Welcome to Vestavia Hills – Alabama’s premier place to live, shop, work and play. Vestavia Hills is an economically powerful and culturally fascinating community that exemplifies the ideals of fine southern hospitality. A strong sense of community pride, coupled with top-performing schools and a thriving economy, make Vestavia Hills “A Life Above.”
We are more than just a city. We are a tight-knit community of businesses, neighbors and friends, all connected by a place. A place built high on a crest by adventurers who sought fertile ground and fresh perspectives. We are rooted in the shared pride of our heritage and bound by the values we embrace every day. This place is part of who we are and a part of who our children will become. We are here with awareness, with conviction and with a true passion for this beautiful place we call home.
In years past, “Home of the Dogwood Trail” was the City slogan, and the dogwood remains the City flower. In 2014, City leadership espoused the new “A Life Above” motto to describe the quality of life and values of the community. The new official logo includes a flag that bears the inscription “Unity, Prosperity, Family.” Click here to see what “A Life Above” means to us.
Population & Location. The City of Vestavia Hills has a population nearly 40,000 and is located geographically in Jefferson County, Alabama along U.S. 31, I-65 and U.S. 280. Incorporated in 1950, Vestavia Hills is a Class 7 municipality of Alabama with a Council-Manager form of government with the Mayor presiding over the Council. The Mayor and Council serve as the legislative branch of the City government. The City Manager is the Chief Executive Officer for the municipal corporation, and he is responsible for the day-to-day operations. Median household incomes are high, and residents demonstrate strong financial support of community programs.
History. George Ward was the mayor of Birmingham in the early 1900s and made frequent trips to Italy and Greece. He was particularly impressed by the Temple of Vesta in Rome and, after purchasing 20 acres of wooded property on the summit of Shades Mountain, Mr. Ward commissioned an architect to design a home for him that resembled the temple. Upon completion in 1925, Mr. Ward called his home “Vestavia” – named after Vesta, the Roman goddess of hearth, and “via,” meaning “by the roadway.” The area around his home later developed into a thriving suburban city known today as Vestavia Hills.
Following construction of his home, Mr. Ward commissioned a garden gazebo that resembled the Temple of Sibyl at Tivoli. This gazebo, now known as Sibyl Temple, overlooked the valley below and served as the entrance to his bird sanctuary. Following George Ward’s death in 1940, Vestavia Hills Baptist Church purchased the property in 1958. The house was demolished in 1971, but the temple was spared. In 1976, the Vestavia Hills Garden Club relocated the temple to its current location near the intersection of U.S. Highway 31 and Shades Crest Road. This iconic landmark serves as a gateway to the northern entrance of the City and its image appears in the official seal of Vestavia Hills along with the words, “Unity, Prosperity, Family.”
In 1946, Charles Byrd planned and initiated the development of Vestavia Hills as a subdivision. It was originally designed to accommodate approximately 1,000 residents. The City was incorporated on November 8, 1950 with a population of just over 600 residents. By late 1957, the population had grown to 2,995 residents. From 1956 to 1966, commercial development sprang up along the Montgomery Highway corridor and annexations were made to the south of the City’s boundaries. By 1970, the City of Vestavia Hills had reached a total of 8,311 residents.
Establishment of the Vestavia Hill school system in 1970, as well as the opening of the Red Mountain Expressway in 1977, spurred continued growth resulting in a population of 15,729 residents in 1980. The significant annexation of the Rocky Ridge and Altadena areas in the 1980s, Liberty Park in 1992 and Cahaba Heights in 2002 expanded both the population base, now numbering approximately 39,000 residents, and the commercial base of the City of Vestavia Hills.
Vestavia Hills has many historic homes. Click HERE for a guidebook of historic homes. For more information regarding these homes or the history of Vestavia Hills, contact the Vestavia Hills Historical Society via email (vhHistoricalSociety@gmail.com) or on Facebook (@VHhistoricalsociety).
Quality of Life. Newly constructed and renovated parks, pools, playgrounds, walking trails, dog parks and civic centers, along with a vibrant public library and robust parks and recreation programming, enrich the quality of life in Vestavia Hills and provide an abundance of activities and opportunities for residents. The City offers a wide range of recreational athletic programs for children and adults, including baseball, softball, wrestling, lacrosse, cheerleading, tennis, swimming and a Miracle League Field. Vestavia Hills is also home to the Library in the Forest, the first LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified library in Alabama.
Schools & Education. Well known for the quality of its schools and the district-wide emphasis on excellence in education, Vestavia Hills City Schools is a public, K-12 school district that is home to more than 7,000 students, 900 employees and one mission: Learning Without Limits. Vestavia Hills has five elementary schools, two middle schools, one freshman campus and one high school.
Get Involved. Vestavia Hills has numerous opportunities to get involved, whatever your passion. We have a well-educated, thriving community of professionals and individuals who are very engaged to make an impact within and beyond our community. Visit https://vhal.org/community/get-involved to explore the many options available for our residents to get involved!
City Map. This City Map is periodically published jointly by the Vestavia Hills Chamber of Commerce with the City of Vestavia Hills. Hard copies of the most recent map are available at the Chamber of Commerce and Vestavia Hills City Hall. To inquire about areas which may have been annexed to the City since that time, please contact the City Clerk’s office at 205.978.0184. Click here to view a PDF of the 2021 Vestavia Hills Street Map. (PDF includes both front and back of map.)