Half of Grayson Valley’s homes were built after 1986
More historic than 7% of U.S. towns · #159 of 187 in Alabama. What drives it
Most of Grayson Valley was built recently: 0.3% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1986. Below: maps from 1905 on and the census since 2000.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Grayson Valley is more historic than 7% of U.S. towns, #159 of 187 in Alabama. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
D
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Grayson Valley’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 Grayson Valley’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 (±0.5 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 Grayson Valley’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Grayson Valley. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1905Leeds 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 Grayson Valley.
The story so far
Grayson Valley, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Grayson Valley yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Grayson Valley is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in the northeastern Birmingham area, in Jefferson County, Alabama, United States. It is located between the Spring Lake neighborhood of Birmingham, Alabama and the Birmingham suburbs of Clay, Trussville, and Center Point. At the 2020 census, the population was 5,982.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 5,736 to 5,982 (+4%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
By decade
No old photos in the archives yet
Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Be the first to add onePhotograph a print flat, in daylight, no flash.
Grayson Valley is more historic than 7% of U.S. towns, #159 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 Grayson Valley?
0.3% of Grayson Valley’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 3.2% for an Alabama town; the median home was built in 1986.
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) 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.
