. Clair County to the east, Shelby County to the southeast, Bibb County to the south, Tuscaloosa County to the west, and Walker County to the northwest.

Jefferson County is drained by both the Black Warrior and Cahaba rivers. Shades Creek, Little Shades Creek, and Patton Creek flow into the Cahaba River, whereas Valley Creek and Village Creek flow into the Black Warrior River. A number of smaller tributaries feed into these larger tributaries, offering scenic views and recreational opportunities. Several major highways and interstates run through Jefferson County: Interstate 65 runs north-south through Birmingham, Interstates 59 and 20 run southwest-northeast, and Highway 78 runs northwest-southeast. Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport, located in Birmingham, provides domestic and international service for air travelers. The county is home to 13 private airports and three municipal airports.

Events and Places of Interest  

Jefferson County offers a number of recreational opportunities. The Alabama Wildlife Center in Birmingham is the largest rehabilitation center for wildlife in the state of Alabama. Visitors can view the rehab process and learn about some of Alabama's native species. The Ruffner Mountain Nature Center is a nature preserve covering over 1,000 acres. Visitors to the preserve can hike the trails that traverse through various geological formations. Oak Mountain State Park in Birmingham boasts a golf course, demonstration farm, swimming, camping, and hiking in its 9,940 acres.

Sloss Furnace Company was central to Birmingham's rise Sloss FurnacesBesides outdoor recreational opportunities, Jefferson County also has a number of historic places of interest. Bessemer Pioneer Homes offers visitors the chance to tour a series of structures that date from the early nineteenth century. The Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in the Birmingham Civil Rights District dates to 1874 and was the site of the 1963 bombing that killed four young African American girls. Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark encompasses a 32-acre blast furnace and factory that produced iron and steel for more than 100 years. The site is open to visitors and houses a museum of industry and center for metal arts. The 56-foot statue of Vulcan, which stands atop Red Mountain, was built in the early 1900s to symbolize Birmingham's importance as an industrial center. Jefferson County is also home to a number of historic districts with landmark homes and buildings, including the Five Points Southern Historic District in Birmingham and the Downtown Bessemer National Historic District.

The Birmingham Museum of Art, founded in 1951, Birmingham Museum of ArtVisitors to Jefferson County will find an abundance of museums. The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute is a state-of-the-art, multimedia facility housing exhibitions of historical events from post-World War I segregation to present-day racial issues. The Birmingham Museum of Art is the largest municipal museum in the southeastern United States. It contains more than 17,000 objects from ancient to modern times. The Bessemer Hall of History Museum is housed in a renovated railway terminal and contains artifacts, documents, photos, and nineteenth-century furniture and farm implements. The Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame in Birmingham pays tribute to jazz musicians with ties to Alabama, such as Erskine Hawkins and Lionel Hampton, and the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame Museum houses memorabilia from more than 200 inductees, including Paul "Bear" Bryant, Joe Louis, and Jesse Owens.

Additional Resources 

Jefferson County Heritage Book Committee. The Heritage of Je fferson  County. Clanton, Ala.: Heritage Publishing Consultants, 2002.

Donna J. Siebenthaler
Auburn University


Published October 16, 2007
Last updated January 20, 2010