The Birmingham, Alabama metropolitan area is bigger than most people think. There are a lot of people and a lot of counties in Birmingham, Alabama. If you’re moving to Birmingham, you definitely need to do your research on the counties to help you figure out where you want to start looking for houses.
A lot of things will help you narrow down where you want to live, starting with your job, then schools, parks and recreation, and even taxes may play a role in which area you choose.
Here’s a short video that covers information on the counties in Birmingham, Alabama! https://youtu.be/6UL6kKra8Ek
The Birmingham metro area covers over 5,000 square miles and is home to over 1.1 million people! The Magic City has 7 counties: Bibb, Blount, Chilton, Jefferson, Shelby, St. Clair, and Walker County.
As you can see, the Birmingham area covers a lot of ground, so today we’re going to cover the two counties in the Birmingham metro area with the highest population: Jefferson County and Shelby County.
These two counties not only neighbor one another, but do tend to overlap in some cities. Let’s take a look:
Jefferson County
Jefferson County covers over 1,000 square miles and is the most populous county in Alabama with a population of over 650,000!
There are twenty-seven cities inside of Jefferson County: Jefferson: Adamsville, Bessemer, Birmingham, Brighton, Center Point, Clay, Fairfield, Fultondale, Gardendale, Graysville, Helena, Homewood, Hoover, Hueytown, Irondale, Kimberly, Leeds, Lipscomb, Midfield, Mountain Brook, Pinson, Pleasant Grove, Sumiton, Tarrant, Trussville, Vestavia Hills, and Warrior. [source]
Jefferson County is home to over 50 schools K-12. Read more about the schools in Jefferson County on this site: https://www.jefcoed.com
Jefferson County has an average tax rate of 0.645%. For more information on the taxes in Jefferson County, please see this site.
According to Realtor.com link the median listing price in Jefferson County is $169,900 and the median sold price is $182,000.
Jefferson County has a lot of family friendly activities. Here are a few places you can enjoy together:
McWane Science Center
3117, 200 19th St N
Birmingham, AL 35203
The McWane center is the perfect interactive day trip for kids! Visit their website at: https://www.mcwane.org
Vulcan Park and Museum
1701 Valley View Dr
Birmingham, AL 35209
Get a birds eye view of downtown Birmingham and learn more about its history at Vulcan Park! Learn more on their website: http://visitvulcan.com
Birmingham Zoo
2630 Cahaba Rd
Birmingham, AL 35223
The Birmingham Zoo has a large variety of animals, a train ride, splash pad, and more! The Zoo also hosts many events that are family friendly. Find out what animals are at the zoo on their website: https://www.birminghamzoo.com
Birmingham Botanical Gardens
2612 Lane Park Rd
Birmingham, AL 35223
The Birmingham Botanical Gardens are a perfect city get away! Admission is free and there are several events that are hosted at the Gardens. For hours and more information, please visit their site: https://www.bbgardens.org
With downtown Birmingham being part of Jefferson County, there’s no lack of things to do in the area. Check out a full list of activities on Yelp’s webpage here.
Check out this article to learn about some of the best restaurants in the Birmingham area: read now
Learn more about Jefferson County on their website: https://www.jccal.org
Shelby County
Shelby County covers over 800 square miles and has a population over 213,000. There are twelve cities in Shelby County: Alabaster, Calera, Chelsea, Columbiana, Harpersville, Helena, Hoover, Montevallo, Pelham, Vincent, Westover, Wilsonville, and Wilton. [source]
There are over 50 schools, K-12, in Shelby County. Learn more about schools in Shelby County here: https://www.shelbyal.com/244/Education or read our blog about the Schools in Shelby County here.
According to Realtor.com, the median listing price in Shelby County is $235,000 and the median sold price is $198,900.
The average tax rate for Shelby County is 0.509%. Check out the site here.
Shelby County is home to some award winning cities, like Pelham and Helena. Check out the awards in the link below:
City of Pelham once again named by MONEY as “Best Place to Live in Alabama 2018”: https://pelhamalabama.gov/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=198
Helena award: “10 Best Places To Raise A Family In Alabama For 2019”:
There are plenty of things to do and see in Shelby County! Here are just a few family friendly ideas to get you started:
Oak Mountain State Park
200 Terrace Dr
Pelham, AL 35124
There are lots of things to do at Oak Mountain State Park! From swimming to hiking, biking to horseback riding, you can spend a full day. You can even camp overnight! Oak Mountain also has its own golf course. See their website for all the activities: https://www.alapark.com/oak-mountain-state-park
Cahaba River Park
2793 River Road
Helena, AL 35080
The Cahaba River is known for its tubing and kayaking. Now there’s a new park with hiking and biking trails for visitors! Learn more on their website: https://www.discovershelby.com/Facilities.aspx?Page=detail&RID=78
Treetop Family Adventure
1012 Dunnavant Valley Rd
Birmingham, AL 35242
Have fun at this attraction with go karts, laser tag, or even miniature golf! Visit their website for more information: https://www.treetop280.com/attractions
For more information on the Shelby County area and tourism attractions, please see these websites: https://www.shelbyal.com/9/Visitors
Tourism for Shelby County: http://discovershelby.com/
Have Questions About the Birmingham Area?
So there you have it! Hope this overview of Jefferson and Shelby County shed some light on what you’re looking for in your next area. Learn more about relocating to Birmingham AL in this post.
For more information on the Birmingham area, please contact Dianna Howell with The Howell Group at 205-568-5435 or email her at: dianna.howell@kw.com
See our website to search for houses in the Birmingham, Alabama area: www.thehowellgroupofalabama.com
