Helena, Alabama
| Helena, Alabama | |
|---|---|
| City | |
“Old Town” Helena during a rare snowfall on January 19, 2008. These buildings date to the late 1800s.
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 Location in Shelby County and the state of Alabama |
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| Coordinates: 33°16′47″N 86°51′22″W / 33.27972°N 86.85611°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Alabama |
| Counties | Shelby, Jefferson |
| Area | |
| • Total | 17.1 sq mi (44.3 km2) |
| • Land | 17.1 sq mi (44.2 km2) |
| • Water | 0 sq mi (0.1 km2) |
| Elevation | 417 ft (127 m) |
| Population (2013) | |
| • Total | 17,560 |
| • Density | 602.1/sq mi (232.4/km2) |
| Time zone | Central (CST) (UTC-6) |
| • Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| ZIP code | 35080 |
| Area code(s) | 205 |
| FIPS code | 01-34024 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0157982 |
| Website | http://www.cityofhelena.org/ |
Helena (pronunciation [3]) is a city in Jefferson and Shelby Counties in the State of Alabama. Helena is considered a suburb of Birmingham and part of the Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area. As of the 2010 census the population was 16,793. Helena is highly regarded as a place to live and raise children; Business Week named Helena the 13th "Best Place to Raise Your Kids" in 2007. It has the eighth lowest crime rate per population in the U.S., and the city was ranked in Money Magazine's 2007 list of "Best Places to Live: Top 100" in the U.S., placing at number 91. The Alabama League of Municipalities awarded Helena the 2008 Municipal Achievement Award (population 10,001 to 20,000).
Helena initially incorporated in 1877, but reincorporated in 1917 after errors were discovered in the initial incorporation papers. It did not first appear on the U.S. Census until 1920, giving credence to the later date of incorporation.
The community that would become Helena started in 1845 as the town of Cove. In 1856 the town changed its name to Hillsboro, at the same time as a rolling mill was built. This rolling mill would produce arms for the Confederacy and would later be destroyed by Union raiders at the end of the Civil War.
During Reconstruction, railroads would be extended through Helena as part of the post-war development of central Alabama’s mineral resources. The Louisville & Nashville Railroad sent an engineer named Pete Boyle to survey a route south from Birmingham to Montgomery, Alabama. The station established near the town of Hillsboro was named Helena after Boyle’s sweetheart, Helen Lee. After the area around the station developed and encompassed the town of Hillsboro, the community incorporated to become the City of Helena. The City's first mayor was M.H. Williams, a railroad agent.
The steel mill was subsequently reopened and the city flourished during the late 19th century and into the early 20th century with numerous industrial facilities such as steel mills, a cotton gin, a grist mill, coal mines, and a rail yard, along with residences, stores, and hotels. Fire swept through the city in 1895, destroying many structures in the downtown area and along Buck Creek.
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