Calera, Alabama
19 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1890 and the latest in 1984. It stands in the Calera census division. It lies in ZIP code area 35040. The Survey maps it on the Montevallo quadrangle. 16,494 people lived here at the 2020 count.
On record in Calera
Buildings and businesses the archive holds for this place. Each opens its own page, with the source record it came from.
On the National Register 1 record
Calera Downtown Historic Districtlisted 2006
Surveyed buildings and structures 2 records
- Vulcan Material Company, Calera Quarry, 1614 Highway 84, Calerafederal building survey, 3 photographs
- Wilton Depot, Ninth Street, Calerafederal building survey, 1 photograph
Population over time
3 figuresCalera grew from 234 to 16,494 between 1880 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.
| Year | People | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1880 | 234 | |
| 2010 | 11,620 | |
| 2020 | 16,494 | +4,874 (+42%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
9 surveys from 19 printed sheetsMatched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.
- 1890 USGS Bessemer quadrangle1:125000
- 1892 USGS Bessemer quadrangle1:125000, 2 printings
- 1910 USGS Montevallo quadrangle1:62500, 4 printings
- 1953 USGS Birmingham quadrangle1:250000, 4 printings
- 1956 USGS Birmingham quadrangle1:250000
- 1957 USGS Birmingham quadrangle1:250000
- 1975 USGS Montevallo SE quadrangle1:24000
- 1980 USGS Montevallo quadrangle1:24000, 3 printings
- 1984 USGS Birmingham South quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
Photographs
2 photographs,Taken for the Office of War Information and the Farm Security Administration, who photographed the country between 1935 and 1944. Works of United States government photographers, with no known restriction on use. Each opens its catalogue record.
Photographer not recorded. Library of Congress
Photographer not recorded. Library of Congress
Fires near this place
115 since 1994Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 115 fires within 5 miles of Calera between 1994 and 2020, burning about 943 acres in total. 1 started naturally. 36 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Debris and open burning | 49 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 36 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 11 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 6 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 6 |
| Railroad operations and maintenance | 5 |
| Natural | 1 |
| Smoking | 1 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 September 2002 | Debris and open burning | 2.0 acres | Alabama Forestry Commission | not named |
| 4 September 2000 | Debris and open burning | 10 acres | Alabama Forestry Commission | not named |
| 29 September 2000 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Alabama Forestry Commission | not named |
| 28 September 2006 | Debris and open burning | 1.0 acres | Alabama Forestry Commission | not named |
| 27 September 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 10 acres | Alabama Forestry Commission | ECR-20140927-001 |
| 20 September 2019 | Debris and open burning | 3.0 acres | Alabama Forestry Commission | 20190920-15 |
| 2 September 1999 | Arson/incendiarism | 12 acres | Alabama Forestry Commission | not named |
| 18 September 2000 | Equipment and vehicle use | 25 acres | Alabama Forestry Commission | not named |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
10 of 13 shownRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 13 workings within 5 miles of Calera: 5 producers, 4 unknowns, 2 past producers, 2 plants. 7 still produce. What was taken out: Stone, Crushed/Broken, Iron, Clay, Stone. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calera Plant | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Plant | ||
| Martin Marietta Cement Plant | Stone | Plant | ||
| Alabama Refractory Clay Co. Pit | Clay | Producer | ||
| Roberta Pit | Clay | Producer | ||
| Unnamed | Iron | Unknown | ||
| Unnamed | Iron | Unknown | ||
| Unnamed | Iron | Unknown | ||
| Unnamed | Iron | Unknown | ||
| Calera Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer | ||
| Montevallo Mine | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer |
Storms near this place
26 since 1995Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Calera in 26 storm reports between 1995 and 2025: 16 thunderstorm wind, 7 hail, 2 tornado, 1 lightning. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Calera | $14,000 | Several power lines were blown down on CR 22 near the Shelby Academy. Several trees were blown down on Foundry Road, CR 42, CR 209, and on CR 308. |
| August 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Calera | $12,000 | The steeple of the Concord Baptist Church in Calera was blown off and destroyed. |
| July 2005 | Lightning | Calera | $11,000 | Lightning stuck several power lines and transformers. A few of the power lines were knocked down and power outages occurred across many locations in southern Shelby County. |
| July 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Calera | $11,000 | Several trees and power lines were blown down in and around Calera. |
| April 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Calera | $10,000 | Several large tents were blown over and destroyed, several trees were blown down, and shingles were lifted off the depot building, at the Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum. |
| May 1996 | Hail | Calera | $10,000 | no account filed |
| April 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Calera | $2,000 | Trees were blown down on CR 16. |
| October 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Calera | $2,000 | A few trees were blown down. |
| May 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Calera | $2,000 | A few trees were blown down across extreme southern Shelby County. Pea size hail also accompanied this storm. |
| March 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Calera | $1,000 | A few trees were blown down on the east side of Interstate 65 near Calera. |
| August 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Calera | $1,000 | Trees were blown down in the vicinity of the Shelby County Airport. |
| February 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Calera | - | Trees were downed across much of central and southern Shelby County. |
| March 2025 | Tornado (EF1) | South Calera | - | The tornado began in far northern Chilton County near the county line and moved quickly into Shelby County. It moved through South Calera and northward into downtown Calera, where mostly|tree damage was noted. There were several mobile/manufactured|homes damaged on 13th Street as the tornado paralleled US Highway|31 before crossing Interstate 65, where several campers at a|dealership were rolled and/or tossed. Numerous snapped trees were|noted at this location as well. The tornado made a left turn over|Limestone Parkway and moved north-northwest over a shopping|center just east of the intersection of US 31 and AL Highway 70.|Thereafter, the tornado moved into the cone of silence of the|KBMX RADAR near the O'Neal Quarry office, where many trees were|snapped and uprooted. After speaking with Lhoist quarry|officials, no damage was reported at the quarry, and the end of|the tornado was placed just to the north of Oak Tree Lane, where|a few trees were downed and metal farm buildings sustained minor|roof damage. Maximum winds were estimated to be around 90 mph at|both the mobile home neighborhood and the camper dealership. The total path length of the tornado was 7.47 miles. |
| August 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Calera | - | Multiple trees uprooted and power lines downed in Calera. |
| April 2019 | Tornado (EF0) | Calera | - | National Weather Service meteorologists surveyed damage in Shelby County and determined that it was consistent with an EF0 tornado, with maximum sustained winds near 70 mph. The tornado touched down near County Road 16 where it crosses the Vulcan Quarry, causing minor timber damage across Shelby County Road 16 that blocked the roadway. The tornado continued to the north-northeast through inaccessible forested areas and crossed the northern extent of the quarry where no damage was reported by personnel. The tornado moved nearly due north and caused some minor timber damage as it crossed Shelby County Road 22 and uprooted trees as it moved across Sharpsburg Circle. A nearby home had a portion of its wooden fence supports broken due to the winds. Behind a house three trees were uprooted. A few trees were uprooted at the eastern end of Ivanhoe Lane. Further to the north, the tornado crossed Rossburg Drive and Rossburg Place, causing significant roof damage to one home, broke apart portions of five fences, deposited plywood and some roofing material on the roof an other homes, uprooted a few trees and tore a small portion of a roof off of an upstairs room. The tornado then continued northward, between Little John Circle and Nottingham Drive, where it dissipated. |
| June 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Calera | - | Several trees uprooted and power lines downed in the city of Calera. |
| January 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Calera | - | Several trees uprooted near the intersection of Highway 16 and Faith Lane. |
| January 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Calera | - | A Subway sandwich shop sign was heavily damaged. |
| April 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Calera | - | At least a dozen trees were uprooted across a one mile area near the Timberline Golf Course near the Intersection of Highway 25 and Interstate 65. Two to three dozen trees were also uprooted or snapped near the Water Treatment Plant in Calera. |
| July 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Calera | - | Two large trees fell onto a driveway within the city limits of Calera. |
| November 2002 | Hail | Calera | - | Dime size hail was observed by NWS personnel at the Shelby County Airport. Quarter size hail was reported on CR 12 at CR 24. |
| February 1995 | Hail | Calera | - | Dime-size hail was reported in Calera by the Calera Police Department. |
| April 2012 | Hail | Calera | - | no account filed |
| March 2011 | Hail | Calera | - | no account filed |
| March 2011 | Hail | Calera | - | no account filed |
| April 2006 | Hail | Calera | - | no account filed |
Nearest settlements
The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.
| Map | Place | Distance | Sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stems | 2.0 miles | 19 | |
| South Calera | 2.0 miles | 16 | |
| Ozan | 2.0 miles | 16 | |
| Pasqua | 2.6 miles | 19 | |
| Montalla Acres | 2.8 miles | 19 | |
| Roberta | 2.9 miles | 19 | |
| Ivanhoe | 3.3 miles | 19 | |
| Dargin | 3.4 miles | 19 |
Elsewhere
Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.
| Wikipedia article on Calera | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q79942 | The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0). |
Provenance
This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 157907. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.








