.png){kind=link}
Brookside, Alabama
Brookside is a town of 1,603 people in Jefferson County, Alabama, founded in 1886.
Why visit Brookside
Townapedia lists 3 museums and landmarks, 5 parks and trails, 1 place to stay and 4 attractions in and around town.
Highlights include Banner Shaft Mine, Durant Mines and Clemons Complex.
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 91°F; January lows average 35°F.
Weather in Brookside
Forecast from the National Weather Service. Full forecast
About Brookside
Brookside is a town in north-central Jefferson County, Alabama, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the town was 1,253. It is a former mining town.
From the Wikipedia article Brookside, Alabama (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Things to do4
Museums and landmarks3
Parks, trails and playgrounds5
Where to stay1
History
The Brookside mine was opened in 1886 by the Coalburg Coal and Coke Company. It was purchased one year later by the Sloss Iron and Steel Company as a source of fuel for their blast furnaces in Birmingham. Following the practice of the time, the mined coal was processed into coke in rows of beehive ovens banked into the hillside below the mine opening. In 1897 a Robinson-Ramsey Coal Washer was installed, increasing the efficiency of coke burning and therefore the overall efficiency of the mine. Other advanced equipment was also installed at Brookside, placing it at the forefront of mining technology in the Birmingham District at the turn of the century.
Brookside served as the headquarters for four Sloss-owned mines in the immediate area (Cardiff, Coalburg, Brazil and Brookside). Because the capacity of Brookside's processing equipment exceeded the mine output, some of the slack from the Brazil mine was brought to Brookside for washing and coking.
Brookside was incorporated in 1898. The descriptive name Brookside stems from the Five-Mile Creek that flows through the town.
From the History section of Brookside, Alabama on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Churches and places of worship11
Sharon Heights Baptist Church
Church · Baptist · 1.3 mi
520 Bivens Brookside Road, Birmingham
Iglesia Casa Del Alfarero
Church · 1.2 mi
2347 Brookside Coalburg Road, Birmingham
Schools, colleges and libraries13
Brookville Elementary School
School · 3.8 mi
4275 Brookville School Rd, Graysville
Map of Brookside
37 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Climate by month
Monthly table
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 54°F | 35°F | 5.0 in | 0.4 in |
| Feb | 59°F | 38°F | 5.0 in | 0.3 in |
| Mar | 67°F | 45°F | 5.7 in | 0.5 in |
| Apr | 75°F | 52°F | 5.1 in | 0.0 in |
| May | 82°F | 61°F | 4.9 in | 0.0 in |
| Jun | 88°F | 68°F | 4.8 in | 0.0 in |
| Jul | 91°F | 72°F | 5.4 in | 0.0 in |
| Aug | 91°F | 71°F | 4.3 in | 0.0 in |
| Sep | 86°F | 65°F | 4.0 in | 0.0 in |
| Oct | 76°F | 54°F | 3.3 in | 0.0 in |
| Nov | 65°F | 43°F | 4.2 in | 0.0 in |
| Dec | 57°F | 38°F | 4.9 in | 0.2 in |
U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 for Birmingham Ap 72228 (10 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, 9 miles away.
- Gardendale 5 mi northeast, about 9 min by car
- Adamsville 5 mi southwest, about 8 min by car
- Birmingham 9 mi southeast, about 15 min by car
- Center Point 12 mi east, about 19 min by car
- Homewood 13 mi south, about 21 min by car
- Mountain Brook 14 mi southeast, about 22 min by car
- Brighton 14 mi south, about 23 min by car
- Vestavia Hills 15 mi southeast, about 24 min by car
- Irondale 15 mi southeast, about 24 min by car
- Clay 16 mi east, about 26 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
Loading what members have shared...
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
- Site Plan and Foundation Remains - Brookside Coal Mine, Mount Olive Road North of Five Mile Creek Bridge, Brookside, Jefferson County, AL, Kudlik, Catherine I., creator, Public domain
Page built October 30, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us or suggest a place.