Vestavia Hills, Alabama
26 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1890 and the latest in 1997. It stands in the Birmingham census division. It lies in ZIP code area 35216. It lies near Shades Mountain. The Survey maps it on the Birmingham South quadrangle. 39,102 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 951 feet above sea level.
Population over time
2 figuresVestavia Hills grew from 34,033 to 39,102 between 2010 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 34,033 | |
| 2020 | 39,102 | +5,069 (+15%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
13 surveys from 26 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
- 1905 USGS Bessemer Iron District quadrangle1:62500, 2 printings
- 1905 USGS Bessemer Special quadrangle1:48000
- 1907 USGS Bessemer Iron District quadrangle1:62500, 3 printings
- 1907 USGS Bessemer Special quadrangle1:62500
- 1953 USGS Birmingham quadrangle1:250000, 4 printings
- 1956 USGS Birmingham quadrangle1:250000
- 1957 USGS Birmingham quadrangle1:250000
- 1959 USGS Birmingham South quadrangle1:24000, 6 printings
- 1975 USGS Birmingham South quadrangle1:24000
- 1984 USGS Birmingham South quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
- 1997 USGS Birmingham South quadrangle1:24000
Fires near this place
32 since 1993Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 32 fires within 5 miles of Vestavia Hills between 1993 and 2016, burning about 408 acres in total. None started naturally. 19 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 |
|---|---|
| Arson/incendiarism | 19 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 9 |
| Debris and open burning | 2 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 1 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 September 2002 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 3.0 acres | Alabama Forestry Commission | not named |
| 15 September 1995 | Debris and open burning | 1.0 acres | Alabama Forestry Commission | not named |
| 13 September 2000 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 3.0 acres | Alabama Forestry Commission | not named |
| 30 June 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Alabama Forestry Commission | 1302 MORGAN RD, AL |
| 30 May 2011 | Recreation and ceremony | 2.0 acres | Alabama Forestry Commission | NORMAN DRIVE, AL |
| 27 April 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Alabama Forestry Commission | NER-20120427-002 |
| 23 April 2007 | Arson/incendiarism | 1.0 acres | Alabama Forestry Commission | not named |
| 22 April 2001 | Arson/incendiarism | 2.0 acres | Alabama Forestry Commission | not named |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
10 of 20 shownRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 20 workings within 5 miles of Vestavia Hills: 14 past producers, 3 plants, 2 unknowns, 1 producer. 4 still produce. What was taken out: Iron, Vermiculite. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Birmingham Plant | Vermiculite | Past Producer | ||
| Birmingham Red Ore Dist. | Iron | Producer | ||
| Birmingham Red Ore Mines District | Iron | Past Producer | 1864, 1972 | |
| Green Spring Mine | Iron | Past Producer | ||
| Helen Bess Mine | Iron | Past Producer | ||
| Ishkooda Mines | Iron | Past Producer | 1863, 1969 | |
| Kewanaw Mine | Iron | Past Producer | ||
| Republic Steel/ Birmingham, Ala. | Iron | Plant | ||
| So. Electric Steel/Birmingham, Ala. | Iron | Plant | ||
| Spaulding Mine | Iron | Past Producer | 1886 |
Storms near this place
39 since 1994Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Vestavia Hills in 39 storm reports between 1994 and 2026: 21 thunderstorm wind, 8 hail, 7 flash flood, 2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 2000 | Tornado (F1) | Vestavia Hills | $4,000,000 | The tornado path began on Shades Crest just west of US 31. The tornado paralleled Shades Crest before moving down a hill and across the Birmingham Water Works and US 280. The tornado continued to travel northeasterly just north of Overton Road through a heavily wooded residential area and continued along Overton Road to I-459. The tornado ended just east of I-459 in the Cahaba River area in the vicinity of Liberty Park.Damage was primarily to trees with generally minor roof damage to structures. Several structures sustained major damage at the Birmingham Water Works on US 280. Some structures sustained heavy damage when trees fell on them. Beginning: 33 27.310/86 47.330 End: 33 29.243/86 41.825 |
| April 2008 | Tornado (EF0) | Vestavia Hills | $50,000 | At the Colonial Grand Apartments, mulitple trees were snapped and uprooted. The tornado moved northeast and caused more damage at the Cedar Brook Apartments. Multiple trees were snapped off and major roof damage occurred when a brick fire wall used to separate units collapsed. |
| April 1998 | Hail | Vestavia Hills | $25,000 | Tennis ball size hail was reported by an off duty weather service employee. |
| April 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Vestavia Hills | $8,000 | A tree was blown down onto a house. |
| June 2004 | Flash Flood | Vestavia Hills | $8,000 | Water covered several roads near Patton Creek in Vestavia Hills. A few of the roads were temporarily impassable. |
| July 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Vestavia Hills | $8,000 | A few trees were blown down in Vestavia Hills. |
| June 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Vestavia Hills | $5,000 | The canopy of a convenience store was ripped off and landed on a vehicle. |
| January 1997 | Hail | Vestavia Hills | $5,000 | no account filed |
| January 1997 | Hail | Vestavia Hills | $5,000 | no account filed |
| April 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Vestavia Hills | $3,000 | Trees and power lines were blown down across Hackberry Lane. |
| July 2005 | Flash Flood | Vestavia Hills | $3,000 | Patton Creek was flooded and out of its banks. A few roads were temporarily impassable due to the high water. |
| June 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Vestavia Hills | $2,000 | A few trees and power lines were blown down on Shades Crest Road. |
| July 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Vestavia Hills | $1,000 | Heavy rainfall and gusty winds resulted in a few trees falling in the Hoover, Vestavia Hills, and Cahaba Heights areas, with some bringing down power lines as well. |
| March 2026 | Thunderstorm Wind | Vestavia Hills | - | Trees were downed in the Hoover area. |
| March 2026 | Thunderstorm Wind | Vestavia Hills | - | Trees were downed in the Vestavia Hills area. |
| May 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Vestavia Hills | - | Trees were downed on Old Rocky Ridge Rd and Rocky Ridge Lane. |
| May 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Vestavia Hills | - | A tree fell on a home in Vestavia Hills, damaging the front porch. |
| May 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Vestavia Hills | - | Several trees were downed in the Hoover and Vestavia Hills areas, including at Montreat Circle and Montreat Lane. |
| June 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Vestavia Hills | - | Trees were downed in the Hoover area. One residence had a large oak tree fall onto the house, causing roof damage and ceiling damage on two floors. |
| June 2025 | Flash Flood | Vestavia Hills | - | Numerous roadways were flooded around downtown Birmingham, Homewood, and Irondale. An underpass at the I-20/I-459 interchange was flooded, U.S. 31 at Ventura Ave in Homewood was flooded, and Floyd Bradford Rd was flooded at Amber Hills Rd. In addition, there were several reports of flooding in the I-59/20 area south of Birmingham-Shuttlesworth Airport, including 31st St and Tallapoosa St. |
| November 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Vestavia Hills | - | Several trees were downed across the Vestavia Hills area. |
| August 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Vestavia Hills | - | Numerous trees were downed in various parts of Hoover. |
| July 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Vestavia Hills | - | Numerous trees uprooted across southern Jefferson County, including the cities of Vestavia Hills, Hoover, and Mountain Brook. |
| July 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Vestavia Hills | - | Several trees uprooted in the Derby Downs neighborhood of Hoover. |
| July 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Vestavia Hills | - | Several trees uprooted near Rime Village Drive. |
| June 2021 | Flash Flood | Vestavia Hills | - | Several clusters of thunderstorms with heavy rainfall produced flash flooding across southern Jefferson County. Several roads were impassable in the Cahaba Heights areas and an observer reported 2.25 inches of rain in one hour. |
| March 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Vestavia Hills | - | Several trees uprooted and power lines downed in the city of Vestavia Hills. |
| July 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Vestavia Hills | - | Several trees uprooted on Highway 31 in the city of Vestavia Hills. |
| June 2020 | Flash Flood | Vestavia Hills | - | Slow moving thunderstorms produced very heavy rainfall in a short period of time across extreme southern Jefferson County. Rainfall amounts of 2 to 3 inches fell during a one hour period, resulting in flash flooding in the Mountain Brook and Vestavia Hills areas. |
| August 2019 | Flash Flood | Vestavia Hills | - | Many reports of flooded roadways with water levels several several feet deep in places, mainly in the Cahaba Heights and Vestavia areas. Several reports of submerged vehicles. |
| July 2017 | Flash Flood | Vestavia Hills | - | Severe flash flooding occurred in a very small area of southern Jefferson County, along Patton Creek, which winds through the cities of Vestavia Hills and Hoover. Water levels rose rapidly along the creek and flooded numerous adjacent businesses and roads. Several vehicles were washed off the road and into the creek. |
| June 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Vestavia Hills | - | A tree was uprooted, blocking a roadway in Vestavia Hills. |
| September 2011 | Flood | Vestavia Hills | - | Heavy rainfall from the remnants of Tropical Storm Lee resulted in flash flooding across much of Jefferson County. Water levels of several area creeks remained higher than bank full and numerous roads remained close through early Tuesday morning, September 6. |
| June 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Vestavia Hills | - | Winds were estimated around 65 mph near Rocky Ridge Road and Wisteria Drive. |
| May 2003 | Hail | Vestavia Hills | - | Nickel size hail was observed in Vestavia Hills. |
| April 1994 | Hail | Vestavia Hills | - | Golf ball-size hail fell in Vestavia Hills. The roof on a sporting goods store collapsed at 1130 CST following a lightning strike on the building and extremely heavy rain. None of the fifteen people in the store were hurt. |
| June 2011 | Hail | Vestavia Hills | - | no account filed |
| April 2009 | Hail | Vestavia Hills | - | no account filed |
| May 2009 | Hail | Vestavia Hills | - | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vestavia Lake | 0.3 miles | 26 | |
| Montclair | 0.4 miles | 26 | |
| Biltmore Estates | 0.4 miles | 26 | |
| Beacon Hills | 0.4 miles | 26 | |
| Vesclub Estates | 0.6 miles | 26 | |
| Vestavia Hills Estates | 0.7 miles | 26 | |
| Southridge | 0.7 miles | 26 | |
| Vesthaven Estates | 0.8 miles | 26 |
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 Vestavia Hills | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q79695 | 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 153841. 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.












