Bessemer, Alabama
| Bessemer, Alabama | |
|---|---|
| City | |
 Location in Jefferson County and the state of Alabama |
|
| Coordinates: 33°23′28″N 86°57′23″W / 33.39111°N 86.95639°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Alabama |
| County | Jefferson |
| Area | |
| • Total | 40.8 sq mi (105.6 km2) |
| • Land | 40.7 sq mi (105.4 km2) |
| • Water | 0.1 sq mi (0.2 km2) |
| Elevation | 509 ft (155 m) |
| Population (2013) | |
| • Total | 27,053 |
| • Density | 727.3/sq mi (281/km2) |
| Time zone | Central (CST) (UTC-6) |
| • Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| ZIP code | 35020-35023 |
| Area code(s) | 205 |
| FIPS code | 01-05980 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0113977 |
| Website | http://www.bessemeral.org/ |
Bessemer is a city southwest of Birmingham in Jefferson County, Alabama, United States, eight miles (13 km) west of Hoover. The population was 27,456 at the 2010 Census.
The town was founded in the postbellum era by the Bessemer Land and Improvement Company, owned by coal magnate Henry F. DeBardeleben, after he had inherited Daniel Pratt's investments. The mayor and councilmen voted to incorporate the city of Bessemer on September 9, 1887.
Bessemer is located at 33°23′29″N 86°57′24″W / 33.39139°N 86.95667°W (33.391343, -86.956569), about 18 miles (29 km) southwest of Birmingham, a little north of the center of the state.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 40.8 square miles (106 km2), of which 40.7 square miles (105 km2) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km2) (0.17%) is water.
Bessemer is situated in the midst of the iron ore and limestone district of Alabama, in the southern part of Jones Valley (about 3 miles (4.8 km) wide). Iron ore was mined on the hills on the city's southeast side, coal was (and still is) mined to the north and west, and limestone deposits were also nearby. All three ingredients were necessary for steelmaking, which led to the area becoming a major steel center from about 1890 through the twentieth century. Steel is no longer made within the city limits, but is still manufactured in the neighboring city of Fairfield.
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