More historic than 9% of U.S. towns · #154 of 187 in Alabama. What drives it
Most of Hueytown was built recently: 5% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1972. Below: maps from 1970 on and the census since 1960.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Hueytown is more historic than 9% of U.S. towns, #154 of 187 in Alabama. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its age pulls it down.
D
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Hueytown’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 Hueytown’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 any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D− to C−. The pre-1940 share (±2.1 points) is firm at this size.
Founding year: the first census (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 Hueytown’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Hueytown yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Hueytown is a city in western Jefferson County, Alabama, United States. It is part of the Birmingham metropolitan area, and was part of the heavy industry development in this area in the 20th century. The population was 16,776 at the 2020 census. In 1992 the city became known for the unexplained "Hueytown Hum", a mysterious noise later thought to be caused by large underground ventilation fans used in a nearby coal mine. Its nearby residential and business communities were damaged by an F5 tornado on April 8, 1998 and by an EF4 tornado on April 27, 2011.
Its first post office opened in 1960. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 16,105 to 16,776 (+4%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
Hueytown, 1873 to 1970
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
The Hueytown post office opened in 1960, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Hueytown rank for history?
Hueytown is more historic than 9% of U.S. towns, #154 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 Hueytown?
5% of Hueytown’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.1 points), against a typical 3.2% for an Alabama town; the median home was built in 1972.
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 (1), 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.
2004