Neighborhood spotlight: Green Valley

Today, the community of Green Valley stretches over a larger area than in its early years. U.S. 31, Green Valley Elementary School, Green Valley (now Hoover) Country Club, Hoover Commons Shopping Center and Star Lake are some of the cornerstones in the history of this community where the city of Hoover got its start.

The original location of William Hoover Sr.’s Employers Insurance was in what is now known as the Hoover Commons Shopping Center and was the hub of early business in Hoover. The history of Green Valley’s school dates back to about the 1860s when kids living in the Patton Chapel area were taught basic education at Patton Chapel Church or in homes.

In the 1900s, a separate school was built on Patton Chapel Road and remained at that location until 1922. The school then moved to the intersection of Patton Chapel Road and Lorna Road. The school continued to grow and stayed in this location until the 1960s. Patton Chapel School moved one last time and reopened on Old Columbiana Road with the new name Green Valley Elementary. The land for this school was given by Hoover.

Green Valley Elementary opened its doors in 1963 with only six rooms. In December 1964, the first vote was held to officially incorporate the residential areas around the Green Valley area into the town of Hoover, but it was voted down. The people voted again in April 1967 with a smaller area to incorporate (only four blocks long and one block wide); the vote passed.

The community of Green Valley voted to incorporate into the town of Green Valley with the hope of avoiding joining the newly formed Hoover, but as decisions were overturned, all of the area was eventually incorporated into Hoover. What some refer to as “old Hoover” is the original area that was first incorporated, including Whispering Pines, Helen Circle, part of Deo Dara Drive, Greenvale Road and Valgreen Lane.

The Parade of Homes also started in this area, and one home on Valgreen Lane is one of the original homes on the tour when it was built. The population of the new town was 406 people. Star Lake was annexed into the city in 1969.