RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
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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 (or 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 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.

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 (so far) for Calera was in the document titled List of Post Offices from Cameron Blevins and Richard Helbock.<8>

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

For more details, see References and Mentions for Calera.

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>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<8>A copy of the Blevins & Helbock Post Office list with background information can be found at:

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