North Shelby County

South of Birmingham, in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, lies Shelby County. It was created in 1818 and named for Isaac Shelby, a Revolutionary War hero who also served as Kentucky’s first governor. Its largest city is Alabaster, the county seat is Columbiana, and other significant towns include Pelham, Helena, Calera, Indian Springs Village and Chelsea. “Chelsea is a great community that’s convenient to a lot of business, shopping and restaurants, and it hasn’t lost its bedroom community feel,” says Chad Beasley, a Realtor with Chad & Jen Beasley eXp Realty. “That’s what’s great about it. It’s also a really pretty place to live.”

“There’s a good bit of new construction in Chelsea,” says Beasley. Chelsea Park, the largest neighborhood in the city, is a planned community with homes ranging from the mid-$200,000 up to $700,000. Other housing options in the area roughly average at $300,000. Homes range from two-bedroom to mansion-size, with three- to four-bedroom houses being the most popular style. There are a few townhomes, but not many. Other than New Traditional Craftsmen and other new construction builds, there are also older ranch-style and cottage-style homes. The farther outside of town you go, the more acreage you’re likely to get with your house.

Shelby County Schools are graded A-minus on Niche, ranking high in academics, college prep and clubs and activities. School zones in the county are location-based — the schools you live closest to are the ones your home is zoned for. For example, in Chelsea, students can attend Chelsea Park or Forest Oaks Elementary, and go on to attend Chelsea Middle and Chelsea High. Private school is also an option: for example, the Coosa Valley Academy, ranked B-minus on Niche. Post-secondary opportunities can be pursued at the University of Montevallo or the Jefferson State Community College Shelby-Hoover campus.

Outdoor recreation is a big highlight of the county. “Shelby has developed a lot of different parks and trails over the past few years,” says Beasley. “It’s a good place for people who want to get outdoors and be active.” No matter where you are in the county, you’re likely to find a local park. At Melrose Park in Chelsea, kids can run around the cushioned playground, climb a variety of equipment and race down several slides. For a small fee, they can also cool off at the splash pad on hot days. If you’re looking for the chance to do a variety of outdoor activities, head over to Oak Mountains State Park in Pelham. It’s Alabama’s largest state park at 11,632 acres, and with over 50 miles of trails, mountain biking and hiking are two popular activities choose for their visit. You can plan a day-trip or an overnight trip. Other activities include swimming, fishing, golfing and horseback riding.

For retail shopping, head over to Pelham and Alabaster for stores like Target and JCPenney. Chelsea in particular is conveniently located to Pelham and Alabaster. US 280 is the major highway that runs through the city, and Interstate 65 is just a few miles away. You also won’t lack for grocery shopping options in Shelby. The cities and larger towns have at least one grocery store, like Lucky’s Foodland Plus in Montevallo, Piggly Wiggly in Columbiana, Walmart Supercenter in Lake Purdy and Publix Super Market and Winn-Dixie in Chelsea.

The same is true for local restaurants. Visit The Pizza Star in Columbiana for tasty pizza and wings. Interested in a menu that has both high quality steaks and classic Tuscan Italian dishes? Stop by Bellini’s Ristorante & Bar in Lake Purdy to try hand-cut steaks grilled over a wood burning grill, or any variety of house made pastas, veal and seafood. Station 31 Kitchen has a menu with a variety of tasty dishes like the Chorizo burger topped with queso and avocado, or lemon crusted salmon with Cajun Brussel sprouts. At Joseph’s Table Mediterranean Bistro & Bar, you might get a pita roll-up, burger or panini for lunch, or one of several dinner plates, like creamy stuffed chicken rolls served with basmati rice.

Many of the cities in Shelby County have local events, like weekly farmers markets in the spring and summer. Montevallo has Friday Nights at the Cove, a series of music and cultural events held at Owl’s Cove Park during the summer. Columbiana’s Main Street hosts music concerts in June. And every Fourth of July, Chelsea has the ChelseaFest and the Big KaBoom, a city-wide celebration that has live music, several local vendors and one of the largest fireworks shows in Alabama. No matter where you choose to live in Shelby County, whether it’s in one of the smaller towns or fast-growing cities, you can get a small-town feel while surrounded by a beautiful landscape, in driving distance of modern conveniences.

Written By

Leah Rambadt

Photography Contributed By

John Gibbons

Video By

Joan Wall