The City of Hoover was founded in 1967 by William H. Hoover and consisted of four city blocks and only 410 citizens. Hoover grew rapidly in the following 43 years to more than 75,000 residents within 50 square miles, making it the sixth largest city in Alabama. As described by Mayor Tony Petelos, who was elected in 2004, “Hoover’s Happening!” The city received recognition from MONEY magazine as one of the best places to live in America, was listed in Lee and Saralee Rosenberg’s “50 fabulous Places to Raise Your Family,” and recognized internationally by receiving a silver award as most livable city.