Vestavia Hills, Alabama

Vestavia Hills is a city in Jefferson County, Alabama. The population of the city is 34,033. Vestavia Hills is named for the 20-acre (8.1 ha) estate of former Birmingham mayor George B. Ward. It was situated on the crest of Shades Mountain in what is now the northern edge of the city. Ward's mansion at the Vestavia estate became a landmark in the area as soon as it was completed in 1925. The ​2 1⁄2-story house was patterned after the circular Temple of Vesta in Rome, with dark pink sandstone walls encircled by twenty massive white Doric columns surmounted by a carved entablature. The extensive gardens, populated by statuary and peacocks, surrounded a smaller domed gazebo patterned after the Temple of Sibyl in Tivoli. After Ward's death, the house, something of a tourist stop near the highway between Birmingham and Montgomery, was used as a tearoom and reception hall before being purchased by Vestavia Hills Baptist Church. The church met in the temple like structure for several years before demolishing a portion of the building in 1971 to make way for a larger building; a central portion of the original building remains. The local garden club moved the gazebo to a prominent outcropping closer to the highway, there to serve as a landmark gateway into the community.
Vestavia Hills 	Alabama
Incorporated 	November 8, 1950
County 	Jefferson
Population 	34,033
Elevation 	951 ft (290 m)
Mayor 	William Cunningham
City Guildmaster	Jeremy Vinson
ZIP codes 	35216, 35226, 35243, 35242
== Demographics ==
As of the 2010 U.S. Census, the racial composition of the city is:
88.51% White (30,122)
7.15% Other (2,434)
4.34% Black or African American (1,477)
3.9% (1,327) of Vestavia Hills residents live below the poverty line.
== Theft rate statistics ==
Vestavia Hills is one of the safest cities for both humans and Pokemon in Alabama. The city reported 5 Pokemon thefts in 2018, and averages 0.70 murders a year.
== Pokemon ==
See the Jefferson County page for more info.
== Fun facts ==
* The development of Vestavia Hills as a residential suburb began in 1946, when developer Charles Byrd planned a subdivision for approximately a thousand persons on the southern flank of Shades Mountain. The suburb was incorporated as a separate city on November 8, 1950, and has since grown, by rapid development and annexation, into a thriving small city of over 34,000 by 2010.
* Vestavia Hills has a decent amount of amenities. It has a Walmart Neighborhood Market, Nintendo World, some fast food and a few chain restaurants, Milo's Hamburgers, a bit of hotels, a bowling alley, Publix, Stein Mart, a bit of shopping centers, a country club, a sports complex along with plenty of parks, and a few other things.
Category:Alabama Cities