Shelby County, Alabama

Shelby County was created on February 7, 1818 by the Alabama Territorial General Assembly, nearly two years before statehood [1]. It is named for Isaac Shelby (1750 to 1826), a Revolutionary War hero and the first governor of Kentucky. The seat is Columbiana, which took over from Shelbyville in 1826, and the 2020 estimate was 216,350 residents across about 800 square miles.

History

The county was once much larger, and portions later formed St. Clair, Jefferson, Talladega and Chilton counties. Early settlers came from Kentucky, South Carolina and Tennessee, and many had served under Andrew Jackson at Horseshoe Bend. The present courthouse was built in 1906 [1].

Economy

Farming dominated until well into the twentieth century, with cotton leading until about 1900 before farmers diversified into corn, wheat and soybeans. Horace Ware established Shelby Iron Works in the late 1840s, and in 1851 William Phineas Browne opened the state’s first large-scale, systematically run underground coal mines near Montevallo. Education and health care employed 21.9 percent of workers in 2020 [1].

Cities and education

Hoover is the largest city but spans two counties, and Alabaster is the largest city entirely within the county. Other communities include Pelham, Helena, Calera and Chelsea. The University of Montevallo, founded in 1896, is the only four-year institution, and the school system oversees 32 schools [1].

Attractions

Oak Mountain State Park covers nearly 10,000 acres, the Cahaba River Wildlife Management Area 41,500 acres and Lay Lake 12,000 acres with 289 miles of shoreline. American Village in Montevallo is a 113-acre living-history colonial village, and other sites include the Aldrich Coal Mine Museum and the Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum [1].

Formation and name

The Alabama Territorial General Assembly created Shelby County on February 7, 1818, almost two years before statehood; St. Clair, Jefferson, Talladega and Chilton counties were later carved from it. It honors Isaac Shelby, a Revolutionary War hero and Kentucky’s first governor. Columbiana became the seat after Columbia was chosen over Wilson’s Hill in 1826 and renamed in 1832. The county covers about 800 square miles and had 216,350 residents in 2020; Hoover is the largest city but straddles the Jefferson County line, and Alabaster is the largest wholly within Shelby.[2]

Industry and history

Early settlers came from Kentucky, South Carolina and Tennessee, many of them veterans of Andrew Jackson’s campaign at Horseshoe Bend. Cotton led until about 1900, then iron and coal. Shelby Iron Works, founded in the late 1840s, supplied the Confederate ordnance works at Selma, and William Phineas Browne opened coal mines near Montevallo in 1851. Today educational services and health care are the largest employment sector at 21.9 percent.[2]

Parks and universities

Oak Mountain State Park, almost 10,000 acres in the north of the county, is Alabama’s largest state park. Montevallo is home to the University of Montevallo, founded in 1896, and American Village. Double Oak Mountain divides the Coosa Valley from the Cahaba Valley, and Pelham, Helena, Calera, Indian Springs Village and Chelsea are other population centers.[2]

FAQs

When was it created? February 7, 1818.

What is the seat? Columbiana.

Sources

1. Encyclopedia of Alabama: Shelby County
2. Encyclopedia of Alabama: Shelby County

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