The Preserve, Hoover: homes, schools, parks and commute

Last checked Oct. 17, 2026. Sources: the City of Hoover’s Comprehensive Plan (PDF, 2019, amended 2020), neighborhood associations list and Moss Rock Preserve 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; MAX Transit schedule data; and OpenStreetMap.

The Preserve is a planned neighborhood on the slope of Shades Mountain in central Hoover, along Preserve Parkway, north of John Hawkins Parkway (AL 150). It sits beside Moss Rock Preserve, the city’s 349-acre nature preserve. Hoover’s comprehensive plan holds up The Preserve and Ross Bridge as two local examples of shops and other non-residential uses built into an otherwise residential neighborhood.

What this means for you

• Zoned high school: Hoover High, 1000 Buccaneer Drive (2025 state report card: 84, a B).
• Home value: $436,667 in ZIP 35226 in September 2026, according to the Zillow Home Value Index.
• Nearest interstate exit: I-459 exit 10 (AL 150), about 3 miles by road.

Part of our Hoover neighborhoods guide.

Where it is

OpenStreetMap names The Preserve as a neighborhood at the west end of central Hoover. In the school system’s parcel layer (2023 county tax records), 1,242 parcels carry The Preserve in their subdivision name, in more than a dozen phases. All of them are inside Hoover, in ZIP code 35226 and in Jefferson County, filed under the county’s Bessemer Division.

The comprehensive plan’s table of approved residential development counted 295 single-family lots still to be built in The Preserve as of March 30, 2019. The plan also pictures Vecchia Pizzeria and Mercato, a restaurant and market in The Preserve, as an example of a business within easy walking distance of homes.

The Preserve Homeowners Association (hooverpreserve.com) is on the city’s neighborhood associations list.

Schools

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

All 1,242 parcels fall in the Gwin Elementary zone on the district’s map. Gwin and Simmons face each other on Patton Chapel Road. 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

The typical home value in ZIP code 35226 was $436,667 in September 2026, up 2.9% from $424,281 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 35226 also covers Bluff Park and Ross Bridge, so it is not a figure for The Preserve alone. The citywide figure was $437,458, up 2.9%. More in our home prices guide.

Parks and trails

Moss Rock Preserve has forest, rock outcroppings, streams, waterfalls, a sandstone glade and six rare plant species, and nearly 12 miles of hiking trails, according to the city. Its Boulder Field draws rock climbers. The city’s directions and parking sheet (PDF) lists three trailheads:

• Boulder Field, 617 Preserve Parkway, the address Jefferson County assigned to the preserve: a gravel lot above the westernmost traffic circle on Preserve Parkway.
• Sulphur Springs Road, near Prince of Peace Catholic Church, 4600 Preserve Parkway: a gravel lot for about 35 cars.
• Simmons Middle School lower lot, 1575 Patton Chapel Road, closest to the newer orange (Boulder Gorge) trail.

OpenStreetMap also maps several small parks inside the neighborhood, including Heritage Park, Founders Park and Renaissance Park. More in our parks and trails guide.

Getting around

• Interstates: I-459 exit 10 (AL 150) is about 3 miles by road, and exit 13 (U.S. 31) about 3.2 miles.
• City Hall: about 2.8 miles by road to 100 Municipal Lane.
• Airport: about 18 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 enters The Preserve. The nearest stop in MAX Transit’s schedule data is the Galleria stop on Route 31 (Highway 31 South), about 1.5 miles away in a straight line.

The comprehensive plan proposes a bicycle and pedestrian connection on Hidden Valley Road from Chapel Lane to Preserve Parkway; it has no date. More in our getting around guide.

Groceries and everyday stores

From OpenStreetMap, along John Hawkins Parkway and around the Galleria:

• Publix, 2543 John Hawkins Parkway, and Walmart Supercenter, 2780 John Hawkins Parkway.
• Target, 5561 Grove Boulevard, in The Grove Shopping Center.
• Costco Pharmacy, 3650 Galleria Circle.

How we drew this area

The area is the land OpenStreetMap names The Preserve and the parcels in the school system’s parcel layer whose subdivision name begins with The Preserve or Preserve Phase, checked Oct. 17, 2026. The city’s comprehensive plan and neighborhood associations list both name it. Place and store locations are © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Frequently asked questions

What schools is The Preserve in Hoover zoned for?

Gwin Elementary, Simmons Middle and Hoover High. All 1,242 parcels named for The Preserve in the school system’s parcel layer fall in the Gwin zone; the schools scored 97, 92 and 84 on the 2025 state report card.

Where is Moss Rock Preserve?

Next to The Preserve. Jefferson County has assigned 617 Preserve Parkway as its address, which leads to the Boulder Field trailhead; the city says the 349-acre preserve has nearly 12 miles of hiking trails.

Does The Preserve have a homeowners association?

Yes. The Preserve Homeowners Association is on the City of Hoover’s list of neighborhood associations.

Is The Preserve a good place to live?

Here are the facts. The Preserve is a Hoover neighborhood of about 1,240 parcels beside the 349-acre Moss Rock Preserve, zoned for Hoover High (84 on the 2025 state report card); the typical home value in ZIP 35226 was $436,667 in September 2026, according to Zillow.