Calera, AL

Calera is a fast-growing city in Shelby and Chilton counties, south of Birmingham along U.S. 31. Its name comes from the Spanish word for quarry, a nod to the limestone deposits that helped define the area. Calera is also home to Shelby County Airport and the Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum, one of its clearest local landmarks. The city feels like a growing Birmingham-edge community: partly historic rail-and-quarry town, partly modern suburban expansion.