Cover of the Hoover Sun's July 2025 issue.
Driving along U.S. 280 can get a little confusing sometimes.
A lot of people are never quite sure exactly where they are. Are they in Hoover? Birmingham? Vestavia Hills? Mountain Brook? Unincorporated Jefferson County? Unincorporated Shelby County?
There are “Welcome to Hoover” signs plopped down along the highway in spots, but the history of tentacle annexations by municipalities leaves you hopping into and out of cities as you drive along the road. And the existence of fire districts like Cahaba Valley only adds to the jumbled jurisdictional maze.
Taylor Bright tries to make sense of it all in his cover story for us this month and explain how things got the way they are and how the various government entities make it work.
Also on our cover this month, Sports Editor Kyle Parmley continues to take a look at the changing face of college sports, this time examining how college athletes from our area are navigating endorsement deals, transfers and a system shifting beneath their feet. They’re also preparing for the next big change: direct pay from universities.
Happy reading!
