Mulga

Mulga is located in west-central Jefferson County, in the central part of the state. It has a mayor/council form of government.

The present-day town of Mulga began its existence as a private housing alternative to a nearby community, also known as Mulga, built by the Birmingham Coal and Iron Company around the Mulga Mine. Mulga was first recognized as a distinct community in 1907, with the establishment of a post office. It is located along a former rail line of the Woodward Railroad now operated by the Birmingham Terminal Railway. The mine opened in 1907 and the Tennessee Coal, Iron, and Railroad Company built nearby Bayview Dam in 1911 to create a reservoir of water for use in the steel-making process. During the 1910s, the mine employed as many as 400 people and was in operation through the 1960s. The community incorporated in 1947 so that it could apply for funding for a water supply; Mulga now supplies surrounding communities with water. The nearby unincorporated community built by the mining company is still in existence and is called Mulga Mine.

Mulga's population according to the 2010 Census was 836. Of that number, 81.0 percent of respondents identified themselves as white, 16.9 percent as African American, 1.3 percent as two or more races, 0.6 percent as Hispanic or Latino, and 0.1 percent as Native American. The town's median household income, according to 2010 estimates, was $30,972, and the per capita income was $17,214.

According to 2010 Census estimates, the work force in Mulga was divided among the following industrial categories:

· Educational services, and health care and social assistance (24.4   percent)
· Professional, scientific, management, and administrative and waste   management services (16.0 percent)
· Construction (12.9 percent)
· Manufacturing (12.5 percent)
· Transportation and warehousing and utilities (8.7 percent)
· Retail trade (8.0 percent)
· Finance, insurance, and real estate, rental, and leasing (4.9 percent)
· Other services, except public administration (3.8 percent)
· Public administration (3.8 percent)
· Wholesale trade (1.7 percent)
· Information (1.4 percent)
· Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and extractive (1.0 percent)
· Arts, entertainment, recreation, and accommodation and food services   (0.7 percent)

Students in Mulga attend Jefferson County schools; no public schools are located within the town limits.

Mulga is bisected by Mulga Loop Road which joins State Highway 269 south of town in two places.

The Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport is located about 15 miles east of Mulga.

Additional Resources

Jefferson County Heritage Book Committee. The Heritage of Jefferson County. Clanton, Ala.: Heritage Publishing Consultants, 2002.

White, Marjorie Longenecker. The Birmingham District: An Industrial History and Guide. Birmingham, Ala.: Birmingham Publishing Company, 1981.