The oldest homes in Birmingham tell the story of prosperous early industrialists and real estate developers, the struggles of the working classes, architectural trends, and the civil rights era. The Smithfield/Dynamite hill homes of the civil rights era are described on pg. 90 of Birmingham by the Book. Some of the most expensive homes were built on 30 acres in Glen Iris Park (pgs 102-103) prior to 1920 and along Highland Avenue in Southside. More modest homes were in the Five Points South area and along Cullom Street, built in the 1890s.

In the late 1880s, Thomas was a company town with rented housing for those who needed to live close to the iron producing furnaces. By 1912, 550 workers lived in this community.

Pioneering early planters who became prominent citizens of Birmingham included Isaac Sadler, Thomas McAdory, and Thomas Owen who built flourishing plantations from 1820s to early 1900s. (pg. 26 of Birmingham by the Book)

Other significant early neighborhoods included Anderson Place, Milner Heights, Forest Park and Mountain Terrace. (pgs. 104-109). The Hollywood homes in Homewood were designed in 1924, influenced by Hollywood, California, and including some of Birmingham’s first mission style architecture. Roebuck Springs was contoured around knolls, and boasted an English Garden aesthetic as well as the first designed 18-hole golf course and country club grounds. (pg. 98 of Birmingham by the Book). More neighborhood history as well as over the mountain areas are divided by region in Birmingham by the Book.