Bayview, Alabama

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Bayview is a community in Jefferson County, Alabama, United States. The community is built around Bayview Lake. It is part of the Birmingham-Hoover-Cullman Combined Statistical Area. Bayview voted to be annexed by the nearby town of Mulga. However, Bayview today retains its own community identity.

[edit] History

Bayview was developed as a company town by the Tennessee Coal, Iron and Railroad Co. (TCI) for workers employed at the Bayview coal mine and their families. It was a model community when it was created and it received an award at the New York World's Fair. The community included a commissary for shopping, doctor's office, schools, community center/library, churches, and parks. Public bus service was available to other communities in the county.

The community typically consisted of two-, three-, four-, and five-room houses that were owned by TCI and rented to the workers. The rent was USD $2.00 per room per month for the TCI employees living in the homes. Later TCI eliminated the rental program and sold the homes to the workers. TCI was later purchased by U.S. Steel corporation.

The Bayview mine flooded and was eventually closed. Some residents in the community then worked at the nearby Edgewater mine. Today, residents in Bayview work for businesses across the county and are not exclusively associated with the mining industry.