Editing Homewood, Alabama (section)

===Great Depression and World War II===
[[Great Depression|The Great Depression]], beginning in 1929, greatly damaged Homewood's economy. Additionally, a [[polio]] epidemic, which sickened 80 children in Homewood, struck around the same time. However, the regional community and economy began to recover with the outbreak of [[World War II]] and the accompanying boom in Birmingham's steel industry, where production ramped up to support the war effort. Partly due to the steel boom, Homewood's population increased by 74% between 1940 and 1950.<ref name=":1" />