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is a city in Jefferson County, Alabama, United States, and a northern suburb of Birmingham. The population was 11,626 at the 2000 census. 2006 Census estimates propose a population of 13,042.
A large farm settlement near the area today known as Gardendale was settled around 1825. Some years later, other settlers began to move into the community commonly known as Jugtown, a name given to the area based on the presence of a large jug and churn factory that operated in the area. Some years later, a school teacher would lead a campaign to change the name of the community. In 1906, the name Gardendale was selected and in 1955, the City of Gardendale was officially incorporated. Today, with more than 13,000 residents, the city of Gardendale has grown to include more than 400 businesses, 4 schools, and 24 churches. In 1996, the Olympic torch run passed thru the city during the weeks leading up to the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta. Before Interstate 65 was constructed, the main route between Nashville, Tennessee and Birmingham, Alabama was U.S. Route 31. Prior to being built as a four-lane road, U.S. 31 was a twisting two-lane road that is still largely visible today. From the north end of Gardendale it is now Snow Rogers Road, then North Road, then Moncrief Road, and then Main Street southward thru the city to the Fultondale city limits where it becomes Stouts Road. In the fall of 2008 new signs were placed along the original route of Stouts Road thru Gardendale denoting its historical significance as a stagecoach route between Tennessee and Birmingham during the 1800s. The first traffic signals in the city were located along U.S. 31 at Tarrant Road, Fieldstown Road, and Moncrief Road as well as Tarrant Road at Pineywood Road. A new signal at the intersection of Fieldstown Road and Main Street near city hall replaced a blinking signal shortly thereafter. Fieldstown Road was a narrow two lane road from U.S. 31 westward until Interstate 65 was built and then Fieldstown Road was re-routed onto the new road in the mid 1980s. An abundance of traffic signals have been erected in the city since those early days. In approximately 1970, the city installed street lights along U.S. 31 from the Fultondale city limits northward to the Moncrief Road intersection. The technology at that time was for blue vapor lights. Today, nearly 40 years later those same blue vapor lights still exist with some being replaced with the more modern bulbs near major intersections.