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Welcome to Calera ...

The city of Calera is primarily located in Shelby County<1>. A portion of Calera extends into Chilton County.

The pronunciation of Calera: kuh-leer-uh<2>

Calera was established in 1887.

From the  Census Estimates for 2019, Calera has a population of 14,738 people<3> (see below for details).

The community of Calera is 600 feet [183 m] above sea level.<4>.

Time Zone: Calera lies in the Central Time Zone (CST/CDT) and observes daylight saving time

Area Codes for Calera: 205 & 659<5>

The ZIP code for Calera: 35040<6>

Population Details ...

Taken from the 2019 Census Estimates, Calera had an population of 14,738 people. This is an increase of 26.83% since the 2010 Census (or an increase of 366.69% since the 2000 Census).

At the time of the 2010 Census, Calera had a population of 11,620 people (which is 5.93% of the total population of Shelby County). This makes Calera the county's 4th most populous community.

The population of Calera represents 0.24% of the total population of Alabama (which has 4,779,736 people), making it the state's 57th most populous community.

With a 2010 count of 11,620 people, the population of Calera increased 267.95% from the 2000 Census (with a count of 3,158 people).

More information can be found on the Census Page for Calera.

Communities Also Named Calera ...

Using our Gazetteer, we found that there are 3 communities that are also named Calera - they are located in Oklahoma, Texas and Virginia.

For more information, see our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Calera.

Websites for Calera ...

Official Website: www.cityofcalera.org/

Communities near Calera ...

We have created a list of 10 communities that are near Calera.

  • Alabaster
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • 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 <8>
  • Pelham
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • 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 <8>
  • Helena
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • 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 <8>
  • Chelsea
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Clanton
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clanton have been provided by the GNIS.<7> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clanton
    • Clanton is located in Chilton County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,764 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Clanton <8>
  • Montevallo
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Columbiana
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Jemison
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
  • Indian Springs Village
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Indian Springs Village have been provided by the GNIS.<7> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Springs Village
    • Indian Springs Village is located in Shelby County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,628 people
  • Thorsby
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)

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 Calera. Our list includes the location of those cemeteries and we provide an overhead view. See our Cemetery List for Calera.

Using the information from an 1895 Atlas, we've created a list of communities that were in the area of Calera. 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 Calera.

We also have a detailed list of newspapers that have been published in the area around Calera. Our list includes 8 papers. See our Newspapers Page for Calera.

TripAdvisor Tourism Pages for Calera ...

Looking for more information about Calera? 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 Calera, there are neighboring communities that also have Tourism pages. More information about those communities can be found on our TripAdvisor Page for Calera.

Adding Calera to Our Gazetteer ...

We originally found mention of Calera 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 Calera was in the document titled List of Post Offices from Cameron Blevins and Richard Helbock.<9>

X2X - From that list, the Calera post office opened in 1869.

We also found Calera in the book titled List of Post Offices in the United States (1870).

For more details, see References and Mentions for Calera.

The official website for Calera: www.cityofcalera.org/

The official website for Shelby County: www.shelbycountyalabama.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 Shelby, have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
<2>The pronunciation we've provided is our attempt to give a phonetic pronunciation for Calera. While it might not be exactly right, hopefully it will be close. If we have it wrong or there's a better way to pronounce the name, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
<3>Population counts have been provided by the U.S. Census Bureau. For more detail, please visit our Census Page for Calera.
<4>The elevation is an estimate for the area around Calera - it will be higher in some places and lower in others.
<5>When there's a risk of an area code running out of phone numbers, an 'Overlay Area Code' is created that has the same geographic boundaries as the existing area code. In this case, the 205 code has been Overlayed with the 659 area code. New phone numbers in the Calera area will be assigned with one of these codes: 205 or 659. As a result, placing a call in the Calera area will require 10-digit dialing (where you enter both the area code and then the phone number).
<6>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 Calera). When looking for a ZIP Code, whether Calera or elsewhere, it's always best to check the website of the United States Postal Service (USPS).
<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>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<9>A copy of their list with background information can be found at:

      https://cblevins.github.io/us-post-offices/data-biography/




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025