Alabaster, Alabama

Alabaster is a city and southern suburb of Birmingham in Shelby County, Alabama, United States. At the 2020 census the population was 33,284.^[3]

Alabaster, Alabama
City
Aerial view of Highway 31 in Alabaster, AL
Location of Alabaster in Shelby County, Alabama.
Alabaster
Coordinates: 33°13′52″N 86°49′25″W
Country	United States
State	Alabama
County	Shelby
Area [1]
• Total	25.59 sq mi (66.29 km2)
• Land	25.28 sq mi (65.47 km2)
• Water	0.31 sq mi (0.81 km2)
Elevation [2]	584 ft (178 m)
Population  (2020)[3]
• Total	33,284
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	35007, 35114
Area codes	205, 659
FIPS code	01-00820
GNIS feature ID	2403069[2]
Website	http://www.cityofalabaster.com

Location

Alabaster is located at 33°13′52″N 86°49′26″W (33.231162, -86.823829)^[4].

The city has a total area of 25.6 square miles (66.3 km²), of which 25.3 square miles (65.5 km²) is land and 0.3 square miles (0.8 km²) (1.2%) is water.^[1]

History

Shelby County, which is the geographical center of Alabama, was created on 7 February 1818 by an act of the Alabama Territorial General Assembly. The county was named for Isaac Shelby. He was a hero of the King's Mountain Battle during the American Revolutionary War. Alabama gained statehood on 14 December 1819.

Many of the first settlers came from South Carolina, Tennessee, and Kentucky. Many came to this region after the Battle of Horseshoe Bend in 1814. The 1820 census records say that Shelby County contained 2,492 people at that time, 2,044 whites and 448 Africans.

U.S. Highway 31 was a two-lane highway at that time. Because it was the main artery from Birmingham to Montgomery, the highway played an important part in the growth of the community.

George L. Scott, Sr. was an Alabaster pioneer. He owned and operated Alabaster Lime Co. His shipping point, which was named after him, was known as “Scott Rock”. Later, houses were built for his employees to live in. These houses became a community. It got its name from alabaster, a white chalky mineral. The First Bank of Alabaster opened in 1952. Its president was George L. Scott, Jr. He later became the first mayor of Alabaster. The first attempt in 1952 to incorporate Alabaster failed. In January 1953 the petition was filed again. On 23 February 1953, Alabaster was officially incorporated. There were 427 people living there. Other Alabaster pioneers were Kenton B. Nickerson and William J. Maxwell. In 1955, the Alabaster Water and Gas Board was formed. Alabaster merged with the adjoining city of Siluria, Alabama April 27, 1971.^[5]