Homewood, AL Area Guide

The Hollywood Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 2002, is one of the most visually distinctive parts of Homewood. Architect George P. Turner designed many of its homes in the Spanish Colonial Revival style during the mid-1920s, with some nods toward English Tudor design as well. More than 400 contributing buildings sit across roughly 815 acres, making it one of the more intact early residential planned districts in Jefferson County. Walking through the neighborhood today, you can still see the curving streets, red-tile rooftops, and arched doorways that gave the district its reputation. Samford University, which predates the city's incorporation by nearly a century, has been a fixture of Homewood since the university relocated its campus to Lakeshore Drive. The Georgian-Colonial architecture of its 247-acre campus is well known in the Birmingham area and draws visitors as much as students. The American Legion Post 134, originally built as a town hall for the former community of Hollywood before its annexation into Homewood, still stands as a working post and is among the older civic structures in the city.

Homewood has built a solid local dining reputation, particularly along the 18th Street corridor and in the Edgewood area. The city has a concentration of independent restaurants that lean toward Southern cooking, wood-fired or grilled dishes, and from-scratch baking. You will find casual spots good for a weekday lunch as well as more polished dinner options that draw people from across the Birmingham metro. The city also has no shortage of coffee shops, sandwich counters, and neighborhood breakfast spots for slower mornings. The Taste of Homewood festival, held annually, gives residents a chance to sample from many of the city's established restaurants in one event. The dining scene skews independent rather than chain-heavy, which is part of what gives Homewood's food landscape its distinctly local feel. Savage's Bakery, a longtime Homewood institution operating for well over two decades on 18th Street, is known for its pastries and fresh-baked goods and remains a go-to morning stop for residents.

Homewood is easy to navigate by car, with Interstate 65 running along the western edge of the city and U.S. Highway 31 (also known as Lakeshore Drive) passing through east to west. Both roads connect directly to Birmingham and the broader metro area, making the commute into the city center a short one. For most residents, a car is the primary way to get around, though the 18th Street corridor is genuinely walkable once you're in it, with sidewalks, storefronts close to the street, and steady foot traffic in the evenings. Public transit is available through MAX Transit, operated by the Birmingham-Jefferson County Transit Authority, which runs bus service through Homewood with connections into Birmingham. Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport is about 10 to 11 miles away, roughly an 18-minute drive under normal conditions. For anyone commuting to the University of Alabama at Birmingham or to medical jobs in the health corridor, Homewood sits just over the mountain and can be reached in under 10 minutes by car.

Homewood has several parks scattered across the city, with Patriot Park serving as the main community gathering space. It includes sports fields, picnic areas, and open green space used for community events throughout the year. The Homewood Forest Preserve, about a mile and a half from the city center, offers wooded trails and natural area access that feels removed from the surrounding suburban streets. Shades Creek, part of the larger Cahaba River system, flows through the city and provides a natural corridor that connects green spaces and attracts walkers and cyclists. Just across Red Mountain, Vulcan Park and Museum sits about four miles away and offers sweeping views of the Birmingham skyline along with trails and exhibition space. Red Mountain Park itself, one of the largest urban parks in the southeastern United States, is accessible within about 10 minutes of most parts of Homewood and offers more than 20 miles of trails, zip lines, and preserved mining history. The Birmingham Botanical Gardens and the Birmingham Zoo are both under five miles away and easy to reach for a half-day trip.

Average rent in Homewood runs around $870 per month for a one-bedroom apartment, with two-bedroom units averaging closer to $1,055 and three-bedrooms around $1,323 per month. Studio apartments average approximately $1,438. These figures are notably higher than the Alabama statewide average of around $729 for a one-bedroom, reflecting Homewood's desirability within the Birmingham metro. Formal cost of living index data specific to Homewood is limited, but as part of the greater Birmingham area, overall living expenses tend to run below national averages, particularly for housing and utilities. The Birmingham metro economy is anchored by healthcare, education, finance, and professional services sectors, with major employers including the University of Alabama at Birmingham health system and several financial institutions headquartered in the region.

The 18th Street corridor in downtown Homewood is the commercial spine of the city, lined with locally owned boutiques, gift shops, home goods stores, and specialty retailers. The district has a walkable layout that encourages browsing, and it hosts the annual Sidewalk Sale each summer, which draws shoppers from across the metro. The Edgewood area, along Oxmoor Road and the streets branching off it, adds another cluster of retail and service businesses that give the city two distinct commercial nodes rather than one centralized mall. Edgemont Town Center and Regency Square provide more conventional retail options close to the city, with a mix of national and local tenants for everyday needs. Homewood does not have a major regional mall, but its proximity to Birmingham means larger shopping destinations are only a short drive away. The annual Homewood for the Holidays event, organized through the Chamber of Commerce, encourages residents to shop locally during the fall and winter season and brings additional activity to the 18th Street district.

Homewood offers a walkable downtown district along 18th Street, the architecturally distinctive Hollywood Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places, access to Red Mountain Park's extensive trail system, and a location less than five miles from downtown Birmingham and the University of Alabama at Birmingham campus.