More historic than 18% of U.S. towns · #128 of 187 in Alabama. What drives it
Most of Forestdale was built recently: 5% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1971. Below: maps from 1904 on and the census since 1970.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Forestdale is more historic than 18% of U.S. towns, #128 of 187 in Alabama. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
C−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Forestdale’s overall grade.
Alabama towns list about as much on the Register as the country (a typical Alabama town has 2.7 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Forestdale’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (26% of Alabama towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share (±2.5 points) is firm at this size.
Founding year: our sources. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Forestdale’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Blossburg East MinemineCooks MinemineHamilton MinemineMcArdle MinemineMurraylocale
1cemetery inside Forestdale
Crumley Chapel
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
On the map
Forestdale on the map, 1904 to 1993
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Forestdale. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1904Birmingham Coal District sheet · 1:62,500
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Forestdale.
The story so far
Forestdale, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Forestdale yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Forestdale is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Jefferson County, Alabama, United States. It is north of the Birmingham city neighborhood of Ensley. At the 2020 census, the population was 10,409.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 10,162 to 10,409 (+2%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
Forestdale, 1898 to 1907
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Forestdale is more historic than 18% of U.S. towns, #128 of 187 in Alabama. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
How old are the homes in Forestdale?
5% of Forestdale’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.5 points), against a typical 3.2% for an Alabama town; the median home was built in 1971.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
