
located in the southeastern region
of the United States
. It is bordered by Tennessee
to the north, Georgia
to the east, Florida
and the Gulf of Mexico
to the south, and Mississippi
to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland waterways. The state ranks 23rd in population with 4.7 million residents in 2009.
From the American Civil War
until World War II
, Alabama, like many Southern states, suffered economic hardship, in part because of continued dependence on agriculture.
1807 In Alabama, Former Vice President of the United States Aaron Burr is arrested for treason and confined to Fort Stoddert.
1814 War of 1812: In central Alabama, U.S. forces under General Andrew Jackson defeat the Creek at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend.
1814 Indian Wars: the Creek sign the Treaty of Fort Jackson, giving up huge parts of Alabama and Georgia.
1819 Alabama becomes the 22nd U.S. state.
1861 Alabama secedes from the United States.
1861 American Civil War: Georgia joins South Carolina, Florida, Mississippi, and Alabama in seceding from the United States.
1864 The Union Navy captures Fort Morgan, Alabama, thus breaking Confederate dominance of all ports on the Gulf of Mexico.
1881 In Alabama, the Tuskegee Institute opens.
1883 Alabama becomes the first U.S. state to enact an antitrust law.
1931 The Scottsboro Boys are arrested in Alabama and charged with rape.
located in the southeastern region
of the United States
. It is bordered by Tennessee
to the north, Georgia
to the east, Florida
and the Gulf of Mexico
to the south, and Mississippi
to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland waterways. The state ranks 23rd in population with 4.7 million residents in 2009.
From the American Civil War
until World War II
, Alabama, like many Southern states, suffered economic hardship, in part because of continued dependence on agriculture. Despite the growth of major industries and urban centers, white
rural interests dominated the state legislature until the 1960s, while urban interests and African American
s were under-represented. Following World War II, Alabama experienced growth as the economy of the state transitioned from agriculture to diversified interests in heavy manufacturing, mineral extraction, education, and technology. In addition, the establishment or expansion of multiple military installations, primarily those of the U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force, added to state jobs.
Alabama is unofficially nicknamed the Yellowhammer
State, after the state bird. Alabama is also known as the "Heart of Dixie
." The state tree is the Longleaf Pine
, the state flower is the Camellia
. The capital of Alabama is Montgomery
. The largest city by population is Birmingham
. The largest city by total land area is Huntsville
. The oldest city is Mobile
, founded by French colonists.
Etymology
The Alabama people, a Muskogean-speaking tribewhose members lived just below the confluence of the Coosa
and Tallapoosa River
s on the upper reaches of the Alabama River
, served as the etymological source
of the names of the river and state. In the Alabama language
, the word for an Alabama person is Albaamo (or variously Albaama or Albàamo in different dialects; the plural form "Alabama persons" is Albaamaha). The word Alabama is believed to have originated from the Choctaw language
and was later adopted by the Alabama tribe as their name. The spelling of the word varies significantly between sources. The first usage appears in three accounts of the Hernando de Soto expedition of 1540 with Garcilasso de la Vega using Alibamo, while the Knight of Elvas and Rodrigo Ranjel wrote Alibamu and Limamu, respectively. As early as 1702, the tribe was known to the French
as Alibamon with French maps identifying the river as Rivière des Alibamons. Other spellings of the appellation have included Alibamu, Alabamo, Albama, Alebamon, Alibama, Alibamou, Alabamu, and Allibamou.
Although the origin of Alabama could be discerned, sources disagree on its meaning. An 1842 article in the Jacksonville Republican originated the idea that the meaning was "Here We Rest." This notion was popularized in the 1850s through the writings of Alexander Beaufort Meek
. Experts in the Muskogean languages
have been unable to find any evidence to support such a translation. Scholars believe the word comes from the Choctaw alba (meaning "plants" or "weeds") and amo (meaning "to cut," "to trim," or "to gather"). The meaning may have been "clearers of the thicket" or "herb gatherers" which may refer to clearing of land for cultivation or to collecting medicinal plants.
Indigenous peoples, early history
Indigenous peoplesof varying cultures lived in the area for thousands of years before European colonization. Trade with the Northeast via the Ohio River
began during the Burial Mound Period (1000 BC–AD 700) and continued until European contact
. The agrarian Mississippian culture
covered most of the state from AD 1000 to 1600, with one of its major centers being at the Moundville Archaeological Site
in Moundville, Alabama
. Analysis of artifacts
recovered from archaeological excavations at Moundville were the basis of scholars' formulating the characteristics of the Southeastern Ceremonial Complex
(SECC). Contrary to popular belief, the SECC appears to have no direct links to Mesoamerica
n culture, but developed independently. The Ceremonial Complex represents a major component of the religion of the Mississippian peoples; it is one of the primary means by which their religion is understood.
Among the historical tribes of Native American
people living in the area of present-day Alabama at the time of European contact were Iroquoian-speaking Cherokee
, and the Muskogean-speaking Alabama
(Alibamu), Chickasaw
, Choctaw
, Creek
, Koasati, and Mobile
.
European settlement
The French founded the first European settlement in the region at Old Mobile, in 1702. The area was French from 1702 to 1763; part of British West Florida
from 1763 to 1780. Thomas Bassett was the first British settler in the state. He settled near what is now Tombigbee River
in Washington County
. Alabama became part of Spanish West Florida from 1780 to 1810; part of the independent Republic of West Florida for a short time (90 days); annexed by the U.S. and added to the Territory of Orleans (1810); and, finally, added to the Mississippi Territory
in 1812. Throughout these later developments, however, the Spanish had kept a nominal (although largely ignored) governmental presence in the region, based out of Mobile
. When Andrew Jackson
's forces occupied Mobile in 1814 —while preparing for the Battle of New Orleans
—he demonstrated the United States' de facto
authority over the region, effectively ending Spanish governance (though not its claim), while gaining an unencumbered passage to the gulf.
The area making up today's northern and central Alabama, known as the Yazoo lands
, had been claimed by the Province of Georgia
after 1763. Following the Revolutionary War
, it remained a part of the state of Georgia
—although heavily disputed. Conflicting claims to the area were held, first by several Native American
tribe
s (most notably the Chickamauga-Cherokee
and Yazoo
), by other states (e.g. South Carolina
); and by the US federal government
; Britain
and Spain
. In 1802, the region was joined to the Mississippi Territory
. Individual statehood was delayed, however, by the territory's lack of a coastline.
Statehood, Civil War and Reconstruction
Alabama became the twenty-second state —admitted to the Union in 1819. Part of the frontier in the 1820s and 1830s, its constitution provided for universal suffrage for white men. Settlers rapidly arrived to take advantage of the fertile soil. Southeastern planters and traders from the Upper South brought slaveswith them as the cotton plantations expanded. The economy of the central "Black Belt
" (named for its dark, productive soil) was built around large cotton plantations whose owners' wealth grew largely from slave labor. The area also drew many poor, disfranchised people who became subsistence farmers. The 1860 census records show that enslaved Africans comprised 45% of the state's total population of 964,201. There were only 2,690 free persons of color
living in Alabama at the time.
From 1826 to 1846, Tuscaloosa
served as the capital of Alabama. On January 30, 1846, the Alabama legislature announced that it had voted to remove the capital city from Tuscaloosa to Montgomery
. The first legislative session in the new capital met in December 1847. In time, a Capitol building was erected under the direction of a Philadelphia, Pennsylvania architect. The original structure burnt down in 1849 but was rebuilt in 1851 following the original plans.
On January 11, 1861, Alabama declared its secession
from the Union
and joined the Confederate States of America
. While few battles were fought in the state, Alabama contributed about 120,000 soldiers to the American Civil War
. Alabama's slaves were freed by the 13th Amendment in 1865. During Reconstruction, the new state legislators created a public school system for the first time, as well as establishing some welfare institutions to help its people. Alabama was officially restored to the Union in 1868.
After the Civil War, the state was still chiefly agricultural, with an economy tied to cotton. Planters resisted working with free labor during Reconstruction and sought to re-establish controls over freedmen. In the early years the Ku Klux Klan
had numerous independent chapters in Alabama that attacked freedmen and other Republicans. After it was suppressed, insurgent
whites organized paramilitary
groups, such as the Red Shirts and White League
, that acted more openly to suppress black voting. Regaining power by the late 1870s, in the last decade of the 19th century, white Democrats passed electoral laws disfranchise most blacks and many poor whites. Having regained power in the state legislature, Democrats passed Jim Crow laws
, including racial segregation
in public facilities, to restore white supremacy in the society.
In 1875, the state passed the Blaine Amendment
, to prohibit public money from being used to finance Catholic schools.
1900–1960

.
In 1900, 14 Black Belt
counties had more than 79,000 voters on the rolls. By June 1, 1903, the number of registered voters had dropped to 1,081. In 1900, Alabama had more than 181,000 African Americans eligible to vote. By 1903, only 2,980 had qualified to register, although at least 74,000 black voters were literate.
By 1941, a total of more whites than blacks had been disfranchised: 600,000 whites to 520,000 blacks. Nearly all African Americans lost the ability to vote.
The disfranchisement was ended by African Americans' leading the Civil Rights Movement
and gaining Federal legislation in the mid-1960s to protect their voting and civil rights. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 also protected the suffrage
of poor whites.
The rural-dominated Alabama legislature consistently underfunded schools and services for the disfranchised African Americans in the segregated state, but did not relieve them of paying taxes. Continued racial discrimination, agricultural depression, and the failure of the cotton crops due to boll weevil
infestation led tens of thousands of African Americans to seek opportunities in northern cities. They left Alabama in the early 20th century as part of the Great Migration
to industrial jobs and better futures in northern industrial cities. The population growth rate in Alabama (see "Historical Populations" table below) dropped by nearly half from 1910 to 1920, reflecting the effect of emigration.
At the same time, many rural whites and blacks migrated to the city of Birmingham
for work in new industrial jobs. It experienced such rapid growth that it was nicknamed "The Magic City." By the 1920s, Birmingham was the 19th largest city in the U.S. and held more than 30% of the population of the state. Heavy industry and mining were the basis of the economy.
Industrial development related to the demands of World War II
brought prosperity. Cotton faded in importance as the state developed a manufacturing and service base. In the 1960s under Governor George Wallace
, many whites in the state opposed federal integration efforts in schools and public facilities.
1960–present
Despite massive population changes in the state from 1901 to 1961, the rural-dominated legislature refused to reapportion House and Senate seats based on population. They held on to old representation to maintain political and economic power in agricultural areas. In addition, the state legislature gerrymandered the few Birmingham legislative seats to ensure election by persons living outside Birmingham.One result was that Jefferson County, containing Birmingham's industrial and economic powerhouse, contributed more than one-third of all tax revenue to the state, but did not receive a proportional amount in services. Urban interests were consistently underrepresented in the legislature. A 1960 study noted that because of rural domination, "A minority of about 25 per cent of the total state population is in majority control of the Alabama legislature."
African Americans were presumed partial to Republicans for historical reasons, but they were disfranchised. White Alabamans felt bitter towards the Republican Party in the aftermath of the Civil War and Reconstruction. These factors created a longstanding tradition that any candidate who wanted to be viable with white voters had to run as a Democrat regardless of political beliefs.
During the Civil Rights Movement, African Americans achieved a protection of voting and other civil rights through the passage of the national Civil Rights Act of 1964
, and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. De jure
segregation ended in the states as Jim Crow laws
were invalidated or repealed.
Under the Voting Rights Act of 1965, cases were filed in Federal courts to force Alabama to properly redistrict by population both the House and Senate of the state legislature. In 1972, for the first time since 1901, the legislature implemented the Alabama constitution's provision for periodic redistricting based on population. This benefited the urban areas that had developed, as well as all in the population who had been underrepresented for more than 60 years.
After 1972, the state's white voters shifted much of their support to Republican candidates in presidential elections (as also occurred in neighboring southern states). Since 1990 the majority of whites in the state have voted increasingly Republican in state elections. In 2010, Republicans won control of both houses of the legislature for the first time in 136 years.
Geography

and the Gulf of Mexico. The North Alabama
region is mostly mountainous, with the Tennessee River
cutting a large valley creating numerous creeks, streams, rivers, mountains, and lakes.
The states bordering Alabama are Tennessee to the north; Georgia to the east; Florida to the south; and Mississippi
to the west. Alabama has coastline at the Gulf of Mexico
, in the extreme southern edge of the state. Alabama ranges in elevation from sea level at Mobile Bay
to over 1,800 feet (550 m) in the Appalachian Mountains
in the northeast. The highest point is Mount Cheaha, at a height of 2413 ft (735 m). Alabama's land consists of 22 million acres (89,030.9 km²) of forest or 67% of total land area. Suburban Baldwin County
, along the Gulf Coast, is the largest county in the state in both land area and water area.
Areas in Alabama administered by the National Park Service
include Horseshoe Bend National Military Park
near Alexander City
; Little River Canyon National Preserve
near Fort Payne
; Russell Cave National Monument
in Bridgeport
; Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site
in Tuskegee
; and Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site near Tuskegee. Additionally, Alabama has four National Forests
: Conecuh
, Talladega
, Tuskegee
, and William B. Bankhead
. Alabama also contains the Natchez Trace Parkway
, the Selma To Montgomery National Historic Trail, and the Trail Of Tears National Historic Trail
. A notable natural wonder in Alabama is "Natural Bridge"
rock, the longest natural bridge
east of the Rockies
, located just south of Haleyville
.
A 5 miles (8 km)-wide meteorite impact crater is located in Elmore County
, just north of Montgomery. This is the Wetumpka crater
, the site of "Alabama's greatest natural disaster." A 1000 feet (304.8 m)-wide meteorite hit the area about 80 million years ago. The hills just east of downtown Wetumpka showcase the eroded remains of the impact crater that was blasted into the bedrock, with the area labeled the Wetumpka crater or astrobleme ("star-wound") because of the concentric rings of fractures and zones of shattered rock that can be found beneath the surface. In 2002, Christian Koeberl with the Institute of Geochemistry University of Vienna published evidence and established the site as an internationally recognized impact crater.
Urban areas



Rank | Metropolitan Area | Population (2010 Census) |
Counties |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Birmingham-Hoover Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Statistical Area, also known as Greater Birmingham, is a metropolitan area composed of seven counties in central Alabama centered around its primary city of Birmingham. The population of this metropolitan area as of the 2009 census estimate was about 1,131,070.... |
1,128,047 | Bibb Bibb County, Alabama Bibb County is a county in the U.S. state of Alabama. Its name is in honor of William W. Bibb, the first Governor of Alabama. As of 2010 the population was 22,915. The county seat is Centreville... , Blount Blount County, Alabama Blount County is a county located in the U.S. state of Alabama. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 57,322. Its county seat is Oneonta.Blount County is a dry county.-History:... , Chilton Chilton County, Alabama -2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*84.1% White*9.7% Black*0.4% Native American*0.3% Asian*0.0% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*1.2% Two or more races*7.8% Hispanic or Latino -2000:... , Jefferson Jefferson County, Alabama Jefferson County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of Alabama, with its county seat being located in Birmingham.As of the 2010 U.S. Census, the population of Jefferson County was 658,466... , St. Clair St. Clair County, Alabama St. Clair County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama.It is a part of the Birmingham–Hoover–Cullman Combined Statistical Area. Its name is in honor of General Arthur St... , Shelby Shelby County, Alabama Shelby County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama and a part of the Birmingham–Hoover–Cullman Combined Statistical Area. It is named in honor of Isaac Shelby, Governor of Kentucky. The county seat of Shelby County is Columbiana. As of 2010 U.S. Census the population was 195,085. Shelby... , Walker Walker County, Alabama Walker County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama.Its name is in honor of John Williams Walker, a member of the United States Senate. As of 2010 the population was 67,023... |
2 | Huntsville Huntsville Metropolitan Area The Huntsville Metropolitan Area is a metropolitan statistical area in northern Alabama. The Huntsville Metropolitan Area's population was estimated at 395,645.-Counties:The metro area comprises two counties:Limestone and Madison.-Places:... |
417,593 | Limestone Limestone County, Alabama Limestone County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama, and is included in the Huntsville Metropolitan Area.It is also included in the merged Huntsville-Decatur Metro Area. Its name comes from Limestone Creek, a local stream. In 2000, the population was 65,676. As of 2010 the county's... , Madison Madison County, Alabama Madison County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama, and is a major part of the Huntsville Metropolitan Area.It is also included in the merged Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area. The county is named in honor of James Madison, fourth President of the United States of America, and the... |
3 | Mobile Mobile metropolitan area Metropolitan Mobile has a population of 412,992 within Mobile County Alabama in the southwestern tip of Alabama. The Mobile metropolitan area is the third-largest metropolitan area in the state of Alabama. The Mobile–Daphne–Fairhope combined statistical area also includes the micro but... |
412,992 | Mobile Mobile County, Alabama Mobile County[p] is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama. Its name is in honor of a tribe of Indians, the Maubila tribe . As of 2011, its population was 415,704. Its county seat is Mobile, Alabama... |
4 | Montgomery Montgomery Metropolitan Area The Montgomery, Alabama Metropolitan Statistical Area is a metropolitan statistical area in central Alabama... |
374,536 | Autauga Autauga County, Alabama Autauga County is a county in the U.S. state of Alabama. As of the 2010 census the population was 54,571. Its county seat is Prattville.Autauga County is part of the Montgomery Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:... , Elmore Elmore County, Alabama Elmore County is a county of the State of Alabama. Its name is in honor of General John A. Elmore. As of 2010 its population was 79,303. Its county seat is Wetumpka.This county is part of the Montgomery Metropolitan Statistical Area.- History :... , Lowndes Lowndes County, Alabama Lowndes County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama. It is named in honor of William Lowndes, a member of the United States Congress from South Carolina. As of the 2010 census, the population was 11,299... , Montgomery Montgomery County, Alabama Montgomery County is a county in the U.S. state of Alabama. It is the most populous county in the Montgomery Metropolitan Statistical Area; its population in 2010 was 229,363 .- History :... |
5 | Tuscaloosa Tuscaloosa metropolitan area The Tuscaloosa metropolitan area, as defined by the United States Census Bureau, is an area consisting of three counties in west central Alabama, anchored by the city of Tuscaloosa... |
219,461 | Greene Greene County, Alabama Greene County is the least populous county in the U.S. state of Alabama. Its name is in honor of Revolutionary War General Nathanael Greene of Rhode Island. As of 2010 the population was 9,045... , Hale Hale County, Alabama Hale County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama. It is named in honor of Confederate officer Stephen Fowler Hale. As of 2010 the population was 15,760. Its county seat is Greensboro and it is part of the Tuscaloosa Metropolitan Statistical Area.... , Tuscaloosa Tuscaloosa County, Alabama Tuscaloosa County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama.It is named in honor of the pre-Choctaw chief Tuskaloosa. In 2010, the population was 194,656... |
6 | Decatur Decatur Metropolitan Area The Decatur Metropolitan Area is a moderately urban region of North-Central Alabama. The 2008 estimate population is 150,125, one third of which resides within the boundaries of its core city, Decatur, Alabama.... |
153,829 | Lawrence Lawrence County, Alabama Lawrence County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama, and is included in the Decatur Metropolitan Area, as well as the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area. It was named after James Lawrence, a captain in the United States Navy from New Jersey. As of the 2010 census, the population was... , Morgan Morgan County, Alabama Morgan County is the most populous county in the Decatur Metropolitan Area, and the second most populous county in the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area in the U.S. State of Alabama. It was created by the Alabama Territorial legislature on February 6, 1818 from land acquired from the... |
7 | Florence-Muscle Shoals | 147,137 | Colbert Colbert County, Alabama Colbert County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama. Its name is in honor of brothers George and Levi Colbert, Chickasaw Indian chiefs. George Colbert operated a ferry across the Tennessee River in 1790 near present day Cherokee.... , Lauderdale Lauderdale County, Alabama -2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*86.4% White*10.0% Black*0.4% Native American*0.7% Asian*0.0% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*1.4% Two or more races*2.2% Hispanic or Latino -2000:... |
8 | Dothan Dothan metropolitan area The Dothan Metropolitan Statistical Area, as defined by the United States Census Bureau, is an area consisting of three counties in southeastern Alabama, anchored by the city of Dothan... |
145,639 | Geneva Geneva County, Alabama -2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*86.3% White*9.5% Black*0.8% Native American*0.3% Asian*0.0% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*1.6% Two or more races*3.4% Hispanic or Latino -2000:... , Henry Henry County, Alabama Henry County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama. Its name is in honor of Patrick Henry, famous orator and Governor of Virginia. As of 2010, its population was 17,302... , Houston Houston County, Alabama Houston County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama. As of 2010 the population was 101,547. Its county seat is Dothan.Houston County is part of the Dothan Metropolitan Statistical Area.- History :... |
9 | Auburn-Opelika Auburn Metropolitan Area The Auburn Metropolitan Area—officially the Auburn-Opelika, Alabama Metropolitan Statistical Area—is a metro area in east-central Alabama with a 2009 population of 135,883. It was the 19th fastest growing metro area in the United States between 1990 and 2000... |
140,247 | Lee Lee County, Alabama Lee County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama. It is named in honor of Robert E. Lee, commanding general of the Confederate Army. As of 2010 the population was 140,247. It is part of the Auburn, Alabama Metropolitan Area. The county seat is Opelika, and the largest city is Auburn... |
10 | Anniston-Oxford Anniston-Oxford Metropolitan Area The Anniston-Oxford Metropolitan Statistical Area is the most populated metropolitan area in Northeast Alabama next to Huntsville. At the 2000 census, it had a population of 112,249... |
112,249 | Calhoun Calhoun County, Alabama Calhoun County is a county in the U.S. state of Alabama. Its name is in honor of John C. Calhoun, famous member of the United States Senate from South Carolina. As of 2010 the population was 118,572. It is included in the Anniston-Oxford Metropolitan Statistical Area... |
11 | Gadsden Gadsden Metropolitan Statistical Area Gadsden Metropolitan Statistical Area covers all of Etowah County located in Northeast Alabama. As of 2000, the population was 103,459. It consists of Gadsden and its surrounding towns.-Suburbs:The Gadsden Metro area includes the following suburbs:... |
104,430 | Etowah Etowah County, Alabama Etowah County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama. Its name is from the Cherokee language, which means "edible tree". It is the center of the Gadsden Metropolitan Area which includes Etowah and Cherokee Counties. As of 2010 the population was 104,430. Its county seat is Gadsden... |
Total | 3,362,483 |
Rank | City | Population (2010 Census) | County |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Birmingham Birmingham, Alabama Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S... |
212,237 | Jefferson Jefferson County, Alabama Jefferson County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of Alabama, with its county seat being located in Birmingham.As of the 2010 U.S. Census, the population of Jefferson County was 658,466... |
2 | Montgomery Montgomery, Alabama Montgomery is the capital of the U.S. state of Alabama, and is the county seat of Montgomery County. It is located on the Alabama River southeast of the center of the state, in the Gulf Coastal Plain. As of the 2010 census, Montgomery had a population of 205,764 making it the second-largest city... |
205,764 | Montgomery Montgomery County, Alabama Montgomery County is a county in the U.S. state of Alabama. It is the most populous county in the Montgomery Metropolitan Statistical Area; its population in 2010 was 229,363 .- History :... |
3 | Mobile Mobile, Alabama Mobile is the third most populous city in the Southern US state of Alabama and is the county seat of Mobile County. It is located on the Mobile River and the central Gulf Coast of the United States. The population within the city limits was 195,111 during the 2010 census. It is the largest... |
195,111 | Mobile Mobile County, Alabama Mobile County[p] is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama. Its name is in honor of a tribe of Indians, the Maubila tribe . As of 2011, its population was 415,704. Its county seat is Mobile, Alabama... |
4 | Huntsville Huntsville, Alabama Huntsville is a city located primarily in Madison County in the central part of the far northern region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Huntsville is the county seat of Madison County. The city extends west into neighboring Limestone County. Huntsville's population was 180,105 as of the 2010 Census.... |
180,105 | Madison Madison County, Alabama Madison County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama, and is a major part of the Huntsville Metropolitan Area.It is also included in the merged Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area. The county is named in honor of James Madison, fourth President of the United States of America, and the... Limestone Limestone County, Alabama Limestone County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama, and is included in the Huntsville Metropolitan Area.It is also included in the merged Huntsville-Decatur Metro Area. Its name comes from Limestone Creek, a local stream. In 2000, the population was 65,676. As of 2010 the county's... |
5 | Tuscaloosa Tuscaloosa, Alabama Tuscaloosa is a city in and the seat of Tuscaloosa County in west central Alabama . Located on the Black Warrior River, it is the fifth-largest city in Alabama, with a population of 90,468 in 2010... |
90,468 | Tuscaloosa Tuscaloosa County, Alabama Tuscaloosa County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama.It is named in honor of the pre-Choctaw chief Tuskaloosa. In 2010, the population was 194,656... |
6 | Hoover Hoover, Alabama Hoover is a city in Jefferson and Shelby Counties in north central Alabama, in the United States. The largest suburb of Birmingham, the population of the city was 62,742 as of the 2000 census and 81,619 in the 2010 census. Hoover is part of the Birmingham-Hoover, AL MSA and is also included in the... |
81,619 | Jefferson Shelby Shelby County, Alabama Shelby County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama and a part of the Birmingham–Hoover–Cullman Combined Statistical Area. It is named in honor of Isaac Shelby, Governor of Kentucky. The county seat of Shelby County is Columbiana. As of 2010 U.S. Census the population was 195,085. Shelby... |
7 | Dothan Dothan, Alabama Dothan is a city located in the southeastern corner of the US state of Alabama, situated approximately west of the Georgia state line and north of Florida. It is the seat of Houston County, with portions extending into nearby Dale County and Henry County... |
65,496 | Houston Houston County, Alabama Houston County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama. As of 2010 the population was 101,547. Its county seat is Dothan.Houston County is part of the Dothan Metropolitan Statistical Area.- History :... |
8 | Decatur Decatur, Alabama Decatur is a city in Limestone and Morgan Counties in the U.S. state of Alabama. The city, affectionately known as "The River City", is located in Northern Alabama on the banks of Wheeler Lake, along the Tennessee River. It is the largest city and county seat of Morgan County... |
55,683 | Morgan Morgan County, Alabama Morgan County is the most populous county in the Decatur Metropolitan Area, and the second most populous county in the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area in the U.S. State of Alabama. It was created by the Alabama Territorial legislature on February 6, 1818 from land acquired from the... Limestone |
9 | Auburn Auburn, Alabama Auburn is a city in Lee County, Alabama, United States. It is the largest city in eastern Alabama with a 2010 population of 53,380. It is a principal city of the Auburn-Opelika Metropolitan Area... |
53,380 | Lee Lee County, Alabama Lee County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama. It is named in honor of Robert E. Lee, commanding general of the Confederate Army. As of 2010 the population was 140,247. It is part of the Auburn, Alabama Metropolitan Area. The county seat is Opelika, and the largest city is Auburn... |
10 | Madison Madison, Alabama As of the census of 2000, there were 29,329 people, 11,143 households, and 8,067 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,266.5 people per square mile . There were 12,121 housing units at an average density of 523.4 per square mile... |
42,938 | Madison Limestone |
11 | Florence Florence, Alabama Florence is the county seat of Lauderdale County, Alabama, United States, in the northwestern corner of the state.According to the 2005 Census Bureau estimates, the city's population was 36,721.... |
39,319 | Lauderdale Lauderdale County, Alabama -2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*86.4% White*10.0% Black*0.4% Native American*0.7% Asian*0.0% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*1.4% Two or more races*2.2% Hispanic or Latino -2000:... |
12 | Gadsden Gadsden, Alabama The city of Gadsden is the county seat of Etowah County in the U.S. state of Alabama, and it is located about 65 miles northeast of Birmingham, Alabama. It is the primary city of the Gadsden Metropolitan Statistical Area, which has a population of 103,459. Gadsden is closely associated with the... |
36,856 | Etowah Etowah County, Alabama Etowah County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama. Its name is from the Cherokee language, which means "edible tree". It is the center of the Gadsden Metropolitan Area which includes Etowah and Cherokee Counties. As of 2010 the population was 104,430. Its county seat is Gadsden... |
13 | Vestavia Hills Vestavia Hills, Alabama Vestavia Hills is a city in Jefferson and Shelby Counties in the U.S. state of Alabama. It is a suburb of the city of Birmingham.-History:Vestavia Hills is named for the estate of former Birmingham mayor George B. Ward. It was situated on the crest of Shades Mountain in what is now the northern... |
34,033 | Jefferson |
14 | Prattville Prattville, Alabama Prattville is a city in Autauga and Elmore counties in the U.S. state of Alabama. As of the 2010 Census, the population of the city is 33,960. Nicknamed "The Fountain City" due to the many artesian wells in the area, Prattville is part of the Montgomery metropolitan statistical area and serves as... |
33,960 | Autauga Autauga County, Alabama Autauga County is a county in the U.S. state of Alabama. As of the 2010 census the population was 54,571. Its county seat is Prattville.Autauga County is part of the Montgomery Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:... |
15 | Phenix City Phenix City, Alabama Phenix City is a city and the county seat in Russell County in the U.S. state of Alabama. Portions of Lee County are addressed as Phenix City, 36870 ZIP code, for the sole purpose that Smiths Station does not have full incorporation to annex the area... |
32,822 | Russell Russell County, Alabama Russell County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama. Its name is in honor of Colonel Gilbert C. Russell, who fought in the wars against the Creek Indians. As of 2010, the population was 52,947... |
Climate
The state is classified as humid subtropical(Cfa) under the Koppen Climate Classification. The average annual temperature is 64 °F (18 °C). Temperatures tend to be warmer in the southern part of the state with its proximity to the Gulf of Mexico, while the northern parts of the state, especially in the Appalachian Mountains in the northeast, tend to be slightly cooler. Generally, Alabama has very hot summers and mild winters with copious precipitation throughout the year. Alabama receives an average of 56 inches (1,422.4 mm) of rainfall annually and enjoys a lengthy growing season of up to 300 days in the southern part of the state.
Summers in Alabama are among the hottest in the United States, with high temperatures averaging over 90 °F (32.2 °C) throughout the summer in some parts of the state. Alabama is also prone to tropical storms and even hurricanes. Areas of the state far away from the Gulf are not immune to the effects of the storms, which often dump tremendous amounts of rain as they move inland and weaken.

and large hail
– the central and northern parts of the state are most vulnerable to this type of storm. Alabama ranks seventh in the number of deaths from lightning and ninth in the number of deaths from lightning strikes per capita.
Alabama, along with Kansas
, has the most reported EF5 tornadoes
of any state – according to statistics from the National Climatic Data Center
for the period January 1, 1950, to October 31, 2006. Several long – tracked F5 tornadoes have contributed to Alabama reporting more tornado fatalities than any other state, even surpassing Texas
which has a much larger area within Tornado Alley
. The state suffered damage in the Super Outbreak
of April 1974, and the April 25–28, 2011 tornado outbreak
.
The peak season for tornadoes varies from the northern to southern parts of the state. Alabama is one of the few places in the world that has a secondary tornado season in November and December, along with the spring severe weather season. The northern part of the state — along the Tennessee Valley — is one of the areas in the U.S. most vulnerable to violent tornadoes. The area of Alabama and Mississippi most affected by tornadoes is sometimes referred to as Dixie Alley
, as distinct from the Tornado Alley
of the Southern Plains.
Winters are generally mild in Alabama, as they are throughout most of the southeastern United States
, with average January low temperatures around 40 °F (4.4 °C) in Mobile and around 32 °F (0 °C) in Birmingham. Although snow is a rare event in much of Alabama, areas of the state north of Montgomery may receive a dusting of snow a few times every winter, with an occasional moderately heavy snowfall every few years. Historic snowfall events include New Year's Eve 1963 snowstorm
and the 1993 Storm of the Century. The annual average snowfall for the Birmingham area is 2 inches (50.8 mm) per year. In the southern Gulf coast, snowfall is less frequent, sometimes going several years without any snowfall.
Monthly normal high and low temperatures for various Alabama cities [°F (°C)] | |||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year | ||
Huntsville | Average high | 48.9 (9.4) |
54.6 (12.6) |
63.4 (17.4) |
72.3 (22.4) |
79.6 (26.4) |
86.5 (30.3) |
89.4 (31.9) |
89.0 (31.7) |
83.0 (28.3) |
72.9 (22.7) |
61.6 (16.4) |
52.4 (11.3) |
71.1 (21.7) |
|
Average low | 30.7 (-0.7) |
34.0 (1.1) |
41.2 (5.1) |
48.4 (9.1) |
57.5 (14.2) |
65.4 (18.6) |
69.5 (20.8) |
68.1 (20.1) |
61.7 (16.5) |
49.6 (9.8) |
40.7 (4.8) |
33.8 (1.0) |
50.1 (10.1) |
||
Birmingham | Average high | 52.8 (11.6) |
58.3 (14.6) |
66.5 (19.2) |
74.1 (23.4) |
81.0 (27.2) |
87.5 (30.8) |
90.6 (32.6) |
90.2 (32.3) |
84.6 (29.2) |
74.9 (23.8) |
64.5 (18.1) |
56.0 (13.3) |
73.4 (23.0) |
|
Average low | 32.3 (0.2) |
35.4 (1.9) |
42.4 (5.8) |
48.4 (9.1) |
57.6 (14.2) |
65.4 (18.6) |
69.7 (20.9) |
68.9 (20.5) |
63.0 (17.2) |
50.9 (10.5) |
41.8 (5.4) |
35.2 (1.8) |
50.9 (10.5) |
||
Montgomery | Average high | 57.6 (14.2) |
62.4 (16.9) |
70.5 (21.4) |
77.5 (25.3) |
84.6 (29.2) |
90.6 (32.6) |
92.7 (33.7) |
92.2 (33.4) |
87.7 (30.9) |
78.7 (25.9) |
68.7 (20.4) |
60.3 (15.7) |
77.0 (25.0) |
|
Average low | 35.5 (1.9) |
38.6 (3.7) |
45.4 (7.4) |
52.1 (11.2) |
60.1 (15.6) |
67.3 (19.6) |
70.9 (21.6) |
70.1 (21.2) |
64.9 (18.3) |
52.2 (11.2) |
43.5 (6.4) |
37.6 (3.1) |
53.2 (11.8) |
||
Mobile | Average high | 60.7 (15.9) |
64.5 (18.1) |
71.2 (21.8) |
77.4 (25.2) |
84.2 (29.0) |
89.4 (31.9) |
91.2 (32.9) |
90.8 (32.7) |
86.8 (30.4) |
79.2 (26.2) |
70.1 (21.2) |
62.9 (17.2) |
77.4 (25.2) |
|
Average low | 39.5 (4.2) |
42.4 (5.8) |
49.2 (9.6) |
54.8 (12.7) |
62.8 (17.1) |
69.2 (20.7) |
71.8 (22.1) |
71.7 (22.0) |
67.6 (19.8) |
56.3 (13.5) |
47.8 (8.8) |
41.6 (5.3) |
56.2 (13.4) |
||
Source: NOAA |
Demographics
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The United States Census Bureau
, as of July 1, 2008, estimated Alabama's population at 4,661,900, which represents an increase of 214,545, or 4.8%, since the last census in 2000. This includes a natural increase since the last census of 121,054 people (that is 502,457 births minus 381,403 deaths) and an increase due to net migration of 104,991 people into the state. Immigration
from outside the United States resulted in a net increase of 31,180 people, and migration within the country produced a net gain of 73,811 people. The state had 108,000 foreign-born (2.4% of the state population), of which an estimated 22.2% were illegal immigrants (24,000).
The center of population
of Alabama is located in Chilton County
, outside of the town of Jemison
.
Race and ancestry
According to the 2010 U.S. Census, Alabama had a population of 4,779,736. In terms of race and ethnicity, the state was 68.5% White (67.0% Non-Hispanic White Alone), 26.2% Black or African American, 0.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, 2.0% from Some Other Race, and 1.5% from Two or More Races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race made up 3.9% of the population.The largest reported ancestry groups in Alabama are: African American
(26.2%), English
(23.6%), Irish
(7.7%), German
(5.7%), and Scots-Irish
(2.0%). Those citing "American
" ancestry in Alabama are of overwhelmingly English extraction, however most English American
s identify simply as having American ancestry because their roots have been in North America for so long, in many cases since the early 1600s. Demographers estimate that a minimum of 20-23% of people in Alabama are of predominantly English ancestry and state that the figure is probably much higher. In the 1980 census, 41% of the people in Alabama cited that they were of English ancestry, making them the largest ethnic group at the time. There are also many more people in Alabama of Scots-Irish
origins than are self-reported. Many people in Alabama claim Irish ancestry because of the term Scots-Irish
, but most of the time in Alabama this term is used for those with Scottish roots, rather than Irish.
In 1984, under the Davis–Strong Act, Alabama established a state Indian Commission and officially recognized seven American Indian tribes, including the Echota Cherokee Tribe of Alabama, which is a 501 (c)(3) group. It is made up of descendants of the Chickamauga
Cherokee
and others who managed to evade Indian Removal
in the 1830s. Working with Auburn University
, the tribe has begun a revival of the Cherokee language
.
Religion
Alabama is located in the middle of the Bible Belt. A majority of people in Alabama today identify as Protestant. As of 2000, the three largest denominational groups in Alabama are Evangelical Protestant, Mainline Protestant, and Catholic. The Southern Baptist Convention
has the highest number of adherents in Alabama with 1,380,121, followed by the United Methodist Church
with 327,734 members, and the Catholic Church with 150,647 adherents.
In a 2007 survey, nearly 70% of respondents could name all four of the Christian Gospels
. Of those who indicated a religious preference, 59% said they possessed a "full understanding" of their faith and needed no further learning. In a 2007 poll, 92% of Alabamians reported having at least some confidence in churches in the state. In the 2008 American Religious Identification Survey, 80% of Alabama respondents reported their religion as Christian (other than Catholic,) 6% as Catholic, and 11% as having no religion at all.
Health
A Centers for Disease Control and Preventionstudy showed that Alabama was one of the worst in the country for obesity with most counties having over 29% of adults obese, except for ten which exceeded 26%. Residents were least likely of any state in the nation to exercise. Alabama has one of the highest incidents of adult onset diabetes in the country, exceeding 10% of adults.
Economy
The state has invested in aerospace, education, health care, banking, and various heavy industries, including automobile manufacturing, mineral extraction, steel production and fabrication.
According to the United States Bureau of Economic Analysis
, the 2008 total gross state product
was $170 billion, or $29,411 per capita. Alabama's 2008 GDP increased 0.7% from the previous year. The single largest increase came in the area of information. In 1999, per capita income
for the state was $18,189.
As of September 2010, the state's unemployment rate is 8.9%.
Largest employers
According to the Birmingham Business Journal, the five employers which employs the most employees in Alabama as of 2011 fwere:
Employer | Number of employees |
---|---|
Redstone Arsenal Redstone Arsenal Redstone Arsenal is a United States Army base and a census-designated place adjacent to Huntsville in Madison County, Alabama, United States and is part of the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area... |
25,373 |
University of Alabama at Birmingham University of Alabama at Birmingham The University of Alabama at Birmingham is a public university in Birmingham in the U.S. state of Alabama. Developing from an extension center established in 1936, the institution became an autonomous institution in 1969 and is today one of three institutions in the University of Alabama System... (includes UAB Hospital UAB Hospital The University of Alabama Hospital , is a Level I trauma center hospital located in Birmingham, Alabama.... ) |
18,750 |
Maxwell Air Force Base Maxwell Air Force Base Maxwell Air Force Base , officially known as Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base, is a United States Air Force installation under the Air Education and Training Command . The installation is located in Montgomery, Alabama, US. It was named in honor of Second Lieutenant William C... |
12,280 |
State of Alabama | 9,500 |
Mobile County Public School System Mobile County Public School System Mobile County Public School System is a school district based in the Mobile County Public Schools Central Office Campus in an unincorporated area in Mobile County, Alabama United States.... |
8,100 |
Agriculture
Alabama's agricultural outputs include poultry and eggs, cattle, plant nursery items, peanuts, cotton, grains such as corn and sorghum, vegetables, milk, soybean
s, and peaches. Although known as "The Cotton State," Alabama ranks between eighth and tenth in national cotton production, according to various reports, with Texas, Georgia
and Mississippi
comprising the top three.
Industry
Alabama's industrialoutputs include iron and steel products (including cast-iron and steel pipe); paper, lumber
, and wood products; mining (mostly coal); plastic products; cars and trucks; and apparel. Also, Alabama produces aerospace
and electronic
products, mostly in the Huntsville
area, location of NASA
's George C. Marshall Space Flight Center and the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command
, headquartered at Redstone Arsenal
.
Most Alabama's economic growth is due to the state's expanding automotive manufacturing industry. Located in the state are Honda Manufacturing of Alabama
, Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama
, Mercedes-Benz U.S. International
, and Toyota Motor Manufacturing Alabama
, as well as their various suppliers. Since 1993, the automobile industry has generated more than 67,800 new jobs in the state. Alabama currently ranks 4th in the nation in automobile output.
Steel producers Nucor
, SSAB
, ThyssenKrupp
, and U.S. Steel
have facilities in Alabama and employ over 10,000 people. In May 2007, German steelmaker ThyssenKrupp
selected Alabama for a $3.7 billion steel production plant, with the promise of 2,700 permanent jobs. When ThyssenKrupp's new facilities reach full production capacity, Alabama is expected to become the third largest steel producing state in the country behind Indiana and Pennsylvania.
The Hunt Refining Company
, a subsidiary of Hunt Consolidated, Inc., is based in Tuscaloosa and operates a refinery there. The company also operates terminals in Mobile, Melvin, and Moundville
. JVC America, Inc.
, a wholly owned subsidiary of JVC Americas Corp., operates an optical disc
replication and packaging plant in Tuscaloosa.
Michelin North America
operated a 1000000 square feet (9.3 ha) BFGoodrich Tire manufacturing plant in Opelika
from 1963 to 2009, when it shut down. GAF Materials Corporation
formerly operated a plant in Mobile, but ceased production operations in 2010. The plant had previously been idled in 2007 before resuming in 2008 and may reopen in the future once demand recovers.
Tourism
An estimated 100,000 tourists annually from other countries visit the state, including from Canada, England, Germany and Japan. In 2006, 22.3 million tourists spent $8.3 billion providing an estimated 162,000 jobs in the state.Health
UAB Hospitalis the only Level I trauma center
in Alabama. UAB is the largest employer in Alabama, with a workforce of about 20,000.
Banking
Alabama has the headquarters of Regions Financial Corporation, BBVA Compass and Superior Bancorp. Birmingham-based Compass Banchshares was acquired by Spanish-based BBVA in September 2007, although the headquarters of BBVA Compass remains in Birmingham. In November 2006, Regions Financial completed its merger with AmSouth Bancorporation, which was also headquartered in Birmingham. SouthTrust Corporation, another large bank headquartered in Birmingham, was acquired by Wachovia
in 2004 for $14.3 billion. The city still has major operations for Wachovia and its now post-operating bank Wells Fargo
, which includes a regional headquarters, a operations center campus and a $400 million dollar data center. Nearly a dozen smaller banks are also headquartered in the Birmingham, such as Superior Bancorp, ServisFirst and New South Federal Savings Bank. Birmingham also serves as the headquarters for several large investment management companies, including Harbert Management Corporation
.
Electronics
Telecommunications provider AT&T, formerly BellSouth
, also has a major presence in Alabama with several large offices in Birmingham. The company has over 6,000 employees and more than 1,200 contract employees.
Many commercial technology companies are headquartered in Huntsville, such as the network access company ADTRAN
, computer graphics company Intergraph
, design and manufacturer of IT infrastructure Avocent
, and telecommunications provider Deltacom
. Cinram
manufactures and distributes 20th Century Fox DVDs and Blu-ray Discs out of their Huntsville plant.
Construction
Rust International has grown to include Brasfield & Gorrie, BE&K
, Hoar Construction
and B.L. Harbert International
, which all routinely are included in the Engineering News-Record lists of top design, international construction, and engineering firms. (Rust International was acquired in 2000 by Washington Group International
, which was in turn acquired by San-Francisco based URS Corporation in 2007.)
Transportation
The Port of Mobile, Alabama's only saltwater port, is a busy seaport on the Gulf of Mexico
with inland waterway access to the Midwest
by way of the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway
. The Port of Mobile is currently the 9th-largest by tonnage
in the United States.
Barge
transportation in and out of the Port of Tuscaloosa and other commercial navigation make the Black Warrior River
useful in the state of Alabama.
Law and government

State government
The foundational document for Alabama's government is the Alabama Constitution, which was ratified in 1901. At almost 800 amendments and 310,000 words, it is the world's longest constitution and is roughly forty times the length of the U.S. Constitution. There is a significant movement to rewrite and modernize Alabama's constitution. This movement is based upon the fact that Alabama's constitution highly centralizes power in Montgomery and leaves practically no power in local hands. Any policy changes proposed around the state must be approved by the entire Alabama legislature and, frequently, by state referendum. One criticism of the current constitution claims that its complexity and length were intentional to codify segregation and racism.
Alabama is divided into three equal branches:
The legislative branch is the Alabama Legislature
, a bicameral assembly composed of the Alabama House of Representatives
, with 105 members, and the Alabama Senate
, with 35 members. The Legislature is responsible for writing, debating, passing, or defeating state legislation.
The executive branch is responsible for the execution and oversight of laws. It is headed by the Governor of Alabama. Other members of executive branch include the cabinet, the Attorney General of Alabama
, the Alabama Secretary of State, the Alabama Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries, the Alabama State Treasurer, and the State Auditor of Alabama
.
The judicial branch is responsible for interpreting the Constitution
and applying the law in state criminal and civil cases. The highest court is the Supreme Court of Alabama.
Taxes
Alabama levies a 2, 4, or 5 percent personal income tax, depending upon the amount earned and filing status. Taxpayers are not allowed to deduct their federal income tax from their Alabama state tax, but can deduct federal Social Security and Medicare taxes.The state's general sales tax rate is 4%. The collection rate could be substantially higher, depending upon additional city and county sales taxes. For example, the total sales tax rate in Mobile is 10% and there is an additional restaurant tax of 1%, which means that a diner in Mobile would pay a 11% tax on a meal. Sales and excise taxes in Alabama account for 51% of all state and local revenue, compared with an average of about 36% nationwide. Alabama is also one of the few remaining states that levies a tax on food and medicine. Alabama's income tax on poor working families is among the nation's very highest. Alabama is the only state that levies income tax on a family of four with income as low as $4,600, which is barely one-quarter of the federal poverty line. Alabama's threshold is the lowest among the 41 states and the District of Columbia with income taxes.
The corporate income tax rate is currently 6.5%. The overall federal, state, and local tax burden in Alabama ranks the state as the second least tax-burdened state in the country. Property tax
es are the lowest in the United States. The current state constitution requires a voter referendum to raise property taxes.
Since Alabama's tax structure largely depends on consumer spending, it is subject to high variable budget structure. For example, in 2003 Alabama had an annual budget deficit as high as $670 million.
Local and county government
Alabama has 67 counties. Each county has its own elected legislative branch, usually called the County Commission, which usually also has executive authority in the county. Because of the restraints placed in the Alabama Constitution
, all but seven counties (Jefferson, Lee, Mobile, Madison, Montgomery, Shelby, and Tuscaloosa) in the state have little to no home rule
. Instead, most counties in the state must lobby the Local Legislation Committee of the state legislature to get simple local policies such as waste disposal to land use zoning.
Alabama is an alcoholic beverage control state
; the government holds a monopoly on the sale of alcohol. However, counties can declare themselves "dry"; the state does not sell alcohol in those areas.
Rank | County | Population (2010 Census) | Seat | Largest city |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Jefferson Jefferson County, Alabama Jefferson County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of Alabama, with its county seat being located in Birmingham.As of the 2010 U.S. Census, the population of Jefferson County was 658,466... |
658,466 | Birmingham Birmingham, Alabama Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S... |
Birmingham |
2 | Mobile Mobile County, Alabama Mobile County[p] is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama. Its name is in honor of a tribe of Indians, the Maubila tribe . As of 2011, its population was 415,704. Its county seat is Mobile, Alabama... |
412,992 | Mobile Mobile, Alabama Mobile is the third most populous city in the Southern US state of Alabama and is the county seat of Mobile County. It is located on the Mobile River and the central Gulf Coast of the United States. The population within the city limits was 195,111 during the 2010 census. It is the largest... |
Mobile |
3 | Madison Madison County, Alabama Madison County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama, and is a major part of the Huntsville Metropolitan Area.It is also included in the merged Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area. The county is named in honor of James Madison, fourth President of the United States of America, and the... |
334,811 | Huntsville Huntsville, Alabama Huntsville is a city located primarily in Madison County in the central part of the far northern region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Huntsville is the county seat of Madison County. The city extends west into neighboring Limestone County. Huntsville's population was 180,105 as of the 2010 Census.... |
Huntsville |
4 | Montgomery Montgomery County, Alabama Montgomery County is a county in the U.S. state of Alabama. It is the most populous county in the Montgomery Metropolitan Statistical Area; its population in 2010 was 229,363 .- History :... |
229,363 | Montgomery Montgomery, Alabama Montgomery is the capital of the U.S. state of Alabama, and is the county seat of Montgomery County. It is located on the Alabama River southeast of the center of the state, in the Gulf Coastal Plain. As of the 2010 census, Montgomery had a population of 205,764 making it the second-largest city... |
Montgomery |
5 | Shelby Shelby County, Alabama Shelby County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama and a part of the Birmingham–Hoover–Cullman Combined Statistical Area. It is named in honor of Isaac Shelby, Governor of Kentucky. The county seat of Shelby County is Columbiana. As of 2010 U.S. Census the population was 195,085. Shelby... |
195,085 | Columbiana Columbiana, Alabama Columbiana is a city in Shelby County, Alabama, United States. At the 2010 census the population was 4,197. The city is the county seat of Shelby County.-History:... |
Hoover Hoover, Alabama Hoover is a city in Jefferson and Shelby Counties in north central Alabama, in the United States. The largest suburb of Birmingham, the population of the city was 62,742 as of the 2000 census and 81,619 in the 2010 census. Hoover is part of the Birmingham-Hoover, AL MSA and is also included in the... (part) Alabaster Alabaster, Alabama Alabaster is a city and southern suburb of Birmingham in Shelby County, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 22,619. According to the 2005 U.S. Census estimates, the city had a population of 27,517. At the 2010 census the population was 30,352. Alabaster is still a growing... |
6 | Tuscaloosa Tuscaloosa County, Alabama Tuscaloosa County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama.It is named in honor of the pre-Choctaw chief Tuskaloosa. In 2010, the population was 194,656... |
194,656 | Tuscaloosa Tuscaloosa, Alabama Tuscaloosa is a city in and the seat of Tuscaloosa County in west central Alabama . Located on the Black Warrior River, it is the fifth-largest city in Alabama, with a population of 90,468 in 2010... |
Tuscaloosa |
7 | Baldwin Baldwin County, Alabama -2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*85.7% White*9.4% Black*0.7% Native American*0.7% Asian*0.0% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*1.5% Two or more races*4.4% Hispanic or Latino -2000:... |
182,265 | Bay Minette Bay Minette, Alabama Bay Minette is a city in Baldwin County, Alabama, United States. As of the 2000 census, the population of the city was 7,820. According to the 2007 U.S. Census estimates, the city had an population of about 7,726 people. The city is the county seat of Baldwin County... |
Daphne Daphne, Alabama Daphne is a city in Baldwin County, Alabama, United States, on the eastern shoreline of Mobile Bay. The city is located along I-10, 11 miles east of Mobile and 150 miles southwest of the state capital of Montgomery. The United States Census 2000 lists the population of the city as 16,581 making... |
8 | Lee Lee County, Alabama Lee County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama. It is named in honor of Robert E. Lee, commanding general of the Confederate Army. As of 2010 the population was 140,247. It is part of the Auburn, Alabama Metropolitan Area. The county seat is Opelika, and the largest city is Auburn... |
140,247 | Opelika Opelika, Alabama Opelika is a city in and the county seat of Lee County in the east central part of the U.S. state of Alabama. It is a principal city of the Auburn-Opelika Metropolitan Area. According to 2010 Census, the population of Opelika was 26,477... |
Auburn Auburn, Alabama Auburn is a city in Lee County, Alabama, United States. It is the largest city in eastern Alabama with a 2010 population of 53,380. It is a principal city of the Auburn-Opelika Metropolitan Area... |
9 | Morgan Morgan County, Alabama Morgan County is the most populous county in the Decatur Metropolitan Area, and the second most populous county in the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area in the U.S. State of Alabama. It was created by the Alabama Territorial legislature on February 6, 1818 from land acquired from the... |
119,490 | Decatur Decatur, Alabama Decatur is a city in Limestone and Morgan Counties in the U.S. state of Alabama. The city, affectionately known as "The River City", is located in Northern Alabama on the banks of Wheeler Lake, along the Tennessee River. It is the largest city and county seat of Morgan County... |
Decatur |
10 | Calhoun Calhoun County, Alabama Calhoun County is a county in the U.S. state of Alabama. Its name is in honor of John C. Calhoun, famous member of the United States Senate from South Carolina. As of 2010 the population was 118,572. It is included in the Anniston-Oxford Metropolitan Statistical Area... |
118,572 | Anniston Anniston, Alabama Anniston is a city in Calhoun County in the state of Alabama, United States.As of the 2000 census, the population of the city is 24,276. According to the 2005 U.S. Census estimates, the city had a population of 23,741... |
Anniston |
Politics
The current governor of the state is RepublicanRobert Bentley. The lieutenant governor is Republican Kay Ivey
. The Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court is Democrat Sue Bell Cobb
. The Republican Party currently holds a majority in both houses of the Legislature
. The Legislature has the power to override a gubernatorial veto
by a simple majority (most state Legislatures require a two-thirds majority to override a veto).
During Reconstruction following the American Civil War
, Alabama was occupied by federal troops of the Third Military District
under General John Pope
. In 1874, the political coalition known as the Redeemers
took control of the state government from the Republicans, in part by suppressing the African American vote.
After 1890, a coalition of whites passed laws to segregate
and disenfranchise black residents, a process completed in provisions of the 1901 constitution. Provisions which disfranchised African Americans also disfranchised poor whites, however. By 1941 more whites than blacks had been disfranchised: 600,000 to 520,000, although the impact was greater on the African-American community, as almost all of its citizens were disfranchised.
From 1901 through the 1960s, the state did not redraw election districts as population grew and shifted within the state. The result was a rural minority that dominated state politics until a series of court cases required redistricting in 1972.
Alabama state politics gained nationwide and international attention in the 1950s and 1960s during the American Civil Rights Movement, when majority whites bureaucratically, and at times, violently resisted protests for electoral and social reform. George Wallace
, the state's only four-term governor, was a controversial figure. Only with the passage of the Federal Civil Rights Act of 1964
and Voting Rights Act
of 1965 did African Americans regain suffrage and other civil rights.
In 2007, the Alabama Legislature
passed, and Republican Governor Bob Riley
signed, a resolution expressing "profound regret" over slavery and its lingering impact. In a symbolic ceremony, the bill was signed in the Alabama State Capitol
, which housed Congress of the Confederate States of America
.
State elections
With the disfranchisement of African Americans, the state became part of the "Solid South," a system in which the Democratic Party
became essentially the only political party in every Southern state. For nearly 100 years, local and state elections in Alabama were decided in the Democratic Party primary
, with generally only token Republican challengers running in the General Election.
Developments in the 1986 Democratic primary election led to the election of the first Republican
Governor in more than 100 years and started Republicans on the road to political dominance in the state. One million voters cast ballots in the 1986 Democratic primary. The then-incumbent Lieutenant Governor, Bill Baxley
, lost the Democratic
nomination for Governor by approximately 8,000 votes to then fellow Democratic Attorney General Charles Graddick
. The state Democratic party's five-member election contest committee invalidated the primary election result claiming that thousands of Republicans had "illegally" voted in the Democratic primary for Graddick and as a result they removed Graddick from the ballot. The Democratic Party then placed Baxley's name on the ballot as the Democratic candidate instead of Graddick. The voters of the state revolted at what they perceived as disenfranchisement of their right to vote and elected the Republican challenger Guy Hunt as Governor. Hunt had been nominated in a statewide Republican primary that had 28,000 participants compared to the 1,000,000 plus of the Democratic primary. That November Hunt became the first Republican Governor elected in Alabama since Reconstruction when he won 57% of the vote statewide against Baxley.
Since 1986, Republicans have won six of the seven Governors elections and become increasingly competitive in Alabama politics at many levels. They currently control both seats
in the U.S. Senate and six out of the state's seven congressional seats
.
Republicans hold all nine seats on the Alabama Supreme Court
and all ten seats on the state appellate courts. Until 1994, no Republicans held any of the court seats. This change also began, likely in part, due to the same perception by voters of Democratic party efforts to disenfranchise voters again in 1994. In that general election, the then-incumbent Chief Justice of Alabama, Sonny Hornsby, refused to leave office after losing the election by approximately 3,000 votes to Republican Perry Oliver Hooper, Sr. Hornsby sued Alabama in court and defiantly remained in office for more than a year before finally giving up the seat after losing in court. This ultimately would lead to a collapse of support for Democrats at the ballot box in the next three or four election cycles and ultimately losing the last of the nineteen court seats following the resignation of the last Democrat in August, 2011.
Today, Republicans also hold all seven of the statewide elected executive
branch offices. Republicans also hold six of the eight elected seats on the Alabama State Board of Education
. In 2010, Republicans took large majorities of both chambers of the state legislature giving them control of that body for the first time in 136 years. However, Democrats hold one of the three seats on the Alabama Public Service Commission.
Only two Republican Lieutenant Governors have been elected since Reconstruction, Steve Windom
and Kay Ivey
, the current Lieutenant Governor. Windom served as Lt. Governor under Democratic Gov. Don Siegelman
. Before 2011, the last time that Alabama had a governor and Lieutenant Governor of the same party was the period between 1983 and 1987 when George Wallace
was serving his fourth term as governor and Bill Baxley
was serving as Lieutenant Governor; both were Democrats.
In Alabama, the members of the Legislature take office immediately after the November elections, but the statewide officials, such as the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, and other constitutional offices take office in the following January.
Local elections
Many local offices (County Commissioners, Boards of Education, Tax Assessors, Tax Collectors, etc.) in the state are still held by Democrats. Local elections in most rural counties are generally decided in the Democratic primary and local elections in metropolitan and suburban counties are generally decided in the Republican Primary, although there are exceptions.Alabama's 67 County Sheriffs are elected in partisan races and Democrats still retain the majority of those posts. The current split is 42 Democrats
, 24 Republicans
, and 1 Independent (Choctaw). However, most of the Democratic sheriffs preside over rural and less populated counties and the majority of Republican sheriffs preside over more urban/suburban and heavily populated counties. Two Alabama counties (Montgomery and Calhoun) with a population of over 100,000 have Democratic sheriffs and five Alabama counties with a population of under 75,000 have Republican sheriffs (Autauga, Coffee, Dale, Coosa, and Blount). The state has one female sheriff (Morgan) and 9 African-American sheriffs.
Federal elections
Year | Republican Republican Party (United States) The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S... |
Democratic Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous... |
State winner |
---|---|---|---|
2008 United States presidential election, 2008 The United States presidential election of 2008 was the 56th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on November 4, 2008. Democrat Barack Obama, then the junior United States Senator from Illinois, defeated Republican John McCain, the senior U.S. Senator from Arizona. Obama received 365... |
60.32% 1,266,546 | 38.80% 813,479 | John McCain John McCain John Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election.... |
2004 | 62.46% 1,176,394 | 36.84% 693,933 | George W. Bush George W. Bush George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000.... |
2000 | 56.47% 944,409 | 41.59% 695,602 | George W. Bush George W. Bush George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000.... |
1996 | 50.12% 769,044 | 43.16% 662,165 | Bob Dole Bob Dole Robert Joseph "Bob" Dole is an American attorney and politician. Dole represented Kansas in the United States Senate from 1969 to 1996, was Gerald Ford's Vice Presidential running mate in the 1976 presidential election, and was Senate Majority Leader from 1985 to 1987 and in 1995 and 1996... |
1992 | 47.65% 804,283 | 40.88% 690,080 | George Bush George H. W. Bush George Herbert Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 41st President of the United States . He had previously served as the 43rd Vice President of the United States , a congressman, an ambassador, and Director of Central Intelligence.Bush was born in Milton, Massachusetts, to... |
1988 | 59.17% 815,576 | 39.86% 549,506 | George Bush |
1984 | 60.54% 872,849 | 38.28% 551,899 | Ronald Reagan Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor.... |
1980 | 48.75% 654,192 | 47.45% 636,730 | Ronald Reagan Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor.... |
1976 | 42.61% 504,070 | 55.73% 659,170 | Jimmy Carter Jimmy Carter James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office... |
1972 | 72.43% 728,701 | 25.54% 256,923 | Richard Nixon Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under... |
1968* | 13.99% 146,923 | 18.72% 196,579 | George Wallace George Wallace George Corley Wallace, Jr. was the 45th Governor of Alabama, serving four terms: 1963–1967, 1971–1979 and 1983–1987. "The most influential loser" in 20th-century U.S. politics, according to biographers Dan T. Carter and Stephan Lesher, he ran for U.S... (I) |
1964 | 69.45% 479,085 | 30.55% 210,732 | Barry Goldwater Barry Goldwater Barry Morris Goldwater was a five-term United States Senator from Arizona and the Republican Party's nominee for President in the 1964 election. An articulate and charismatic figure during the first half of the 1960s, he was known as "Mr... |
1960 | 42.16% 237,981 | 56.39% 318,303 | John F. Kennedy John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963.... |
*State won by George Wallace George Wallace George Corley Wallace, Jr. was the 45th Governor of Alabama, serving four terms: 1963–1967, 1971–1979 and 1983–1987. "The most influential loser" in 20th-century U.S. politics, according to biographers Dan T. Carter and Stephan Lesher, he ran for U.S... of the American Independent Party American Independent Party The American Independent Party is a right-wing political party of the United States that was established in 1967 by Bill and Eileen Shearer. In 1968, the American Independent Party nominated George C. Wallace as its presidential candidate and retired Air Force General Curtis E. LeMay as the vice... , at 65.86%, or 691,425 votes |
From 1876 through 1956, Alabama supported only Democratic presidential candidates, by large margins. In 1960, the Democrats won with John F. Kennedy
on the ballot, but the Democratic electors from Alabama gave 6 of their 11 electoral votes as a protest to Harry Byrd
. In 1964
, Republican Barry Goldwater
carried the state.
In the 1968 presidential election
, Alabama supported native son and American Independent Party
candidate George Wallace
over both Richard Nixon
and Hubert Humphrey
. Wallace was the official Democratic candidate in Alabama, while Humphrey was the National Democratic
nominee. In 1976
, Democratic candidate Jimmy Carter
from Georgia carried the state, the region, and the nation, but Democratic control of the region slipped after that.
Since 1980, conservative Alabama voters have increasingly voted for Republican candidates at the Federal level, especially in Presidential elections. By contrast, Democratic candidates have been elected to many state-level offices and until 2010 comprised a longstanding majority in the Alabama Legislature
; see Dixiecrat
.
In 2004
, George W. Bush
won Alabama's nine electoral votes by a margin of 25 percentage points with 62.5% of the vote, mostly white voters. The 11 counties that voted Democratic were Black Belt
counties, where African Americans are the majority racial group.
The state's two U.S. senators
are Jefferson B. Sessions III
and Richard C. Shelby
, both Republicans.
In the U.S. House of Representatives, the state is represented by seven members, six of whom are Republicans: (Jo Bonner
, Mike D. Rogers
, Robert Aderholt
, Morris J. Brooks, Martha Roby
, and Spencer Bachus
) and one Democrat: Terri Sewell
).
Primary and secondary education
Public primary and secondary education in Alabama is under the overview of the Alabama State Board of Educationas well as local oversight by 67 county school boards and 60 city boards of education. Together, 1,541 individual schools provide education for 743,364 elementary and secondary students.
Public school funding is appropriated through the Alabama Legislature through the Education Trust Fund. In FY 2006–2007, Alabama appropriated $3,775,163,578 for primary and secondary education. That represented an increase of $444,736,387 over the previous fiscal year. In 2007, over 82 percent of schools made adequate yearly progress (AYP) toward student proficiency under the National No Child Left Behind law, using measures determined by the State of Alabama. In 2004, 23 percent of schools met AYP.
While Alabama's public education system has improved, it lags behind in achievement compared to other states. According to U.S. Census data, Alabama's high school graduation rate – 75% – is the second lowest in the United States (after Mississippi). The largest educational gains were among people with some college education but without degrees.

Colleges and universities
Alabama's programs of higher education include 14 four-year public universities, two-year community colleges, and 17 private, undergraduate and graduate universities. In the state are two medical schools (University of Alabama at Birminghamand University of South Alabama
), two veterinary colleges (Auburn University
and Tuskegee University
), a dental school (University of Alabama at Birmingham
), an optometry college (University of Alabama at Birmingham
), two pharmacy schools (Auburn University
and Samford University
), and five law schools (University of Alabama School of Law
, Birmingham School of Law
, Cumberland School of Law
, Miles Law School
, and the Thomas Goode Jones School of Law
). Public, post-secondary education in Alabama is overseen by the Alabama Commission on Higher Education. Colleges and universities in Alabama offer degree programs from two-year associate degrees to 16 doctoral level programs.
The largest single campus is the University of Alabama
, located in Tuscaloosa
, with 31,747 enrolled for fall 2011. Troy University
is the largest institution in the state, enrolling 29,689 students (as of 2010) across four Alabama campuses (Troy
, Dothan
, Montgomery
, and Phenix City
), as well as sixty learning sites in seventeen other states and eleven other countries. The oldest institutions are the public University of North Alabama
in Florence
and the Catholic Church-affiliated Spring Hill College
in Mobile
, both founded in 1830.
Accreditation of academic programs is through the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
(SACS) as well as other subject-focused national and international accreditation agencies such as the Association for Biblical Higher Education (ABHE), the Council on Occupational Education
(COE), and the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools
(ACICS).
According to the 2011 U.S. News and World Report, Alabama had three universities ranked in the top 100 Public Schools in America (University of Alabama at 31, Auburn University
at 36, and University of Alabama at Birmingham
at 73).
Professional sports teams
Alabama has several minor leagueprofessional teams including four minor league baseball
teams.
Club | City | Sport | League | Venue | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Alabama Hammers Alabama Hammers The Alabama Hammers are a professional indoor football team in the Professional Indoor Football League. Based in Huntsville, Alabama, the Hammers play their home games at the Von Braun Center.... |
Huntsville | Arena football Arena football Arena football is a variety of gridiron football played by the Arena Football League . It is a proprietary game, the rights to which are owned by Gridiron Enterprises, and is played indoors on a smaller field than American or Canadian outdoor football, resulting in a faster and higher-scoring game.... |
Southern Indoor Football League Southern Indoor Football League The Southern Indoor Football League was an indoor football league based in the Southern and Eastern United States. The most recent incarnation of the league was a consolidation of an earlier league of the same name that was formed by Thom Hager along with Dan Blum, Robert Winfrey and Dan Ryan in... |
Von Braun Center Von Braun Center The Von Braun Center , known as the Von Braun Civic Center until 1997, is a multi-purpose indoor arena, meeting, and performing arts complex, with a maximum arena seating capacity of 10,000, located in Huntsville, Alabama... |
|
Birmingham Barons Birmingham Barons The Birmingham Barons are a minor league baseball team based in Birmingham, Alabama. The team, which plays in the Southern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox major-league club.... |
Birmingham | Baseball | Southern League Southern League (baseball) The Southern League is a minor league baseball league which operates in the Southern United States. It is classified a Double-A league. The original league was formed in , and shut down in . A new league, the Southern Association, was formed in , consisting of twelve teams... |
Regions Park | |
Huntsville Havoc Huntsville Havoc The Huntsville Havoc are a professional ice hockey team in the Southern Professional Hockey League . They play their home games at the Von Braun Center in downtown Huntsville, Alabama.-History:... |
Huntsville | Ice Hockey Ice hockey Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take... |
Southern Professional Hockey League Southern Professional Hockey League The Southern Professional Hockey League is a low-level professional ice hockey league based in Charlotte, North Carolina, with teams located in the southeastern United States.- History :... |
Von Braun Center Von Braun Center The Von Braun Center , known as the Von Braun Civic Center until 1997, is a multi-purpose indoor arena, meeting, and performing arts complex, with a maximum arena seating capacity of 10,000, located in Huntsville, Alabama... |
|
Huntsville Stars Huntsville Stars The Huntsville Stars are a minor league baseball team of the Southern League and are the Double-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Huntsville, Alabama and are named for the space industry with which Huntsville is economically tied .The Stars play their home games at Joe W... |
Huntsville | Baseball | Southern League | Joe W. Davis Stadium Joe W. Davis Stadium Joe W. Davis Stadium was built in 1985 in Huntsville, Alabama, United States to host the Southern League Huntsville Stars minor league baseball team. The stadium is a multi-purpose facility that seats 10,200 with 15 air-conditioned skyboxes. Ticket offices and general office are located on the... |
|
Mobile BayBears Mobile BayBears The Mobile BayBears are a minor league baseball team based in Mobile, Alabama, United States. The team, which plays in the Southern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks major league club. The BayBears play in Hank Aaron Stadium, named after baseball's former all-time home... |
Mobile | Baseball | Southern League | Hank Aaron Stadium Hank Aaron Stadium Hank Aaron Stadium is a baseball park in Mobile, Alabama. It hosts the Mobile BayBears, a minor-league professional team in the Southern League. The stadium opened in 1997 and has a capacity of 6,000. The ballpark was named after Major League Baseball's home run king and Mobile native Hank Aaron... |
|
Montgomery Biscuits Montgomery Biscuits The Montgomery Biscuits are a minor league baseball team based in Montgomery, Alabama. The team is the Class AA affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays and plays in the Southern League. The 2004 season was the team's first in Montgomery... |
Montgomery | Baseball | Southern League | Montgomery Riverwalk Stadium Montgomery Riverwalk Stadium Montgomery Riverwalk Stadium is the home of the Montgomery Biscuits of the Southern League. The minor league baseball ballpark opened in Montgomery, Alabama in 2004. It is built into the Riverfront Inn and has a total capacity of 7,000, including general-admission lawn seating. The stadium offers... |
|
Rocket City United Rocket City United Rocket City United is an American soccer team based in Huntsville, Alabama, United States. Founded in 2007, the team plays in the National Premier Soccer League , a national amateur league at the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, in the Southeast Division.The team plays its home games at... |
Huntsville | Soccer | National Premier Soccer League National Premier Soccer League The National Premier Soccer League is a United States soccer league recognized by the United States Soccer Federation and FIFA as a Division IV league... |
Madison City Schools Stadium | |
Tennessee Valley Tigers Tennessee Valley Tigers The Tennessee Valley Tigers is a women's American football team located in Huntsville, Alabama. The Tigers joined the Women's Spring Football League in 2011 and will play their first WSFL season in the spring of 2012. This will be the Tigers' fourth season overall, after three seasons in the... |
Huntsville | Football American football American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by... |
Independent Women's Football League Independent Women's Football League The Independent Women's Football League was founded in 2000, and began play in 2001.IWFL founders began with the goal to establish a quality women's football league that would be respected as the top level of women's tackle football in the world.... |
Milton Frank Stadium Milton frank stadium Milton Frank Stadium is a 12,000-seat multi-purpose stadium in Huntsville, Alabama. It was used for Alabama A&M football games before the creation of Louis Crews Stadium. It is currently used mainly for Huntsville City Schools high school and middle school football and soccer games. Construction... |
replaced the Alabama Renegades |
Venues

in Talladega
, Bryant-Denny Stadium
in Tuscaloosa
, Jordan-Hare Stadium
in Auburn
and Legion Field
in Birmingham
.
The Talladega Superspeedway motorsports complex hosts a series of NASCAR
events. It has a seating capacity of 143,000 and is the thirteenth largest stadium in the world and sixth largest stadium in America. Bryant-Denny Stadium serves as the home of the University of Alabama
football team has a seating capacity of 101,821. It is the fifth largest stadium in America and the eighth largest non-racing stadium in the world. Jordan-Hare Stadium is the home field of the Auburn University
football team and has a seating capacity of 87,451. It is the twelfth largest college football stadium in America. Legion Field is home for the UAB Blazers
football program and the Papajohns.com Bowl. It seats 71,594.
Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile
serves as the home of the NCAA Senior Bowl
, GoDaddy.com Bowl, Alabama-Mississippi All Star Classic and home of the University of South Alabama
football team. Ladd-Peebles Stadium opened in 1948 and seats 40,646.
In 2009, Bryant-Denny Stadium and Jordan-Hare Stadium became the homes of the Alabama High School Athletic Association
state football championship games, known as the Super Six. Bryant-Denny hosts the Super Six in odd-numbered years, with Jordan-Hare taking the games in even-numbered years. Previously, the Super Six was held at Legion Field in Birmingham.
Transportation
Air transportation
Major airports in Alabama include Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport (BHM), Huntsville International Airport(HSV), Dothan Regional Airport
(DHN), Mobile Regional Airport
(MOB), Montgomery Regional Airport
(MGM), Muscle Shoals – Northwest Alabama Regional Airport
(MSL), Tuscaloosa Regional Airport
(TCL), and Pryor Field Regional Airport
(DCU).
Rail
For rail transport, Amtrakschedules the Crescent, a daily passenger train, running from New York to New Orleans with stops at Anniston, Birmingham, and Tuscaloosa.
Roads
Alabama has five major interstate roads that cross the state: I-65 runs north–south roughly through the middle of the state; I-59/I-20 travels from the central west border to Birmingham, where I-59 continues to the north-east corner of the state and I-20 continues east towards Atlanta; I-85 originates in Montgomery and runs east-northeast to the Georgia border, providing a main thoroughfare to Atlanta; and I-10 traverses the southernmost portion of the state, running from west to east through Mobile. Another interstate road, I-22, is currently under construction. When completed around 2012 it will connect Birmingham with Memphis, Tennessee. Several U.S.Highways also pass through the state, such as US 11
, US 29
, US 31
, US 43
, US 72
, US 78
, US 80
, US 82
, US 84
, US 90
, US 98
, US 231
, US 278
, US 280
, and US 431
.
There are four toll roads in the state: Alabama River Parkway in Montgomery
; Black Warrior Parkway in Tuscaloosa
; Emerald Mountain Expressway in Montgomery
; Foley Beach Express in Foley
; Montgomery Expressway in Montgomery and four toll bridges: Alabama River Parkway Bridge in Montgomery; Black Warrior Parkway Bridge in Tuscaloosa; Emerald Mountain Expressway Bridge in Montgomery; and Foley Beach Express Bridge in Foley.
In March 2011, Alabama ranked among the top five "Worst" states on the American State Litter Scorecard, for overall poor effectiveness and quality of its statewide public space cleanliness—primarily roadway and adjacent litter removals—from state and related efforts.
Ports

. The state's other ports are on rivers with access to the Gulf.
Water ports of Alabama, listed from north to south:
Port name | Location | Connected to |
---|---|---|
Port of Florence Florence, Alabama Florence is the county seat of Lauderdale County, Alabama, United States, in the northwestern corner of the state.According to the 2005 Census Bureau estimates, the city's population was 36,721.... |
Florence Florence, Alabama Florence is the county seat of Lauderdale County, Alabama, United States, in the northwestern corner of the state.According to the 2005 Census Bureau estimates, the city's population was 36,721.... /Muscle Shoals Muscle Shoals, Alabama Muscle Shoals is a city in Colbert County, Alabama, United States. As of 2007, the United States Census Bureau estimated the population of the city to be 12,846. The city is included in The Shoals MSA. It is famous for its contributions to American popular music.-Geography:Muscle Shoals is located... , on Pickwick Lake Pickwick Lake Pickwick Lake is the reservoir created by Pickwick Landing Dam as part of the Tennessee Valley Authority. The lake stretches from Pickwick Landing Dam to Wilson Dam.... |
Tennessee River Tennessee River The Tennessee River is the largest tributary of the Ohio River. It is approximately 652 miles long and is located in the southeastern United States in the Tennessee Valley. The river was once popularly known as the Cherokee River, among other names... |
Port of Decatur Port of Decatur The Port of Decatur is a transshipment port on the Tennessee River, in the city of Decatur, Alabama, United States of America. The port was founded in 1971.- Port facilities :... |
Decatur Decatur, Alabama Decatur is a city in Limestone and Morgan Counties in the U.S. state of Alabama. The city, affectionately known as "The River City", is located in Northern Alabama on the banks of Wheeler Lake, along the Tennessee River. It is the largest city and county seat of Morgan County... , on Wheeler Lake Wheeler Lake Wheeler Lake is located in the northern part of the United States state of Alabama, between Rogersville and Huntsville. Created by Wheeler Dam along the Tennessee River, it stretches 60 miles from Wheeler Dam to Guntersville Dam... |
Tennessee River |
Port of Guntersville Guntersville, Alabama Guntersville is a city in Marshall County, Alabama, United States and is included in the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area. At the 2010 census, the population of the city was 8,197. The city is the county seat of Marshall County. Guntersville is located in a HUBZone as identified by the... |
Guntersville Guntersville, Alabama Guntersville is a city in Marshall County, Alabama, United States and is included in the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area. At the 2010 census, the population of the city was 8,197. The city is the county seat of Marshall County. Guntersville is located in a HUBZone as identified by the... , on Lake Guntersville |
Tennessee River |
Port of Birmingham Birmingham, Alabama Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S... |
Birmingham Birmingham, Alabama Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S... , on Black Warrior River Black Warrior River The Black Warrior River is a waterway in west central Alabama in the southeastern United States. The river rises in the extreme southern edges of the Appalachian Highlands and flows 178 miles to the Tombigbee River, of which the Black Warrior is the primary tributary... |
Tenn-Tom Waterway |
Port of Tuscaloosa Tuscaloosa, Alabama Tuscaloosa is a city in and the seat of Tuscaloosa County in west central Alabama . Located on the Black Warrior River, it is the fifth-largest city in Alabama, with a population of 90,468 in 2010... |
Tuscaloosa Tuscaloosa, Alabama Tuscaloosa is a city in and the seat of Tuscaloosa County in west central Alabama . Located on the Black Warrior River, it is the fifth-largest city in Alabama, with a population of 90,468 in 2010... , on Black Warrior River |
Tenn-Tom Waterway |
Port of Montgomery Montgomery, Alabama Montgomery is the capital of the U.S. state of Alabama, and is the county seat of Montgomery County. It is located on the Alabama River southeast of the center of the state, in the Gulf Coastal Plain. As of the 2010 census, Montgomery had a population of 205,764 making it the second-largest city... |
Montgomery Montgomery, Alabama Montgomery is the capital of the U.S. state of Alabama, and is the county seat of Montgomery County. It is located on the Alabama River southeast of the center of the state, in the Gulf Coastal Plain. As of the 2010 census, Montgomery had a population of 205,764 making it the second-largest city... , on Woodruff Lake |
Alabama River Alabama River The Alabama River, in the U.S. state of Alabama, is formed by the Tallapoosa and Coosa rivers, which unite about north of Montgomery.The river flows west to Selma, then southwest until, about from Mobile, it unites with the Tombigbee, forming the Mobile and Tensaw rivers, which discharge into... |
Port of Mobile Port of Mobile The Port of Mobile, located in Mobile, Alabama, United States, is the only deep-water port in the state, and was the 9th largest by tonnage in the nation in 2008. It is located along the Mobile River where it empties into Mobile Bay... |
Mobile Mobile, Alabama Mobile is the third most populous city in the Southern US state of Alabama and is the county seat of Mobile County. It is located on the Mobile River and the central Gulf Coast of the United States. The population within the city limits was 195,111 during the 2010 census. It is the largest... , on Mobile Bay Mobile Bay Mobile Bay is an inlet of the Gulf of Mexico, lying within the state of Alabama in the United States. Its mouth is formed by the Fort Morgan Peninsula on the eastern side and Dauphin Island, a barrier island on the western side. The Mobile River and Tensaw River empty into the northern end of the... |
Gulf of Mexico Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In... |
See also
- List of people from Alabama
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Alabama
Further reading
- For a detailed bibliography, see the History of AlabamaHistory of AlabamaAlabama became a state of the United States of America on December 14, 1819. After the Indian Wars and removals of the early 19th century forced most Native Americans out of the state, white settlers arrived in large numbers....
.- Atkins, Leah Rawls, Wayne Flynt, William Warren Rogers, and David Ward. Alabama: The History of a Deep South State (1994)
- Flynt, Wayne. Alabama in the Twentieth Century (2004)
- Owen Thomas M. History of Alabama and Dictionary of Alabama Biography 4 vols. 1921.
- Jackson, Harvey H. Inside Alabama: A Personal History of My State (2004)
- Mohl, Raymond A. "Latinization in the Heart of Dixie: Hispanics in Late-twentieth-century Alabama" Alabama Review 2002 55(4): 243–274. ISSN 0002-4341
- Peirce, Neal R. The Deep South States of America: People, Politics, and Power in the Seven Deep South States (1974). Information on politics and economics 1960–72.
- Williams, Benjamin Buford. A Literary History of Alabama: The Nineteenth Century 1979.
- WPA. Guide to Alabama (1939)
External links
- Alabama.gov – Official website.
- Alabama State Guide, from the Library of Congress
- Alabama Association of Regional Councils
- Energy Data & Statistics for Alabama- From the U.S. Department of Energy
- TourAlabama.org – Alabama Department of Tourism and Travel
- All About Alabama, at the Alabama Department of Archives and HistoryAlabama Department of Archives and HistoryThe Alabama Department of Archives and History is the official repository of archival records for the U.S. state of Alabama. It was created by an act of the Alabama Legislature on February 27, 1901 with a primary mission of collecting and preserving artifacts relating to the history of the state...
- AlabamaMosaic, a digital repository of materials on Alabama's history, culture, places, and people
- Code of Alabama 1975 – at the Alabama Legislature site
- USGS real-time, geographic, and other scientific resources of Alabama
- Alabama QuickFacts from the U.S. Census Bureau
- Alabama State Fact Sheet from the U.S. Department of Agriculture