Alabama Extension Agents Buoyed So Far by Crop Planting Conditions

About Jefferson County

Jefferson County was created by the Alabama Legislature in 1819 and named after Thomas Jefferson. In 1873, the county seat was moved to Birmingham, which had been founded in 1871 at the crossing of two railroad lines. Since then, "The Magic City" has grown into Alabama's largest urban center.

Jefferson County is a center for banking, health care, insurance, distribution, retail, construction, engineering and services. Its principal crops are greenhouse plants, fruits and vegetables, forestry products and ornamental plants.

The county has a population of more than 265,000 and is at the center of a metropolitan area with more than 907,000 people. In Jefferson County, 27 percent of the population is black, 72 percent is white and .7 percent is latino. Most people over age 25 have completed high school. The county has 113 elementary schools, 47 middle schools, 37 high schools, three technical schools, two two-year colleges and three universities.

Birmingham has more than 20 major tourist attractions, including its zoo, the Riverchase Galleria shopping mall, Oak Mountain State Park, the McWane Center and the Civil Rights Museum.

The Extension Office employs 18 people full time and two part time. Current active programs include the C. Beaty Hanna Horticulture and Environmental Center and the Plant Diagnostic Laboratory. More than 1,500 youth participate in the county 4-H program.