Downtown Homewood: living there, schools, parks and commute

Last checked Oct. 17, 2026. Sources: the Homewood Historic Preservation Commission’s neighborhoods tour, the city’s comprehensive plan update and parking notice, the city’s address and school zone map layers, the state’s report card, Zillow Research, MAX Transit and OpenStreetMap.

Downtown Homewood is the city’s town center: shops, restaurants and offices along 18th Street South and on 28th and 29th avenues South, with City Hall at 2850 19th St. S. The Historic Preservation Commission’s tour calls the shopping district “The Curve.” This page is about living downtown; for the stores and restaurants, see our downtown Homewood guide.

What this means for you

• Zoned high school: Homewood High; elementary is Shades Cahaba for every address point here.
• Home value: $536,460 in ZIP 35209 in September 2026, according to the Zillow Home Value Index.
• Main highways: U.S. 31 on the east edge and the Red Mountain Expressway to the north.

Part of our Homewood neighborhoods guide.

Where it is

The draft growth and conservation map in the city’s July 22, 2026, comprehensive plan workshop (PDF) puts downtown, with the Edgewood commercial village, among the “Areas to Strengthen,” the city’s “central hubs for employment, entertainment, shopping, dining, civic, and cultural activities,” where the city would “remove barriers to investment while protecting authenticity.” It also lists the “outskirts of Downtown” among the “Areas to Enhance,” for more housing options. The plan is still a draft.

On this page the area is the middle of the city’s Ward 1 in its five-ward map layer: east of about Central Avenue, from about 28th Avenue South down to Oxmoor Road, out to U.S. 31. Its 438 address points are a mix of businesses and homes. The streets with the most are 28th Avenue, 18th Street, Central Avenue, B.M. Montgomery Street, Crescent Avenue, Linden Avenue and 29th Court. Every address is in ZIP code 35209 and inside city limits.

Schools

All 438 address points are zoned for Shades Cahaba Elementary in the city’s school zone layer, checked Oct. 17. Grades are from the state’s 2024-25 report card.

Check one address with the district’s school locator map and confirm with residency and enrollment at 205-870-2011. More in our schools guide.

Home values

The typical home value in ZIP 35209 was $536,460 in September 2026, up 6.70% from $502,785 in September 2025, according to the Zillow Home Value Index. The index is a modeled typical value for the middle third of homes, not a sale price. It covers the whole ZIP code, which takes in most of Homewood, so it does not separate downtown from the rest of the city. The citywide Homewood figure was $568,543, up 6.59%. More in our home prices guide.

Parks and trails

• City Hall Plaza, 2850 19th St. S., where the Christmas parade ends with the tree lighting.
• Central Park, 1632 Oxmoor Road, on the west edge: the Central Pool, a large playground, an amphitheater, two tennis courts and walking paths, open 5:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., according to Homewood Parks.
• Spring Park, 2525 Central Ave., just north in Rosedale, with a large pavilion.
• Homewood Public Library, 1721 Oxmoor Road, just south.

More in our parks and trails guide.

Getting around

• U.S. 31: Independence Drive, on the east edge, is U.S. 31, by OpenStreetMap’s route numbers. MAX Route 31 runs along U.S. 31 between downtown Birmingham, Vestavia Hills, Hoover and the Riverchase Galleria.
• Magic City Connector: MAX says it runs along 20th Street from Birmingham’s Uptown district to Homewood.
• Interstate 65: exit 258, Green Springs Avenue, is the closest as the crow flies; exit 256, Oxmoor Road, is reached straight down Oxmoor Road.
• Airport: about 7.6 miles from the middle of downtown to Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport by road, measured on the OpenStreetMap network with the OSRM routing engine; a distance, not a drive time.
• Parking: street parking is limited to three hours, the city said in July 2026, and a parking enforcement officer now patrols it.
• MAX On-Demand: rides anywhere in the city limits for $1.50 a trip, in the MAX Connect app.

More in our getting around guide.

Groceries and everyday stores

From OpenStreetMap, on the east edge along U.S. 31:

• Piggly Wiggly, 3000 Montgomery Highway, closed since Dec. 31, 2025, for a rebuild that adds parking and green space and a safer route to the nearby tunnel; the city said it was expected to reopen by the end of 2026
• CVS Pharmacy, 3030 Independence Drive

How we drew this area

Downtown is named by the draft comprehensive plan map and the city’s own pages. Its edges here are ours: the middle of Ward 1 in the city’s five-ward map layer, east of about Central Avenue and south of about 28th Avenue South, with Rosedale to the north and Grove Park to the west. School shares are from every city address point inside those edges, checked Oct. 17, 2026. Store locations are © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Frequently asked questions

What school is downtown Homewood zoned for?

Shades Cahaba Elementary, for every city address point downtown as we drew it, then Homewood Middle and Homewood High.

Is downtown Homewood a good place to live?

Here are the facts. Downtown Homewood is the shopping, dining and office district along 18th Street South and 28th and 29th avenues South in ZIP 35209, with City Hall at 2850 19th St. S. It is zoned for Shades Cahaba Elementary and Homewood High, which earned an A (94) on the state’s 2024-25 report card, and Zillow put the typical home value in 35209 at $536,460 in September 2026.

How long can I park on the street in downtown Homewood?

Three hours. The Homewood Police Department has hired a parking enforcement officer, the city said in July 2026.

Where is Homewood City Hall?

At 2850 19th St. S., downtown, open 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays. The main number is 205-332-6100.