Hueytown, Alabama facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Hueytown, Alabama
City
Seal
Location of Hueytown in Jefferson County, Alabama
Country	United States
State	Alabama
County	Jefferson
Incorporated	December 3, 1959
Area
• Total	20.145 sq mi (52.175 km2)
• Land	19.979 sq mi (51.746 km2)
• Water	0.166 sq mi (0.431 km2)
Elevation	548 ft (167 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	16,776
• Estimate  (2022)	16,369
• Density	819/sq mi (316.3/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
ZIP Code	35023
Area code(s)	205 and 659
FIPS code	01-36448
GNIS feature ID	2404738

Hueytown is a city located in western Jefferson County, Alabama, in the United States. It's part of the larger Birmingham area. In the 20th century, Hueytown was important for its heavy industry, especially in steel and coal mining. In 2020, about 16,776 people lived there.

Hueytown is famous for being the home of the Alabama Gang. This group of drivers became well-known in NASCAR stock car racing. The city also gained attention in 1992 for a strange sound called the "Hueytown Hum." People thought it might be caused by huge underground fans in a nearby coal mine.

Sadly, Hueytown and its nearby areas have been hit by strong tornadoes. An F5 tornado caused damage in April 1998, and an EF4 tornado struck in April 2011.

Hueytown's Location and Size

Hueytown is located at coordinates 33°26′16″N 86°59′51″W. It covers a total area of about 20.145 square miles (52.175 square kilometers). Most of this area is land, with a small part being water.

You can reach Hueytown easily from I-20/59 using exits 112 and 115.

People Living in Hueytown

In 2020, the city had 16,776 people living in 6,545 households. About 4,553 of these were families. The city had 7,128 housing units.

The population density was about 852.7 people per square mile (329.2 people per square kilometer).

Who Lives in Hueytown?

In 2020, the city's population was made up of different groups. About 51.5% of people were White (not Hispanic). Around 38.74% were Black or African American (not Hispanic). Other groups included Native American, Asian, Pacific Islander, and people of two or more races. About 5.73% of the population was Hispanic or Latino.

How People Make a Living

The average income for a household in Hueytown was $41,225. For families, the average income was $49,380. The average income per person in the city was $19,735.

About 6.8% of the people in Hueytown lived below the poverty line. This included 5.2% of those under 18 and 9.2% of those aged 65 or older.

Hueytown's Industrial Past

Even though Hueytown was once known for farming, it became a big part of the steel and coal mining industries in Jefferson County.

The Woodward Iron Company

In 1881, two brothers, William and Joseph Woodward, started The Woodward Iron Company. They bought a large cotton farm that included parts of what is now Hueytown.

In 1883, their first furnace began working, making iron. A second furnace opened in 1887. By 1909, they had three furnaces and employed 2,000 men.

By the 1920s, Woodward Iron was one of the biggest suppliers of pig iron in the country. Joseph's son, A. H. (Rick) Woodward, became very important in Alabama. He was also known for owning the Birmingham Barons baseball team. The famous Rickwood Field baseball park is named after him.

In 1968, another company bought Woodward Iron, just as the steel industry started to slow down. The last furnace closed in 1973. Eventually, the entire plant stopped making coke (a type of fuel). Today, much of the old industrial site is used for other businesses.

Coal Mining History

Coal mining started around the early 1900s at Virginia Mines, which is now part of Hueytown. This area now has many homes, but some old mining buildings still remain.

The Virginia Mine opened in 1902. In February 1905, a terrible accident happened there. An underground explosion trapped 106 miners and 20 mules, making it one of Alabama's worst mining disasters.

In 1936, Republic Steel bought the mine. It continued to operate until it closed for good in September 1953.

Schools and Education in Hueytown

Hueytown has a long history of schools, mostly part of The Jefferson County School System. The very first school in the community was built in 1874. It was a small log building that served as both a church and a school.

A later school building burned down in 1907. The next year, Hueytown Grammar School opened with four teachers and 100 students. The current Hueytown Elementary School first opened in 1950 and has been expanded many times.

The new Hueytown Intermediate School opened in the fall of 2020.

Other schools in the city include:

• Hueytown High School
• Hueytown Middle School (formerly Pittman Middle School)
• Concord Elementary School
• North Highland Elementary School

There are also private religious schools like Deeper Life Academy, Garywood Christian School, Brooklane Baptist Academy, and Rock Creek Academy.

Some older schools in Hueytown, like Virginia Mines School and Bell High School, have closed. When a tornado destroyed Oak Grove High School in 1998, its students temporarily used the former Bell School campus.

The Hueytown High School bands have become quite famous. They have performed at important music events and with the University of Alabama at Birmingham's music groups.

• The Hueytown High School mascot is the Golden Gophers. This name came from the Minnesota Golden Gophers football team, which won a national championship in 1960. This was the same year Hueytown became an official city!

Sports and Fun in Hueytown

Many people in Hueytown use the abbreviation HYT (HueYTown) when talking about sports, like "HYT football."

High School Sports

The Hueytown High School football team has made it to the Alabama State Playoffs many times, including in 1974, 1975, 1995, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, and 2016. The 2011 team, led by future NFL quarterback Jameis Winston, set a school record with 13 wins and only 1 loss.

The HHS softball team has won the Alabama State Softball championship four times: in 2005, 2006, 2008, and 2011.

In 1974, the Hueytown High School Wrestling Team won the 4A State Championship. The school also started its soccer program in 2014.

Community Sports

Hueytown offers many other sports programs for kids.

• The city has a strong Dixie Youth Baseball program. Its teams play at Bud Newell Park. Some players from Hueytown have even gone on to play in Major League Baseball!
• There's also a great girls fastpitch softball program at Allison-Bonnett Girls Softball Park. In 2003, their Angels league All-Star team won the Dixie World Series championship.
• Hueytown also has a Swim Club and a youth football program.
• Youth Soccer started in Hueytown in 2003.

The Central Alabama Boys & Girls Club is a large facility in Hueytown. It offers many sports and recreation activities for young people, especially after school and during the summer. It helps over 300 children every day.

The Famous Alabama Gang

Hueytown was the home of "The Alabama Gang," a group of very successful race car drivers in NASCAR. The main road in the city, Allison-Bonnett Memorial Drive, is named after some of these drivers: Bobby Allison, Donnie Allison, Davey Allison, Clifford Allison, and Neil Bonnett. Another famous member of the Alabama Gang is Charles "Red" Farmer.

• Bobby and Donnie Allison originally came from Miami, Florida. Red Farmer was from Nashville, Tennessee, but had raced in Miami before moving to Hueytown.

Because of its strong connection to racing, Hueytown was chosen as the first North American home for BMW Motorsport in 1975.

The Mysterious Hueytown Hum

Starting in late 1991, people in Hueytown and nearby areas reported hearing a strange, low humming noise. This mysterious sound even got national attention and was reported in the New York Times in April 1992.

Many people, including city officials, thought the hum came from a huge mine ventilation fan. This fan, with blades 26 feet (7.9 meters) wide, was operated by Jim Walter Resources. However, the company denied their fan was the cause. After some studies that didn't find a clear answer, the hum eventually stopped later that year and never returned.

Well-Known People from Hueytown

See also

In Spanish: Hueytown (Alabama) para niños