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Birmingham's Location in Jefferson County Jefferson County Location in Alabama

Birmingham City Seal

Birmingham, Alabama

Birmingham is the largest city in the U.S. state of Alabama and is the county seat of Jefferson County. Portions of the city are also located in Shelby County. It was founded in 1871, after the U. S. Civil War, as an industrial enterprise. It was named after Birmingham, the major industrial city of England.

Through the middle of the 20th century, Birmingham was the primary industrial center of the Southern United States. The astonishing pace of Birmingham's growth through the turn of the century, earned it the nicknames "The Magic City" and "The Pittsburgh of the South". Birmingham's major industries centered around iron and steel production. Over the course of the 20th century, while industry declined nationwide, the city's economy diversified. Though manufacturing is still a strong sector, Birmingham has also become a major medical research center and a regional banking and publishing power.

Home to a significant but rigorously segregated African American middle class, Birmingham was one of the battlegrounds of the American Civil Rights Movement throughout the 1960s. Race relations remain a central issue in Birmingham, though racial issues have gradually smoothed out in the city and the state as time has progressed.

The population of the city proper is 242,820 (2000 U.S. census), and declined to 236,620 according to the 2003 estimate. However, it serves as the primary nucleus for a sprawling urbanization known as Greater Birmingham with 1,052,238 inhabitants. In recent years Birmingham has been named by various groups as one of the best U.S. cities in which to live.

Birmingham, Alabama 1916

Geography and Climate

Geography

Birmingham is located at 33°31'29" North, 86°48'46" West (33.524755, -86.812740)GR1.

Birmingham occupies Jones Valley, flanked by long parallel mountain ridges (the tailing ends of the Appalachian foothills) running from north-east to south-west. The valley is drained by small creeks (Village Creek, Valley Creek) which flow into the Black Warrior River. More importantly, the valley was bisected by the principal railroad corridor, along which most of the early manufacturing operations began.

Red Mountain lies immediately south of downtown. Birmingham's television and radio broadcast towers are lined up along this prominent ridge. The "Over the Mountain" area, including Shades Valley, Shades Mountain and beyond, was largely shielded from the industrial smoke and rough streets of the industrial city. This is the setting for Birmingham's more affluent suburbs of Mountain Brook, Homewood, Vestavia Hills, and Hoover. South of Shades Valley is the Cahaba River basin.

Sand Mountain, a smaller ridge, flanks the city to the north and divides Jones Valley from much more rugged land to the north. The Louisville and Nashville Railroad (now CSX Transportation) enters the valley through Boyles Gap, a prominent gap in the long low ridge.

Ruffner Mountain, located due east of the heart of the city, is home to Ruffner Mountain Nature Center, one of the largest urban nature reserves in the United States.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 393.5 km² (151.9 mi²). 388.3 km² (149.9 mi²) of it is land and 5.3 km² (2.0 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 1.34% water.

Climate

Birmingham has a temperate climate characterized by warm summers, mild winters, and abundant rainfall. Birmingham has slightly less rainfall than the Gulf Coast and is slightly cooler. January sees average daily high temperatures of 53.0 °F (11.7 °C) and lows of 31.8 °F (-0.1 °C). In July the average daily high is 90.6 °F (32.6 °C) and the low is 69.2 °F (20.7 °C). The average annual temperature in Birmingham is 62 °F (17 °C). Snowfall is infrequent in the area, with a yearly average of only 0.5 inches (1 cm). The average yearly rainfall in Birmingham is about 52 inches (1330 mm), with March being the wettest month and October the driest.

The spring and fall months are pleasant but variable, but cold fronts frequently bring strong to severe thunderstorms and occasional tornadoes to the South. The fall season features less rainfall and fewer storms, as well as lower humidity than the spring, but it is also a secondary severe weather season. Birmingham is located on the heart of a tornado alley known as the Dixie Alley due to the frequency of tornadoes in Central Alabama. In late summer and fall months, Birmingham experiences occasional tropical storms and hurricanes due to its proximity to the Central Gulf Coast.

Government

Birmingham has a strong-mayor variant mayor-council form of government, lead by a mayor and a nine-member city council. The current system replaced the previous city commission government in 1962 (primarily as a way to remove Commissioner of Public Safety Eugene "Bull" Connor from power).

By Alabama law, an issue before a city council must be approved by a two-thirds majority vote (Act No. 452, Ala. Acts 1955, as supplemented by Act No. 294, Ala. Acts 1965.). Executive powers are held entirely by the mayor's office. The current mayor of Birmingham is Bernard Kincaid (2006), who was voted into office in 1999.

Economy

In the 1970s and 1980s, Birmingham's economy was transformed with investments in bio-technology and medical research at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) and its adjacent hospital. The UAB Hospital is the only Level I trauma center in the entire 4-state area providing healthcare and breakthrough medical research. UAB is now the area's largest employer and the largest in Alabama with a workforce of about 20,000. Birmingham is also a leading banking center, serving as home to three major banking companies: AmSouth Bancorporation, Compass Bancshares and Regions Bank. SouthTrust, which also had been headquartered in Birmingham, was acquired by Wachovia in 2004. Telecommunications provider BellSouth has a major presence with several large offices in the metropolitan area. The city is also a powerhouse of construction and engineering companies. It started with Rust Engineering International and has grown to many other construction and engineering companies such as BE&K, Brasfield & Gorrie, BL Harbert International, and Dunn Construction, all of which are in the top engineering and construction companies in the world.

A 2006 Study by Bizjournals.com calculated Birmingham's "combined personal income" (the sum of all money earned by all residents of an area in a year) at $48.1 Billion. The purpose of their study was to determine which cities, based on combined personal income, would be financially able to support professional sport franchises. Birmingham was one of 30 unserved markets deemed capable of supporting a National Football League team, one of 23 capable of supporting a National Hockey League team, and one of 19 capable of supporting a National Basketball Association team. According to the study, no unserved markets have the income needed to support a new Major League Baseball team.

Infrastructure

Education

The city of Birmingham is served by the Birmingham City Schools system. It is run by the Birmingham Board of Education with a current active enrollment of 30,500 in 67 schools: 11 high schools, 13 middle schools, 34 elementary schools, and 9 K-8 secondary schools.

The Birmingham Public Library with 21 branches serves the entire community to provide education and entertainment for all ages.

The Birmingham-Hoover metropolitan area is home to numerous independent primary school systems. The area's largest are the Jefferson County, Birmingham City, and Shelby County school systems.

Institutions of Higher Education

• University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB)
• Samford University (includes the Cumberland School of Law)
• Birmingham-Southern College
• Birmingham School of Law
• Miles College
• Lawson State Community College
• Jefferson State Community College
• Bessemer State Technical College
• Herzing College
• Faulkner University
• Southeastern Bible College
• ITT Technical Institute
• Virginia College of Birmingham (includes Culinard)
• Andrew Jackson University

Planning

Before the first structure was built in Birmingham, the plan of the city was laid out over a total of 1,160 acres (4.7 km²) by the directors of the Elyton Land Co. The streets were numbered from west to east, leaving Twentieth Street to form the central spine of downtown, anchored on the north by Capital Park and stretching into the slopes of Red Mountain to the south. A "railroad reservation" was granted through the center of the city, running east to west and zoned solely for industrial uses. As the city grew, bridges and underpasses separated the streets from the railroad bed, lending this central reservation some of the impact of a river (without the pleasant associations of a waterfront). From the start, Birmingham's streets and avenues were unusually wide at 80 to 100 feet (24 to 30 m), purportedly to help evacuate unhealthy smoke.

In the early 20th century professional planners helped lay out many of the new industrial settlements and company towns in the Birmingham District, including Corey (now Fairfield) which was developed for the Tennessee Coal, Iron and Railroad Company (subsequently purchased by U. S. Steel).

The Robert Jemison company developed many residential neighborhoods to the south and west of Birmingham which are still renowned for their aesthetic quality.

Birmingham officials in November 2004 were reviewing a City Center Master Plan developed by Urban Design Associates of Pittsburgh, which advocates strongly for more residential development in the downtown area and includes a major park over several blocks of the central railroad reservation.

Transportation

Birmingham is served by three Interstate Highways, Interstate 20, Interstate 65, and Interstate 59, and a southern beltway Interstate 459 and the Elton B. Stephens (Red Mountain) Expressway (U.S. Highway 31 & U.S. Highway 280). There have been some recent developments with the regional interstate system, including the construction of Corridor X (Future Interstate 22), and the planned future construction of a Northern Beltline corresponding to the existing Interstate 459. Birmingham is served by the Birmingham-Jefferson County Transit Authority through the Metro Area Express (MAX) bus system.

Birmingham is served by Birmingham International Airport (there is another airport of the same name in Birmingham, England).

Amtrak's Crescent train connects Birmingham with the cities of New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, Charlotte, Atlanta and New Orleans. The Amtrak station is situated at 1819 Morris Avenue.

Utilities

The water services for Birmingham and the intermediate urbanized area is served by the Birmingham Water Works Authority (BWWB). A public authority that was established in 1951, the BWWB serves all of Jefferson, northern Shelby, western St. Clair counties. The largest reservior for BWWB is Lake Purdy, which is located on the Jefferson and Shelby County line, but has several other reserviors including Bayview Lake in western Jefferson County. There are plans to pipeline water from Inland Lake in Blount County and Lake Logan Martin, but those plans are on hold indefinitely. Jefferson County Environmental Services serves the Birmingham metro area with sanitary sewer service.

Electric power is provided primarily by Southern Company-subsidiary, Alabama Power. However, some of the surrounding area such as Bessemer and Cullman are provided by TVA. Natural gas is provided by Alagasco. The local telecommunications are provided by BellSouth.

People and Culture

Demographics

As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 242,820 people, 98,782 households, and 59,269 families residing in the city. The population density was 625.4/km² (1,619.7/mi²). There were 111,927 housing units at an average density of 288.3/km² (746.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 24.07% White, 73.46% Black or African American, 0.17% Native American, 0.80% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.62% from other races, and 0.83% from two or more races. 1.55% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 98,782 households out of which 27.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 31.1% were married couples living together, 24.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.0% were non-families. 34.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 3.09.

In the city, the population is spread out, with 25.0% under the age of 18, 11.1% from 18 to 24, 30.0% from 25 to 44, 20.4% from 45 to 64, and 13.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 85.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.4 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $26,735, and the median income for a family was $31,851. Males had a median income of $28,184 versus $23,641 for females. The city's per capita income is $15,663. 24.7% of the population and 20.9% of families were below the poverty line. 35.4% of those under the age of 18 and 18.5% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line. Average rents in Birmingham in 2005 were $590 for a one bedroom apartment, and $729 for a two bedroom apartment. Birmingham

Culture

Birmingham is the cultural and entertainment capital of Alabama with its numerous art galleries in the area and home to Birmingham Museum of Art, the largest art museum in the state. Birmingham is also home to the state's major ballet, opera, and symphony orchestra companies such the Alabama Ballet, Alabama Symphony Orchestra, Birmingham Ballet, Birmingham Concert Chorale, and Opera Birmingham.

• The historic Alabama Theatre hosts film screenings, concerts and performances.
• The Alys Stephens Center for the Performing Arts is home to Alabama Symphony Orchestra and Opera Birmingham as well as several series of concerts and lectures. It is located on the UAB campus in the Southside community.
• The Birmingham Jefferson Convention Complex (BJCC), houses a theater, concert hall, exhibition halls, and a sports and concert arena. The BJCC is home to the Alabama Ballet and hosts major concert tours and sporting events.
• The Birmingham Public Library presents programs for children and adults.
• Boutwell Auditorium (formerly Municipal Auditorium) is located at Linn Park.
• The Verizon Wireless Music Center, formerly Oak Mountain Amphitheater, is a large outdoor venue with two stages.
  

Other entertainment venues in the area include:

• Fair Park Arena, on the west side of town, hosts sporting events, local concerts and community programs.
• WorkPlay, located in Southside, is a multi-purpose facility with offices, audio and film production space, a lounge, and a theater and concert stage for visiting artists and film screenings.
• The Wright Center Concert Hall at Samford University is home to the Birmingham Ballet

Birmingham's nightlife is primarily clustered around Five Points South and Lakeview.

The Cultural Alliance of Greater Birmingham maintains activeculture.info, "a one-stop source for finding out what's going on where around" Birmingham.

Attractions, Events, and Recreation

Birmingham is home to a variety of museums that ranges from those that depict the city's involvement in the Civil Rights Movement, science, fine arts, sports, steel industry, fight, and jazz. The area's largest is the Birmingham Museum of Art, which is also the largest municipal art museum in the Southeast. The museum is home to over 20,000+ artworks including the important collections of Wedgwood, the largest outside England, the premier collection of German decorative cast iron, and important collections of Asian and European decorative arts.

The area's history museums includes Birmingham Civil Rights Institute. The area was at the center of the American Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s and the contemporary Human rights struggle around the world. It houses a detailed and emotionally-charged narrative exhibit putting Birmingham's history into the context of the It is located on Kelly Ingram Park adjacent to the 16th Street Baptist Church. Other history museums includes Bessemer Hall of History, Sloss Furnaces, Alabama Museum of Health Sciences, and the Arlington Home.

Birmingham is also home to some of the most unique museums in the South. The McWane Science Center is a regional science museum with hands-on science exhibits, temporary exhibitions, and guided demonstrations. The building has a 42,000 square foot (3,900 m²) IMAX dome theater with science-related programming. The center also houses a major collection of fossil specimens for use by researchers. Other unique museums includes the Southern Museum of Flight and Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame. The Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum, located in The Barber Motorsports Park in the suburb of Leeds, has a collection of 1000 motorcycles, the largest in the world. The museum includes an extensive reference library and restoration workshop, as well as views over Barber Motorsport Park's 2.3-mile race course. The Alabama Sports Hall of Fame is located in the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex downtown, showcases the disproportional contribution of Alabamians to the world of athletics. The Talladega Superspeedway Motorsports Hall of Fame museum that depicts the history of motorsports across Alabama and the nation as a whole.

South of downtown upon Red Mountain, Vulcan statue and adjacent history center features the god Vulcan at his forge and Birmingham's history the cast iron industry. The statue is largest cast iron statue in the world which was first cast for the 1904 St. Louis Exposition, and displayed on top of in 1938.

Birmingham is home to numerous cultural festivals that features music, films, regional hertiage. CityStages is a world-renowned music festival that occurs around Birmingham's Linn Park on Father's Day weekend, that offers 3 days of music from all genres on 11 stages on Fathers' Day Weekend. Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival is considered the third largest film festival in the US behind Sundance and Tribeca. It brings filmmakers from all over the world to Birmingham to have their films viewed and judged. This festival usually occurs on the last weekend in September at eight venues around downtown, but is more concentrated around the Alabama Theatre. The Southern Heritage Festival is an event that began in the 1960s as a music, arts, and entertainment festival for the African-American community in Birmingham that targeted mostly younger demographics. Do Dah Day is an annual pet parade held around the end of April

Kelly Ingram Park, site of notable civil rights protests and adjacent to historic 16th Street Baptist Church. Oak Mountain State Park is about 10 miles South of Birmingham. It is one of the southernmost wrinkles in the Appalachian chain, and a scenic drive to the top provides views reminiscent of the Great Smoky Mountains further north. The Birmingham Botanical Gardens is a 67-acre (270,000 m²) park displaying a wide variety of plants in interpretive gardens, including formal rose gardens, tropical greenhouses, and a large Japanese Garden. The facility also includes a white-tablecloth restaurant, meeting rooms, and an extensive reference library. It is complimented by Hoover's 30-acre Aldridge Gardens, an ambitious project open since 2002. Still under development, Aldridge is currently more valuable to locals looking for a place to stroll than to tourists, but promises unique displays in coming years. The Birmingham Zoo is a large regional zoo with more than 700 animals and a recently-opened interactive children's zoo. Alabama Adventure Theme Park (formerly Visionland) is an amusement park with two independent sections: Splash Beach Waterpark and Magic Adventure Theme Park,. The theme park has 25 different thrill rides including The Rampage wooden roller coaster and Zoomerang, a steel roller coaster purchased in 2004 from the Brisbane expo. (The park was renamed at the start of the 2006 season, and major expansion plans were announced at that time.)

The Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail, a world-famous development of high-caliber public golf courses throughout Alabama, includes two championship courses and an 18-hole short course in Oxmoor Valley just south of Birmingham, and another championship course at the new Ross Bridge Golf Resort and Spa, just a couple of miles away from Oxmoor Valley. In 2006, Ross Bridge will be the host course of metro Birmingham's stop on the PGA Champions Tour golf tournament.

Minor League Teams

Though Birmingham has no major professional sport franchises, there is a very strong fan base for collegiate sports - primarily the University of Alabama and Auburn University football teams. The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) has a popular basketball program and is trying to broaden its base for football. Birmingham is home to the Birmingham Barons, the AA minor league affiliate of the Chicago White Sox that plays at the Hoover Metropolitan Stadium. The city also hosts the Birmingham Steeldogs of the Arena Football League 2 at the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Center Arena. There is also an amateur soccer association, known as La Liga.

Motorsports are very popular in the Birmingham area and across the state, and the area is home to numerous annual motorsport races. "Aaron's 499 & EA Sports 500" are two NASCAR circuit races that occurs in April and October at the Talladega Superspeedway, and bring a major boost to the area's economy. The Superbike and Sports Car Grand Am races also take place in the area at the Barber Motorsports Park. The Mercedes Marathon is a marathon, half marathon, and kids 1 mile road race that takes place on the 1st or 2nd Sunday in February that was started in 2002.

Nearby Hoover is host to the Regions Charity Classic presented by Bruno’s Supermarkets, a stop on the Champions Tour senior golf tour, to be played starting in 2006 at the new Ross Bridge Golf Resort. This event was formerly known as the Bruno's Memorial Classic, played in nearby Hoover at the Greystone Country Club.

The US Paralympic Training Facility is located in Birmingham [3] and was a primary filming location for the 2005 documentary film Murderball, about wheelchair rugby players.

Other area sport facilities includes:

• Legion Field
• Rickwood Field
• Fair Park Arena
• Pelham Civic Center
  

Media

Birmingham is served by one daily newspaper, The Birmingham News (circulation 150,346). The Birmingham News' Wednesday edition features six subregional sections named East, Hoover, North, Shelby, South, and West that cover news stories from those areas. The Birmingham Post-Herald, the city's second daily, published its last issue in 2005.

Birmingham Weekly, Birmingham Free Press and Black & White (published biweekly) are Birmingham's free alternative publications. The Birmingham Times, an historic African-American newspaper, also is published weekly.

Birmingham is part of the Birmingham/Anniston/Tuscaloosa television market, which is the nation's 40th largest. The major television affiliates are WBRC 6 (FOX), WBIQ 10 (PBS), WVTM 13 (NBC), WTTO 21 (WB), WBMA 33/40 (ABC), WIAT 42 (CBS), WPXH 44(i), and WABM 68 (UPN).

Four major broadcasting companies own the majority of the commercial radio stations in the Birmingham market: Cox Radio, Crawford Broadcasting, Citadel Communications and Clear Channel Communications. These stations serve the Birmingham area:

FM Radio Stations

WBHM 90.3 (NPR News/Classical music)
WPHC 92.5 (Country)
WTUG 92.9 (Urban adult contemporary)
WDJC 93.7 (Contemporary Christian)
WYSF 94.5 (Adult contemporary)
WBHJ 95.7 (Urban)
WMJJ 96.5 (Adult contemporary)
WNCB 97.3 (Country)
WHPH 97.7 Oldies
WBHK 98.7 (Urban adult contemporary)
WZRR 99.5 (Classic rock)
WRAX 100.5 (Modern rock)
WYDE 101.1 (News/Talk)
WDXB 102.5 (Country)
WQEN 103.7 (CHR/Top 40)
WZZK 104.7 (Country)
WENN 105.5 (Black gospel)
WBPT 106.9 (Classic hits)
WUHT 107.7 (Urban adult contemporary)

AM Radio Stations

WAGG 610 (Black gospel)
WJOX 690 (Sports)
WXJC 850 (Southern gospel/Christian teaching)
WATV 900 (Urban oldies)
WERC 960 (News/Talk)
WAPI 1070 (News/Talk)
WAYE 1220 (Black gospel)
WYDE 1260 (News/Talk)
WPSB 1320 (Urban talk)
WJLD 1400 (Talk/Blues)
WZGX 1450 (Regional Mexican)
WQCR 1500 (Regional Mexican)

Famous residents

Birmingham is the birthplace of:

Charles Barkley, basketball player
Amber Benson, actress
Lyman Bostock, baseball player
Bobby Bowden, football coach
Nell Carter, singer & actress
Dorothy Love Coates, gospel singer
Courteney Cox, actress
Angela Davis, activist
Sam Dees, soul music singer
Dennis Edwards, soul music singer
Fannie Flagg, author, actress
Louise Fletcher, actress
Vonetta Flowers, bobsledder
Roland Frye, scholar
Emmylou Harris, singer
Erskine Hawkins, jazz composer
Odetta Holmes, folk singer
Bo Jackson, multi-sport athlete
Kate Jackson, actress
Carl Lewis, track and field athlete
Rebecca Luker, singer, actress
Willie Mays, baseball player
Walker Percy, author
Michael K. Powell, former FCC chairman
Howell Raines, former New York Times editor
Condoleezza Rice, politician
Wayne Rogers, actor
Vincent Saizis, cinematographer
Sonia Sanchez, poet
Richard Shelby, U.S. Senator
Ruben Studdard, "American Idol"
Sun Ra, musician
Margaret Tutwiler, diplomat
Al Worthington, baseball player
Tobias Wolff, author

Landmarks

Vulcan statue, cast for the 1904 World's Fair, the largest cast iron statue in the world.
The Alabama Theatre
Arlington House,
Legion Field
Rickwood Field, built in 1910, America's oldest standing baseball park.
Kelly Ingram Park, site of notable Civil Rights protests
Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark.

Sister cities

Birmingham's Sister Cities program is overseen by the Birmingham Sister Cities Commission

Hitachi, Japan
Gweru, Zimbabwe
Székesfehérvár, Hungary
Pomiglian D'Arco, Italy
Vinnytsia, Ukraine
Anshan, China
Plzen, Czech Republic
Al Karak, Jordan
Rosh Haayin, Israel (Friendship City)
Maebashi, Japan (Friendship City)
Chaoyang District, Beijing, China (Friendship City)
Cobán, Guatemala (Partners for the Americas)

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