Town file
Calera, Alabama
Calera, Alabama (Shelby County, Alabama) is the town in one episode of Small Town Murder, the comedy true-crime podcast: episode 541, "Death, Love & OnlyFans" (31 October 2024). Kathleen Dawn Martin, known as Kat, was born in 1975 and grew up in Florida, the daughter of Nancy and John Martin.
- Town
- Calera
- County
- Shelby County
- State
- Alabama
- Country
- USA
- Episodes
- 541
- Approximate location
- 33.122, -86.746
Episode 541 / 31 October 2024 / 171 min / full
Death, Love & OnlyFans
"It's called Calera, it's in central Alabama, and this is in Shelby County." about 0:05:25
The case: Death of Kathleen Dawn 'Kat' West (January 13th, 2018). Read the case file.
The figures, as told in 2024
- Population
- 16,126
- Median age
- 32.4
- Median household income
- $70,500
- Median home value
- $228,100
- Two-bedroom rent
- $1,260
- Religious
- 70.7%
- Property crime
- ▲ slightly above average
- Violent crime
- about average
History, in brief
- Calera was incorporated in 1893. about 0:06:08
- Calera gets its name from the Spanish word for limestone. about 0:06:11
- Before incorporation the place was known as Lime Kiln Station. about 0:06:20
- It sat at the heart of the lime producing area of the state, one of the largest chemical lime producing areas in the United States. about 0:06:47
- Shelby County was established in 1818 and named for Revolutionary War hero and first governor of Kentucky Isaac Shelby. about 0:07:07
- The first courthouse was built of logs and was initially housed in an old log school building. about 0:07:07
- A brick courthouse was built in 1884. about 0:07:25
- That building is now known as the old Shelby County Courthouse and houses the Shelby County Museum and Archives. about 0:07:40
- The current limestone courthouse was built from 1905 to 1906 at a cost of $300,000. about 0:07:40
- Shelby County has a long history in agriculture and since about 1990 has been a big location for growing soybeans. about 0:08:08
- The town motto is the heart of the heart of Dixie. about 0:05:25
The reviews read out
5 stars
"Small town with nice people, easy to find everything, clean, building up with more houses, places to eat and things to do, easy interstate access."about 0:08:35
4 stars
"The crime in my city isn't bad and it is pretty rare when something bad happens; if there is a problem the police come when they aren't busy."about 0:09:07
3 stars
"The reviewer does not know much about the area and gives it three stars to play it safe."about 0:10:26
2 stars
"There is one bar and the restaurants close early; the one bar is very small and crowded."about 0:10:52
1 star
"Like living in Mayberry, police are very crooked and do not know how to handle new people; cheap built houses everywhere, nothing open past 10 p.m. and only five stores."about 0:11:11
Nearest Small Town Murder towns
- Clanton, Alabama20 miles
- Talladega, Alabama43 miles
- Morris, Alabama43 miles
- Jasper, Alabama59 miles
- Anniston, Alabama66 miles
- Gadsden, Alabama74 miles
Everything here is as told in the episode, on the date it went out; figures and places may have changed since. Endings are covered: open an episode and use the spoiler switch to read them.