Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Valley Head’s average trip to work is 50 minutes, where Alabama’s towns sit at 25 minutes and U.S. towns at 25 minutes. No town among the 188 in Alabama we compare has a lower July high than Valley Head. Winston Place is on the National Register of Historic Places. Valley Head has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Where Valley Head beats most towns.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Census counts: 233 in 1890, 577 in 2020. The archive holds 4 old photos and papers going back to 2017 and 3 maps from 1936 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Valley Head, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Valley Head.
Its public schools are run by the DeKalb County school district. Its one school is below. The largest public high school is Valley Head High School, with 517 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Valley Head High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades PK–12 | Grades PK–12 | 517 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 74% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Valley Head since 2014.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Valley Head has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. At 31°F, Valley Head’s January low is near the Alabama town median (33°F) and above the median of U.S. towns (22°F).
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The typical Valley Head home is worth about $194,000, up 7% in a year, 19% below the Alabama typical home. 87% of households own their home in Valley Head.
| Valley Head | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 87% | 69% | 73% |
| Median rent | $917 a month | $940 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Most working residents leave Valley Head for work: only 2% work in town. 6% of Valley Head residents live below the poverty line. Jobs based in Valley Head fell to 197 in 2023, 291 fewer than in 2013.
| Valley Head | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 6% | 16% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $46,000 | $62,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 2.3% | 10% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Of the 188 Alabama towns we compare, none has a higher share of adults who have been diagnosed with depression than Valley Head. Valley Head beats the Alabama average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 13. Only 7 of the 188 Alabama towns we compare have a higher share of adults who report frequent physical distress than Valley Head.
| Valley Head | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 15% | 14% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 16% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 24% | 19% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 46% | 43% | 35% |
| What stands out | Valley Head | AL |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 24.3% | 15.4% |
| More adults with COPD | 12.2% | 8% |
| More smokers | 20.8% | 15.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Valley Head Town Park | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Valley Head. Close and well known come first.
25 mi MountainLookout Mountain17 mi CaveEllison's Cave
36 mi WaterfallRuby Falls
3 mi National PreserveLittle River Canyon National Preserve782K visitors a year
30 mi Park & preserveNickajack Cave36 mi Theme parkLake WinnepesaukahLookout Mountain: Teke, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Ruby Falls: Oydman (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0 · Little River Canyon National Preserve: Richard A. Weaver, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Nickajack Cave: Blueway, CC BY-SA 3.0
None within 15 miles of Valley Head; the nearest are
About 5 of every 100 Valley Head residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Alabama.
Town in Alabama, United States
Valley Head is a town in DeKalb County, Alabama, United States. Although this town incorporated in 1922, it was also listed as being incorporated on the 1890 U.S. Census. It is part of the Lookout Mountain region. At the 2020 census, its population was 577.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Valley Head has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
2 notable people were born here, including E. T. York and Harold Wilkes.
