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Vestavia Hills Alabama
Vestavia Hills is a city in Jefferson and Shelby Counties in the U.S. state
of Alabama. It is an affluent suburb of the city of Birmingham.
Vestavia Hills is named for the 20 acre (8.09 hectare) estate of former
Birmingham mayor George B. Ward which was situated on the crest of Shades
Mountain in what is now the northern edge of the city. Ward's mansion at the
Vestavia estate became a landmark in the area as soon as it was completed in
1925. The two and a half story house was patterned after the circular Temple of
Vesta in Rome with dark pink sandstone walls encircled by twenty massive white
Doric columns surmounted by a carved entablature. The extensive gardens,
populated by statuary and peacocks, featured a smaller domed gazebo, which was
patterned after the Temple of Sibyl in Tivoli.
After Ward's death, the house, something of a tourist stop near the highway
between Birmingham and Montgomery, was used as a tea-room and reception hall
before being purchased by Vestavia Hills Baptist Church. The church met in the
temple structure for several years before demolishing a portion of the building
in 1971 to make way for a larger building. A center portion of the original
building remains today. The gazebo was relocated by the garden club to a
prominent outcropping closer to the highway to serve as a landmark gateway into
the community.
The development of Vestavia Hills as a residential suburb began in 1946 when
developer Charles Byrd planned a subdivision for approximately 1000 persons on
the gently sloping southern flank of Shades Mountain. It was incorporated as a
separate city on November 8, 1950 and has since grown, by rapid development and
annexation, into a thriving small city. As of 2006 Census Bureau estimates, the
population of the Vestavia Hills is 31,051.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 24,476 people, 10,841 households, and
7,878 families residing in the city, though annexations since that time have
increased the population to 31,051, as of the 2006 United States Census
estimates. The population density was 1,672.7 people per square mile
(645.9/km˛). There were 10,523 housing units at an average density of 719.1/sq
mi (277.7/km˛). The racial makeup of the city was 94.46% White, 1.85% Black or
African American, 0.11% Native American, 2.47% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander,
0.35% from other races, and 0.67% from two or more races. 1.36% of the
population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 9,841 households out of which 34.2% had children under the age of 18
living with them, 61.1% were married couples living together, 7.2% had a female
householder with no husband present, and 30.1% were non-families. 26.6% of all
households were made up of individuals and 13.1% had someone living alone who
was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the
average family size was 3.03.
In the city the population was spread out with 25.8% under the age of 18, 6.0%
from 18 to 24, 25.9% from 25 to 44, 26.1% from 45 to 64, and 16.2% who were 65
years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there
were 88.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.3 males.
According to a 2007 estimate, the median income for a household in the city was
$76,793, and the median income for a family was $106,432. Males had a median
income of $72,837 versus $37,083 for females. The per capita income for the city
was $40,392. About 2.2% of families and 3.1% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 1.6% of those under age 18 and 4.5% of those age 65 or
over.
Education
he high quality of the school system in Vestavia Hills has been recognized by
the Wall Street Journal and other sources. It comprises five elementary schools,
two middle schools, one alternative school and one high school with a total
enrollment of some 6000 students. Vestavia Hills High School is known for the
success of its math and debate teams, which have each won several national
competitions. The schools' band and baseball programs have also received much
recognition. The 2008-2009 boys basketball team won the Alabama state
championship in division 6A. Vestavia opened its 8th school in August 2008,
Liberty Park Middle School.
In Fall 2006, the Vestavia Hills Board of Education moved to petition the
federal government to end the required desegregation busing of predominantly
black students from the Shannon/Oxmoor Valley area due to overcrowding. The
Unitary Status court settlement was federally approved in July 2007. Any
students currently enrolled at any Vestavia Hills' school will be allowed to
continue in the system until graduation from the high school.