Blackridge, Hoover: homes, schools, parks and commute

Last checked Oct. 17, 2026. Sources: the City of Hoover’s Comprehensive Plan (PDF, 2019, amended 2020) and parks pages; Hoover City Schools’ School Locator Map and its parcel layer; the Alabama State Department of Education’s state report card for 2025; Zillow Research; the Alabama Department of Revenue; the Census Bureau; and OpenStreetMap.

Blackridge is one of the large planned communities in southwest Hoover, south of Lake Cyrus and Russet Woods, off South Shades Crest Road in Shelby County. OpenStreetMap names it as a place and maps Blackridge Lake at its center. Hoover’s comprehensive plan lists Blackridge among the developments that made west Hoover the city’s fastest-growing area, and it says Blackridge is closed to through traffic.

What this means for you

• Zoned high school: Hoover High, 1000 Buccaneer Drive (2025 state report card: 84, a B).
• Home value: $477,594 in ZIP 35244 in September 2026, according to the Zillow Home Value Index.
• Nearest interstate exit: I-459 exit 10 (AL 150), about 4.3 miles by road.

Part of our Hoover neighborhoods guide.

Where it is

In the school system’s parcel layer (2023 county tax records), 971 parcels carry Blackridge in their subdivision name, in phases from Blackridge Phase 1 to Blackridge South and the Foothills at Blackridge. Every one is inside Hoover and in Shelby County. Census ZIP code areas put the community in 35244.

The comprehensive plan’s table of approved development counted 959 single-family lots still to be built in the two Blackridge sections as of March 30, 2019, the most of any neighborhood in the city apart from a large tract south of Morgan Road. The plan puts the land north of Morgan Road toward Blackridge, including its future phases, in its “qualified growth” category: largely single-family housing in an area where city services are stretched and the plan looks to developers to help pay for what is needed.

Fire service. The plan says Fire Station 6 had the largest service area in the city, more than 14 square miles on the west side, and that a planned unit development ordinance for Blackridge requires its developers to build a new fire station to cover Trace Crossings, Lake Wilborn and Blackridge. That was the plan’s account in 2019.

Schools

Scores are each school’s overall score on the 2025 state report card (the 2024-25 school year).

All 971 parcels fall in the South Shades Crest and Brock’s Gap zone. Homes here are in Shelby County but are served by Hoover City Schools, not Shelby County Schools, because they are inside Hoover. The district says its map is for information only, so check one address with the School Locator Map and Student Services, 205-439-1016. More in our schools guide.

Home values and taxes

The typical home value in ZIP code 35244 was $477,594 in September 2026, up 2.9% from $464,362 in September 2025, according to the Zillow Home Value Index. The index is a modeled typical value for the middle third of homes, not a sale price. ZIP 35244 also covers Riverchase, Trace Crossings and Lake Cyrus, so it is not a Blackridge figure alone. The citywide figure was $437,458, up 2.9%.

The state’s 2025 millage table puts the Shelby County part of Hoover at 66.5 mills, against 72.6 on the Jefferson County side. More in our home prices and property taxes guides.

Parks and trails

Blackridge Lake, mapped in OpenStreetMap, is the community’s centerpiece. The nearest park on the city’s list is Russet Woods Park, 105 Top O’ Tree Lane off South Shades Crest Road: 1.3 acres with a playground, a pavilion and a walking trail, according to the city’s park page.

The comprehensive plan proposes a multipurpose path linking the Blackridge and Trace Crossings areas with Ross Bridge, Moss Rock Preserve and the Freshwater Land Trust’s land along Shades Creek; it has no date. More in our parks and trails guide.

Getting around

• Interstates: I-459 exit 10 (AL 150) is about 4.3 miles by road, and exit 6 (Morgan Road) about 6.7 miles.
• City Hall: about 7.9 miles by road to 100 Municipal Lane.
• Airport: about 24 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: no MAX Transit route serves Blackridge.

The comprehensive plan says the large subdivisions along South Shades Crest Road depend on it as their main way in and out, and that the two-lane road is ill-equipped for the load. It proposes a West Hoover parkway from AL 150 to Morgan Road with a new I-459 Exit 9; the city’s capital projects list shows the interchange set for bidding in 2027. More in our getting around guide.

Groceries and everyday stores

The nearest stores in OpenStreetMap’s data are in Helena, about 2.5 miles south in a straight line:

• Publix, 4730 Highway 17, Helena.
• Walmart Neighborhood Market, 335 Helena Market Place, Helena.

How we drew this area

The area is the land OpenStreetMap names Blackridge and the parcels in the school system’s parcel layer whose subdivision name includes Blackridge, checked Oct. 17, 2026. The city’s comprehensive plan names it as a planned development. Place and store locations are © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Frequently asked questions

What schools is Blackridge in Hoover zoned for?

South Shades Crest Elementary (K-2), Brock’s Gap Intermediate (3-5), Bumpus Middle and Hoover High. All 971 Blackridge parcels in the school system’s parcel layer fall in that zone.

Is Blackridge in Jefferson County or Shelby County?

Shelby County. Every Blackridge parcel in the school system’s parcel layer is in the Shelby County part of Hoover, where the 2025 property tax rate is 66.5 mills.

What ZIP code is Blackridge in?

35244, according to Census ZIP code areas. Zillow put the typical home value in 35244 at $477,594 in September 2026, up 2.9% in a year.

Is Blackridge a good place to live?

Here are the facts. Blackridge is a Shelby County planned community of about 970 parcels around Blackridge Lake, zoned for Hoover High (84 on the 2025 state report card); the typical home value in ZIP 35244 was $477,594 in September 2026, according to Zillow.