- Mountain Brook, Alabama
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Mountain Brook — City — The "Old Mill" on Shades Creek
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Coordinates: 33°29′13″N 86°44′26″W / 33.48694°N 86.74056°W Country United States State Alabama County Jefferson Government – Type Council-manager – Mayor Terry Oden (R) Area – City 12.2 sq mi (31.7 km2) – Land 12.2 sq mi (31.7 km2) – Water 0 sq mi (0 km2) Elevation 768 ft (140 m) Population (2005)[1] – City 20,821 – Density 1,701.1/sq mi (656.8/km2) – Metro 1,212,848 Time zone CST (UTC-6) – Summer (DST) CDT (UTC-5) ZIP codes 35213, 35223 Area code(s) 205 FIPS code 01-51696 GNIS feature ID 0123503 Website http://www.mtnbrook.org/ Mountain Brook is a city in southeastern Jefferson County, Alabama, and a suburb of Birmingham. According to 2005 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 20,821.[1] Mountain Brook is a particularly affluent city within the Birmingham metropolitan area and has appeared in several lists of America's wealthiest communities.[2] Mountain Brook has been listed as one of the 10 wealthiest communities in the United States based on a 2008 survey that calculates wealth above the regular census limit.[3] Mountain Brook is also well known for being the wealthiest city in the state of Alabama.
Mountain Brook was originally developed in 1929 by local developer Robert Jemison as an extensive residential subdivision, and was incorporated on May 24, 1942.[4] The plans, by Boston-based landscape architect Warren H. Manning, called for estate-sized lots along winding scenic roads and denser commercial development centering on three "villages" knowns as English Village, Mountain Brook Village and Crestline Village. Their subdivisions nearby Cherokee Bend, Brookwood Forest, Overton, and Crestline homes in real [4] nature preserves on the adjacent slopes protected the area from urban encroachment and bridle paths created a recreational network within the development.[4]
Mountain Brook is often referred to as "The Tiny Kingdom" due to its reputation as an enclave for the area's elite [5] and the disparity of wealth between it and City of Birmingham where nearly a quarter of the population lives below the poverty line, according to Census data.
Mountain Brook is the hometown of actors Wayne Rogers, Kate Jackson, and Courteney Cox, and former Green Bay Packers quarterback Bart Starr, and Natalee Holloway, a high school graduate who disappeared while on a graduation trip to Aruba on May 30, 2005, in a well-publicized missing persons case.[6]
Contents
Geography
Mountain Brook is located at 33°29′13″N 86°44′26″W / 33.48694°N 86.74056°W (33.486972, -86.740465)[7].
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 12.2 square miles (32 km2), all of it land.
Demographics
Historical populations Census Pop. %± 1950 8,359 — 1960 12,680 51.7% 1970 19,474 53.6% 1980 19,718 1.3% 1990 19,810 0.5% 2000 20,604 4.0% Est. 2007 21,020 2.0% As of the census[8] of 2003, there were 20,640 people, 7,954 households, and 5,974 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,684 people per square mile (649.9/km²). There were 8,268 housing units at an average density of 675.8 per square mile (260.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 98.64% White, 0.31% Black or African American, 0.04% Native American, 0.65% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.12% from other races, and 0.22% from two or more races. 0.58% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
According to the 2005-2009 American Community Survey, of a population of 20,989, there were 20,729 whites, 7 blacks, 17 Cherokees, 61 Indian-Americans, 143 Chinese-Americans, and 32 people who identified as some other race.[9]
Mountain Brook is Alabama's best educated city, proportionately, with 79.5% of adult residents ages 25 and older holding an associate degree or higher, and 77.3% of adults possessing a baccalaureate degree or higher.
There were 7,998 households out of which 36.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 68.0% were married couples living together, 5.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.3% were non-families. 22.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.05.
In the city the population was spread out with 28.3% under the age of 18, 4.1% from 18 to 24, 25.3% from 25 to 44, 25.8% from 45 to 64, and 16.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 89.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.4 males.
There is also a big Jewish community in Mountain Brook.
The median income for a household in the city was $100,483, and the median income for a family was $156,647 (these figures had risen to $126,586 and $157,159 respectively as of a 2007 estimate[10]). Males had a median income of $100,000 versus $39,770 for females. The per capita income for the city was $59,085. None of the population was below the poverty line.
Government
Mountain Brook's Old City Hall
Mountain Brook has a city council/mayor/city manager system of government. The city council consists of 5 members elected at large, and the council considers most issues and appoints the police chief, the fire chief, and the city manager (with the mayor). The mayor is elected every 4 years and as of January 2008 is Terry Oden. Administrative business is handled by the city manager who is appointed by the mayor and city council. As of January 2008 the city manager is Sam Gaston. The Tree Commission and the Planning Commission consider specific issues and usually refer them to the city council.
Education
The city has its own school system, Mountain Brook School System. The system includes four elementary schools (Mountain Brook Elementary, Cherokee Bend Elementary, Brookwood Forest Elementary, Crestline Elementary), one junior high school (Mountain Brook Junior High), and a high school (Mountain Brook High School). Many Mountain Brook Schools have been awarded the National Blue Ribbon for Excellence.
There are also two private elementary schools in Mountain Brook: Highlands School, on Old Leeds Road in Cherokee Bend, and N. E. Miles Jewish Day School on Montclair Road.
References
- ^ a b "Annual Estimates of the Population for All Incorporated Places in Alabama" (CSV). 2005 Population Estimates. U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division. June 21, 2006. http://www.census.gov/popest/cities/files/SUB-EST2005-04-01.csv. Retrieved November 9, 2006.[dead link]
- ^ Census says Alabamians' incomes up 12 percent The Birmingham News (May 24, 2002). Retrieved on January 16, 2006.
- ^ Mountain Brook one of wealthiest communities in U.S. The Birmingham News (December 30, 2008). Retrieved on August 7, 2010.
- ^ a b c Barefield, Marilyn Davis (1989-12-01). A History of Mountain Brook, Alabama & Incidentally of Shades Valley. Southern University Press. ISBN 0876519907.
- ^ Eskew, Glenn T. (1997-11-12). "Businessmen's Reform". But for Birmingham: The Local and National Movements in the Civil Rights Struggle. The University of North Carolina Press. pp. 183. ISBN 0807846678.
- ^ "Seeking information: Disappearance of Natalee Ann Holloway". Federal Bureau of Investigation. http://www.fbi.gov/wanted/seekinfo/holloway.htm. Retrieved 2008-05-19.[dead link]
- ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
- ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/ADPTable?_bm=y&-context=adp&-qr_name=ACS_2009_5YR_G00_DP5YR5&-ds_name=ACS_2009_5YR_G00_&-tree_id=5309&-redoLog=false&-_caller=geoselect&-geo_id=16000US0151696&-format=&-_lang=en
- ^ http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/ACSSAFFFacts?_event=Search&geo_id=16000US1854180&_geoContext=01000US%7C04000US18%7C16000US1854180&_street=&_county=mountain+brook&_cityTown=mountain+brook&_state=04000US01&_zip=&_lang=en&_sse=on&ActiveGeoDiv=geoSelect&_useEV=&pctxt=fph&pgsl=160&_submenuId=factsheet_1&ds_name=ACS_2007_3YR_SAFF&_ci_nbr=null&qr_name=null®=null%3Anull&_keyword=&_industry=
External links
- City of Mountain Brook website
- City of Mountain Brook Chamber of Commerce
- Emmet O'Neal Library
- Mountain Brook Schools
Coordinates: 33°29′13″N 86°44′26″W / 33.486972°N 86.740465°W
Municipalities and communities of Jefferson County, Alabama Cities Adamsville | Bessemer | Birmingham‡ | Brighton | Center Point | Clay | Fairfield | Fultondale | Gardendale | Graysville | Helena‡ | Homewood | Hoover‡ | Hueytown | Irondale | Leeds‡ | Lipscomb | Midfield | Mountain Brook | Pinson | Pleasant Grove | Sumiton‡ | Tarrant | Trussville‡ | Vestavia Hills‡ | Warrior‡
Towns Argo‡ | Brookside | Cardiff | County Line‡ | Kimberly | Maytown | Morris | Mulga | North Johns | Sylvan Springs | Trafford | West Jefferson
CDPs Concord | Edgewater | Forestdale | Grayson Valley | McDonald Chapel | Minor | Mount Olive | Rock Creek
Unincorporated
communitiesFootnotes ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties
Categories:- Cities in Alabama
- Populated places in Jefferson County, Alabama
- Birmingham–Hoover metropolitan area
- Populated places established in 1929
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