Brighton, Alabama
Brighton is a city of 3,079 people in Jefferson County, Alabama, founded in 1892.
Why visit Brighton
Townapedia lists 4 museums and landmarks, 2 parks and trails and 2 places to eat in and around town.
Highlights include Bessemer Hall of History and Downtown Bessemer Historic District.
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 92°F; January lows average 34°F.
Weather in Brighton
Forecast from the National Weather Service. Full forecast
About Brighton
Brighton is a city near Birmingham, Alabama, United States and located just east of Hueytown. At the 2020 census, the population was 2,337. It is part of the Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Statistical Area, which in 2010 had a population of about 1,128,047, approximately one-quarter of Alabama's population.
From the Wikipedia article Brighton, Alabama (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Museums and landmarks4
Bessemer Hall of History
Museum · National Register of Historic Places · 2.7 mi
History museum located in the former Southern Railway Terminal Station in Bessemer, Alabama
Downtown Bessemer Historic District
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 2.6 mi
Historic district in Bessemer, Alabama
Flintridge Building
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 2.9 mi
Building in Alabama, United States
Paul William Dunbar High School
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 1.8 mi
Public school for African-American students in Bessemer, Alabama, USA
Parks, trails and playgrounds2
Restaurants and cafes2
McDonald's
Fast food · Burger · 0.9 mi
3633 Jaybird Road, Brighton
Su-Th 06:00-22:00; Fr, Sa 06:00-23:00
Churches and places of worship7
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Canaan Baptist Church
Church · National Register of Historic Places · 2.8 mi
Church building in Alabama, United States of America
Garywood Assembly of God
Church · 2.0 mi
Church building in Alabama, United States of America
History
Brighton was not settled by European Americans until the late 19th century. Brighton was officially founded in 1892, when developer G.B. Edwards subdivided a tract of land and sold lots. It was named after Brighton in East Sussex, a ceremonial county in southern England. It was situated along a dummy railroad line built in 1889 by the Bessemer & Birmingham Railroad Company to connect those two growing industrial cities.
The Old Huntsville Road was renamed as Main Street and the city was incorporated in 1901. By that year, at least 100 families were living in Brighton. The town had a population of 1,502 by the 1910 census, with seventeen commercial establishments, including eight grocery stores.
The city's fortunes have been closely linked to those of Woodward Iron Company. Together with coal mining in this area, the iron company was integral to the industrial development in this part of Alabama, which is based on the much larger cities of Birmingham, Bessemer, and Gadsden. After industrial restructuring in the late 1970s and when the iron company moved out, the town has declined in population since its peak in 1980.
Brighton Cemetery, which is still operating, contains the graves of persons of Scottish, English and German descent who came to work at Woodward.
From the History section of Brighton, Alabama on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Gas and EV charging3
Schools, colleges and libraries45
Alabama Aerospace And Aviation High School
School · 3.0 mi
114 2Nd Avenue North, Bessemer
Map of Brighton
63 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Climate by month
Monthly table
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 56°F | 34°F | 5.4 in | 0.4 in |
| Feb | 61°F | 37°F | 5.4 in | 0.0 in |
| Mar | 68°F | 43°F | 5.4 in | 0.7 in |
| Apr | 76°F | 50°F | 5.1 in | 0.0 in |
| May | 83°F | 59°F | 4.5 in | 0.0 in |
| Jun | 89°F | 67°F | 4.5 in | 0.0 in |
| Jul | 92°F | 70°F | 4.8 in | 0.0 in |
| Aug | 92°F | 70°F | 4.0 in | 0.0 in |
| Sep | 87°F | 64°F | 3.5 in | 0.0 in |
| Oct | 77°F | 53°F | 3.3 in | 0.0 in |
| Nov | 66°F | 42°F | 4.5 in | 0.0 in |
| Dec | 58°F | 37°F | 5.2 in | 0.1 in |
U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 for Bessemer 3 Wsw (5 mi away), NOAA NCEI.
People and cost of living
American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020-2024, U.S. Census Bureau. Estimates have margins of error, larger for small towns.
Disaster history
Jefferson County has had 26 federal disaster declarations since 2000, most often for severe storms.
- 2024-09-26: Hurricane Helene (Hurricane)
- 2021-12-21: Severe Storms And Flooding (Severe Storm)
- 2021-04-26: Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, And Tornadoes (Severe Storm)
- 2020-09-14: Hurricane Sally (Hurricane)
- 2020-03-29: Covid-19 Pandemic (Biological)
- 2020-03-13: Covid-19 (Biological)
OpenFEMA disaster declarations summaries.
Getting there and nearby towns
Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport (BHM) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 14 miles away.
- Lipscomb 1 mi southeast, about 2 min by car
- Midfield 2 mi northeast, about 3 min by car
- Fairfield 3 mi northeast, about 5 min by car
- Pleasant Grove 4 mi northwest, about 7 min by car
- Hueytown 5 mi southwest, about 7 min by car
- Bessemer 5 mi south, about 8 min by car
- Concord 6 mi west, about 9 min by car
- Homewood 8 mi east, about 13 min by car
- Hoover 9 mi southeast, about 15 min by car
- Birmingham 10 mi northeast, about 17 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB, the NEMICO news database.
Reviews, tips and questions
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Sources and licences
- NCES EDGE (Public domain): public schools
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 (Public domain): climate by month
- OpenFEMA (Public domain): disaster declarations
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- U.S. Census Bureau (Public domain): population, income, housing, education, commute
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Southern Railway Depot, 1905 Alabama Avenue, Bessemer (Jefferson County, Alabama), Jet Lowe, Public domain
- CanaanBaptist-Bessemer-8020445, Cecouchman, CC BY-SA 3.0
- TC&I Flint Ridge Building, Robert P Collins, CC BY-SA 3.0
- DunbarHS-Bessemer-8020482, Cecouchman, CC BY-SA 3.0
- DunbarHS-Bessemer-8020481, Cecouchman, CC BY-SA 3.0
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