Gardendale, Alabama
Gardendale, Alabama | ||
---|---|---|
FIPS code 01-29056 | | |
GNIS ID | 2403681[1] | |
Website | cityofgardendale.com |
Gardendale is a city in Jefferson County, Alabama, United States[1] and a northern suburb of Birmingham. The population was 16,044 at the 2020 census.[3]
History
A large farm settlement near the area today known as Gardendale was settled around 1825. Some years later, other settlers began to move into the community commonly known as Jugtown, a name given to the area based on the presence of a large jug and churn factory that operated in the area. Some years later, Hettie Thomason Cargo, a school teacher, would lead a campaign to change the name of the community after being embarrassed to admit she was from "Jugtown" at a regional teachers' meeting.[4] In 1906, the name Gardendale was selected, and in 1955, the City of Gardendale was officially incorporated. Today, with more than 16,000 residents (estimated), the city of Gardendale has grown to include more than 400 businesses, 4 schools, and 24 churches.[5]
In 1996, the
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 18.0 square miles (47 km2), all land. However, with the recent annexation of several thousand acres from the community of Mt. Olive and other unincorporated areas, the city now has an estimated total area of around 25.0 square miles (65 km2). Gardendale is situated along one of the three major transportation corridors from the Midwest to the Gulf Coast (I-75, I-65, I-55). A tremendous volume of freight (via rail and truck) passes through or near Gardendale.
Gardendale is served by two major north–south highways:
Demographics
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
1960 | 4,712 | — | |
1970 | 6,537 | 38.7% | |
1980 | 8,005 | 22.5% | |
1990 | 9,251 | 15.6% | |
2000 | 11,626 | 25.7% | |
2010 | 13,893 | 19.5% | |
2020 | 16,044 | 15.5% | |
U.S. Decennial Census[7] |
2020 census
Race | Num. | Perc. |
---|---|---|
White (non-Hispanic)
|
12,254 | 76.38% |
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)
|
2,404 | 14.98% |
Native American
|
36 | 0.22% |
Asian
|
267 | 1.66% |
Pacific Islander
|
11 | 0.07% |
Other/Mixed
|
606 | 3.78% |
Latino
|
466 | 2.9% |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 16,044 people, 5,551 households, and 3,790 families residing in the city.
2010 census
As of the
There were 5,670 households, out of which 27.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.1% were married couples living together, 11.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.8% were non-families. 26.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.92.
The median income for a household in the city was $60,244, and the median income for a family was $79,044. Males had a median income of $52,782 versus $41,224 for females. The
2000 census
As of the
There were 4,733 households, out of which 28.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.3% were married couples living together, 9.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.6% were non-families. 24.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.88.
The median income for a household in the city was $45,786, and the median income for a family was $56,929. Males had a median income of $36,714 versus $29,039 for females. The
Economy
Most new business development in the past ten years has been along Fieldstown Road (and Odum Road) on the west side of the city between I-65 and US 31. Additional development, but to a lesser extent, has occurred along Mt. Olive Road near I-65. Several older more mature shopping and dining areas exist along US 31. The new City Center is being developed on Mt. Olive Road just south of Fieldstown Road. The new city hall and offices will be located here.
New retail developments are slated near
Arts and culture
Annual events include the Magnolia Festival which occurs each spring and is held around and near the Civic Center complex on Main Street.
Government
Gardendale uses the mayor/council form of government. Past mayors include J.I. Pesnell, Gilbert Jacks, James Yarbrough, Horace Parker, G. William Noble, Kenny Clemons, and Othell Phillips. Stan Hogeland is the current mayor.[9]
The city council consists of five members. The city is divided into five geographic districts with each one electing a council member to represent it on the city council. The election cycle for the mayor and council members is every four years during the same years as presidential elections. The mayoral position became a full-time paid position following the 2008 elections. The city council chooses a member to become council president, who presides over the council meetings. The current council consists of: Bryan Knox (District 1), Adam Berendt (District 2), Alvin Currington (District 3, council president), Greg Colvert (District 4), and Will Hardman (District 5).[10]
Gardendale has a full-time police department (Chief Scott Banks) and fire department (Chief Joe Thomas). The Fire & Rescue Department has two stations with station 1 located on Decatur Highway and station 2 located on Fieldstown Road. Fieldstown Volunteers, which is located in the western portion of the city, is a combination emergency response/disaster relief squad that mainly responds to large emergencies and provides support to other agencies.
Gardendale has a new City Hall that opened in 2015 on Main Street near the Civic Center. The previous city hall has been demolished and the property was sold to CVS for use as a pharmacy. The new Gardendale Civic Center is located on Main Street across from Gardendale High School. The Gardendale Public Library is located on Mt. Olive Road just south of the intersection of Mt. Olive Road and Fieldstown Road. A new municipal justice complex including court, police department, and jail has been located within the former Food World building facing US 31 just north of the city center area. Gardendale has several parks and athletic facilities. G. William Noble Park (formerly known as Moncrief Park) contains 6 baseball fields, 8 tennis courts, a football field, and 3 playgrounds as well as picnic and party facilities. It is located just off Moncrief Road on the northside of the city. The tennis courts are well maintained, and host many different events as do the baseball fields. G. William Noble Park is well kept and gets new playground equipment periodically. Luman Harris Park is a girls softball facility located just off Pineywood Road in the southeast part of the city. Also located there is the Miracle Park which is used for mentally and physically handicapped children. Mini Park, consisting of a playground for smaller children is located on Keith Circle, just north of Tarrant Road, four tenths of a mile east of US 31. Celebration Park is located on Fieldstown Road on the western edge of the city and contains two soccer fields and a walking track, a "splash pad" water park for children. Memorial Park is located between Main Street and US 31 in the north central part of the city and honors those who have served in the US Armed Forces. Past park facilities included two tennis courts and the old civic center which were located adjacent to city hall in the center of the city, two tennis courts located on Tarrant Road in the eastern edge of the city, a mini park located at the corner of Peterson Drive and Tarrant Road which contained an asphalt basketball court, and a softball field that was located behind the south end of Bragg Middle School.[citation needed]
Education
Public
Gardendale is served by several schools operated by the Jefferson County Schools school district. Gardendale Elementary School which opened in 1969 and replaced the older elementary school located about 300 yards east of the current school. Bragg Middle School was built later to handle the growing student population. Until Bragg was opened, Gardendale High School handled grades 7–12. Both Gardendale High School and Bragg Middle School use the nickname Rockets and share the same colors of maroon and gray. Gardendale High School is rated as a 6A school for athletic competition for the two-year period beginning in the fall of 2010. Also located on the north side of Gardendale is Snow Rogers Elementary School. Snow Rogers school is unique in that although it is inside Gardendale city limits, it is a feeder school for both Bragg Middle School in Gardendale as well as North Jefferson Middle School located in nearby Kimberly, Alabama. These schools in turn feed into Gardendale High School and Mortimer Jordan High School located in nearby Kimberly, Alabama. Residential addresses of Snow Rogers students determine which school they go to once leaving Snow Rogers Elementary. Mt. Olive Elementary is located in the nearby unincorporated Mt. Olive community. Gardendale High School used the Rogers campus as well as temporary classroom buildings while a new high school was being constructed on the site of the former high school (which was built in the mid-1960s). The new high school opened in early 2010. Gardendale High School graduated its first students in 1968.[citation needed]
In November 2013, the city requested to break off its schools from those of
Gardendale continues to impose its 10 mill tax while, at the same time, Jefferson County is imposing its countywide 8.8 mill tax for schools.
Private
Tabernacle Christian School is located on the northern side of the city, run by Gardendale Baptist Tabernacle. Their athletic teams carry the nickname Torches. Gardendale Christian Academy is also located on the northern side as a school and daycare run by Gardendale Church of the Nazarene. GCA's mascot is King's Knights.
Adult
Gardendale was once home to the Rogers Area Vocational School which has now been demolished to make way for soccer & baseball fields as well as student parking.[citation needed]
Media
Gardendale is located within the
Newspapers covering Gardendale include
Radio station WPYA (97.3 FM) is licensed and identified on air as a Gardendale radio station. This station is a Top 40 (CHR) station that covers the Birmingham radio market. The broadcast studios and transmitter are not located in Gardendale even though the station is licensed to Gardendale.
Infrastructure
Health care
In 2019, UAB opened a free-standing emergency room with outpatient clinics and helipad access. Gardendale is served by several small health centers/clinics that are part of these larger healthcare systems.
Notable people
- Mario Addison - professional football player
- Jack Biddle - state legislator
- Jordan Howard - professional football player for Philadelphia Eagles
- Pat Keedy - former professional baseball player for 1985 California Angels,1987 Chicago White Sox and 1989 Cleveland Indians
- Trey Mullinax - PGA professional golfer
- John Salter - mixed martial arts fighter[21]
- Alabama Crimson Tide Football and Arena Football League player[22]
- Chris Fryar - drummer for the Zac Brown Band
References
- ^ a b c d U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Gardendale, Alabama
- ^ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 29, 2021.
- ^ U.S. Census Bureau. 2020 Population Census for Incorporated Places
- ^ "Gardendale History". City of Gardendale, AL. Retrieved September 1, 2018.
- ^ "Gardendale History". City of Gardendale. Retrieved June 9, 2014.
- ^ https://www.cityofgardendale.com/community/page/gardendale-history
- ^ United States Census Bureau. "Census of Population and Housing". Retrieved August 10, 2013.
- ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
- ^ https://www.cityofgardendale.com/mayor-council/page/mayor-stan-hogeland
- ^ "Gardendale City Council Members". City of Gardendale. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
- ^ Mostly white Southern city may secede from school district despite racial motive; Washington Post; April 27, 2017.
- ^ "Lawsuit - Jefferson County Board of Education vs. Gardendale City Board of Education; United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama Southern Division. April 24, 2017" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on April 28, 2017. Retrieved April 27, 2017.
- ^ Hanna-Jones, Nikole (September 6, 2017). "The Resegrgation of Jefferson County". New York Times. Retrieved September 11, 2017.
- ^ "Court blocks predominantly white Alabama city from creating its own school system". KTVZ. February 14, 2018. Archived from the original on February 15, 2018.
- ^ "Judge orders Alabama city to pay legal fees in school fight". ABC News. Associated Press. December 26, 2019. Retrieved December 27, 2019.
- AL.com. Retrieved December 27, 2019.
- ^ "UAB's Gardendale freestanding emergency department and medical building set to open - News". UAB News. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
- ^ "UAB Hospital - UAB Medicine". www.uabmedicine.org. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
- ^ "St. Vincent's Birmingham". healthcare.ascension.org. Archived from the original on August 12, 2020. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
- ^ ""Brookwood Baptist Health"". Brookwood Baptist Health. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
- ^ Irvine, Steve (July 19, 2010). "John Salter looking to make a splash in the UFC". al.com. Alabama Media Group. Retrieved April 29, 2015.
- ^ Sentell, Jeff (November 14, 2014). "Gardendale dedicates its Game of the Week Homewood playoff victory to recovering coach Willie Wyatt". al.com. Alabama Media Group. Retrieved April 29, 2015.