Jefferson County, Alabama

Jefferson County was created on December 13, 1819 by the Alabama Legislature and named for President Thomas Jefferson [1]. The land was acquired from the Creek Indians in the 1814 Treaty of Fort Jackson. Its seat is Birmingham, and the 2020 census counted 674,721 residents, the most of any Alabama county.

History

The county was first part of Monroe County in the Mississippi Territory and was briefly named Blount County in 1816. Earlier seats were Carrollsville (1819 to 1821) and Elyton (1821 to 1873). Birmingham became Alabama’s leading industrial city in the mid-to-late 1800s, driven by steel, coal and iron ore [1].

Government and economy

Government is by an elected five-member commission. Major cities include Birmingham, Hoover, Bessemer, Homewood, Cardiff and Mountain Brook. Today the county is a business center known for banking and medicine, and education, health care and social assistance employed 25.7 percent of workers in 2020. Median household income was $55,088 [1].

Education and attractions

The county school system oversees 57 schools and Birmingham City Schools oversees 42. Higher education includes the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Jefferson State and Lawson State community colleges, Samford University, Birmingham-Southern College and Miles College. Attractions include the Red Rock Trail System with about 160 miles of trails, Ruffner Mountain, Oak Mountain State Park at 9,940 acres, the Birmingham Botanical Gardens, the Birmingham Zoo, the 56-foot Vulcan statue, Sloss Furnaces and the Birmingham Museum of Art [1]. See Rivers of Alabama.

County seats and courthouses

Jefferson County was established by the Alabama Legislature on December 13, 1819, and named for Thomas Jefferson. Its seat has moved several times: Carrollsville served from 1819 to 1821, Elyton from 1821 to 1873, and Birmingham has been the seat since. The county also keeps a second courthouse in Bessemer, about 16 miles southwest of Birmingham, an arrangement that remained after a proposed division of the county did not take place.[2]

Population and cities

The 2020 census counted 674,721 residents, the most of any county in Alabama. Birmingham, the county seat, had 200,733 residents in 2020. Other large municipalities include Hoover (92,606), Vestavia Hills (39,102, partly in Shelby County), Homewood (26,414), Trussville (26,123, partly in St. Clair County), Bessemer (26,019) and Mountain Brook (22,461). The median age was 38.3 years.[2]

Geography and economy

The county covers about 1,124 square miles, of which roughly 13 square miles is water. It borders Walker and Tuscaloosa counties to the west, Bibb and Shelby to the south, and Blount and St. Clair to the northeast. Its growth rested on the Birmingham-area iron, coal and limestone belt, which supported steel and heavy manufacturing from the 1870s onward. In 2011 the county government filed what was then the largest municipal bankruptcy in the United States and emerged from it in December 2013.[2]

FAQs

When was Jefferson County created? December 13, 1819.

What is the seat? Birmingham.

Sources

1. Encyclopedia of Alabama: Jefferson County
2. Wikipedia: Jefferson County, Alabama

Editorially reviewed by Specialty Digest Editorial TeamLast reviewed November 10, 2026Researched and drafted with AI assistanceReport an issue