Nelson, Alabama
16 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1890 and the latest in 1984. It stands in the Columbiana census division. It lies in ZIP code area 35051. It lies near Columbiana Mountain. The Survey maps it on the Columbiana quadrangle. It stands 463 feet above sea level.
Topographic sheets covering this place
10 surveys from 16 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
- 1909 USGS Columbiana quadrangle1:62500
- 1911 USGS Columbiana quadrangle1:62500, 2 printings
- 1953 USGS Birmingham quadrangle1:250000, 4 printings
- 1956 USGS Birmingham quadrangle1:250000
- 1957 USGS Birmingham quadrangle1:250000
- 1975 USGS Columbiana NE quadrangle1:24000
- 1980 USGS Columbiana quadrangle1:24000
- 1984 USGS Birmingham South quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
Fires near this place
175 since 1994Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 175 fires within 5 miles of Nelson between 1994 and 2020, burning about 1,828 acres in total. 2 started naturally. 62 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 | 76 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 62 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 13 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 13 |
| Smoking | 3 |
| Natural | 2 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 2 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 2 |
| Railroad operations and maintenance | 1 |
| Power generation/transmission/distribution | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 September 2019 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 6.0 acres | Alabama Forestry Commission | 20190906-13 |
| 30 September 2001 | Arson/incendiarism | under an acre | Alabama Forestry Commission | not named |
| 27 September 2019 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 3.0 acres | Alabama Forestry Commission | 20190927-16 |
| 24 September 2004 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Alabama Forestry Commission | not named |
| 24 September 1999 | Arson/incendiarism | under an acre | Alabama Forestry Commission | not named |
| 15 September 2010 | Debris and open burning | 1.0 acres | Alabama Forestry Commission | not named |
| 12 September 2019 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 60 acres | Alabama Forestry Commission | 20190912-1 |
| 10 September 2011 | Natural | 15 acres | Alabama Forestry Commission | HWY 25N, AL |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
9 within 5 milesRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 9 workings within 5 miles of Nelson: 5 unknowns, 2 producers, 1 occurrence, 1 plant. 3 still produce. What was taken out: Iron, Sand and Gravel, Construction, Sulfur. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (Facility) Tuscaloosa Refinery | Sulfur | Plant | ||
| Couch Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Tuscaloosa Quarry | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Columbiana Mountain | Iron | Unknown | ||
| Columbiana Red Ore Prospect | Iron | Occurrence | Hematite | |
| Unnamed | Iron | Unknown | ||
| Unnamed | Iron | Unknown | ||
| Unnamed | Iron | Unknown | ||
| Unnamed | Iron | Unknown |
Storms near this place
9 since 2007Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Nelson in 9 storm reports between 2007 and 2022: 6 thunderstorm wind, 1 hail, 1 flash flood, 1 tornado. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Nelson | $10,000 | Six trees were blown down, and a metal porch roof was peeled back, near the intersection of County Road 55 and AL-25, between Columbiana and Wilsonville. |
| June 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Nelson | $2,000 | Several trees and power lines were blown down across CR-55, west of Wilsonville. |
| August 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Nelson | $1,000 | Several trees were blown down near the intersection of CR-55 and CR-56, northwest of Wilsonville. |
| March 2022 | Tornado (EF1) | Nelson | - | National Weather Service meteorologists surveyed damage in eastern Shelby County and determined that it was consistent with an EF1 tornado, with maximum winds near 110 mph. The tornado touched down within the Chelsea Farms community where numerous softwood tress were snapped and uprooted. It quickly moved northeast crossing County Road 69 near the intersection of Twelve Oak Circle, hitting a power substation and destroying several hundred feet of pasture fencing. Farther downstream, the tornado reached its maximum intensity crossing County Roads 333 and 47, where several outbuildings were destroyed. There was also damage to numerous houses where roofing materials were lifted and sustained heavy damage. As the tornado continued northeast, it crossed County Road 49 where additional hard and softwood trees were snapped and uprooted and a barn lost a majority of its outer walls. The tornado began to lift along Pumpkin Swamp Road where additional hard and softwood trees were uprooted. |
| July 2021 | Flash Flood | Nelson | - | A cluster of slow moving thunderstorms containing heavy rain produced totals of 1 to 2 inches in a short period of time in eastern Shelby County resulting in flash flooding. Highway 25 west of Wilsonville was impassable with deep flowing water. |
| March 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Nelson | - | Several trees uprooted and power lines downed. |
| February 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Nelson | - | Several trees uprooted. One fell on a house and another on a barn. Power lines downed in same area. One tree snapped. |
| April 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Nelson | - | Several trees uprooted across eastern Shelby County. |
| July 2009 | Hail | Nelson | - | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fourmile | 2.7 miles | 16 | |
| Columbiana | 2.9 miles | 16 | |
| Kingdom Crossroads | 4.0 miles | 16 | |
| Hillsdale | 5.0 miles | 16 | |
| Wilsonville | 5.3 miles | 25 | |
| Joinertown | 5.5 miles | 17 | |
| Carleton Point | 5.5 miles | 25 | |
| Valentine | 5.9 miles | 25 |
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 Nelson | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q19987283 | 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 156773. 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.









