Welcome to Bessemer ...
The city of Bessemer is located in Jefferson County<1>.
Bessemer was established in 1887.
From the Census Estimates for 2019, Bessemer has a population of 26,251 people<2> (see below for details).
The community of Bessemer is 510 feet [155 m] above sea level.<3>.
Time Zone: Bessemer lies in the Central Time Zone (CST/CDT) and observes daylight saving time
Telephone area codes for Bessemer: (205) & (659)<4>
The ZIP codes for Bessemer: 35020-35023<5>
Websites for Bessemer ...
Chamber of Commerce: www.bessemerchamber.com/
Although we don't have any websites that are specific to Bessemer, the following might be of interest:
Population Details ...
Taken from the 2019 Census Estimates, Bessemer had an population of 26,251 people. This is a decrease of 4.39% since the 2010 Census (or a decrease of 11.53% since the 2000 Census).
At the time of the 2010 Census, Bessemer had a population of 27,456 people. This makes Bessemer the county's 4th most populous community.
The population of Bessemer represents 0.57% of the population of Alabama (which has 4,779,736 people), making it the state's 17th most populous community.
With a 2010 count of 27,456 people, the population of Bessemer decreased 7.47% from the 2000 Census (which had a count of 29,672 people).
More information can be found on the Census Page for Bessemer.
Communities Also Named Bessemer ...
Using our Gazetteer, we found that there are 11 communities that are also named Bessemer - they are located in Florida, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, Ontario, Pennsylvania (3), Virginia, West Virginia and Wyoming.
For more information, see our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Bessemer.
Communities near Bessemer ...
We have created a list of 10 communities that are near Bessemer.
- Birmingham
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Birmingham
- Birmingham is located in Jefferson County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 206,950 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Birmingham <6>
- Hoover
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hoover
- Hoover is located in Jefferson County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 85,959 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hoover <6>
- Vestavia Hills
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vestavia Hills
- Vestavia Hills is located in Jefferson County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 34,317 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Vestavia Hills <6>
- Alabaster
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Alabaster have been provided by the GNIS.<7> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alabaster
- Alabaster is located in Shelby County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 33,701 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Alabaster <6>
- Homewood
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Homewood have been provided by the GNIS.<7> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Homewood
- Homewood is located in Jefferson County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 25,174 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Homewood <6>
- Pelham
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pelham have been provided by the GNIS.<7> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pelham
- Pelham is located in Shelby County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 24,231 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pelham <6>
- Helena
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Helena have been provided by the GNIS.<7> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Helena
- Helena is located in Shelby County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 20,374 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Helena <6>
- Mountain Brook
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mountain Brook have been provided by the GNIS.<7> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mountain Brook
- Mountain Brook is located in Jefferson County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 20,034 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mountain Brook <6>
- Gardendale
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gardendale
- Gardendale is located in Jefferson County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 14,113 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Gardendale <6>
- Irondale
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Irondale have been provided by the GNIS.<7> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Irondale
- Irondale is located in Jefferson County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 13,226 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Irondale <6>
To Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
We have a couple of sections for those tracing their genealogy.
We created a list of cemeteries that are in the area around Bessemer. Our list includes the location of those cemeteries and we provide an overhead view. See our Cemetery List for Bessemer.
Using the information from an 1895 Atlas, we've created a list of communities that were in the area of Bessemer. Our list includes information such as whether the 1895 community had a post office or railroad service. See our List of 1890's Communities around Bessemer.
We also have a detailed list of newspapers that have been published in the area around Bessemer. Our list includes 22 papers. See our Newspapers Page for Bessemer.
TripAdvisor Tourism Pages for Bessemer ...
Looking for more information about Bessemer? A wonderful source is the TripAdvisor website. We always start with the TripAdvisor Tourism page, where you can read an overview with links that will help you find lodging, restaurants and attractions.
In addition to the Tourism page for Bessemer, there are neighboring communities that also have Tourism pages. More information about those communities can be found on our TripAdvisor Page for Bessemer.
Adding Bessemer to Our Gazetteer ...
We originally found mention of Bessemer in both the FIPS-55 and the GNIS. For more information, see the FIPS and GNIS Codes sections on our Miscellaneous Page.
From our notes, the earliest published mention we've found for Bessemer was in the document titled List of Post Offices from Cameron Blevins and Richard Helbock.<8>
From that list, the Bessemer post office opened in 1887.
We also found Bessemer in the book titled Business Atlas and Shippers' Guide (1895).
For more details, see References and Mentions for Bessemer.
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Bessemer. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for Jefferson County: www.jeffcointouch.com/
The official website for State of Alabama: https://www.alabama.gov/
Footnotes ...
| <1> | If you're interested in how the shape of Alabama's counties, including Jefferson, have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. |
| <2> | Population counts have been provided by the U.S. Census Bureau. For more detail, please visit our Census Page for Bessemer. |
| <3> | The elevation is an estimate for the area around Bessemer - it will be higher in some places and lower in others. |
| <4> | Area code (659) is an overlay for area code (205). |
| <5> | ZIP Codes have been created by the United States Postal Service (USPS) as a way of grouping addresses to make delivery more efficient. The boundaries of the ZIP Code can be changed, re-assigned, eliminated or overlapped with other ZIP Codes. So keep in mind that any given ZIP Code is only 'loosely' associated with a city (such as Bessemer). When looking for a ZIP Code, whether Bessemer or elsewhere, it's always best to check the website of the United States Postal Service (USPS). Our list of ZIP Codes for Bessemer includes: 35020, 35021, 35022 & 35023. |
| <6> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <7> | The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required. |
| <8> | A copy of their list with background information can be found at: https://cblevins.github.io/us-post-offices/data-biography/ |