Bush Hills, Birmingham: homes, schools, parks and commute

Last checked Oct. 17, 2026. Sources: the City of Birmingham’s 23 communities and 99 neighborhoods list, neighborhood boundary files, National Register announcement, comprehensive plan (PDF) and parks list; Birmingham City Schools’ Find My Zone; the Alabama State Department of Education’s state report card for 2025; Zillow Research; MAX Transit’s schedule data; and OpenStreetMap.

Bush Hills is one of six neighborhoods in the city’s Five Points West community, with Belview Heights, Central Park, Ensley Highlands, Fairview and Green Acres. It covers about 680 acres west of downtown, between College Hills and Ensley. The city says Bush Hills was established in the 1920s and is “known for its winding boulevards and historic homes.” In September 2024 the city announced that the neighborhood had been added to the National Register of Historic Places, completing an effort the Bush Hills Neighborhood Association began with a vote in 2015, with help from the city’s Department of Planning, Engineering and Permits and a grant through the Alabama Historical Commission.

What this means for you

• Zoned high school: Jackson-Olin High, 1300 Avenue F, Ensley (2025 state report card: 60, a D).
• Home value: $75,427 in ZIP 35208 and $70,260 in ZIP 35204 in September 2026, according to the Zillow Home Value Index.
• Nearest interstate exit: I-20/59 exit 123 (Arkadelphia Road, U.S. 78), about 2.6 miles by road.

Part of our Birmingham neighborhoods guide.

Where it is

On the city’s boundary map Bush Hills has Thomas to the north, College Hills to the east, Rising-West Princeton to the south and Ensley to the west. The National Register district is roughly bounded by Princeton Parkway, 3rd Avenue West, Bush Boulevard, I-20/59, 8th Court West and 8th Avenue West, according to the city. The neighborhood is split between ZIP code 35208 (a little over half) and 35204.

Schools

We checked 31 points spread across the neighborhood in the district’s Find My Zone tool, and every one returned the same three schools. Scores are each school’s overall score on the 2025 state report card (the 2024-25 school year).

Bush Hills STEAM Academy, which teaches sixth to eighth grade, is inside the neighborhood. Minor Elementary is in Ensley Highlands and Jackson-Olin High in Ensley. Birmingham City Schools as a whole scored 77 (C). Check one address in Find My Zone. More in our schools guide.

Home values

From the Zillow Home Value Index, a modeled typical value for the middle third of homes, not a sale price:

Both ZIP codes are much larger than Bush Hills, so neither is a Bush Hills figure alone. More in our home prices and property taxes guides.

Parks and trails

From the city’s parks list, with the acreage it gives:

• Alma P. Dennis Park, 0.43 acre, 1801 Avenue Z, inside the neighborhood.
• Exchange Park, 2.69 acres, and Rickwood Mini-Park, 1.97 acres, both just outside the neighborhood line.

The comprehensive plan includes a concept plan for a Five Points West urban village nearby. More in our parks and trails guide.

Getting around

• Interstates: I-20/59 exit 123 (Arkadelphia Road, U.S. 78), about 2.6 miles by road from the middle of the neighborhood, and exit 121 (Bush Boulevard, Ensley), about 2.9 miles. Exit names are from OpenStreetMap’s ramp signs.
• City Hall: about 3.1 miles by road.
• Airport: about 9 miles by road to Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport. Distances are measured on the OpenStreetMap road network with the OSRM routing engine; they are distances, not drive times.
• Buses: three MAX Transit routes stop inside the neighborhood in the schedule data valid through Oct. 28: 5 Ensley Wylam Fairfield, 45 Bessemer and 6 Pratt Ensley.

More in our getting around guide.

Groceries and everyday stores

OpenStreetMap maps no supermarket or pharmacy inside Bush Hills. The nearest it lists, each within about a mile of the neighborhood line:

• CVS Pharmacy, 632 Tuscaloosa Ave., in Arlington-West End.
• Walgreens, 3209 Ensley 5 Points West Ave., in Fairview.
• CVS Pharmacy, 2228 Bessemer Road, in Central Park.

Neighborhood association

The Bush Hills Neighborhood Association holds a monthly meeting, according to the city’s announcement, which placed a 2024 meeting at 1030 4th Terrace W. The city’s Community Resource Services Division lists Willie Watson as the representative for the Five Points West community, 205-254-2066, on its staff page.

How we drew this area

The area is the Bush Hills neighborhood polygon in the city’s open data boundary file, checked Oct. 17, 2026. School zones are from 31 sample points in the district’s Find My Zone tool; ZIP codes are from Census ZIP code areas. Place and store locations are © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Frequently asked questions

Is Bush Hills a historic district?

Yes. The city announced in September 2024 that Bush Hills had been added to the National Register of Historic Places, roughly bounded by Princeton Parkway, 3rd Avenue West, Bush Boulevard, I-20/59, 8th Court West and 8th Avenue West.

What schools is Bush Hills zoned for?

Minor Elementary, Bush Hills STEAM Academy for sixth to eighth grade and Jackson-Olin High, at all 31 points we checked in the district’s Find My Zone tool. They scored 71, 70 and 60 on the 2025 state report card.

What ZIP code is Bush Hills in?

Bush Hills is split between 35208 and 35204. In September 2026 the Zillow Home Value Index was $75,427 for 35208 and $70,260 for 35204.

Is Bush Hills a good place to live?

Here are the facts. Bush Hills is a 680-acre neighborhood established in the 1920s and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2024, with its own middle school and three MAX routes, zoned for Jackson-Olin High (60 on the 2025 state report card); the typical home value in ZIP 35208 was $75,427 in September 2026, according to Zillow.