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CHistory
History · Hoover

Hoover dates to 1850, and 1 of its places is on the National Register

More historic than 25% of U.S. towns · #120 of 187 in Alabama. What drives it

Most of Hoover was built recently: 0.4% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1994. Its Register listing is the Stonecroft. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1905 on, and the census since 1970.

1850founded
1on the National Register
0.4%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
10famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Johntrinh06 · CC BY 4.0
Quick answers

How Hoover began

When was Hoover founded?

1850

Hoover dates its founding to 1850 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1970.

First census: 688 in 19702020 census: 92,606176 years

How historic is Hoover?

C

More historic than 25% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1894.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Hoover’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Hoover is more historic than 25% of U.S. towns, #120 of 187 in Alabama. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.

C
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Hoover’s overall grade.
Founding era1850, from Wikidata: founded 1850–1899, an older era than 37% of U.S. townsC+Homes built before 19400.4% of homes (±0.2) · typical AL town 3.2% · U.S. 8.4%DNational Register1 listing, 2 historic buildings, 0.2 per 10,000 residents · typical AL town 2.7 · U.S. 2.4B
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 25%
NewerOlder
Alabama towns of 2,500+ (187)Ahead of 36%

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 Hoover’s 0.2 sits near the middle of its state (51% of Alabama towns have fewer) while its 2 historic buildings outnumber those of 60% of U.S. towns.

NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1850.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D to C+. The pre-1940 share (±0.2 points) is firm at this size.

Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). 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 Hoover’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

Lost villages3 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Hoover, and 54 old place names are still on the map.A history waiting to be writtenOnly 1 old photo is in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 19054 editions of the USGS map, 1905 to 1997. Watch Hoover change.Famous sons and daughtersMarlon Humphrey, George Pickens and 8 more were born here.
★ What stands out · Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds

Three other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.

Refuge
1894–1908
Elvira
1907–1926
Acton
1908–1926
18901960today
Hamlets and corners on the map
ActonAltadena WoodsBelle TerreBlue Ridge EstatesBluff ParkBrookviewCahaba River EstatesCamelot WoodsCedar CrestCountry Club HighlandsCrest EstatesEden RidgeElviraForest Ridge EstatesGeneryHavenviewHigh PointHighland CrestHuntington ParkImperial ForestInvernessInverness PointIvy ChaseKenwood
Gone or out of use
Acton MinemineBallard MinemineBooth MinemineBrockslocaleDickey MinemineElvira MinemineMoore MinemineMoyle MinemineMurphy MinemineParamount MinemineParkwood MinemineRefugelocaleSmith MinemineSydentonlocale
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Hoover
Jefferson Garden of MemoriesRay

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Help out

Start Hoover’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Hoover’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewPresident and Mrs. Bush attend a "Pride…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the map

Hoover on the map, 1905 to 1997

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Hoover. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Hoover on the 1905 USGS mapHoover on the 1959 USGS mapHoover on the 1970 USGS mapHoover on the 1997 USGS map1905Bessemer Iron 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 Hoover.

The story

How Hoover came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Hoover.

Read it all →

This suburban area near the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains had been known as the Green Valley community since the 1930s; it was mostly a bedroom or residential community into the late 1970s and early 1980s. The City of Hoover was incorporated in 1967, named for William H. Hoover (1890–1979), a local insurance company owner.

On September 8, 1980, the city annexed the Riverchase business and residential community, gaining large office buildings, employers, and workers to increase the city's tax base. When Interstate 459 was opened, a major interchange with Interstate 65 was constructed within the borders of Hoover, improving access.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Hoover, 1850 to 2001

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1850
    FoundingHoover is established
  3. 1894Post officeThe Refuge post office opens
  4. 20th century
  5. 1905On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  6. 1907Post officeThe Elvira post office opens
  7. 1908Post officeThe Refuge post office closes
  8. 1908Post officeThe Acton post office opens
  9. 1921BuiltStonecroft is built
  10. 1926Post officeThe Elvira post office closes
  11. 1926Post officeThe Acton post office closes
  12. 1985Born hereSidney Spencer is born here
  13. 1989Born hereJosh Chapman is born here
  14. 1992In the archivePresident and Mrs. Bush attend a "Pride in Alabama" Rally at the Riverchase Galleria shop…
  15. 1996Born hereMarlon Humphrey is born here
  16. 21st century
  17. 2001Born hereGeorge Pickens is born here
By decade

Hoover, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1990s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1990s1 item
President and Mrs. Bush attend a "Pride in Alabama" Rally at the Riverchase Galleria shopping mall in1992President and Mrs. Bush attend a "Pride in Alabama" R…
Today17 recent
Leigh Nash - May, 2025 (cropped)2025Leigh Nash - May, 2025 (cropped)Hoover High School crossyard2025Hoover High School crossyardUS31sRoad-Int459nsRamps-Hoover2017US31sRoad-Int459nsRamps-HooverHistoric marker and commemorative plaque in Brock gap, Hoover, Birmingham, Alabama, USA2017Historic marker and commemorative plaque in Brock gap…Moss Rock Preserve sign2014Moss Rock Preserve signMoss Rock Preserve 22014Moss Rock Preserve 2Moss Rock Preserve 12014Moss Rock Preserve 1Int459sRoad-Exit15-Int652013Int459sRoad-Exit15-Int65Moon Rock formation in Moss Rock Preserve2012Moon Rock formation in Moss Rock PreserveHoover, AL, USA2011Hoover, AL, USAView from back deck, Fall 20102010View from back deck, Fall 2010US Navy 101211-N-3013W-081 Rear Adm. George W. Balance, deputy commander of U.S. 7th Fleet, thanks service members and …2010US Navy 101211-N-3013W-081 Rear Adm. George W. Balanc…SPHS AL IMG 29352010SPHS AL IMG 2935Pool at the hotel that is located at the Ross Bridge golf course2010Pool at the hotel that is located at the Ross Bridge …Hwy31150IMG 04492008Hwy31150IMG 0449Moss Rock Preserve falls2007Moss Rock Preserve fallsALMap-doton-Hoover2004ALMap-doton-Hoover
On the National Register

1 historic place in Hoover

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
2
each building in a district counts
first listed
2001
Stonecroft
Stonecroft, built 1921
Buildings

Architectural styles listings

Tudor Revival1
All 1 listings
StonecroftBuilding · listed 2001

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

People over time

Hoover, census by census

020,00040,00060,00080,000100,00019802000202092,606

Grew from 688 people in 1970 to 92,606 in 2020, more than tenfold.

6 censuses, 1970–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Hoover’s Wikipedia page.

Famous people

10 famous people were born in Hoover

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Marlon HumphreyAmerican football player · b. 1996
G
George PickensAmerican football player · b. 2001
S
Sidney SpencerAmerican basketball player · b. 1985
Josh ChapmanAmerican football player · b. 1989
K
Kerry MurphyAmerican football player · b. 1988
V
Vasthy MompointBroadway actress · b. 1980
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Helena1 historic placeBVestavia HillsIts storyD−MeadowbrookIts storyD−Birmingham147 historic placesA−Bessemer7 historic placesB+Eagle PointIts storyD−Indian Springs VillageIts storyD−PelhamIts storyDHomewood4 historic placesB−DunnavantIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Hoover’s history

What year was Hoover founded?

In 1850, according to Wikidata. Hoover’s post office opened in 1894, and the census of 1970 counted 688 people here.

How does Hoover rank for history?

Hoover is more historic than 25% of U.S. towns, #120 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.

What is on the National Register in Hoover?

One place: the Stonecroft (listed 2001).

How old are the homes in Hoover?

0.4% of Hoover’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 3.2% for an Alabama town; the median home was built in 1994.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

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 Wikimedia Commons (18), the National Register of Historic Places (1), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, 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.