Fultondale, AL, is a city in Jefferson County, near Birmingham. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 9,500.

The first white people settled in Fultondale around 1887. It was originally called “White City” because there were seven houses and a church built entirely from lumber painted white.In 1905 the post office opened with the name Fultondale, a combination of the names of two men, Fulton and Taylor. Both men were well known in the area as lumbermen.

In 1905 James R. Powell opened a store on Center Avenue at what is now 2552 Highway 79 to serve people working for the Cypress Lumber Company, which had bought land from Thomas F. and William B. Taylor to cut timber for the rapidly growing Birmingham area. Many of these early residents were from neighboring states or countries, such as the Carolinas, Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi.

In 1912 a small building was constructed across the street from Powell’s store for a steam-powered sawmill. This sawmill supplied Cypress lumber to the new Birmingham Bridge Company, which was building a bridge across the Warrior River at Cardiff. The sawmill and Cypress company closed in 1926 due to flooding on the river.

In 1918 another mill began operations about two miles from Fultondale on Raccoon Creek. This mill supplied both Cypress and Yellow Pine to build military barracks and airplane hangars during World War I. After the war, in 1922, this mill bought Powell’s store and moved it to its location on Alabama Highway 79 at what is now 2544 Highway 79. In 1931 a larger brick building was built across from the store. This became the new company headquarters for both mills until 1953, when all of Cypress operations moved to Alabama City, near Birmingham. During the 1930s and 1940s, about 200 people were employed by this mill and camp.

Local Fultondale AL Highlights

Fultondale has many local attractions. Near Fultondale is the Birmingham Botanical Gardens, the Birmingham Zoo, the Cahaba River Wildlife Refuge, and Oak Mountain State Park. 

The Fultondale Library offers storytime, classes, and other activities for both children and adults. The local high school is called the John Carroll Catholic High School. The Fultondale Community Church, which was built in 1960 on Highway 79 to replace two previous churches destroyed by fire, is an important part of the community. It operates a  food pantry and clothing closet, offers free tax help to those who qualify, sponsors a preschool program, has an active AA group, and is home of the annual Fultondale Community Yard Sale. 

Overall, Fultondale is a small town with a history of people working together to ensure its success.