Bristow Cove, Alabama

Community in Etowah County · population 624 (2020 Census)

Jan low / Jul high: 33° / 91°
Snow a year: 2 in
Tornadoes ≤10 mi since 1950: 34
Median age: 29.8

Bristow Cove is a community of 624 people in Etowah County, Alabama. It ranks more of a college town than 90% of Alabama towns, better for retirees than 77% of Alabama towns, easier by car than 75% of Alabama towns.

How Bristow Cove ranks

Percentile among Alabama towns with at least 500 people on The Town Files lifestyle rankings. 50 is typical for the state; 90 means better than 90% of Alabama towns.

The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025).

Homes and cost of living

62.5% of households own their home.

Housing	Bristow Cove	Typical Alabama town
Median home value	—	$161,250
Median rent	—	$834
Median household income	—	$56,250
Home value ÷ income	—×	2.8×
Homeownership	62.5%	71.3%
Median year built	1987	1981
Seasonal / vacation homes	0.0%	—

Who lives in Bristow Cove

People	Bristow Cove	Typical Alabama town
Median age	29.8	39.9
Age 65 and over	31.2%	18.1%
Under 18	25.0%	—
Bachelor's degree or higher	15.7%	17.3%
Below the poverty line	10.4%	16.7%
Veterans	0.0%	—
Born outside the U.S.	0.0%	—
Work from home	0.0%	5.1%
Average commute	— min	26.1 min
Homes with broadband	76.6%	86.7%

Weather in Bristow Cove

July highs average 90.9°F and January lows 32.8°F. About 57.6 inches of rain and melted snow fall a year, with 1.7 inches of snow (typical Alabama town: 0.6 in). Expect about 66 days a year at 90°F or hotter and 53 nights at or below freezing.

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals: average daily high and low by month; precipitation and snowfall in inches. Temperatures from the Gadsden station (15.7 mi away); snow from Walnut Grove (4.8 mi).

Tornadoes, storms and disasters

34 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Bristow Cove since 1950, compared with 30 for the typical Alabama town. 14 rated (E)F2 or stronger. The strongest, an F4, struck on November 24, 2001 about 6.2 miles from the town center. Tornadoes within 10 miles have caused 3 deaths and 104 injuries since 1950. The most recent was on February 16, 2025.

NOAA Storm Events Database, tornado tracks (start to end point) passing within 10 miles of the town center, 1950–2026.

Hail of 1 inch or larger has been reported within 10 miles 49 times; the largest was 3.00 inches on March 19, 2018.

Severe weather in Etowah County since 1996

NOAA Storm Events Database, Etowah County, 1996–2026 (all event types recorded since 1996). 1 deaths recorded.

Etowah County has been included in 29 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1953, most often for fire, flood, drought.

Declared	Incident	Declaration
September 26, 2024	Hurricane	EM-3618: Hurricane Helene
September 14, 2020	Hurricane	EM-3545: Hurricane Sally
July 10, 2020	Severe Storm	DR-4555: Severe Thunderstorms
March 29, 2020	Biological	DR-4503: Covid-19 Pandemic
March 13, 2020	Biological	EM-3472: Covid-19

Jobs and pay in Etowah County

Etowah County had 33,010 jobs in 2024, paying an average of $46,564 a year. Unemployment was 2.8% in 2023; in Bristow Cove itself the ACS puts it at 0%.

BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024, private-sector jobs and average annual pay.

Annual average unemployment rate (BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics via USDA ERS).

Towns near Bristow Cove

New Union, AL
1.8 mi · 1,019 people · home $168,000
Walnut Grove, AL
4.1 mi · 773 people · home $131,100
Egypt, AL
4.9 mi · 845 people · home $207,600
Altoona, AL
6.0 mi · 948 people · home $114,100
Douglas, AL
6.2 mi · 761 people · home $175,400
Carlisle-Rockledge, AL
6.7 mi · 2,167 people · home $115,900
Ivalee, AL
7.3 mi · 946 people · home $140,600
Gallant, AL
7.5 mi · 869 people · home $99,200

Bristow Cove questions

Is Bristow Cove, Alabama a good place to retire?

On The Town Files lifestyle rankings, Bristow Cove scores better for retirees than 77% of Alabama towns and quieter than 72%. 31.2% of residents are 65 or older (median age 29.8).

What is the weather like in Bristow Cove?

July highs average 90.9°F and January lows 32.8°F (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). It gets about 57.6 inches of precipitation a year and 1.7 inches of snow.

Does Bristow Cove get tornadoes?

34 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Bristow Cove since 1950 (NOAA Storm Events); the strongest was a F4 on November 24, 2001. The typical Alabama town has had 30.

How this page is made. Every number comes from public data, matched to Bristow Cove's Census boundary (GEOID 0109457). Comparisons use the median of Alabama towns with at least 500 people. Weather comes from the nearest NOAA normals station; storm counts use NOAA tornado tracks within 10 miles of the town center.

U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2020–2024)
U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Census and 2025 Gazetteer (2020 / 2025)
NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals (1991–2020)
NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (1950–2026)
FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations (this product uses the FEMA OpenFEMA API but is not endorsed by FEMA) (1953–2026)
NCES Common Core of Data (2023–24)
BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; USDA ERS county unemployment (BLS LAUS) (2000–2024)
The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025)

Data snapshot 2026-11-13.