Most of Sylvan Springs was built recently: 2% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1978. Below: maps from 1938 on and the census since 1960.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Sylvan Springs is more historic than 4% of U.S. towns. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
D−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Sylvan Springs’ 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 Sylvan Springs’ 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 D. The pre-1940 share (±1.9 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 Sylvan Springs’ 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 Sylvan Springs yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Sylvan Springs is a town in Jefferson County, Alabama, United States, located northwest of the Birmingham suburb of Pleasant Grove. It incorporated on May 22, 1957. As of the 2020 census, Sylvan Springs had a population of 1,653. This area was damaged by an F5 tornado on April 8, 1998, including the First United Methodist Church of Sylvan Springs.
Its first post office opened in 1960. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 1,542 to 1,653 (+7%).
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.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Sylvan Springs. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1938Port Birmingham 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 Sylvan Springs.
People over time
Sylvan Springs, census by census
Grew from 245 people in 1960 to 1,653 in 2020, 6 times over.
7 censuses, 1960–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Sylvan Springs’ Wikipedia page.
Famous people
Famous people close to Sylvan Springs
Nobody well known was born in Sylvan Springs itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
The Sylvan Springs post office opened in 1960, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Sylvan Springs rank for history?
Sylvan Springs is more historic than 4% of U.S. towns. 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 Sylvan Springs?
2% of Sylvan Springs’ homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.9 points), against a typical 3.2% for an Alabama town; the median home was built in 1978.
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.
