Clay, Alabama

Clay, Alabama
City Hall
Location of Clay in Jefferson County, Alabama.
Coordinates: 33°42′35″N 86°37′12″W / 33.70972°N 86.62000°W / 33.70972; -86.62000
Country United States
State Alabama
CountyJefferson
Area
 • Total
11.34 sq mi (29.38 km2)
 • Land11.28 sq mi (29.21 km2)
 • Water0.066 sq mi (0.17 km2)
Elevation
1,014 ft (309 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
10,291
 • Density912.4/sq mi (352.27/km2)
Time zoneUTC-6 (Central (CST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code
35048
Area codes205 & 659
FIPS code01-15256
GNIS feature ID2404063
Websitehttp://www.clayalabama.org/

Clay is a city in northeastern Jefferson County, Alabama, United States. It is part of the Birmingham–Hoover–Cullman Combined Statistical Area in the north-central part of the state. Local government is run by a mayor and city council. As of the 2020 census, Clay had a population of 10,291.

Before incorporation on June 6, 2000, it was a census-designated place (CDP).

The oldest church in Jefferson County, Mount Calvary Presbyterian Church, is located in Clay. The congregation has been meeting continually since 1806, when it was established by early Scots-American settlers.

On January 23, 2012, a total of 231 homes and businesses were either damaged or destroyed when an EF3 tornado passed through several subdivisions. Damage was heavy in downtown Center Point. Some of the homes were flattened. Trees were snapped and uprooted along the path and the Center Point Elementary School was damaged. A sixteen-year-old student from Jefferson County International Baccalaureate School died before reaching cover during the tornado.