Mountain Brook, Alabama
Encyclopedia
Mountain Brook is a city in southeastern Jefferson County, Alabama
, and a suburb of Birmingham
. According to 2005 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 20,821. Mountain Brook is a particularly affluent city within the Birmingham metropolitan area and has appeared in several lists of America's wealthiest communities. Mountain Brook has been listed as one of the 10 wealthiest communities in the United States based on a 2008 survey that calculates wealth above the regular census limit. Mountain Brook is also well known for being the wealthiest city in the state of Alabama
.
Mountain Brook was originally developed in 1929 by local developer Robert Jemison as an extensive residential subdivision, and was incorporated on May 24, 1942. The plans, by Boston-based landscape architect Warren H. Manning
, called for estate-sized lots along winding scenic roads and denser commercial development centering on three "villages" knowns as English Village, Mountain Brook Village and Crestline Village. Their subdivisions nearby Cherokee Bend, Brookwood Forest, Overton, and Crestline homes in real nature preserves on the adjacent slopes protected the area from urban encroachment and bridle paths created a recreational network within the development.
Mountain Brook is often referred to as "The Tiny Kingdom" due to its reputation as an enclave for the area's elite and the disparity of wealth between it and City of Birmingham where nearly a quarter of the population lives below the poverty line, according to Census data.
Mountain Brook is the hometown of actors Wayne Rogers
, Kate Jackson
, and Courteney Cox
, and former Green Bay Packers
quarterback Bart Starr
, and Natalee Holloway
, a high school graduate who disappeared while on a graduation trip to Aruba
on May 30, 2005, in a well-publicized missing persons case.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 12.2 square miles (31.6 km²), all of it land.
of 2003, there were 20,640 people, 7,954 households, and 5,974 families residing in the city. The population density
was 1,684 people per square mile (649.9/km²). There were 8,268 housing units at an average density of 675.8 per square mile (260.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 98.64% White
, 0.31% Black
or African American
, 0.04% Native American
, 0.65% Asian
, 0.02% Pacific Islander
, 0.12% from other races
, and 0.22% from two or more races. 0.58% of the population were Hispanic
or Latino
of any race.
According to the 2005-2009 American Community Survey
, of a population of 20,989, there were 20,729 whites, 7 blacks, 17 Cherokees, 61 Indian-Americans, 143 Chinese-Americans, and 32 people who identified as some other race.
Mountain Brook is Alabama's best educated city, proportionately, with 79.5% of adult residents ages 25 and older holding an associate degree or higher, and 77.3% of adults possessing a baccalaureate degree or higher.
There were 7,998 households out of which 36.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 68.0% were married couples
living together, 5.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.3% were non-families. 22.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.05.
In the city the population was spread out with 28.3% under the age of 18, 4.1% from 18 to 24, 25.3% from 25 to 44, 25.8% from 45 to 64, and 16.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 89.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.4 males.
There is also a big Jewish community in Mountain Brook.
The median income for a household in the city was $100,483, and the median income for a family was $156,647 (these figures had risen to $126,586 and $157,159 respectively as of a 2007 estimate). Males had a median income of $100,000 versus $39,770 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $59,085. None of the population was below the poverty line.
Mountain Brook has a city council/mayor/city manager system of government. The city council consists of 5 members elected at large, and the council considers most issues and appoints the police chief, the fire chief, and the city manager (with the mayor). The mayor is elected every 4 years and as of January 2008 is Terry Oden. Administrative business is handled by the city manager who is appointed by the mayor and city council. As of January 2008 the city manager is Sam Gaston. The Tree Commission and the Planning Commission consider specific issues and usually refer them to the city council.
. The system includes four elementary schools (Mountain Brook Elementary, Cherokee Bend Elementary, Brookwood Forest Elementary, Crestline Elementary), one junior high school (Mountain Brook Junior High), and a high school (Mountain Brook High School). Many Mountain Brook Schools have been awarded the National Blue Ribbon for Excellence.
There are also two private elementary schools in Mountain Brook: Highlands School, on Old Leeds Road in Cherokee Bend, and N. E. Miles Jewish Day School on Montclair Road.
Jefferson County, Alabama
Jefferson County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of Alabama, with its county seat being located in Birmingham.As of the 2010 U.S. Census, the population of Jefferson County was 658,466...
, and a suburb of Birmingham
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
. According to 2005 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 20,821. Mountain Brook is a particularly affluent city within the Birmingham metropolitan area and has appeared in several lists of America's wealthiest communities. Mountain Brook has been listed as one of the 10 wealthiest communities in the United States based on a 2008 survey that calculates wealth above the regular census limit. Mountain Brook is also well known for being the wealthiest city in the state of Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
.
Mountain Brook was originally developed in 1929 by local developer Robert Jemison as an extensive residential subdivision, and was incorporated on May 24, 1942. The plans, by Boston-based landscape architect Warren H. Manning
Warren H. Manning
Warren Henry Manning was an influential American landscape designer and promoter of the informal and naturalistic “wild garden” approach to garden design...
, called for estate-sized lots along winding scenic roads and denser commercial development centering on three "villages" knowns as English Village, Mountain Brook Village and Crestline Village. Their subdivisions nearby Cherokee Bend, Brookwood Forest, Overton, and Crestline homes in real nature preserves on the adjacent slopes protected the area from urban encroachment and bridle paths created a recreational network within the development.
Mountain Brook is often referred to as "The Tiny Kingdom" due to its reputation as an enclave for the area's elite and the disparity of wealth between it and City of Birmingham where nearly a quarter of the population lives below the poverty line, according to Census data.
Mountain Brook is the hometown of actors Wayne Rogers
Wayne Rogers
William Wayne McMillan Rogers III is an American film and television actor, best known for playing the role of 'Trapper John' McIntyre in the U.S...
, Kate Jackson
Kate Jackson
Kate Jackson is an American actress, director, and producer, perhaps best known for her role as Sabrina Duncan in the popular 1970s television series Charlie's Angels...
, and Courteney Cox
Courteney Cox
Courteney Bass Cox is an American actress, she is best known for her roles as Monica Geller on the NBC sitcom Friends, Gale Weathers in the horror series Scream and as Jules Cobb in the ABC sitcom Cougar Town, for which she earned her first Golden Globe nomination....
, and former Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
quarterback Bart Starr
Bart Starr
Bryan Bartlett "Bart" Starr is a former professional American football player and coach. Wearing #15, he was the quarterback for the Green Bay Packers from 1956 to 1971 and head coach from 1975 to 1983, compiling a record of 52–76–3 ....
, and Natalee Holloway
Natalee Holloway
Natalee Ann Holloway disappeared on May 30, 2005, during a high school graduation trip to Aruba, a Caribbean country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. An American student from Mountain Brook, Alabama, Holloway graduated from Mountain Brook High School on May 24, 2005, shortly before the trip...
, a high school graduate who disappeared while on a graduation trip to Aruba
Aruba
Aruba is a 33 km-long island of the Lesser Antilles in the southern Caribbean Sea, located 27 km north of the coast of Venezuela and 130 km east of Guajira Peninsula...
on May 30, 2005, in a well-publicized missing persons case.
Geography
Mountain Brook is located at 33°29′13"N 86°44′26"W (33.486972, -86.740465).According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 12.2 square miles (31.6 km²), all of it land.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2003, there were 20,640 people, 7,954 households, and 5,974 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 1,684 people per square mile (649.9/km²). There were 8,268 housing units at an average density of 675.8 per square mile (260.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 98.64% White
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.31% Black
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
or African American
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.04% Native American
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.65% Asian
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.02% Pacific Islander
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.12% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 0.22% from two or more races. 0.58% of the population were Hispanic
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
or Latino
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
of any race.
According to the 2005-2009 American Community Survey
American Community Survey
The American Community Survey is an ongoing statistical survey by the U.S. Census Bureau, sent to approximately 250,000 addresses monthly . It regularly gathers information previously contained only in the long form of the decennial census...
, of a population of 20,989, there were 20,729 whites, 7 blacks, 17 Cherokees, 61 Indian-Americans, 143 Chinese-Americans, and 32 people who identified as some other race.
Mountain Brook is Alabama's best educated city, proportionately, with 79.5% of adult residents ages 25 and older holding an associate degree or higher, and 77.3% of adults possessing a baccalaureate degree or higher.
There were 7,998 households out of which 36.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 68.0% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 5.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.3% were non-families. 22.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.05.
In the city the population was spread out with 28.3% under the age of 18, 4.1% from 18 to 24, 25.3% from 25 to 44, 25.8% from 45 to 64, and 16.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 89.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.4 males.
There is also a big Jewish community in Mountain Brook.
The median income for a household in the city was $100,483, and the median income for a family was $156,647 (these figures had risen to $126,586 and $157,159 respectively as of a 2007 estimate). Males had a median income of $100,000 versus $39,770 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $59,085. None of the population was below the poverty line.
Government
Education
The city has its own school system, Mountain Brook School SystemMountain Brook School System
The Mountain Brook School System serves the city of Mountain Brook, an affluent area outside of Birmingham, Alabama. The school system supports a city with approximately 20,600 residents....
. The system includes four elementary schools (Mountain Brook Elementary, Cherokee Bend Elementary, Brookwood Forest Elementary, Crestline Elementary), one junior high school (Mountain Brook Junior High), and a high school (Mountain Brook High School). Many Mountain Brook Schools have been awarded the National Blue Ribbon for Excellence.
There are also two private elementary schools in Mountain Brook: Highlands School, on Old Leeds Road in Cherokee Bend, and N. E. Miles Jewish Day School on Montclair Road.