Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Encyclopedia
Tuscaloosa is a city in and the seat
of Tuscaloosa County
in west central Alabama
(in the southeastern United States
). Located on the Black Warrior River
, it is the fifth-largest city in Alabama, with a population of 90,468 in 2010. It is the principal city of the Tuscaloosa Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes Tuscaloosa, Greene
, and Hale
counties, and whose estimated metro population in 2009 was 210,839. A former capital of Alabama, Tuscaloosa is named after Tuskaloosa, the chieftain of a Muskogean
-speaking people, who battled and was defeated by Hernando de Soto
in 1540 in the Battle of Mabila
.
Tuscaloosa is the regional center of industry, commerce, healthcare, and education for the area of west-central Alabama known as West Alabama. Tuscaloosa is also the home of the University of Alabama
. While the city attracted international attention when Mercedes-Benz
announced it would build its first automotive assembly plant in North America in Tuscaloosa County, the university remains the dominant economic and cultural engine in the city.
The city has received many quality-of-life accolades. It was named one of the "50 Best Places to Launch a Small Business" in 2009 by Fortune Small Business
, and one of the "100 Best Communities for Young People" by America’s Promise Alliance. It was named "The Most Liveable City in America" in 2011 by the U.S. Conference of Mayors.
Tuscaloosa has been traditionally known as the "Druid City" because of the numerous water oak
s planted in its downtown streets since the 1840s. City leaders adopted the moniker "The City of Champions" after the Alabama Crimson Tide football team won the BCS National Championship game in 2010.
Nearly 12,000 years ago Native American
s or Paleo-Indians arrived in what today is referred to as the Deep South
. Paleo-Indians in the South were hunter-gatherer
s who pursued the megafauna
that became extinct following the end of the Pleistocene
age. After thousands of years, the Paleo-Indians developed a rich and complex agricultural society. Archaeologists called these people the Mississippians of the Mississippian culture
; they were Mound Builders. Their large earthworks
, built for political and religious rituals and expressing their cosmology, still stand throughout the valleys of the Ohio
and Mississippi rivers, as well as their tributaries in the Southeast.
Descendant Native American
tribes include the Creek
. Also among the historical tribes living in the area of present-day Alabama at the time of European contact were the Iroquoian-speaking Cherokee
, and the Muskogean-speaking Alabama
(Alibamu), Chickasaw
, Choctaw
, Koasati, and Mobile
.
In 1829, Andrew Jackson
was elected president of the United States. He had gained popularity when he defeated the Creek at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend
in 1814, following victories in the War of 1812. He long proposed Indian removal to the Indian Territory west of the Mississippi, to make land available for European-American setlement. Jackson abandoned the policy of his predecessors of treating different Indian groups as separate nations. Instead, he aggressively pursued plans to move all Indian tribes living east of the Mississippi River. Following the Indian Removal Act
, in 1832 the Creek National Council signed the Treaty of Cusseta
, ceding their remaining lands east of the Mississippi
to the U.S., and accepting relocation to the Indian Territory. Most Muscogee-speaking peoples were removed to Indian Territory during the Trail of Tears
in 1834, although some remained behind. Some Muscogee in Alabama live near Poarch Creek Reservation in Atmore
(northeast of Mobile
).
. A small assortment of log cabins soon arose near the large Creek village at the fall line of the river, which the new settlers named in honor of the legendary Chief Tuskaloosa of a Muskogean
-speaking tribe. In 1817, Alabama
became a territory
, and on December 13, 1819, the territorial legislature incorporated the town of Tuscaloosa, one day before Congress
admitted Alabama to the Union
as a state.
From 1826 to 1846, Tuscaloosa was the capital of Alabama. During this period, in 1831, the University of Alabama
was established. The town's population and economy grew rapidly until the departure of the capital to Montgomery
caused a rapid decline in population. Establishment of the Bryce State Hospital for the Insane in Tuscaloosa in the 1850s helped restore the city's fortunes.
following Alabama's secession
from the Union, several thousand men from Tuscaloosa fought in the Confederate
armies. During the last weeks of the War, a brigade of Union troops raiding the city burned the campus of the university. The larger town was also damaged in the battle and shared fully in the South's economic sufferings which followed the defeat.
In the 1890s the construction of a system of locks and dams on the Black Warrior River by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers opened up an inexpensive link to the Gulf seaport of Mobile
, stimulating especially the mining and metallurgical industries of the region. By the advent of the 20th century, the growth of the University of Alabama and the mental health-care facilities in the city, along with a strong national economy fueled a steady growth in Tuscaloosa which continued unabated for 100 years.
, the governor of Alabama
, stood in front of the Foster Auditorium
entrance at The University of Alabama in what became known as the Stand in the Schoolhouse Door
in an attempt to stop desegregation
of that institution by the enrollment of two African-American students, Vivian Malone
and James Hood
; when confronted by US Deputy Attorney General Nicholas Katzenbach
and federal marshal
s sent in by Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy
, Wallace stepped aside. President John F. Kennedy
had called for the integration of the University of Alabama as well.
Although Hood dropped out of school after two months, he subsequently returned and, in 1997, received his Ph.D. in philosophy
. Malone persisted in her studies and became the first African American to graduate from the university. In 2000, the university granted her a doctorate of humane letters. Autherine Lucy's expulsion was recinded in 1980, and she successfully re-enrolled and graduated with a master's degree in 1992. Later in his life, Wallace apologized for his opposition at that time to racial integration
.
In 2010, the university formally honored Lucy, Hood and Malone by rechristening the plaza in front of Foster Auditorium as Malone-Hood Plaza and erecting a clock tower – Autherine Lucy Clock Tower – in the plaza.
Manufacturing plants of large firms such as Michelin
and JVC
located in town during the latter half of the 20th century. However, it was the announcement of the addition of the Mercedes
facility in 1993 that best personified the new era of economic prosperity for Tuscaloosa.
tornado that resulted in 47 deaths, over 1000 injuries, and massive devastation. Its top winds were estimated by the US National Weather Service
at 190 mi/h. Officials at DCH Regional Medical alone reported treating more than 1000 injured people in the tornado aftermath. Officials reported dozens of unaccompanied minors being admitted for treatment at the hospital, raising questions about the possible loss of their parents. Several were to pediatric trauma wards, indicating serious injuries. Referring to the extent and severity of the damage, Mayor Walter Maddox stated that "we have neighborhoods that have been basically removed from the map."
The tornado was part of the larger April 25–28, 2011 tornado outbreak
with effect most parts of the eastern United States.
In the immediate aftermath of the tornado, thousands of rescue workers dug through the wreckage looking for survivors and recovering bodies. More than 450 were originally listed as missing in the post disaster chaos, leading to fears that the death toll could sky rocket to the hundreds and skepticism about the relatively slow fatality figures with respects to the number of casualties. Rumors abounded about refrigerated trucks being brought to store unidentified remains and countless bodies at the bottom of area bodies of water. However, the fatality figure did not increase (in fact, it decreased) and most missing persons were later found to have survived. During this period, The Tuscaloosa News
posted an online people finder to aid loved ones and friends in finding one another and to determine who was still missing.
Two days after the storm, US president Barack Obama and Alabama governor Robert Bentley, and their spouses, Michelle Obama and Diane Bentley, respectively accompanied Maddox on tour of the damage and recovery efforts, along with FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate and several Congressional dignitaries. Remarking about the scale and severity of the damage, Obama stated, "I've never seen devastation like this, it's heartbreaking" after touring the damaged areas. Obama pledged the full resources of the federal government towards aiding the recovery efforst Bentley—himself a Tuscaloosa native—pledged additional national guard troops.
Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox announced that he was requesting 500 additional National Guard Troops as well as calling for more volunteer aid workers and also cadaver teams for the recovery of bodies in order to prevent the spread of disease.
The New York Yankees
organization contributed $500,000 to the American Red Cross
and Salvation Army
to aid in recovery efforts as well as the Atlanta Braves
organization donating $100,000. Actor Charlie Sheen
visited the city to pay his respects on May 2 and donated supplies for relief efforts, along with several other actors, musicians and athletes.
Due to the disaster, on August 6th, 2011, the University of Alabama
held a delayed graduation ceremony for the class of 2011 and awarded 6 students who died in the tornado posthumous degrees. The cable channel ESPN
has also filmed a tribute in memory of the devastation.
, which is entirely in the city limits, and the Black Warrior River
.
Tuscaloosa is located at 33°12′24"N 87°32′5"W (33.206540, -87.534607), approximately 60 miles (96.6 km) southwest of Birmingham
. It lies on the fall line
of the Black Warrior River approximately 311 kilometres (193.2 mi) upriver from the river's confluence with the Tombigbee River
at Demopolis
. Because of its location on the boundary between the Appalachian Highland and the Gulf Coastal Plain, the geography of the area around Tuscaloosa is diverse, varying from heavily forested hills to the northeast to a low-lying, marshy plain to the southwest.
heavily influences the climate by supplying the region with warm, moist air
. During the fall
, winter, and spring seasons, the interaction of this warm, moist air with cooler, drier air from the North along fronts create precipitation. These fronts usually move from west to east as they track along the jet stream
. Notable exceptions occur during hurricane season where storms may move from due south to due north or even from east to west during land-falling hurricanes. The interaction between low- and high-pressure air masses is most pronounced during the severe weather
seasons in the spring and fall. During the summer, the jet streams flows well to the north of the southeastern U.S., and most precipitation is consequently convectional, that is, caused by the warm surface heating the air above. Severe thunderstorm
s can bring damaging winds, large hail
and occasionally tornado
es. A destructive F4 tornado struck Tuscaloosa County in December 2000, killing eleven people. Tuscaloosa City was struck by an F2 Tornado in January 1997 which resulted in the death of one person. In April 2011, two tornadoes in a span of twelve days hit the city, the more devastating on April 27
which was at least an EF4, where over 50 fatalities occurred. According to Mayor Walter Maddox, considerable infrastructure damage was done to the city which will hamper recovery efforts.
Source: weatherbase.com
Winter lasts from mid-December to late-February; temperatures range from the mid-20s to the mid-50s. On average, the low temperature falls at freezing or below about 50 days a year. While rain is abundant (an average 5.09 in. per month from Dec.-Feb.), measurable snowfall is rare; the average annual snowfall is about 0.6 inches. Spring usually lasts from late-February to mid-May; temperatures range from the mid-50s to the low-80s and monthly rainfall amounts average about 5.05 in. (128 mm) per month. Summers last from mid-May to mid-September; temperatures range from the upper-60s to the mid-90s, with temperatures above 100°F (37.8°C) not uncommon, and average rainfall dip slightly to 3.97 in. (101 mm) per month. Autumn, which spans from mid-September to early-December, tends to be similar to Spring terms of temperature and precipitation.
The highest temperature to have been recorded at the Tuscaloosa Regional Airport was 107.0°F (41.7°C) on July 29, 1952 & August 10, 2007, while the lowest recorded temperature was -1.0°F (-18.3°C) on January 21, 1985
.
of 2000 there were 77,906 people, 31,381 households, and 16,945 families residing in the city. The population density
was 1,385.2 people per square mile (534.8/km²). There were 34,857 housing units at an average density of 619.8 per square mile (239.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 54.09% White
, 42.73% Black
or African American
, 0.16% Native American
, 1.49% Asian
, 0.02% Pacific Islander
, 0.63% from other races
, and 0.87% from two or more races. 1.40% of the population were Hispanic
or Latino
of any race.
There were 31,381 households out of which 23.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.0% were married couples
living together, 15.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 46.0% were non-families. 35.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 2.93.
In the city the population was spread out with 19.8% under the age of 18, 24.5% from 18 to 24, 25.4% from 25 to 44, 18.5% from 45 to 64, and 11.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 28 years. For every 100 females there were 90.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.9 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $27,731, and the median income for a family was $41,753. Males had a median income of $31,614 versus $24,507 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $19,129. About 14.2% of families and 23.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.3% of those under age 18 and 13.4% of those age 65 or over.
has over 1,000 families attending. It is one of the largest churches in the city. First Presbyterian Church is the place of worship for many American and German residents in Tuscaloosa. Calvary Baptist
Church, Englewood Baptist Church, and First African Baptist Church are three of the many Baptist churches in Tuscaloosa. Holy Cross Lutheran Church is a church reflecting on the Evangelical Lutheran community of Tuscaloosa. St. Gregory the Theologian Orthodox Church is the only Orthodox church in West Alabama. Its congregation is made up of Russians, Greeks, Romanians, Arabs, Eastern Europeans, and converts to Eastern Christianity. Some of the oldest churches in Tuscaloosa are: St. John's Roman Catholic Church c.1845 and Christ Episcopal Church
c.1828. Tuscaloosa is also home to many non-Christians as well. The Jewish
community of Tuscaloosa worships at Temple Emanu-El and the Hillel B'nai B'rith Center both near the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. The Hindu
Mandir Temple and Cultural Center is also found in Tuscaloosa.
, led by a mayor
and a seven-member city council
. The mayor and council members are elected concurrently for four-year terms. The mayor is elected by the city at-large while council members are elected to single-member districts. Neither the mayor nor the members of the city council is term-limited. All elected offices are nonpartisan. Elections take place on the fourth Tuesday of August in years following presidential election years, with run-off elections taking place six weeks later if necessary. Terms begin immediately after election. The most recent municipal elections were held in 2009.
The mayor is the chief executive and administrative officer of the city. His main duty is to oversee the day-to-day operation of city departments pursuant to executing policy enacted by the city council or, in the absence of any council policy, his own discretion. His other duties include preparing an operating budget each year for approval by the city council and acting as ambassador of the city. The mayor also presides over city council meetings but votes only in case of ties. The current Mayor of Tuscaloosa is Walter Maddox, who was elected to office in September 2005. Prior to Maddox, Alvin A. DuPont had served as mayor for 24 years.
The city council act as the legislative body of the city. It is powered by state law to consider policy and enact law and to make appoints to city boards. The council also considers the budget proposed by the mayor for approval. The majority of work in the council is done by committee. These committees usually consisting three council members, one of whom will be chairman, and relevant non-voting city employees.
Tuscaloosa, as the largest county seat in western Alabama, serves a hub of state and federal government agencies. In addition to the customary offices associated with the county courthouse, namely two District Court Judges, six Circuit Court Judges, the District Attorney
and the Public Defender
, several Alabama state government agencies have regional offices in Tuscaloosa, such as the Alabama Department of Transportation and the Alabama State Troopers (the state police).
Tuscaloosa is in the federal jurisdiction of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama
. There is a courthouse in Tuscaloosa simply called the Federal Courthouse. Several federal agencies operate bureaus out of the courthouse.
Federally, Tuscaloosa is split between the 6th and 7th Congressional Districts, which are represented by Spencer Bachus
(R
) and Terri Sewell
(D
), respectively. In addition, Alabama's senior senator
, Richard Shelby
(R
), is a resident of Tuscaloosa. Starting in 2013, the part of Tuscaloosa in the 6th Congressional District will shift to the 4th Congressional District, which is currently represented by Robert Aderholt
(R
).
On the state level, the city is split among the 5th, 21st, and 24th Senate districts and 62nd, 63rd, and 70th House districts in the Alabama State Legislature.
In December 2009, construction on the new federal courthouse of Tuscaloosa began. The $67 million building was the centerpiece of a major downtown urban renewal project. According to information released by the General Services Administration, the building will be 129000 square feet (11,984.5 m²) with parking. It will house the U.S. District Court, U.S. Bankruptcy Court and Social Security Administration office.
The Northern District of Alabama has only one facility suitable for holding a major criminal trial in Huntsville. However, Huntsville's lacks the facilities for safely moving criminal suspects in and out of the building safely. Tuscaloosa's new federal courthouse will anchor the federal structure for the whole Northern District of Alabama.
is employed by the federal, state, and local government agencies. 16.7% is employed in manufacturing; 16.4% in retail trade and transportation; 11.6% in finance, information, and private enterprise; 10.3% in mining and construction; and 9.2% in hospitality. Education and healthcare account for only 7.2% of the area workforce with the remainder employed in other services.
Tuscaloosa was ranked in the November 2009 issue of Fortune Small Business
as one of the "50 Best Places to Launch a Small Business" (ranked #11 among metro areas with populations of 250,000 or less).
The city's industrial and manufacturing base includes BFGoodrich Tire Manufacturing
, GAF Materials Corporation
, Hunt Refining Company
, JVC America
, Nucor Steel
and Phifer Wire among numerous other operations.
Another significant contributor to the manufacturing segment of the city's economy is the Mercedes-Benz U.S. International
assembly plant located on a site in Tuscaloosa County located near Vance
approximately 20 miles (32.2 km) east of downtown. The plant began assembling the Mercedes-Benz M-Class
in 1997 and the R-Class
Grand Sport Tourer
in 2005 and just recently began production with the GL-Class
. Plants that supply components to Mercedes-Benz also make their home in Tuscaloosa and add to the economic strength of the city.
The Westervelt Company, a land resources and wildlife management company has its headquarters in Tuscaloosa. The company was formerly the Gulf State Paper Corporation, with headquarters in Tuscaloosa from 1927 until 2005 when it sold its pulp and paperboard operations to the Rock-Tenn Company of Norcross, Georgia
. Gulf States then restructured to form Westervelt.
Health-care and education serve as the cornerstone of Tuscaloosa's service sector, which includes the University of Alabama
, DCH Regional Medical Center, Bryce Hospital, the William D. Partlow Developmental Center, and the Tuscaloosa VA
Medical Center.
and McFarland Mall
, a lifestyle center
, Midtown Village, which is anchored by Barnes and Noble and Best Buy
, and numerous other shopping outlets, Hillcrest Center, McFarland Plaza, Merchants Walk, South Plaza Shopping Center, Taylorville Corners, Downtown Business District, University Town Center, WaterMark Place Outlet Center, Wood Square Shopping Center, Skyland Plaza Shopping Center, Ridge Village Shopping Center, Parkview Plaza Shopping Center, Parkview Shopping Center, Alberta Plaza Shopping Center, Alberta Shopping Center, Alberta Park Shopping Center, Meadowbrook Shopping Center, The Shops at Lake Tuscaloosa and many, many more.
University Mall and Midtown Village, which are located along McFarland Boulevard, anchor the core retail area of the city. Other retail properties in this area include McFarland Plaza (formerly known as Bama Mall), an open-air mall anchored by Stein Mart and Toys R Us, and many other free standing store and restaurant, most notably SuperTarget and Home Depot, which are located on former east campus of the Shelton State Community College.
Midtown Village is a vibrant, mixed-use community in the heart of Tuscaloosa. The first of its kind in the state of Alabama, Midtown Village offers a combination of specialty retail, pubs, condominiums, outdoor cafés, and restaurants. Students, residents, and visitors alike can enjoy stores and restaurants that are new to Western Alabama, as well as old favorites in a brand new environment. Connecting this unique village is a series of main streets lined with charming store fronts that capture the small town feel, while abundant green spaces encourage visitors to gather and enjoy a sense of community that no other modern retail environment offers.
Other large retail areas in the city are located around the intersection of Skyland Boulevard and Alabama Highway 69/Interstate 359 (Lowe's
, Academy Sports and Outdoors
, K-Mart, Cobb Theatres
) and around the intersection of McFarland Boulevard and Skyland Boulevard (McFarland Mall, Wal-Mart Supercenter, Sam's Club
).
As in many cities across the US, the downtown area used to be the main retail area of Tuscaloosa until the opening of McFarland and University malls in what was then the suburbs. While efforts to restore the entertainment and cultural offerings downtown in recent years have paid off dividends, a revival of the retail offering has been less successful.
is the dominant institution of higher learning and is the largest university in the state of Alabama in terms of enrollment. Enrolling approximately 31,747 students on an 1800 acres (7.3 km²) campus, UA has been a part of Tuscaloosa's identity since it opened its doors in 1831. Stillman College
, which opened in 1875, is a historically Black
liberal arts college
enrolling approximately 1,200 students on a 105 acre (0.4249203 km²) campus.
Additionally, Shelton State Community College
, one of the largest in Alabama, is located in the city. The school enrolls around 7,000 students from all backgrounds and income levels. The majority of Shelton State students are "traditional" students. They are usually either first-time college students earning associate degrees for transfer to four-year institutions after graduation, or UA and Stillman students enrolled in entry-level classes that they cannot or do not want to take at their home institutions.
, Central High School
and Northridge High School
), and 2 specialty schools (the Tuscaloosa Center for Technology, a vocational school
, and Oak Hill School for special needs students). In 2002, the system spent $6,313 per pupil, the 19th highest amount of the 120 school systems in the state.
Tuscaloosa is also served by several private schools, both secular and religious, including Tuscaloosa Academy, American Christian Academy, Holy Spirit Catholic High School, Open Door Christian School, the Capitol School, and Tuscaloosa Christian School (in neighboring Cottondale).
Since 1923, the state-run William D. Partlow Developmental Center has served the mentally retarded, offering these citizens a public education as well as seeing to their other needs.
The Tuscaloosa Public Library
is a joint city-county agency with nearly 200,000 items on catalog. A total of 46,857 registered patrons use the library on a regular basis — roughly 28% of the population of the county. There are currently two branches in the city, the Main branch on Jack Warner Parkway and the Weaver-Bolden branch in western Tuscaloosa, and a third branch in suburban Taylorville (Brown branch).
Additionally, the University of Alabama, Stillman College and Shelton State Community College have campus libraries that are open for use to the public.
Museums in Tuscaloosa are located all over town, but are primarily concentrated in the downtown area or on the campus of UA. Museums that are downtown include CHOM: the Children’s Hands-On Museum of Tuscaloosa and the Murphy African-American Museum. The Alabama Museum of Natural History
and the Paul W. Bryant Museum
are located on the UA campus. The Westervelt Warner Museum of American Art
is located on the grounds of NorthRiver Yacht Club
in northern Tuscaloosa. Additional museums and galleries are found across the river in Northport
. The Jones Archaeological Museum is located 15 miles (24.1 km) south of Tuscaloosa at the Moundville Archaeological Park in Moundville
.
The Tuscaloosa Symphony Orchestra
, which celebrated its twenty-fifth season in 2006-2007, is based at the Moody Music Building and is conducted by American Adam Flatt.
. The Recital Hall features a Schlicker organ. Also on the UA campus, Rowand-Johnson Hall, holds the Marian Gallaway Theatre, a 305-seat proscenium theater
and the Allen Bales Theatre, a 170-seat thrust theatre. Finally, Morgan Hall features a 600-seat auditorium.
The Sandra Hall-Ray Fine Arts Centre on the Shelton State campus holds the Bean-Brown Theatre, a 450-seat proscenium theater, and the 100-seat Alabama Power Foundation Recital Hall.
The Bama Theatre
is a 1094-seat proscenium theater located in downtown Tuscaloosa and is operated by The Arts and Humanities Council. The Bama Theatre was built between 1937 and 1938 under the New Deal
-era Public Works Administration
as a movie palace
. At the time of its construction in 1938, it was the only air-conditioned building in Tuscaloosa. The theatre was renovated as a performing arts center in 1976 and housed the Tuscaloosa Symphony Orchestra and Theatre Tuscaloosa troupe until those groups moved into their own facilities.
Today, the Bama Theatre is the residence of the Tuscaloosa Children's Theatre Company and the Tuscaloosa Community Dancers. Additionally, its hosts the Arts Council's Cinema Nouveau movie series, which screens foreign and independent films. The Bama Theatre hosts a Jewish Film Festival in the spring, as well as several traveling film festivals. Additionally, the Bama Theatre has recently been serving as a concert venue, hosting recent performances by Joan Baez
, Aimee Mann
, the Drive-By Truckers
, Umphrey's Mcgee
, Ryan Adams
, Chuck Leavell
and many other performing artists.
Coleman Coliseum is a 15,383-seat multi-purpose arena that basically serves as the city of Tuscaloosa's municipal civic center. Because the City of Tuscaloosa does not have a municipal civic center, the demand for events grew rapidly and the Coliseum doubled its capacity in the 1970s due to this. In the 1990s marquee concerts and events that the arena had seen in the previous two decades grew scarce as the facility became more outdated and became mostly devoted to Crimson Tide athletic events. In the hope that the University could pull more excitement for events at the facility, the Coliseum underwent a significant renovation in 2005, which cost over $24 million.
The coliseum has hosted a diversity of events including commencement exercises, a visit by President
Ronald Reagan
, alumni gatherings, student convocation
s, concerts, operas, ballets, appearances by political figures, WCW Saturday Night
, etc. Travis Tritt
filmed his "Bible Belt" country music video there. Stars who have performed on its stages include The Rolling Stones
, Elvis Presley
, Elton John
, Grateful Dead
, Tom Petty
, Led Zeppelin
, Ray Charles
, Jimi Hendrix
, Bob Dylan
, Alan Jackson
, Reba McEntire
, Jay Leno
, Hank Williams, Jr.
, Daughtry, and many, many more.
In December 2010, construction on the Tuscaloosa Amphitheater
officially wrapped up with the dedication ceremony taking place days after. The 7,470 capacity Tuscaloosa Amphitheater is only blocks away from the lively downtown district and sits at the end of the fabulous Riverwalk on the banks of the Black Warrior River.
Since its dedication ceremony in March of 2011, performers such as Kenny Chesney
, Widespread Panic
, Steely Dan
, and Miranda Lambert
have graced the stage. Actor and stand up comedian Charlie Sheen
stated he intended on doing a stand up show at the amphitheater in the near future.
Less than a mile from the strip is Tuscaloosa's downtown district. It's more spread out than the strip and offers a variety of types of bars and restaurants. Younger people tend to frequent the Temerson Square area, off University (4th Street and 23rd Avenue) in downtown Tuscaloosa. You will find professors, students and professionals mingling together at The Downtown Pub and The Alcove International Tavern (the only smoke free bar in Tuscaloosa). Little Willie's is a small blues and jazz bar, while its bigger sister bar next door, Wilhagen's, has a big screen TV and an assortment of bar games to play. Innisfree is perhaps the most crowded bar on any given night, packed with ex-fraternity and sorority alumni as well as an assortment of current students and young professionals.
The city of Tuscaloosa's nightlife is a key reason why The University of Alabama consistently finds itself ranked in the Top 25 Party Schools, year in and year out. Bars are open well into the morning, even drawing in Mississippi State students from nearby Starkville.
There are numerous other less-famous BBQ locations—including Archibald's, Woodrow's, Mike and Eds, and Moe's Original BBQ. Around the University campus, there are a number of restaurants with varying specialties frequented by students and locals alike, including Hooligans, Rammer Jammer's, Swen, Ruan Thai, Surin of Thailand(The Midnight Sushi) and the proverbial favorite during warmer months, Summer Snow. There are also very many cultural restaurants in the city as well.
Prior to each football game is a massive gathering at the UA Quad, where people gather starting on Friday for tailgating
and the University of Alabama holds pep rallies on the Gorgas library steps. The Quad has hosted ESPN's Gameday several times and also is a place to meet Alabama football legends on game day and perform the "Elephant Stomp" (a pre-game parade) to Bryant-Denny Stadium with the Alabama mascot "Big Al" and the Million Dollar Band.
On the first Thursday of each month, the Tuscaloosa art galleries open their doors for "Art and Soul" — highlighting local artists. There is a shuttle service that runs between this event and Northport's
"Art Night."
The City of Tuscaloosa holds parades annually for holidays such as New Year's Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, St. Patrick's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Veterans Day, and Christmas Day. Holy Spirit Roman Catholic Church also hosts an annual religious procession/parade for Our Lady of Guadalupe on the Virgin of Guadalupe feast day in December, which reflects on both the catholic and Hispanic community.
Other annual city festivals worth noting are:
The University of Alabama Arboretum
is located on 60 acres (242,811.6 m²) of land at the intersection of Veterans Memorial Parkway and Pelham Loop Road, adjacent to the VA Hospital. The arboretum's primary emphasis is on Alabama's native flora and fauna. It includes 2.5 miles (4 km) of walking trails through native piney woods
and oak
-hickory
climax forest, a wildflower
garden containing more than 250 species, ornamental plants, an experimental garden, a bog
garden, an open-air pavilion, and a children's garden. Two greenhouse
s contain collections of orchids, cacti
, and tropical plants.
team. The University of Alabama also currently fields championship–caliber teams in baseball
, golf
, men's basketball
, women's gymnastics
, and softball
. These teams play in athletics facilities on the university campus, including Bryant-Denny Stadium
(capacity of 102,000+), Coleman Coliseum
(formerly Memorial Coliseum), Sewell-Thomas Stadium
, Rhoads Stadium, Foster Auditorium
and the Ol' Colony Golf Complex
.
Stillman College fields teams in football, men's and women's basketball, baseball and softball, among other sports. In the past decade, Stillman has gone through a renaissance of renovations, including a new football stadium, Stillman Stadium
.
Tuscaloosa is also the birthplace of Otis Davis
, 400-meter track world record holder and gold medalist at the Rome
1960 Summer Olympics
.
Previous professional teams calling Tuscaloosa home included the World Basketball Association
's Druid City Dragons
in 2006, and Tuscaloosa Warriors
football team in 1963, with both folding after one season.
' comedy, "Due Date
", starring Robert Downey Jr.
and Zach Galifianakis
. The filmmakers also said that the Tuscaloosa Convention and Visitors Bureau plans to establish a film commission that will work to bring more filmmakers to Tuscaloosa.
is the major daily newspaper serving the city. The Tuscaloosa News also publishes several websites and Tuscaloosa Magazine. The primary news website is tuscaloosanews.com . Tidesports.com focuses on University of Alabama sports. The Tuscaloosa News' offices are located west of downtown on a bluff overlooking the Black Warrior River.
The Planet Weekly is an alternative weekly newspapers
while The Crimson White
is the independent, student-run newspaper of the University of Alabama. The literary magazine Black Warrior Review
was founded by graduate students of the University's Creative Writing program in 1974, and is edited and published by students in the English program.
Tuscaloosa is part of the Birmingham-Tuscaloosa-Anniston television market
, which is the 40th largest in the nation. All major networks have a presence in the market. WCFT 33
is the ABC
affiliate, WIAT 42 is the CBS
affiliate, WBRC 6
is the Fox
affiliate, WVTM 13
is the NBC affiliate, WBIQ 10
is the PBS
affiliate, WTTO 21
is the CW
affiliate, and WABM 68
is the MyNetworkTV
affiliate. Additionally, WVUA 7
, an independent station, is operated by the University of Alabama. The Tuscaloosa City School system is home to a Student television station
program: Bryant-Central-Northridge Television (BCN-TV)
Tuscaloosa is the 234th largest radio market
in the nation. In January 2007, of the top-ten-rated radio stations, two were urban, three were country, two were contemporary, and one each was gospel, oldies, and talk radio.
Tuscaloosa serves as home base to Alabama Public Radio
, the state's largest public radio network. APR's main studios are housed at the University of Alabama, and the flagship signal, WUAL-FM
, originates from a transmitter south of town. WUAL serves Tuscaloosa, portions of the Birmingham metro area and several counties of west-central Alabama. The University of Alabama also houses WVUA-FM
, a 24/7 college radio station run completely by students.
theater's in the state of Alabama, located inside of the Hollywood 16 Theater, which was once the largest movie theater in the state of Alabama. The Ferguson Center on the University of Alabama
campus also contains a movie theater, which is popular among the students. The Bama Theatre in downtown also screens select films.
The Carmike
Bama 6 Theater, formerly located at the "Bama Mall" (now known as McFarland Plaza) recently closed its doors as a result of the Regal
Hollywood 16's growing popularity.
opened in 1916 as the Druid City Infirmary. The emergency department
at DCH operates a trauma center
(though it is not verified as one by the American College of Surgeons
, however) that serves all of west central Alabama
and is one of the busiest in the state. The DCH Healthcare authority also operates Northport Medical Center in neighboring Northport
.
Other major medical centers in Tuscaloosa include the 702-bed Veterans Affairs
Medical Center-Tuscaloosa and the 422-bed Bryce Hospital, Mary S. Harper Geriatric Psychiatry Center, and Taylor Hardin Secure Medical Facility.
, AL 215
, and AL 216
) and two duplexed (conjoined) Interstates (I-20
/I-59
). Interstate 359
spurs off from I-20/I-59 and heads northward, ending in downtown Tuscaloosa. AL 297
will be the future loop road around Tuscaloosa.
Tuscaloosa also contains one toll road
on the Black Warrior Parkway (I-20/I-59), charging $1.25 for automobiles, and one toll bridge
(Black Warrior Parkway bridge).
Greyhound Bus Lines provides passenger bus service to Tuscaloosa. Its station is located at 2520 Stillman Blvd in downtown Tuscaloosa. The Tuscaloosa Transit Authority
operates the Tuscaloosa Trolley System. The Tuscaloosa Trolley provides local public bus transportation with four fixed routes that operate Monday through Friday from 5:00AM to 6:00PM. The trolley's paint job is an illusion; it is a El Dorado Transmark RE bus, painted to look like a trolley.
The Tuscaloosa Regional Airport
, on the north side of the Black Warrior River west of downtown Northport, is equipped with two lighted runways (6499' and 4001') and provides full facilities for the general aviation which the airport mainly serves. The airport also supports private jetcraft and commercial charter flights, but passengers of regularly scheduled commercial aircraft from Tuscaloosa embark at either the convenient and well equipped Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport, located 53 miles (85.3 km) away on the east side of downtown Birmingham
, or the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
, located 210 miles (338 km) away in Atlanta
, Georgia
.
Heliports include the Bryant Culberson Heliport and the Tuscaloosa Police Department Heliport.
Amtrak
provides passenger rail service to Tuscaloosa though the Crescent
line, which connects the area to major cities along the east coast from New York to New Orleans. The Amtrak station
is situated at 2105 Greensboro Avenue, one mile (1.6 km) south of downtown. Norfolk Southern Railway
and Alabama Southern Railroad
provide freight services to the area. KCS
previously provided service to the area before leasing its lines to Watco in July 2005.
.
The Black Warrior River is bounded along nearly its entire course by a series of locks
and dams
. They form a chain of narrow reservoirs, providing aids to navigation and barge handling as well as hydroelectric power and drinking water. The Black Warrior River watershed is a vital river basin entirely contained within Alabama, America's leading state for freshwater biodiversity
. Near Tuscaloosa, the river flows out of the rocky Cumberland Plateau
and enters the sandy East Gulf Coastal Plain
. Barge
transportation in and out of the Port of Tuscaloosa and other commercial navigation make the Black Warrior a silent giant in the state of Alabama's economy.
Though the Port of Tuscaloosa is a small one, it is one of the larger facilities on the Black Warrior River at waterway
mile marker 338.5. There are no railway connections at this port as they primarily concentrate on the shipment of dry bulk commodities, including lignite
, coal
and coal coke. The federal government and the City of Tuscaloosa share the ownership of the Port of Tuscaloosa; the operation of the port is leased out to Powell Sales and has been run by them since 1997.
At waterway mile marker 343.2 on the opposite side of the river is a steel company with its own tracks at the rear of the plant connecting with the Kansas City Southern Railroad for barge shipments of iron and steel products such as ingots, bars, rods, steel slabs, plates and coils. Tuscaloosa Steel Corporation was one of the first U.S. steel companies to implement the Steckel Mill Technology.
The Port of Tuscaloosa grew out of the system of locks and dams on the Black Warrior River built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in the 1890s. Its construction opened up an inexpensive transportation link to the Gulf seaport of Mobile, Alabama
that stimulated the mining
and metallurgical industries of the region that are still in operation.
The Army Corps of Engineers has maintained a system of locks and dams along the Black Warrior River for over a century to allow navigability all the way up to Birmingham. Barge traffic thus routinely runs through Tuscaloosa to the Alabama State Docks at Mobile
, on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico
. Via the Tenn-Tom Waterway
, the city is connected to the Ohio River
valley and beyond.
Schorndorf, Germany
Sunyani
–Techiman, Ghana
(Two cities partnered as one sister city)
's Sweet Home Alabama; Scott Stetson, renowned traveler and host of top rated travel show in Port Elizabeth, South Africa; Joe Borden and Jim Patton, co-writers for Tosh.o; and many, many more), some of the more notable residents include:
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
of Tuscaloosa County
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...
in west central Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state 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...
(in the southeastern United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
). Located on the 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...
, it is the fifth-largest city in Alabama, with a population of 90,468 in 2010. It is the principal city of the Tuscaloosa Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes Tuscaloosa, 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...
, and 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....
counties, and whose estimated metro population in 2009 was 210,839. A former capital of Alabama, Tuscaloosa is named after Tuskaloosa, the chieftain of a Muskogean
Muskogean languages
Muskogean is an indigenous language family of the Southeastern United States. Though there is an ongoing debate concerning their interrelationships, the Muskogean languages are generally divided into two branches, Eastern Muskogean and Western Muskogean...
-speaking people, who battled and was defeated by Hernando de Soto
Hernando de Soto (explorer)
Hernando de Soto was a Spanish explorer and conquistador who, while leading the first European expedition deep into the territory of the modern-day United States, was the first European documented to have crossed the Mississippi River....
in 1540 in the Battle of Mabila
Mabila
The town of Mabila was a small fortress town known to Chief Tuskaloosa in 1540, in a region of present-day central Alabama. The exact location has been debated for centuries...
.
Tuscaloosa is the regional center of industry, commerce, healthcare, and education for the area of west-central Alabama known as West Alabama. Tuscaloosa is also the home of the University of Alabama
University of Alabama
The University of Alabama is a public coeducational university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States....
. While the city attracted international attention when Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz is a German manufacturer of automobiles, buses, coaches, and trucks. Mercedes-Benz is a division of its parent company, Daimler AG...
announced it would build its first automotive assembly plant in North America in Tuscaloosa County, the university remains the dominant economic and cultural engine in the city.
The city has received many quality-of-life accolades. It was named one of the "50 Best Places to Launch a Small Business" in 2009 by Fortune Small Business
Fortune Small Business
Fortune Small Business ' was a magazine published ten times each year. The publication was a joint venture by The Fortune Group at Time Inc. and American Express Small Business Services...
, and one of the "100 Best Communities for Young People" by America’s Promise Alliance. It was named "The Most Liveable City in America" in 2011 by the U.S. Conference of Mayors.
Tuscaloosa has been traditionally known as the "Druid City" because of the numerous water oak
Water oak
Quercus nigra, the Water Oak, is an oak in the red oak group , native to the southeastern United States, from southern Delaware and south to the coastal areas of Maryland, Virginia, the piedmont of North Carolina, all of South Carolina, most of Georgia , all of Alabama, Mississippi, central...
s planted in its downtown streets since the 1840s. City leaders adopted the moniker "The City of Champions" after the Alabama Crimson Tide football team won the BCS National Championship game in 2010.
Native American
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
s or Paleo-Indians arrived in what today is referred to as the Deep South
Deep South
The Deep South is a descriptive category of the cultural and geographic subregions in the American South. Historically, it is differentiated from the "Upper South" as being the states which were most dependent on plantation type agriculture during the pre-Civil War period...
. Paleo-Indians in the South were hunter-gatherer
Hunter-gatherer
A hunter-gatherer or forage society is one in which most or all food is obtained from wild plants and animals, in contrast to agricultural societies which rely mainly on domesticated species. Hunting and gathering was the ancestral subsistence mode of Homo, and all modern humans were...
s who pursued the megafauna
Megafauna
In terrestrial zoology, megafauna are "giant", "very large" or "large" animals. The most common thresholds used are or...
that became extinct following the end of the Pleistocene
Pleistocene
The Pleistocene is the epoch from 2,588,000 to 11,700 years BP that spans the world's recent period of repeated glaciations. The name pleistocene is derived from the Greek and ....
age. After thousands of years, the Paleo-Indians developed a rich and complex agricultural society. Archaeologists called these people the Mississippians of the Mississippian culture
Mississippian culture
The Mississippian culture was a mound-building Native American culture that flourished in what is now the Midwestern, Eastern, and Southeastern United States from approximately 800 CE to 1500 CE, varying regionally....
; they were Mound Builders. Their large earthworks
Earthworks (archaeology)
In archaeology, earthwork is a general term to describe artificial changes in land level. Earthworks are often known colloquially as 'lumps and bumps'. Earthworks can themselves be archaeological features or they can show features beneath the surface...
, built for political and religious rituals and expressing their cosmology, still stand throughout the valleys of the Ohio
Ohio River
The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...
and Mississippi rivers, as well as their tributaries in the Southeast.
Descendant Native American
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
tribes include the Creek
Creek people
The Muscogee , also known as the Creek or Creeks, are a Native American people traditionally from the southeastern United States. Mvskoke is their name in traditional spelling. The modern Muscogee live primarily in Oklahoma, Alabama, Georgia, and Florida...
. Also among the historical tribes living in the area of present-day Alabama at the time of European contact were the Iroquoian-speaking Cherokee
Cherokee
The Cherokee are a Native American people historically settled in the Southeastern United States . Linguistically, they are part of the Iroquoian language family...
, and the Muskogean-speaking Alabama
Alabama (people)
The Alabama or Alibamu are a Southeastern culture people of Native Americans, originally from Mississippi...
(Alibamu), Chickasaw
Chickasaw
The Chickasaw are Native American people originally from the region that would become the Southeastern United States...
, Choctaw
Choctaw
The Choctaw are a Native American people originally from the Southeastern United States...
, Koasati, and Mobile
Mobilian Jargon
Mobilian Jargon was a pidgin used as a lingua franca among Native American groups living along the Gulf of Mexico around the time of European settlement of the region...
.
In 1829, Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson was the seventh President of the United States . Based in frontier Tennessee, Jackson was a politician and army general who defeated the Creek Indians at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend , and the British at the Battle of New Orleans...
was elected president of the United States. He had gained popularity when he defeated the Creek at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend
Battle of Horseshoe Bend
The Battle of Horseshoe Bend , was fought during the War of 1812 in central Alabama...
in 1814, following victories in the War of 1812. He long proposed Indian removal to the Indian Territory west of the Mississippi, to make land available for European-American setlement. Jackson abandoned the policy of his predecessors of treating different Indian groups as separate nations. Instead, he aggressively pursued plans to move all Indian tribes living east of the Mississippi River. Following the Indian Removal Act
Indian Removal Act
The Indian Removal Act was signed into law by President Andrew Jackson on May 28, 1830.The Removal Act was strongly supported in the South, where states were eager to gain access to lands inhabited by the Five Civilized Tribes. In particular, Georgia, the largest state at that time, was involved in...
, in 1832 the Creek National Council signed the Treaty of Cusseta
Treaty of Cusseta
The Treaty of Cusseta was a treaty between the government of the United States and the Creek Nation signed March 24, 1832. The treaty ceded all Creek claims east of the Mississippi River to the United States.-Origins:...
, ceding their remaining lands east of the Mississippi
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
to the U.S., and accepting relocation to the Indian Territory. Most Muscogee-speaking peoples were removed to Indian Territory during the Trail of Tears
Trail of Tears
The Trail of Tears is a name given to the forced relocation and movement of Native American nations from southeastern parts of the United States following the Indian Removal Act of 1830...
in 1834, although some remained behind. Some Muscogee in Alabama live near Poarch Creek Reservation in Atmore
Atmore, Alabama
Atmore is a city in Escambia County, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 7,676. According to the 2005 U.S. Census estimates, the city had a population of 7,530. The city was named for Mr. C.P. Atmore....
(northeast of 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...
).
Statehood
The pace of white settlement in the Southeast increased greatly after the War of 1812War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
. A small assortment of log cabins soon arose near the large Creek village at the fall line of the river, which the new settlers named in honor of the legendary Chief Tuskaloosa of a Muskogean
Muskogean languages
Muskogean is an indigenous language family of the Southeastern United States. Though there is an ongoing debate concerning their interrelationships, the Muskogean languages are generally divided into two branches, Eastern Muskogean and Western Muskogean...
-speaking tribe. In 1817, Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state 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...
became a territory
Alabama Territory
The Territory of Alabama was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from August 15, 1817, until December 14, 1819, when it was admitted to the Union as the State of Alabama.-History:...
, and on December 13, 1819, the territorial legislature incorporated the town of Tuscaloosa, one day before Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
admitted Alabama to the Union
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
as a state.
University of Alabama
The University of Alabama is a public coeducational university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States....
was established. The town's population and economy grew rapidly until the departure of the capital to 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...
caused a rapid decline in population. Establishment of the Bryce State Hospital for the Insane in Tuscaloosa in the 1850s helped restore the city's fortunes.
Civil War
During the Civil WarAmerican Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
following Alabama's secession
Secession
Secession is the act of withdrawing from an organization, union, or especially a political entity. Threats of secession also can be a strategy for achieving more limited goals.-Secession theory:...
from the Union, several thousand men from Tuscaloosa fought in the Confederate
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
armies. During the last weeks of the War, a brigade of Union troops raiding the city burned the campus of the university. The larger town was also damaged in the battle and shared fully in the South's economic sufferings which followed the defeat.
In the 1890s the construction of a system of locks and dams on the Black Warrior River by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers opened up an inexpensive link to the Gulf seaport of 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...
, stimulating especially the mining and metallurgical industries of the region. By the advent of the 20th century, the growth of the University of Alabama and the mental health-care facilities in the city, along with a strong national economy fueled a steady growth in Tuscaloosa which continued unabated for 100 years.
Civil rights era
On June 11, 1963, George WallaceGeorge 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...
, the governor of Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state 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...
, stood in front of the Foster Auditorium
Foster Auditorium
Foster Auditorium is a multi-purpose facility at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. It was built in 1939 and has been used for Alabama basketball, women's sports , graduations, lectures, concerts, and other large gatherings, including registration...
entrance at The University of Alabama in what became known as the Stand in the Schoolhouse Door
Stand in the Schoolhouse Door
The Stand in the Schoolhouse Door took place at Foster Auditorium at the University of Alabama on June 11, 1963. George Wallace, the Governor of Alabama, in a symbolic attempt to keep his inaugural promise of "segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever" and stop the desegregation of...
in an attempt to stop desegregation
Desegregation
Desegregation is the process of ending the separation of two groups usually referring to races. This is most commonly used in reference to the United States. Desegregation was long a focus of the American Civil Rights Movement, both before and after the United States Supreme Court's decision in...
of that institution by the enrollment of two African-American students, Vivian Malone
Vivian Malone Jones
Vivian Juanita Malone Jones was an African-American woman, one of the first two African Americans to enroll at the University of Alabama in 1963 and was made famous when Alabama Governor George Wallace blocked them from enrolling at the all-white university.-University of Alabama:On June 11, 1963,...
and James Hood
James Hood
James Hood was one of the first African Americans to enroll at the University of Alabama in 1963 and was made famous when Alabama Governor George Wallace blocked him from enrolling at the all-white university....
; when confronted by US Deputy Attorney General Nicholas Katzenbach
Nicholas Katzenbach
Nicholas deBelleville Katzenbach is an American lawyer who served as United States Attorney General during the Lyndon B. Johnson administration.-Early life:...
and federal marshal
United States Marshals Service
The United States Marshals Service is a United States federal law enforcement agency within the United States Department of Justice . The office of U.S. Marshal is the oldest federal law enforcement office in the United States; it was created by the Judiciary Act of 1789...
s sent in by Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy
Robert F. Kennedy
Robert Francis "Bobby" Kennedy , also referred to by his initials RFK, was an American politician, a Democratic senator from New York, and a noted civil rights activist. An icon of modern American liberalism and member of the Kennedy family, he was a younger brother of President John F...
, Wallace stepped aside. President 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....
had called for the integration of the University of Alabama as well.
Although Hood dropped out of school after two months, he subsequently returned and, in 1997, received his Ph.D. in philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
. Malone persisted in her studies and became the first African American to graduate from the university. In 2000, the university granted her a doctorate of humane letters. Autherine Lucy's expulsion was recinded in 1980, and she successfully re-enrolled and graduated with a master's degree in 1992. Later in his life, Wallace apologized for his opposition at that time to racial integration
Racial integration
Racial integration, or simply integration includes desegregation . In addition to desegregation, integration includes goals such as leveling barriers to association, creating equal opportunity regardless of race, and the development of a culture that draws on diverse traditions, rather than merely...
.
In 2010, the university formally honored Lucy, Hood and Malone by rechristening the plaza in front of Foster Auditorium as Malone-Hood Plaza and erecting a clock tower – Autherine Lucy Clock Tower – in the plaza.
Manufacturing plants of large firms such as Michelin
Michelin
Michelin is a tyre manufacturer based in Clermont-Ferrand in the Auvergne région of France. It is one of the two largest tyre manufacturers in the world along with Bridgestone. In addition to the Michelin brand, it also owns the BFGoodrich, Kleber, Riken, Kormoran and Uniroyal tyre brands...
and JVC
JVC
, usually referred to as JVC, is a Japanese international consumer and professional electronics corporation based in Yokohama, Japan which was founded in 1927...
located in town during the latter half of the 20th century. However, it was the announcement of the addition of the Mercedes
Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz is a German manufacturer of automobiles, buses, coaches, and trucks. Mercedes-Benz is a division of its parent company, Daimler AG...
facility in 1993 that best personified the new era of economic prosperity for Tuscaloosa.
2011 Tornado
On April 27, 2011, Tuscaloosa was hit by a 1.5 mi (2.4 km) wide EF4Enhanced Fujita Scale
The Enhanced Fujita Scale rates the strength of tornadoes in the United States based on the damage they cause.Implemented in place of the Fujita scale introduced in 1971 by Ted Fujita, it began operational use on February 1, 2007. The scale has the same basic design as the original Fujita scale:...
tornado that resulted in 47 deaths, over 1000 injuries, and massive devastation. Its top winds were estimated by the US National Weather Service
National Weather Service
The National Weather Service , once known as the Weather Bureau, is one of the six scientific agencies that make up the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the United States government...
at 190 mi/h. Officials at DCH Regional Medical alone reported treating more than 1000 injured people in the tornado aftermath. Officials reported dozens of unaccompanied minors being admitted for treatment at the hospital, raising questions about the possible loss of their parents. Several were to pediatric trauma wards, indicating serious injuries. Referring to the extent and severity of the damage, Mayor Walter Maddox stated that "we have neighborhoods that have been basically removed from the map."
The tornado was part of the larger April 25–28, 2011 tornado outbreak
April 25–28, 2011 tornado outbreak
An extremely large and violent tornado outbreak, the largest tornado outbreak ever recorded, and popularly known as the 2011 Super Outbreak, occurred from April 25 to 28, 2011. The outbreak affected the Southern, Midwestern, and Northeastern United States, leaving catastrophic destruction in...
with effect most parts of the eastern United States.
In the immediate aftermath of the tornado, thousands of rescue workers dug through the wreckage looking for survivors and recovering bodies. More than 450 were originally listed as missing in the post disaster chaos, leading to fears that the death toll could sky rocket to the hundreds and skepticism about the relatively slow fatality figures with respects to the number of casualties. Rumors abounded about refrigerated trucks being brought to store unidentified remains and countless bodies at the bottom of area bodies of water. However, the fatality figure did not increase (in fact, it decreased) and most missing persons were later found to have survived. During this period, The Tuscaloosa News
The Tuscaloosa News
The Tuscaloosa News is a daily newspaper serving Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA, and the surrounding area in west central Alabama.The newspaper is a member of the New York Times Regional Media Group, a subsidiary of the New York Times Company, through the corporate entity of NYT Holdings, Inc., an...
posted an online people finder to aid loved ones and friends in finding one another and to determine who was still missing.
Two days after the storm, US president Barack Obama and Alabama governor Robert Bentley, and their spouses, Michelle Obama and Diane Bentley, respectively accompanied Maddox on tour of the damage and recovery efforts, along with FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate and several Congressional dignitaries. Remarking about the scale and severity of the damage, Obama stated, "I've never seen devastation like this, it's heartbreaking" after touring the damaged areas. Obama pledged the full resources of the federal government towards aiding the recovery efforst Bentley—himself a Tuscaloosa native—pledged additional national guard troops.
Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox announced that he was requesting 500 additional National Guard Troops as well as calling for more volunteer aid workers and also cadaver teams for the recovery of bodies in order to prevent the spread of disease.
The New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
organization contributed $500,000 to the American Red Cross
American Red Cross
The American Red Cross , also known as the American National Red Cross, is a volunteer-led, humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief and education inside the United States. It is the designated U.S...
and Salvation Army
Salvation Army
The Salvation Army is a Protestant Christian church known for its thrift stores and charity work. It is an international movement that currently works in over a hundred countries....
to aid in recovery efforts as well as the Atlanta Braves
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
organization donating $100,000. Actor Charlie Sheen
Charlie Sheen
Carlos Irwin Estevez , better known by his stage name Charlie Sheen, is an American film and television actor. He is the youngest son of actor Martin Sheen....
visited the city to pay his respects on May 2 and donated supplies for relief efforts, along with several other actors, musicians and athletes.
Due to the disaster, on August 6th, 2011, the University of Alabama
University of Alabama
The University of Alabama is a public coeducational university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States....
held a delayed graduation ceremony for the class of 2011 and awarded 6 students who died in the tornado posthumous degrees. The cable channel ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
has also filmed a tribute in memory of the devastation.
Geography and climate
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Tuscaloosa has a total area of 70.3 square miles (182.1 km²), of which 60.2 square miles (155.9 km²) is land and 10.1 square miles (26.2 km²) is water. Most water within the city limits is in Lake TuscaloosaLake Tuscaloosa
Lake Tuscaloosa is a reservoir in west-central Alabama, created by damming North River. It was constructed to provide water for Tuscaloosa residents and for industrial use as well. It was completed in 1970 at a cost of about $7,725,000...
, which is entirely in the city limits, and the 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...
.
Tuscaloosa is located at 33°12′24"N 87°32′5"W (33.206540, -87.534607), approximately 60 miles (96.6 km) southwest 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...
. It lies on the fall line
Fall line
A fall line is a geomorphologic unconformity between an upland region of relatively hard crystalline basement rock and a coastal plain of softer sedimentary rock. A fall line is typically prominent when crossed by a river, for there will often be rapids or waterfalls...
of the Black Warrior River approximately 311 kilometres (193.2 mi) upriver from the river's confluence with the Tombigbee River
Tombigbee River
The Tombigbee River is a tributary of the Mobile River, approximately 200 mi long, in the U.S. states of Mississippi and Alabama. It is one of two major rivers, along with the Alabama River, that unite to form the short Mobile River before it empties into Mobile Bay on the Gulf of Mexico...
at Demopolis
Demopolis, Alabama
Demopolis is the largest city in Marengo County, Alabama, United States. The population was 7,483 at the time of the 2010 United States Census....
. Because of its location on the boundary between the Appalachian Highland and the Gulf Coastal Plain, the geography of the area around Tuscaloosa is diverse, varying from heavily forested hills to the northeast to a low-lying, marshy plain to the southwest.
Cityscape
The six major areas of Tuscaloosa are:- West Tuscaloosa
- Midtown
- Downtown Tuscaloosa
- The University of Alabama
- Alberta CityAlberta City, Tuscaloosa, AlabamaAlberta City is a neighborhood located in the eastern area of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States. The area is generally defined as encompassing the portions of the city east of U.S. Route 82 , west of Holt, south of the Black Warrior River and north of Veterans Memorial Parkway...
- CottondaleCottondale, AlabamaCottondale is an unincorporated community in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama, now encompassed in the eastern suburbs of Tuscaloosa. The ZIP Code is 35453...
Climate
The area experiences a typical Southern subtropical climate with four distinct seasons. The Gulf of MexicoGulf 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...
heavily influences the climate by supplying the region with warm, moist air
Air mass
In meteorology, an air mass is a volume of air defined by its temperature and water vapor content. Air masses cover many hundreds or thousands of square miles, and adopt the characteristics of the surface below them. They are classified according to latitude and their continental or maritime...
. During the fall
Autumn
Autumn is one of the four temperate seasons. Autumn marks the transition from summer into winter usually in September or March when the arrival of night becomes noticeably earlier....
, winter, and spring seasons, the interaction of this warm, moist air with cooler, drier air from the North along fronts create precipitation. These fronts usually move from west to east as they track along the jet stream
Jet stream
Jet streams are fast flowing, narrow air currents found in the atmospheres of some planets, including Earth. The main jet streams are located near the tropopause, the transition between the troposphere and the stratosphere . The major jet streams on Earth are westerly winds...
. Notable exceptions occur during hurricane season where storms may move from due south to due north or even from east to west during land-falling hurricanes. The interaction between low- and high-pressure air masses is most pronounced during the severe weather
Severe weather
Severe weather phenomena are weather conditions that are hazardous to human life and property.- Examples Include :Severe weather can occur under a variety of situations, but three characteristics are generally needed: a temperature or moisture boundary, moisture, and , instability in the...
seasons in the spring and fall. During the summer, the jet streams flows well to the north of the southeastern U.S., and most precipitation is consequently convectional, that is, caused by the warm surface heating the air above. Severe thunderstorm
Thunderstorm
A thunderstorm, also known as an electrical storm, a lightning storm, thundershower or simply a storm is a form of weather characterized by the presence of lightning and its acoustic effect on the Earth's atmosphere known as thunder. The meteorologically assigned cloud type associated with the...
s can bring damaging winds, large hail
Hail
Hail is a form of solid precipitation. It consists of balls or irregular lumps of ice, each of which is referred to as a hail stone. Hail stones on Earth consist mostly of water ice and measure between and in diameter, with the larger stones coming from severe thunderstorms...
and occasionally tornado
Tornado
A tornado is a violent, dangerous, rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. They are often referred to as a twister or a cyclone, although the word cyclone is used in meteorology in a wider...
es. A destructive F4 tornado struck Tuscaloosa County in December 2000, killing eleven people. Tuscaloosa City was struck by an F2 Tornado in January 1997 which resulted in the death of one person. In April 2011, two tornadoes in a span of twelve days hit the city, the more devastating on April 27
April 25–28, 2011 tornado outbreak
An extremely large and violent tornado outbreak, the largest tornado outbreak ever recorded, and popularly known as the 2011 Super Outbreak, occurred from April 25 to 28, 2011. The outbreak affected the Southern, Midwestern, and Northeastern United States, leaving catastrophic destruction in...
which was at least an EF4, where over 50 fatalities occurred. According to Mayor Walter Maddox, considerable infrastructure damage was done to the city which will hamper recovery efforts.
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average high °F (°C) |
58 (15) |
61 (16) |
67 (20) |
77 (26) |
84 (28) |
91 (33) |
93 (34) |
93 (34) |
87 (30) |
78 (25) |
66 (19) |
58 (15) |
76 (24.4) |
| Average low °F (°C) |
35 (2) |
38 (4) |
43 (6) |
51 (10) |
59 (15) |
67 (20) |
70 (21) |
69 (21) |
63 (17) |
51 (11) |
39 (4) |
35 (2) |
52 (11.1) |
| Average rainfall: inches/mm | 5 / 127 |
5.5 140 |
6.1 155 |
4.3 110 |
4.4 113 |
3.4 168 |
4.0 102 |
3.0 76 |
3.3 84 |
2.7 69 |
3.9 99 |
4.7 119 |
50.3 / 1278 |
Source: weatherbase.com
Winter lasts from mid-December to late-February; temperatures range from the mid-20s to the mid-50s. On average, the low temperature falls at freezing or below about 50 days a year. While rain is abundant (an average 5.09 in. per month from Dec.-Feb.), measurable snowfall is rare; the average annual snowfall is about 0.6 inches. Spring usually lasts from late-February to mid-May; temperatures range from the mid-50s to the low-80s and monthly rainfall amounts average about 5.05 in. (128 mm) per month. Summers last from mid-May to mid-September; temperatures range from the upper-60s to the mid-90s, with temperatures above 100°F (37.8°C) not uncommon, and average rainfall dip slightly to 3.97 in. (101 mm) per month. Autumn, which spans from mid-September to early-December, tends to be similar to Spring terms of temperature and precipitation.
The highest temperature to have been recorded at the Tuscaloosa Regional Airport was 107.0°F (41.7°C) on July 29, 1952 & August 10, 2007, while the lowest recorded temperature was -1.0°F (-18.3°C) on January 21, 1985
January 1985 Arctic outbreak
The 1985 Arctic outbreak was a meteorological event, the result of the shifting of the polar vortex further south than is normally seen. Blocked from its normal movement, polar air from the north pushed into nearly every section of the eastern half of the United States and Canada, shattering record...
.
Population
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000 there were 77,906 people, 31,381 households, and 16,945 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 1,385.2 people per square mile (534.8/km²). There were 34,857 housing units at an average density of 619.8 per square mile (239.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 54.09% White
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 42.73% Black
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
or African American
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.16% Native American
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 1.49% Asian
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.02% Pacific Islander
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.63% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 0.87% from two or more races. 1.40% of the population were Hispanic
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
or Latino
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
of any race.
There were 31,381 households out of which 23.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.0% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 15.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 46.0% were non-families. 35.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 2.93.
In the city the population was spread out with 19.8% under the age of 18, 24.5% from 18 to 24, 25.4% from 25 to 44, 18.5% from 45 to 64, and 11.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 28 years. For every 100 females there were 90.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.9 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $27,731, and the median income for a family was $41,753. Males had a median income of $31,614 versus $24,507 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $19,129. About 14.2% of families and 23.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.3% of those under age 18 and 13.4% of those age 65 or over.
Religion
The city of Tuscaloosa is home to many places of worship in which people from the surrounding area of West Alabama may come to worship. Holy Spirit Roman Catholic ChurchRoman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
has over 1,000 families attending. It is one of the largest churches in the city. First Presbyterian Church is the place of worship for many American and German residents in Tuscaloosa. Calvary Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
Church, Englewood Baptist Church, and First African Baptist Church are three of the many Baptist churches in Tuscaloosa. Holy Cross Lutheran Church is a church reflecting on the Evangelical Lutheran community of Tuscaloosa. St. Gregory the Theologian Orthodox Church is the only Orthodox church in West Alabama. Its congregation is made up of Russians, Greeks, Romanians, Arabs, Eastern Europeans, and converts to Eastern Christianity. Some of the oldest churches in Tuscaloosa are: St. John's Roman Catholic Church c.1845 and Christ Episcopal Church
Episcopal Church (United States)
The Episcopal Church is a mainline Anglican Christian church found mainly in the United States , but also in Honduras, Taiwan, Colombia, Ecuador, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, the British Virgin Islands and parts of Europe...
c.1828. Tuscaloosa is also home to many non-Christians as well. The Jewish
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
community of Tuscaloosa worships at Temple Emanu-El and the Hillel B'nai B'rith Center both near the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. The Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
Mandir Temple and Cultural Center is also found in Tuscaloosa.
Government
Tuscaloosa has a strong-mayor variant mayor-council form of governmentMayor-council government
The mayor–council government system, sometimes called the mayor–commission government system, is one of the two most common forms of local government for municipalities...
, led by a mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
and a seven-member city council
City council
A city council or town council is the legislative body that governs a city, town, municipality or local government area.-Australia & NZ:Because of the differences in legislation between the States, the exact definition of a City Council varies...
. The mayor and council members are elected concurrently for four-year terms. The mayor is elected by the city at-large while council members are elected to single-member districts. Neither the mayor nor the members of the city council is term-limited. All elected offices are nonpartisan. Elections take place on the fourth Tuesday of August in years following presidential election years, with run-off elections taking place six weeks later if necessary. Terms begin immediately after election. The most recent municipal elections were held in 2009.
| District | Representative | Serving Since |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bobby E. Howard | 2005 |
| 2 | Harrison Taylor | 1993 |
| 3 | Cynthia Lee Almond | 2005 |
| 4 | Lee Garrison | 1997 |
| 5 | Kip Tyner | 1997 |
| 6 | Bob Lundell | 2005 |
| 7 | William Tinker, III | 2005 |
The mayor is the chief executive and administrative officer of the city. His main duty is to oversee the day-to-day operation of city departments pursuant to executing policy enacted by the city council or, in the absence of any council policy, his own discretion. His other duties include preparing an operating budget each year for approval by the city council and acting as ambassador of the city. The mayor also presides over city council meetings but votes only in case of ties. The current Mayor of Tuscaloosa is Walter Maddox, who was elected to office in September 2005. Prior to Maddox, Alvin A. DuPont had served as mayor for 24 years.
The city council act as the legislative body of the city. It is powered by state law to consider policy and enact law and to make appoints to city boards. The council also considers the budget proposed by the mayor for approval. The majority of work in the council is done by committee. These committees usually consisting three council members, one of whom will be chairman, and relevant non-voting city employees.
Tuscaloosa, as the largest county seat in western Alabama, serves a hub of state and federal government agencies. In addition to the customary offices associated with the county courthouse, namely two District Court Judges, six Circuit Court Judges, the District Attorney
District attorney
In many jurisdictions in the United States, a District Attorney is an elected or appointed government official who represents the government in the prosecution of criminal offenses. The district attorney is the highest officeholder in the jurisdiction's legal department and supervises a staff of...
and the Public Defender
Public defender
The term public defender is primarily used to refer to a criminal defense lawyer appointed to represent people charged with a crime but who cannot afford to hire an attorney in the United States and Brazil. The term is also applied to some ombudsman offices, for example in Jamaica, and is one way...
, several Alabama state government agencies have regional offices in Tuscaloosa, such as the Alabama Department of Transportation and the Alabama State Troopers (the state police).
Tuscaloosa is in the federal jurisdiction of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama
United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama
The United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama is the Federal district court whose jurisdiction comprises the following counties: Bibb, Blount, Calhoun, Cherokee, Clay, Cleburne, Colbert, Cullman, De Kalb, Etowah, Fayette, Franklin, Greene, Jackson, Jefferson, Lamar,...
. There is a courthouse in Tuscaloosa simply called the Federal Courthouse. Several federal agencies operate bureaus out of the courthouse.
Federally, Tuscaloosa is split between the 6th and 7th Congressional Districts, which are represented by Spencer Bachus
Spencer Bachus
Spencer Thomas Bachus III is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1993. He is a member of the Republican Party and the senior member of the Alabama U. S. House delegation...
(R
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...
) and Terri Sewell
Terri Sewell
Terrycina Andrea "Terri" Sewell is the U.S. Representative for . She is a member of the Democratic Party and the first black woman elected to Congress from Alabama...
(D
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...
), respectively. In addition, Alabama's senior senator
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
, Richard Shelby
Richard Shelby
Richard Craig Shelby is the senior U.S. Senator from Alabama. First elected to the Senate in 1986, he is the ranking member of the United States Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs and was its chairman from 2003 to 2007....
(R
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...
), is a resident of Tuscaloosa. Starting in 2013, the part of Tuscaloosa in the 6th Congressional District will shift to the 4th Congressional District, which is currently represented by Robert Aderholt
Robert Aderholt
Robert Brown Aderholt is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1997. He is a member of the Republican Party.The district includes most of the far northern suburbs of Birmingham, as well as the southern suburbs of Huntsville and Decatur.- Early life, education and career :Aderholt was born in...
(R
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...
).
On the state level, the city is split among the 5th, 21st, and 24th Senate districts and 62nd, 63rd, and 70th House districts in the Alabama State Legislature.
In December 2009, construction on the new federal courthouse of Tuscaloosa began. The $67 million building was the centerpiece of a major downtown urban renewal project. According to information released by the General Services Administration, the building will be 129000 square feet (11,984.5 m²) with parking. It will house the U.S. District Court, U.S. Bankruptcy Court and Social Security Administration office.
The Northern District of Alabama has only one facility suitable for holding a major criminal trial in Huntsville. However, Huntsville's lacks the facilities for safely moving criminal suspects in and out of the building safely. Tuscaloosa's new federal courthouse will anchor the federal structure for the whole Northern District of Alabama.
Economy
Despite its image as a college town, Tuscaloosa boasts a diversified economy based on all sectors of manufacturing and service. Twenty-five percent of the labor force in the Tuscaloosa Metropolitan Statistical AreaTuscaloosa 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...
is employed by the federal, state, and local government agencies. 16.7% is employed in manufacturing; 16.4% in retail trade and transportation; 11.6% in finance, information, and private enterprise; 10.3% in mining and construction; and 9.2% in hospitality. Education and healthcare account for only 7.2% of the area workforce with the remainder employed in other services.
Tuscaloosa was ranked in the November 2009 issue of Fortune Small Business
Fortune Small Business
Fortune Small Business ' was a magazine published ten times each year. The publication was a joint venture by The Fortune Group at Time Inc. and American Express Small Business Services...
as one of the "50 Best Places to Launch a Small Business" (ranked #11 among metro areas with populations of 250,000 or less).
The city's industrial and manufacturing base includes BFGoodrich Tire Manufacturing
BFGoodrich
BFGoodrich is an American brand of tires. Separated from the Goodrich company and now owned by Michelin.Some Michelin competition tyres are now branded BFGoodrich to increase brand awareness....
, GAF Materials Corporation
GAF Materials Corporation
GAF Materials Corporation is a company based in Wayne, New Jersey, that has roots dating back to the late 19th century. The GAF acronym stands for General Aniline & Film. The company has historically been primarily focused on manufacturing of roofing materials for residential and commercial...
, Hunt Refining Company
Hunt Refining Company
Hunt Refining Company was founded by oilman H.L. Hunt as an asphalt refining company in 1946. Today it owns and operates a petroleum refinery in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The plant also includes a coker and a diesel hydrotreater. In 2006, they announced plans for a $500 million expansion to the...
, JVC America
JVC
, usually referred to as JVC, is a Japanese international consumer and professional electronics corporation based in Yokohama, Japan which was founded in 1927...
, Nucor Steel
Nucor
Nucor Corporation , a Fortune 300 company headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, is one of the largest steel producers in the United States, and the largest of the "mini-mill" operators...
and Phifer Wire among numerous other operations.
Another significant contributor to the manufacturing segment of the city's economy is the Mercedes-Benz U.S. International
Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz is a German manufacturer of automobiles, buses, coaches, and trucks. Mercedes-Benz is a division of its parent company, Daimler AG...
assembly plant located on a site in Tuscaloosa County located near Vance
Vance, Alabama
Vance is a town in Bibb and Tuscaloosa Counties in the U.S. state of Alabama, just outside of the city of Tuscaloosa. It is most famous for the Mercedes-Benz plant, currently the only one in North America...
approximately 20 miles (32.2 km) east of downtown. The plant began assembling the Mercedes-Benz M-Class
Mercedes-Benz M-Class
The Mercedes-Benz M-Class is a luxury mid-size sport utility vehicle , first offered in 1997 as a 1998 model, and built by the German automaker Mercedes-Benz. Gradually, the M-Class became a sales success in the United States and Mexico. In terms of size, it is slotted in between the smaller...
in 1997 and the R-Class
Mercedes-Benz R-Class
The R-Class is a multi-purpose vehicle offered by Daimler AG in 2006 model year under the Mercedes-Benz brand. It is the first full-sized multi-purpose vehicle ever produced by Mercedes-Benz...
Grand Sport Tourer
Grand tourer
A grand tourer is a high-performance luxury automobile designed for long-distance driving. The most common format is a two-door coupé with either a two-seat or a 2+2 arrangement....
in 2005 and just recently began production with the GL-Class
Mercedes-Benz GL-Class
The Mercedes-Benz GL-Class is a full-size crossover SUV built by the German carmaker Mercedes-Benz since 2006. The GL-Class debuted at the 2006 North American International Auto Show. The car was designed for the American market, which is shown by its large size, making it the only similarly sized...
. Plants that supply components to Mercedes-Benz also make their home in Tuscaloosa and add to the economic strength of the city.
The Westervelt Company, a land resources and wildlife management company has its headquarters in Tuscaloosa. The company was formerly the Gulf State Paper Corporation, with headquarters in Tuscaloosa from 1927 until 2005 when it sold its pulp and paperboard operations to the Rock-Tenn Company of Norcross, Georgia
Norcross, Georgia
As of 2010 Norcross had a population of 9,116. The racial and ethnic composition of the population was 40.8% white , 19.8% black or African American , 0.7% Native American, 2.1% Asian Indian, 10.7% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 21.5% from some other race and 4.3% reporting two or more races...
. Gulf States then restructured to form Westervelt.
Health-care and education serve as the cornerstone of Tuscaloosa's service sector, which includes the University of Alabama
University of Alabama
The University of Alabama is a public coeducational university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States....
, DCH Regional Medical Center, Bryce Hospital, the William D. Partlow Developmental Center, and the Tuscaloosa VA
United States Department of Veterans Affairs
The United States Department of Veterans Affairs is a government-run military veteran benefit system with Cabinet-level status. It is the United States government’s second largest department, after the United States Department of Defense...
Medical Center.
Retail
Tuscaloosa is home to two regional malls, University MallUniversity Mall (Tuscaloosa, Alabama)
University Mall is the largest mall in western Alabama. It is located at the intersection of McFarland Boulevard and Veterans' Memorial Parkway in Tuscaloosa, the busiest in the city....
and McFarland Mall
McFarland Mall
McFarland Mall is a regional shopping mall on U.S. Route 11 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Located at the interchange of Interstate 20/59 with U.S. Route 82 , it is in the southern section of the city...
, a lifestyle center
Lifestyle center (retail)
A lifestyle center is a shopping center or mixed-used commercial development that combines the traditional retail functions of a shopping mall with leisure amenities oriented towards upscale consumers...
, Midtown Village, which is anchored by Barnes and Noble and Best Buy
Best Buy
Best Buy Co., Inc. is an American specialty retailer of consumer electronics in the United States, accounting for 19% of the market. It also operates in Mexico, Canada & China. The company's subsidiaries include Geek Squad, CinemaNow, Magnolia Audio Video, Pacific Sales, and, in Canada operates...
, and numerous other shopping outlets, Hillcrest Center, McFarland Plaza, Merchants Walk, South Plaza Shopping Center, Taylorville Corners, Downtown Business District, University Town Center, WaterMark Place Outlet Center, Wood Square Shopping Center, Skyland Plaza Shopping Center, Ridge Village Shopping Center, Parkview Plaza Shopping Center, Parkview Shopping Center, Alberta Plaza Shopping Center, Alberta Shopping Center, Alberta Park Shopping Center, Meadowbrook Shopping Center, The Shops at Lake Tuscaloosa and many, many more.
University Mall and Midtown Village, which are located along McFarland Boulevard, anchor the core retail area of the city. Other retail properties in this area include McFarland Plaza (formerly known as Bama Mall), an open-air mall anchored by Stein Mart and Toys R Us, and many other free standing store and restaurant, most notably SuperTarget and Home Depot, which are located on former east campus of the Shelton State Community College.
Midtown Village is a vibrant, mixed-use community in the heart of Tuscaloosa. The first of its kind in the state of Alabama, Midtown Village offers a combination of specialty retail, pubs, condominiums, outdoor cafés, and restaurants. Students, residents, and visitors alike can enjoy stores and restaurants that are new to Western Alabama, as well as old favorites in a brand new environment. Connecting this unique village is a series of main streets lined with charming store fronts that capture the small town feel, while abundant green spaces encourage visitors to gather and enjoy a sense of community that no other modern retail environment offers.
Other large retail areas in the city are located around the intersection of Skyland Boulevard and Alabama Highway 69/Interstate 359 (Lowe's
Lowe's
Lowe's Companies, Inc. is a U.S.-based chain of retail home improvement and appliance stores. Founded in 1946 in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, the chain now serves more than 14 million customers a week in its 1,710 stores in the United States and 20 in Canada. Expansion into Canada began in...
, Academy Sports and Outdoors
Academy Sports and Outdoors
Academy Sports + Outdoors is a sports goods discount store chain. For 74 years it was a privately held company owned by the Gochman family, until its May 2011 sale of majority ownership to the investment firm Kohlberg Kravis and Roberts LP. Academy is one of the largest sporting goods stores in the...
, K-Mart, Cobb Theatres
Cobb Theatres
Cobb Theatres, who presently operates 18 locations with 232 screens, is a cinema chain based in Birmingham, Alabama. The majority of Cobb Theatres' currently operating cinemas are in Florida, with others in Alabama, Virginia, and Colorado plus a new location under construction in Georgia.The...
) and around the intersection of McFarland Boulevard and Skyland Boulevard (McFarland Mall, Wal-Mart Supercenter, Sam's Club
Sam's Club
Sam's Club is a chain of membership-only retail warehouse clubs owned and operated by Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., founded in 1983 and named after Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton. , the Sam's Club chain serves more than 47 million U.S. members...
).
As in many cities across the US, the downtown area used to be the main retail area of Tuscaloosa until the opening of McFarland and University malls in what was then the suburbs. While efforts to restore the entertainment and cultural offerings downtown in recent years have paid off dividends, a revival of the retail offering has been less successful.
Education
Education is a vital component of the city as Tuscaloosa is home to several colleges and schools.Higher education
The University of AlabamaUniversity of Alabama
The University of Alabama is a public coeducational university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States....
is the dominant institution of higher learning and is the largest university in the state of Alabama in terms of enrollment. Enrolling approximately 31,747 students on an 1800 acres (7.3 km²) campus, UA has been a part of Tuscaloosa's identity since it opened its doors in 1831. Stillman College
Stillman College
-Marching Band:The school's marching band is named the Blue Pride Marching Band.In February 2010, Stillman College dedicated the brand new facility, the Thomas Lyle Band Center, named in honor of former band director Thomas Lyle, in conjunction with the Wynn Fine Arts Center.Organizations include:...
, which opened in 1875, is a historically Black
Historically Black Colleges and Universities
Historically black colleges and universities are institutions of higher education in the United States that were established before 1964 with the intention of serving the black community....
liberal arts college
Liberal arts college
A liberal arts college is one with a primary emphasis on undergraduate study in the liberal arts and sciences.Students in the liberal arts generally major in a particular discipline while receiving exposure to a wide range of academic subjects, including sciences as well as the traditional...
enrolling approximately 1,200 students on a 105 acre (0.4249203 km²) campus.
Additionally, Shelton State Community College
Shelton State Community College
Shelton State Community College is a two-year community college located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Operated by the Alabama State Department of Postsecondary Education, Shelton is one of the largest two-year colleges in the state. Approximately 7,000 students are enrolled in some form of coursework,...
, one of the largest in Alabama, is located in the city. The school enrolls around 7,000 students from all backgrounds and income levels. The majority of Shelton State students are "traditional" students. They are usually either first-time college students earning associate degrees for transfer to four-year institutions after graduation, or UA and Stillman students enrolled in entry-level classes that they cannot or do not want to take at their home institutions.
Primary and secondary education
The Tuscaloosa City School System serves the city. It is overseen by the Tuscaloosa City Board of Education, which is composed of eight members elected by district and a chairman elected by a citywide vote. The Board appoints a Superintendent to manage the day-to-day operations of the system. Operating with a $100 million budget, the system enrolls approximately 10,300 students. The system consists of 19 schools: 12 elementary schools, 3 middle schools, 3 high schools (Paul W. Bryant High SchoolPaul W. Bryant High School
Paul W. Bryant High School serves grades 9 through 12 and is located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, forming part of the Tuscaloosa City Schools. The school is named after former Alabama Crimson Tide football head coach Paul William "Bear" Bryant...
, Central High School
Central High School (Tuscaloosa, Alabama)
Central High School is a high school in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, enrolling grades 9-12. The school enrolls approximately 700 students, and is one of three traditional high schools in the Tuscaloosa City School District along with Paul W. Bryant High School and Northridge High School...
and Northridge High School
Northridge High School (Alabama)
Northridge High School is a public high school in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States, enrolling 1078 students in grades 9–12. It is one of three high schools in the Tuscaloosa City School District. Northridge High offers technical, academic programs, as well as joint enrollment with Shelton State...
), and 2 specialty schools (the Tuscaloosa Center for Technology, a vocational school
Vocational school
A vocational school , providing vocational education, is a school in which students are taught the skills needed to perform a particular job...
, and Oak Hill School for special needs students). In 2002, the system spent $6,313 per pupil, the 19th highest amount of the 120 school systems in the state.
Tuscaloosa is also served by several private schools, both secular and religious, including Tuscaloosa Academy, American Christian Academy, Holy Spirit Catholic High School, Open Door Christian School, the Capitol School, and Tuscaloosa Christian School (in neighboring Cottondale).
Since 1923, the state-run William D. Partlow Developmental Center has served the mentally retarded, offering these citizens a public education as well as seeing to their other needs.
Culture and recreation
Tuscaloosa is home to a variety of cultural sites and events reflective of its historical and modern role in Alabama and the Southeast in general. Many of these cultural events are sponsored by the University of Alabama. Numerous performing arts groups and facilities, historical sites, and museums dedicated to subjects as varying as American art and collegiate football dot the city. There are events that reflect upon the ethnic cultures of Tuscaloosa. The Tuscaloosa County Industrial Development Association sponsors the annual Weindorf German Festival celebrating German culture and the annual Sakura Japanese Festival. The Irish culture is celebrated through the city's St. Patrick's Day Parade and the Celtic Kentuck' Festival. Holy Spirit Catholic Church holds a religious procession/parade and mass in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe which is symbolic to the large Hispanic population and the catholic population of the area.Libraries and museums
Tuscaloosa Public Library
The Tuscaloosa Public Library is a city/county agency located in the city of Tuscaloosa, serving a population of over 184,035 in Tuscaloosa County in the state of Alabama, USA. The Library has 58,037 registered patrons that use the library on a regular basis. There are currently over 225,000 items...
is a joint city-county agency with nearly 200,000 items on catalog. A total of 46,857 registered patrons use the library on a regular basis — roughly 28% of the population of the county. There are currently two branches in the city, the Main branch on Jack Warner Parkway and the Weaver-Bolden branch in western Tuscaloosa, and a third branch in suburban Taylorville (Brown branch).
Additionally, the University of Alabama, Stillman College and Shelton State Community College have campus libraries that are open for use to the public.
Alabama Museum of Natural History
The Alabama Museum of Natural History is the state's natural history museum, located in Smith Hall at the University of Alabama campus in Tuscaloosa. The oldest museum in the state, it was founded in 1831. The exhibits depict the natural diversity of Alabama from the Age of Dinosaurs, the Coal Age,...
and the Paul W. Bryant Museum
Paul W. Bryant Museum
The Paul W. Bryant Museum is located on the campus of the University of Alabama, in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Founded in 1985, the museum was opened in 1988 to "house the history of Alabama football, with special emphasis on the legendary coach," Bear Bryant....
are located on the UA campus. The Westervelt Warner Museum of American Art
Westervelt Warner Museum of American Art
The Westervelt Warner is located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States. The Westervelt collection is the result of 40 years of collecting American art by Jack Warner. He founded the museum in 2003 after exhibiting portions of the collection elsewhere...
is located on the grounds of NorthRiver Yacht Club
NorthRiver Yacht Club
NorthRiver Yacht Club is a private golf club in Tuscaloosa, Alabama which officially opened in 1978. The course was originally designed by professional golfer Gary Player but was redesigned in 1997 by noted architect Bob Cupp...
in northern Tuscaloosa. Additional museums and galleries are found across the river in Northport
Northport, Alabama
Northport is a city in Tuscaloosa County in the west central part of the U.S. state of Alabama. Located on the Black Warrior River across from downtown Tuscaloosa, it is currently the 24th largest city in Alabama with an estimated population of 23,442 in 2009...
. The Jones Archaeological Museum is located 15 miles (24.1 km) south of Tuscaloosa at the Moundville Archaeological Park in Moundville
Moundville, Alabama
Moundville is a town in Hale and Tuscaloosa Counties in the U.S. state of Alabama. At the 2000 census the population was 1,809. It is part of the Tuscaloosa Metropolitan Statistical Area. Moundville is known for its quintessential southern landscapes and Indian Mounds.-Geography:Moundville is...
.
Performing arts
Tuscaloosa is home to a great number of performing arts organizations. Though some are affiliated with UA or Shelton State, several are independent organizations. These various organization cooperate and coordinate their operations through the Arts and Humanities Council of Tuscaloosa County. The Arts Council also operates the Bama Theatre (see below).The Tuscaloosa Symphony Orchestra
Tuscaloosa Symphony Orchestra
The Tuscaloosa Symphony Orchestra is an orchestra based in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA. It celebrated its twenty-fifth season during 2006-2007. The orchestra performs at the Moody Music Building on the campus of the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa....
, which celebrated its twenty-fifth season in 2006-2007, is based at the Moody Music Building and is conducted by American Adam Flatt.
Facilities
The Frank Moody Music Building on the UA campus holds a 1000-seat Concert Hall and a 140-seat Recital Hall. The Concert Hall features a three-story-tall, 5,000-pipe Holtkamp organ and frequently hosts concerts and other musical events, including the hit band, KansasKansas (band)
Kansas is an American rock band that became popular in the 1970s initially on Album-Oriented Rock charts, and later with hit singles such as "Carry On Wayward Son" and "Dust in the Wind"...
. The Recital Hall features a Schlicker organ. Also on the UA campus, Rowand-Johnson Hall, holds the Marian Gallaway Theatre, a 305-seat proscenium theater
Proscenium
A proscenium theatre is a theatre space whose primary feature is a large frame or arch , which is located at or near the front of the stage...
and the Allen Bales Theatre, a 170-seat thrust theatre. Finally, Morgan Hall features a 600-seat auditorium.
The Sandra Hall-Ray Fine Arts Centre on the Shelton State campus holds the Bean-Brown Theatre, a 450-seat proscenium theater, and the 100-seat Alabama Power Foundation Recital Hall.
The Bama Theatre
Bama Theatre
The Bama Theatre is Tuscaloosa's performing arts center. Its development is the result of a unique cooperation between the Arts Council of Tuscaloosa and the Tuscaloosa County Parks and Recreation Authority...
is a 1094-seat proscenium theater located in downtown Tuscaloosa and is operated by The Arts and Humanities Council. The Bama Theatre was built between 1937 and 1938 under the New Deal
New Deal
The New Deal was a series of economic programs implemented in the United States between 1933 and 1936. They were passed by the U.S. Congress during the first term of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The programs were Roosevelt's responses to the Great Depression, and focused on what historians call...
-era Public Works Administration
Public Works Administration
The Public Works Administration , part of the New Deal of 1933, was a large-scale public works construction agency in the United States headed by Secretary of the Interior Harold L. Ickes. It was created by the National Industrial Recovery Act in June 1933 in response to the Great Depression...
as a movie palace
Movie palace
A movie palace is a term used to refer to the large, elaborately decorated movie theaters built between the 1910s and the 1940s. The late 1920s saw the peak of the movie palace, with hundreds opened every year between 1925 and 1930.There are three building types in particular which can be subsumed...
. At the time of its construction in 1938, it was the only air-conditioned building in Tuscaloosa. The theatre was renovated as a performing arts center in 1976 and housed the Tuscaloosa Symphony Orchestra and Theatre Tuscaloosa troupe until those groups moved into their own facilities.
Today, the Bama Theatre is the residence of the Tuscaloosa Children's Theatre Company and the Tuscaloosa Community Dancers. Additionally, its hosts the Arts Council's Cinema Nouveau movie series, which screens foreign and independent films. The Bama Theatre hosts a Jewish Film Festival in the spring, as well as several traveling film festivals. Additionally, the Bama Theatre has recently been serving as a concert venue, hosting recent performances by Joan Baez
Joan Baez
Joan Chandos Baez is an American folk singer, songwriter, musician and a prominent activist in the fields of human rights, peace and environmental justice....
, Aimee Mann
Aimee Mann
Aimee Mann is an American rock singer-songwriter, guitarist and bassist.-Early life:Aimee Mann grew up in Bon Air, Virginia, graduated from Open High School in 1978 and attended the Berklee College of Music in Boston, but dropped out to sing with her first punk rock band, the Young Snakes...
, the Drive-By Truckers
Drive-By Truckers
Drive-By Truckers are an alternative country/Southern rock band based in Athens, Georgia, though three out of six members are originally from The Shoals region of Northern Alabama, and the band strongly identifies with Alabama. Their music uses three guitars as well as bass, drums, and now...
, Umphrey's Mcgee
Umphrey's McGee
Umphrey's McGee is an American progressive rock jam band based in Chicago whose music is often referred to as "progressive improvisation", or "improg" ....
, Ryan Adams
Ryan Adams
David Ryan Adams is an American alt-country/rock singer-songwriter, from Jacksonville, North Carolina. Initially part of the group Whiskeytown, Adams left the band and released his first solo album Heartbreaker in 2000...
, Chuck Leavell
Chuck Leavell
Chuck Leavell is an American pianist and keyboardist, who was a member of The Allman Brothers Band throughout the height of their popularity, a founding member of the jazz-rock combo Sea Level, a frequently-employed session musician, and later, the keyboardist for Eric Clapton and The Rolling...
and many other performing artists.
The coliseum has hosted a diversity of events including commencement exercises, a visit by President
President
A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
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....
, alumni gatherings, student convocation
Convocation
A Convocation is a group of people formally assembled for a special purpose.- University use :....
s, concerts, operas, ballets, appearances by political figures, WCW Saturday Night
WCW Saturday Night
WCW Saturday Night was a weekly Saturday night TV show on TBS produced by World Championship Wrestling. The program existed through various incarnations under different names before becoming WCW Saturday Night in 1992...
, etc. Travis Tritt
Travis Tritt
James Travis Tritt is an American country music singer from Marietta, Georgia. He signed to Warner Bros. Records in 1989, releasing seven studio albums and a greatest hits package for the label between then and 1999. In the 2000s, he released two albums on Columbia Records and one for the defunct...
filmed his "Bible Belt" country music video there. Stars who have performed on its stages include The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
, Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
, Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
, Grateful Dead
Grateful Dead
The Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in the San Francisco Bay Area. The band was known for its unique and eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, folk, bluegrass, blues, reggae, country, improvisational jazz, psychedelia, and space rock, and for live performances of long...
, Tom Petty
Tom Petty
Thomas Earl "Tom" Petty is an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He is the frontman of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and was a founding member of the late 1980s supergroup Traveling Wilburys and Mudcrutch. He has also performed under the pseudonyms of Charlie T...
, Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
, Ray Charles
Ray Charles
Ray Charles Robinson , known by his shortened stage name Ray Charles, was an American musician. He was a pioneer in the genre of soul music during the 1950s by fusing rhythm and blues, gospel, and blues styles into his early recordings with Atlantic Records...
, Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
, Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
, Alan Jackson
Alan Jackson
Alan Eugene Jackson is an American country music singer, known for blending traditional honky tonk and mainstream country sounds and penning many of his own hits. He has recorded 13 studio albums, 3 Greatest Hits albums, 2 Holiday albums, 1 Gospel album and several compilations, all on the Arista...
, Reba McEntire
Reba McEntire
Reba Nell McEntire is an American country music artist and actress. She began her career in the music industry as a high school student singing in the Kiowa High School band , on local radio shows with her siblings, and at rodeos. As a solo act, she was invited to perform at a rodeo in Oklahoma...
, Jay Leno
Jay Leno
James Douglas Muir "Jay" Leno is an American stand-up comedian and television host.From 1992 to 2009, Leno was the host of NBC's The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Beginning in September 2009, Leno started a primetime talk show, titled The Jay Leno Show, which aired weeknights at 10:00 p.m. ,...
, Hank Williams, Jr.
Hank Williams, Jr.
Randall Hank Williams , better known as Hank Williams, Jr. and Bocephus, is an American country singer-songwriter and musician. His musical style is often considered a blend of Southern rock, blues, and traditional country...
, Daughtry, and many, many more.
In December 2010, construction on the Tuscaloosa Amphitheater
Tuscaloosa Amphitheater
The Tuscaloosa Amphitheater is a outdoor amphitheater in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA that is used primarily for music performances. It has a seating capacity of 7,470....
officially wrapped up with the dedication ceremony taking place days after. The 7,470 capacity Tuscaloosa Amphitheater is only blocks away from the lively downtown district and sits at the end of the fabulous Riverwalk on the banks of the Black Warrior River.
Since its dedication ceremony in March of 2011, performers such as Kenny Chesney
Kenny Chesney
Kenneth "Kenny" Arnold Chesney is an American country music singer and songwriter. Chesney has recorded 15 albums, 14 of which have been certified gold or higher by the RIAA. He has also produced more than 30 Top Ten singles on the U.S...
, Widespread Panic
Widespread Panic
Widespread Panic is an American rock band from Athens, Georgia. The current lineup includes guitarist/singer John Bell, bassist Dave Schools, drummer Todd Nance, percussionist Domingo "Sunny" Ortiz, keyboardist John "JoJo" Hermann, and guitarist Jimmy Herring...
, Steely Dan
Steely Dan
Steely Dan is an American rock band; its core members are Donald Fagen and Walter Becker. The band's popularity peaked in the late 1970s, with the release of seven albums blending elements of jazz, rock, funk, R&B, and pop...
, and Miranda Lambert
Miranda Lambert
Miranda Lambert is an American country music artist who gained fame as a finalist on the 2003 season of Nashville Star, where she finished in third place and later signed to Epic Records. Lambert made her debut with the release of "Me and Charlie Talking", the first single from her 2005 debut...
have graced the stage. Actor and stand up comedian Charlie Sheen
Charlie Sheen
Carlos Irwin Estevez , better known by his stage name Charlie Sheen, is an American film and television actor. He is the youngest son of actor Martin Sheen....
stated he intended on doing a stand up show at the amphitheater in the near future.
Nightlife
Tuscaloosa (or T-Town) is widely considered to be the unofficial party capital of the state of Alabama by many - especially during football season. Nightlife in Tuscaloosa is primarily split between The Strip and downtown. The strip is literally a strip of bars on University Blvd. near the campus of the University of Alabama. One of the oldest bars on the strip (before its recent renovation) is the Houndstooth Sports Bar (named the Number 1 Sports Bar in America by Playboy Magazine). Tuscaloosa's rock 'n' roll dive bar Egan's, sits across the street and other bars such as The Bear Trap, The Dixie (which touts the biggest indoor music venue) and Red Shed and more surround them. Galette's, which has no sign, is the fraternity and sorority bar. During the school year, and especially football season, the Strip pulsates with students, alumni, locals and visitors being walking distance from Bryant-Denny stadium where the Crimson Tide plays its football games.Less than a mile from the strip is Tuscaloosa's downtown district. It's more spread out than the strip and offers a variety of types of bars and restaurants. Younger people tend to frequent the Temerson Square area, off University (4th Street and 23rd Avenue) in downtown Tuscaloosa. You will find professors, students and professionals mingling together at The Downtown Pub and The Alcove International Tavern (the only smoke free bar in Tuscaloosa). Little Willie's is a small blues and jazz bar, while its bigger sister bar next door, Wilhagen's, has a big screen TV and an assortment of bar games to play. Innisfree is perhaps the most crowded bar on any given night, packed with ex-fraternity and sorority alumni as well as an assortment of current students and young professionals.
The city of Tuscaloosa's nightlife is a key reason why The University of Alabama consistently finds itself ranked in the Top 25 Party Schools, year in and year out. Bars are open well into the morning, even drawing in Mississippi State students from nearby Starkville.
Restaurants
Eateries in Tuscaloosa range from the upscale Kozy's Fine Dining and Cypress Inn to a shabby steak house, Nick's in the Sticks. Downtown offers Italian cuisine at Venice Italian Fusion or Depalma's; biscuits and grits are served at the Waysider, a landmark filled with Crimson Tide paraphernalia, or across the river at Northport's City Cafe or Northport Diner. Ribs are available at various locations, most famously DreamlandDreamland Bar-B-Que
Dreamland Bar-B-Que is a barbecue restaurant chain based in Alabama. It was founded by "Big Daddy" John Bishop in the Jerusalem Heights neighborhood of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, in 1958, but has since franchised, opening restaurants in Birmingham, Montgomery, Huntsville, Mobile, Northport, and opened...
There are numerous other less-famous BBQ locations—including Archibald's, Woodrow's, Mike and Eds, and Moe's Original BBQ. Around the University campus, there are a number of restaurants with varying specialties frequented by students and locals alike, including Hooligans, Rammer Jammer's, Swen, Ruan Thai, Surin of Thailand(The Midnight Sushi) and the proverbial favorite during warmer months, Summer Snow. There are also very many cultural restaurants in the city as well.
Events
Tailgating
Tailgating is the practice of driving on a road too close to the vehicle in front, at a distance which does not guarantee that stopping to avoid collision is possible...
and the University of Alabama holds pep rallies on the Gorgas library steps. The Quad has hosted ESPN's Gameday several times and also is a place to meet Alabama football legends on game day and perform the "Elephant Stomp" (a pre-game parade) to Bryant-Denny Stadium with the Alabama mascot "Big Al" and the Million Dollar Band.
On the first Thursday of each month, the Tuscaloosa art galleries open their doors for "Art and Soul" — highlighting local artists. There is a shuttle service that runs between this event and Northport's
Northport, Alabama
Northport is a city in Tuscaloosa County in the west central part of the U.S. state of Alabama. Located on the Black Warrior River across from downtown Tuscaloosa, it is currently the 24th largest city in Alabama with an estimated population of 23,442 in 2009...
"Art Night."
The City of Tuscaloosa holds parades annually for holidays such as New Year's Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, St. Patrick's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Veterans Day, and Christmas Day. Holy Spirit Roman Catholic Church also hosts an annual religious procession/parade for Our Lady of Guadalupe on the Virgin of Guadalupe feast day in December, which reflects on both the catholic and Hispanic community.
Other annual city festivals worth noting are:
- Weindorf Festival - The Weindorf Festival is a cultural German festival in which native Tuscaloosans and German immigrants celebrate Tuscaloosa's bond with Germany through the near-by Mercedes-Benz Automobile Plant and Tuscaloosa's sister City of Schorndorf. The celebration includes German alcoholic beverages, singing, dancing, and other Germanic arts.
- SakuraSakuraA cherry blossom is the flower of any of several trees of genus Prunus, particularly the Japanese Cherry, Prunus serrulata, which is sometimes called sakura after the Japanese . Many of the varieties that have been cultivated for ornamental use do not produce fruit...
Festival - The Sakura festival celebrates the symbolic moment when a cherry blossom petal detaches itself to float earthward, which reminds one of the paradoxically fleeting, yet enduring, nature of life. Every March Tuscaloosa celebrates its ties with Japan and its Sister City of Narashino City. This festival features a Haiku Contest.
- Kentuck Festival of Arts - This annual event takes place during the third week in October near the banks of the Black Warrior River in Historic Downtown Northport. This nationally recognized event brings in visitors and artists from all over the United States. As several hundred talented artists bring their creations, several thousand visitors come to pay tribute to their skills. Those crowds come not only for the art, but also for the artistry of the days of old. Several artisans provide live demonstrations of blacksmithing, furniture making, quilting, and potting. There are music acts performing on stages and many varied foods available.
- Moundville Native American Festival - This annual festival takes place at the Moundville Archaeological Park. Native American performing artists, craftspeople, and musicians entertain and educate visitors about the rich culture and heritage that makes Southeastern Indians unique. Visitors can look forward to learning about the society and culture that existed there 800 years ago.
- Dickens Downtown - An annual Victorian holiday celebration known as Dickens Downtown takes place on the first Tuesday night in December in Downtown Northport. Dickens is a community supported gathering to celebrate the true spirit of Christmas involving Theatre Tuscaloosa performing scenes from "A Christmas Carol", local choirs, the 5th Alabama Regimental Band, a real English Town Crier, father Christmas, and business and neighborhood open houses. As the area comes alive with characters and props straight from 'A Christmas Carol', local shops offer hot cocoa and cookies.
Parks and recreations
The Tuscaloosa County Parks and Recreation Authority (a county agency that receives a large amount of its funding from the city) operates several parks and activity centers within the city. Additional public recreational sites are owned and maintained by the University of Alabama and federal agencies such as Corp of Engineers.The University of Alabama Arboretum
University of Alabama Arboretum
The University of Alabama Arboretum is a 60 acre arboretum located near the intersection of Veterans Memorial Parkway and Pelham Loop Road in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.The Arboretum's primary emphasis is on Alabama's native flora and fauna...
is located on 60 acres (242,811.6 m²) of land at the intersection of Veterans Memorial Parkway and Pelham Loop Road, adjacent to the VA Hospital. The arboretum's primary emphasis is on Alabama's native flora and fauna. It includes 2.5 miles (4 km) of walking trails through native piney woods
Piney Woods
The Piney Woods is a temperate coniferous forest terrestrial ecoregion in the Southern United States covering of East Texas, southern Arkansas, western Louisiana, and southeastern Oklahoma. These coniferous forests are dominated by several species of pine as well as hardwoods including hickory and...
and oak
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
-hickory
Hickory
Trees in the genus Carya are commonly known as hickory, derived from the Powhatan language of Virginia. The genus includes 17–19 species of deciduous trees with pinnately compound leaves and big nuts...
climax forest, a wildflower
Wildflower
A wildflower is a flower that grows wild, meaning it was not intentionally seeded or planted. Yet "wildflower" meadows of a few mixed species are sold in seed packets. The term "wildflower" has been made vague by commercial seedsmen who are interested in selling more flowers or seeds more...
garden containing more than 250 species, ornamental plants, an experimental garden, a bog
Bog
A bog, quagmire or mire is a wetland that accumulates acidic peat, a deposit of dead plant material—often mosses or, in Arctic climates, lichens....
garden, an open-air pavilion, and a children's garden. Two greenhouse
Greenhouse
A greenhouse is a building in which plants are grown. These structures range in size from small sheds to very large buildings...
s contain collections of orchids, cacti
Cactus
A cactus is a member of the plant family Cactaceae. Their distinctive appearance is a result of adaptations to conserve water in dry and/or hot environments. In most species, the stem has evolved to become photosynthetic and succulent, while the leaves have evolved into spines...
, and tropical plants.
Sports
Tuscaloosa is known for its collegiate athletics — particularly the University of Alabama Crimson Tide footballAlabama Crimson Tide football
|TeamName = Alabama football |Image = Alabama Crimson Tide Logo.svg |ImageSize = 110 |Helmet = Alabama Football.png |ImageSize2 = 150 |CurrentSeason = 2011 Alabama Crimson Tide football team...
team. The University of Alabama also currently fields championship–caliber teams in baseball
Alabama Crimson Tide baseball
The Alabama Crimson Tide baseball team represents the University of Alabama in NCAA Division I college baseball. Along with most other Alabama athletic teams, the baseball team participates in the Western Division of the Southeastern Conference. The team plays its home games on campus at...
, golf
Alabama Crimson Tide golf
The Alabama Crimson Tide golf teams represents the University of Alabama located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and competes in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I and the Southeastern Conference...
, men's basketball
Alabama Crimson Tide men's basketball
The Alabama Crimson Tide men's basketball program has a history of being among the best of the Southeastern Conference . It trails only Kentucky in basketball wins, SEC tournament titles, and SEC regular season titles in the 12-member conference. The team is coached by head coach Anthony Grant,...
, women's gymnastics
Alabama Crimson Tide gymnastics
The Alabama Crimson Tide Gymnastics team represents the University of Alabama and is a member of the Southeastern Conference. The Tide compete in Coleman Coliseum in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The Crimson Tide have won 5 NCAA Women's Gymnastics national championships, 7 SEC championships, and an...
, and softball
Alabama Crimson Tide softball
The Alabama Crimson Tide softball team represents the University of Alabama in NCAA Division I college softball. The team participates in the Western Division of the Southeastern Conference. It is currently led by head coach Patrick Murphy and assistant coaches Alyson Habetz and Stephanie VanBrakle...
. These teams play in athletics facilities on the university campus, including Bryant-Denny Stadium
Bryant-Denny Stadium
Bryant–Denny Stadium, located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, is the home stadium for the University of Alabama football team. The stadium opened in 1929, and was originally named Denny Stadium, in honor of former Alabama president George Hutchenson Denny...
(capacity of 102,000+), Coleman Coliseum
Coleman Coliseum
Coleman Coliseum is a 15,316-seat multi-purpose arena in Tuscaloosa, Alabama and is home to the University of Alabama Crimson Tide men's basketball and gymnastics teams. It has also been home to the Alabama women's basketball and women's volleyball programs in the past.Before 1988, the building...
(formerly Memorial Coliseum), Sewell-Thomas Stadium
Sewell-Thomas Stadium
Sewell–Thomas Stadium is a baseball stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. It is the home field of the University of Alabama Crimson Tide college baseball team. The stadium opened in 1948 and the current seating capacity is 6,571...
, Rhoads Stadium, Foster Auditorium
Foster Auditorium
Foster Auditorium is a multi-purpose facility at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. It was built in 1939 and has been used for Alabama basketball, women's sports , graduations, lectures, concerts, and other large gatherings, including registration...
and the Ol' Colony Golf Complex
Ol' Colony Golf Complex
Ol' Colony Golf Complex is a municipal public golf course in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The course opened in December 2000 on 597 acres that was once a farm plantation for a mental institution named Boy's Colony...
.
Stillman College fields teams in football, men's and women's basketball, baseball and softball, among other sports. In the past decade, Stillman has gone through a renaissance of renovations, including a new football stadium, Stillman Stadium
Stillman Stadium
Stillman Stadium is a stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. It is primarily used for American football, and is the home field of Stillman Tigers football....
.
Tuscaloosa is also the birthplace of Otis Davis
Otis Davis
For the baseball player, see Otis Davis Otis Crandall Davis is a former American athlete, winner of two gold medals at the 1960 Summer Olympics....
, 400-meter track world record holder and gold medalist at the Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
1960 Summer Olympics
1960 Summer Olympics
The 1960 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held from August 25 to September 11, 1960 in Rome, Italy...
.
Previous professional teams calling Tuscaloosa home included the World Basketball Association
World Basketball Association
The World Basketball Association, often abbreviated to the WBA, is a professional men's spring basketball league in the United States.-History:The WBA was conceived in 2004, with seven teams scheduled to play...
's Druid City Dragons
Druid City Dragons
The Druid City Dragons were a World Basketball Association franchise in Tuscaloosa, Alabama that played during the 2006 season.The team was officially announced as Tuscaloosa's first professional basketball game at a press conference on Thursday, April 20, 2006. The team took its name to pay homage...
in 2006, and Tuscaloosa Warriors
Tuscaloosa Warriors
The Tuscaloosa Warriors were a professional American football team based in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and were members of the Southern Professional Football League . The Warriors were under the ownership of Eddie Brightwell with both Bobby Jackson and Bobby Luna serving as player-coaches...
football team in 1963, with both folding after one season.
Cultural references
In 2009, scenic shots were filmed all around Tuscaloosa for Todd PhillipsTodd Phillips
Todd Phillips is an American screenwriter and film director. He is best known for directing the comedy films Road Trip, Old School, The Hangover, and Due Date.-Early life:...
' comedy, "Due Date
Due Date
Due Date is a 2010 American comedy road film directed by Todd Phillips, co-written by Alan R. Cohen, Alan Freedland, and Adam Sztykiel, and starring Robert Downey, Jr. and Zach Galifianakis. The film was released on November 5, 2010...
", starring Robert Downey Jr.
Robert Downey Jr.
Robert John Downey, Jr. is an American actor. Downey made his screen debut in 1970 at the age of five when he appeared in his father's film Pound, and has worked consistently in film and television ever since. During the 1980s he had roles in a series of coming of age films associated with the...
and Zach Galifianakis
Zach Galifianakis
Zachary Knight "Zach" Galifianakis is an American stand-up comedian and actor known for his numerous film and television appearances including his own Comedy Central Presents special...
. The filmmakers also said that the Tuscaloosa Convention and Visitors Bureau plans to establish a film commission that will work to bring more filmmakers to Tuscaloosa.
Media
The Tuscaloosa NewsThe Tuscaloosa News
The Tuscaloosa News is a daily newspaper serving Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA, and the surrounding area in west central Alabama.The newspaper is a member of the New York Times Regional Media Group, a subsidiary of the New York Times Company, through the corporate entity of NYT Holdings, Inc., an...
is the major daily newspaper serving the city. The Tuscaloosa News also publishes several websites and Tuscaloosa Magazine. The primary news website is tuscaloosanews.com . Tidesports.com focuses on University of Alabama sports. The Tuscaloosa News' offices are located west of downtown on a bluff overlooking the Black Warrior River.
The Planet Weekly is an alternative weekly newspapers
Alternative weekly
An alternative newspaper is a type of newspaper, that eschews comprehensive coverage of general news in favor of stylized reporting, opinionated reviews and columns, investigations into edgy topics and magazine-style feature stories highlighting local people and culture. Their news coverage is more...
while The Crimson White
The Crimson White
The Crimson White, known colloquially as "The CW," is the student-run newspaper of the University of Alabama. It is published four times a week -- every weekday except Friday -- throughout the fall and spring semesters and weekly during the summer semester...
is the independent, student-run newspaper of the University of Alabama. The literary magazine Black Warrior Review
Black Warrior Review
The Black Warrior Review is an American literary magazine founded in 1974 and based at the University of Alabama. Work appearing in BWR has been anthologized in the Pushcart Prize collection, The Best American Short Stories , Best American Poetry, New Stories from the South. The Spring 1978 issue...
was founded by graduate students of the University's Creative Writing program in 1974, and is edited and published by students in the English program.
Tuscaloosa is part of the Birmingham-Tuscaloosa-Anniston television market
Media market
A media market, broadcast market, media region, designated market area , Television Market Area , or simply market is a region where the population can receive the same television and radio station offerings, and may also include other types of media including newspapers and Internet content...
, which is the 40th largest in the nation. All major networks have a presence in the market. WCFT 33
WBMA-LP
WBMA-LD, channel 58, is the ABC television affiliate for Birmingham and central Alabama. Its transmitter is located in Birmingham, while its studio is in Hoover, a suburb of Birmingham....
is the ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
affiliate, WIAT 42 is the CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
affiliate, WBRC 6
WBRC
WBRC, virtual channel 6, is the Fox-affiliated television station serving the Birmingham, Alabama designated market area. The station is owned by Raycom Media, and its transmitter is located atop Red Mountain in Birmingham...
is the Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
affiliate, WVTM 13
WVTM-TV
WVTM-TV, channel 13, is the NBC-affiliated television station in the Birmingham-Anniston-Tuscaloosa-Gadsden, Alabama television market. The station is owned by Media General...
is the NBC affiliate, WBIQ 10
Alabama Public Television
Alabama Public Television is a state network of Public Broadcasting Service member non-commercial educational Public television stations serving the US state of Alabama. The television stations are licensed by the Alabama Educational Television Commission, which was created by the Alabama state...
is the PBS
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
affiliate, WTTO 21
WTTO
WTTO is a CW affiliate for the Birmingham/Anniston/Tuscaloosa, Alabama market. It broadcasts its digital signal on UHF channel 28, however through the use of PSIP technology, digital television receivers display WTTO's virtual channel as 21. It is licensed to Homewood, a Birmingham suburb...
is the CW
The CW Television Network
The CW Television Network is a television network in the United States launched at the beginning of the 2006–2007 television season. It is a joint venture between CBS Corporation, the former owners of United Paramount Network , and Time Warner's Warner Bros., former majority owner of The WB...
affiliate, and WABM 68
WABM
WABM, channel 68, is the My Network TV affiliate for the Birmingham/Anniston/Gadsden/Tuscaloosa, Alabama television market. WABM is owned by Sinclair Broadcasting Group, which also owns the market's CW affiliate, WTTO. WABM broadcast in ATSC digital format on channel 36...
is the MyNetworkTV
MyNetworkTV
MyNetworkTV is a television broadcast syndication service in the United States, owned by the Fox Entertainment Group, a division of News Corporation...
affiliate. Additionally, WVUA 7
WVUA-CA
WVUA-CA is a Class A commercial television station owned by the Board of Trustees of the University of Alabama, affiliated with This TV. The station is licensed to Tuscaloosa, Alabama, with studios on the university's campus...
, an independent station, is operated by the University of Alabama. The Tuscaloosa City School system is home to a Student television station
Student television station
A student television station is a television station run by university, high or middle school students that primarily airs school/university news and in many cases, student-produced soap operas, entertainment shows, and other programming....
program: Bryant-Central-Northridge Television (BCN-TV)
Tuscaloosa is the 234th largest radio market
Media market
A media market, broadcast market, media region, designated market area , Television Market Area , or simply market is a region where the population can receive the same television and radio station offerings, and may also include other types of media including newspapers and Internet content...
in the nation. In January 2007, of the top-ten-rated radio stations, two were urban, three were country, two were contemporary, and one each was gospel, oldies, and talk radio.
Tuscaloosa serves as home base to Alabama Public Radio
Alabama Public Radio
Also, the WQPR signal has a translator that covers the Huntsville-Decatur market on 100.7 FM.-Weekday hosts:*Maggie Martin--Morning Edition*David Duff and Bob Woodman--daytime classical music...
, the state's largest public radio network. APR's main studios are housed at the University of Alabama, and the flagship signal, WUAL-FM
WUAL-FM
WUAL-FM is a radio station licensed to Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The station is owned by the University of Alabama, and is the flagship affiliate of Alabama Public Radio, airing the network's programming consisting of news and talk programming, classical music, folk music, jazz, adult album alternative...
, originates from a transmitter south of town. WUAL serves Tuscaloosa, portions of the Birmingham metro area and several counties of west-central Alabama. The University of Alabama also houses WVUA-FM
WVUA-FM
WVUA-FM is the student-run college radio station at the University of Alabama. The station was established for the purpose of giving students an environment in which they could learn to be radio broadcasters.-History:...
, a 24/7 college radio station run completely by students.
Movie theaters
Tuscaloosa is home to one of the four 3-D IMAXIMAX
IMAX is a motion picture film format and a set of proprietary cinema projection standards created by the Canadian company IMAX Corporation. IMAX has the capacity to record and display images of far greater size and resolution than conventional film systems...
theater's in the state of Alabama, located inside of the Hollywood 16 Theater, which was once the largest movie theater in the state of Alabama. The Ferguson Center on the University of Alabama
University of Alabama
The University of Alabama is a public coeducational university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States....
campus also contains a movie theater, which is popular among the students. The Bama Theatre in downtown also screens select films.
The Carmike
Carmike Cinemas
Carmike Cinemas Inc. is a motion picture exhibitor headquartered in Columbus, Georgia in the United States of America. As of December 31, 2010 it operates or has an interest in 239 theaters with 2,236 screens in 35 states, making it the fourth largest theatre company in the United States.Carmike...
Bama 6 Theater, formerly located at the "Bama Mall" (now known as McFarland Plaza) recently closed its doors as a result of the Regal
Regal Cinemas
Regal Cinemas is a UK-based cinema chain since the early days of the cinema. In 1928, Regal Cinemas became part of Associated British Cinemas but has retained the name 'Regal Cinemas'....
Hollywood 16's growing popularity.
Health and medicine
DCH Regional Medical Center is the main medical facility in Tuscaloosa. Operated by the publicly-controlled DCH Healthcare Authority, the 610-bed hospitalHospital
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....
opened in 1916 as the Druid City Infirmary. The emergency department
Emergency department
An emergency department , also known as accident & emergency , emergency room , emergency ward , or casualty department is a medical treatment facility specialising in acute care of patients who present without prior appointment, either by their own means or by ambulance...
at DCH operates a trauma center
Trauma center
A trauma center is a hospital equipped to provide comprehensive emergency medical services to patients suffering traumatic injuries. Trauma centers grew into existence out of the realization that traumatic injury is a disease process unto itself requiring specialized and experienced...
(though it is not verified as one by the American College of Surgeons
American College of Surgeons
The American College of Surgeons is an educational association of surgeons created in 1913 to improve the quality of care for the surgical patient by setting high standards for surgical education and practice.-Membership:...
, however) that serves all of west central Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state 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...
and is one of the busiest in the state. The DCH Healthcare authority also operates Northport Medical Center in neighboring Northport
Northport, Alabama
Northport is a city in Tuscaloosa County in the west central part of the U.S. state of Alabama. Located on the Black Warrior River across from downtown Tuscaloosa, it is currently the 24th largest city in Alabama with an estimated population of 23,442 in 2009...
.
Other major medical centers in Tuscaloosa include the 702-bed Veterans Affairs
United States Department of Veterans Affairs
The United States Department of Veterans Affairs is a government-run military veteran benefit system with Cabinet-level status. It is the United States government’s second largest department, after the United States Department of Defense...
Medical Center-Tuscaloosa and the 422-bed Bryce Hospital, Mary S. Harper Geriatric Psychiatry Center, and Taylor Hardin Secure Medical Facility.
Transportation
Tuscaloosa is connected to other parts of the country via air, rail, road and sea. The city lies at the intersection of several highways, including three federal highways (US 11, US 43, and US 82), three Alabama state highways (AL 69State Route 69 (Alabama)
State Route 69 is a long route that extends from the southwestern to the northeastern parts of the state. The southern terminus of the route is at a junction with State Route 177 at Jackson. The northern terminus of the route is at its junction with U.S...
, AL 215
State Route 215 (Alabama)
State Route 215, also known as SR-215, is a numbered state highway in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama. SR-215 partially follows the former routes of U.S. Highway 82 and U.S. Highway 11...
, and AL 216
State Route 216 (Alabama)
State Route 216, also known as SR-216, is a numbered state highway in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama. SR-216 follows the former route of U.S. Highway 11 through eastern Tuscaloosa County. It serves as an alternate route between Bessemer and Tuscaloosa...
) and two duplexed (conjoined) Interstates (I-20
Interstate 20
Interstate 20 is a major east–west Interstate Highway in the Southern United States. I‑20 runs 1,535 miles from near Kent, Texas, at Interstate 10 to Florence, South Carolina, at Interstate 95...
/I-59
Interstate 59
Interstate 59 is an Interstate Highway in the southern United States. Its southern terminus is near Slidell, Louisiana, a suburb of New Orleans, at an intersection with Interstate 10 and Interstate 12, its northern terminus is at Wildwood, Georgia, at an intersection with Interstate 24.The road's...
). Interstate 359
Interstate 359
Interstate 359 is a part of the Interstate Highway System in the US state of Alabama. It is a spur route that runs for entirely within the city limits of Tuscaloosa. Its termini are just south of I-20/I-59 interchange on the south side of town and U.S. Highway 43 in downtown Tuscaloosa. The...
spurs off from I-20/I-59 and heads northward, ending in downtown Tuscaloosa. AL 297
Alabama State Route 297
The Warrior Loop or the Tuscaloosa Eastern Bypass is a proposed four-lane, , $250 million bypass of the city of Tuscaloosa, Alabama to be completed by 2012. Its route would begin at Interstates 20/59 in Cottondale and terminate at U.S. Highway 82 just to the west of Northport...
will be the future loop road around Tuscaloosa.
Tuscaloosa also contains one toll road
Toll roads in the United States
A toll road in the United States, especially near the east coast, is often called a turnpike. The term turnpike originated from pikes, which were long sticks that blocked passage until the fare was paid and the pike turned at a toll house .Some states have an RF tag that automatically bills the...
on the Black Warrior Parkway (I-20/I-59), charging $1.25 for automobiles, and one toll bridge
Toll bridge
A toll bridge is a bridge over which traffic may pass upon payment of a toll, or fee.- History :The practice of collecting tolls on bridges probably harks back to the days of ferry crossings where people paid a fee to be ferried across stretches of water. As boats became impractical to carry large...
(Black Warrior Parkway bridge).
Greyhound Bus Lines provides passenger bus service to Tuscaloosa. Its station is located at 2520 Stillman Blvd in downtown Tuscaloosa. The Tuscaloosa Transit Authority
Tuscaloosa Transit Authority
The Tuscaloosa Transit Authority, or TTA, is a local, government-owned bus system based in Tuscaloosa, Alabama that commenced operation in 1971. The Tuscaloosa Transit Authority serves the city of Tuscaloosa and also operates the trolleys between the student entertainment districts downtown and The...
operates the Tuscaloosa Trolley System. The Tuscaloosa Trolley provides local public bus transportation with four fixed routes that operate Monday through Friday from 5:00AM to 6:00PM. The trolley's paint job is an illusion; it is a El Dorado Transmark RE bus, painted to look like a trolley.
Tuscaloosa Regional Airport
Tuscaloosa Regional Airport is a city-owned public-use airport located three nautical miles northwest of the central business district of Tuscaloosa, a city in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama, United States...
, on the north side of the Black Warrior River west of downtown Northport, is equipped with two lighted runways (6499' and 4001') and provides full facilities for the general aviation which the airport mainly serves. The airport also supports private jetcraft and commercial charter flights, but passengers of regularly scheduled commercial aircraft from Tuscaloosa embark at either the convenient and well equipped Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport, located 53 miles (85.3 km) away on the east side of downtown 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...
, or the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport , known locally as Atlanta Airport, Hartsfield Airport, and Hartsfield–Jackson, is located seven miles south of the central business district of Atlanta, Georgia, United States...
, located 210 miles (338 km) away in Atlanta
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
.
Heliports include the Bryant Culberson Heliport and the Tuscaloosa Police Department Heliport.
Amtrak
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
provides passenger rail service to Tuscaloosa though the Crescent
Crescent (Amtrak)
The Crescent is a passenger train operated by Amtrak in the eastern part of the United States. It runs daily from Pennsylvania Station in New York City to New Orleans Union Passenger Terminal in New Orleans, Louisiana as train 19 and returns, on the same route, as train 20. Most of the route of...
line, which connects the area to major cities along the east coast from New York to New Orleans. The Amtrak station
Tuscaloosa (Amtrak station)
The Tuscaloosa Amtrak Station, located in Tuscaloosa, AL, is served by the passenger train The Crescent. The street address is 2105 Greensboro Avenue, near the intersection of Greensboro and Hargrove Road, one mile south of downtown Tuscaloosa...
is situated at 2105 Greensboro Avenue, one mile (1.6 km) south of downtown. Norfolk Southern Railway
Norfolk Southern Railway
The Norfolk Southern Railway is a Class I railroad in the United States, owned by the Norfolk Southern Corporation. With headquarters in Norfolk, Virginia, the company operates 21,500 route miles in 22 eastern states, the District of Columbia and the province of Ontario, Canada...
and Alabama Southern Railroad
Alabama Southern Railroad
The Alabama Southern Railroad is a class III railroad that operates in the southern United States.ABS is one of several short line railroads owned by the Watco Companies....
provide freight services to the area. KCS
Kansas City Southern Railway
The Kansas City Southern Railway , owned by Kansas City Southern Industries, is the smallest and second-oldest Class I railroad company still in operation. KCS was founded in 1887 and is currently operating in a region consisting of ten central U.S. states...
previously provided service to the area before leasing its lines to Watco in July 2005.
Port of Tuscaloosa
Port of Tuscaloosa, Alabama is a river port located in the City of Tuscaloosa and administered by the Alabama State Port AuthorityPort authority
In Canada and the United States a port authority is a governmental or quasi-governmental public authority for a special-purpose district usually formed by a legislative body to operate ports and other transportation infrastructure.Port authorities are usually governed by boards or...
.
The Black Warrior River is bounded along nearly its entire course by a series of locks
Lock (water transport)
A lock is a device for raising and lowering boats between stretches of water of different levels on river and canal waterways. The distinguishing feature of a lock is a fixed chamber in which the water level can be varied; whereas in a caisson lock, a boat lift, or on a canal inclined plane, it is...
and dams
DAMS
Driot-Arnoux Motorsport is a racing team from France, involved in many areas of motorsports. DAMS was founded in 1988 by Jean-Paul Driot and former Formula One driver René Arnoux. It is headquartered near Le Mans, only 2 km from the Bugatti Circuit.- History :The year after its foundation,...
. They form a chain of narrow reservoirs, providing aids to navigation and barge handling as well as hydroelectric power and drinking water. The Black Warrior River watershed is a vital river basin entirely contained within Alabama, America's leading state for freshwater biodiversity
Biodiversity
Biodiversity is the degree of variation of life forms within a given ecosystem, biome, or an entire planet. Biodiversity is a measure of the health of ecosystems. Biodiversity is in part a function of climate. In terrestrial habitats, tropical regions are typically rich whereas polar regions...
. Near Tuscaloosa, the river flows out of the rocky Cumberland Plateau
Cumberland Plateau
The Cumberland Plateau is the southern part of the Appalachian Plateau. It includes much of eastern Kentucky and western West Virginia, part of Tennessee, and a small portion of northern Alabama and northwest Georgia . The terms "Allegheny Plateau" and the "Cumberland Plateau" both refer to the...
and enters the sandy East Gulf Coastal Plain
Gulf Coastal Plain
The Gulf Coastal Plain extends around the Gulf of Mexico in the Southern United States and eastern Mexico.The plain reaches from the western Florida Panhandle, the southwestern two thirds of Alabama, over most of Mississippi, some of western Tennessee and Kentucky, southwest Arkansas, the Florida...
. Barge
Barge
A barge is a flat-bottomed boat, built mainly for river and canal transport of heavy goods. Some barges are not self-propelled and need to be towed by tugboats or pushed by towboats...
transportation in and out of the Port of Tuscaloosa and other commercial navigation make the Black Warrior a silent giant in the state of Alabama's economy.
Though the Port of Tuscaloosa is a small one, it is one of the larger facilities on the Black Warrior River at waterway
Waterway
A waterway is any navigable body of water. Waterways can include rivers, lakes, seas, oceans, and canals. In order for a waterway to be navigable, it must meet several criteria:...
mile marker 338.5. There are no railway connections at this port as they primarily concentrate on the shipment of dry bulk commodities, including lignite
Lignite
Lignite, often referred to as brown coal, or Rosebud coal by Northern Pacific Railroad,is a soft brown fuel with characteristics that put it somewhere between coal and peat...
, coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
and coal coke. The federal government and the City of Tuscaloosa share the ownership of the Port of Tuscaloosa; the operation of the port is leased out to Powell Sales and has been run by them since 1997.
At waterway mile marker 343.2 on the opposite side of the river is a steel company with its own tracks at the rear of the plant connecting with the Kansas City Southern Railroad for barge shipments of iron and steel products such as ingots, bars, rods, steel slabs, plates and coils. Tuscaloosa Steel Corporation was one of the first U.S. steel companies to implement the Steckel Mill Technology.
The Port of Tuscaloosa grew out of the system of locks and dams on the Black Warrior River built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in the 1890s. Its construction opened up an inexpensive transportation link to the Gulf seaport of Mobile, Alabama
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...
that stimulated the mining
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
and metallurgical industries of the region that are still in operation.
The Army Corps of Engineers has maintained a system of locks and dams along the Black Warrior River for over a century to allow navigability all the way up to Birmingham. Barge traffic thus routinely runs through Tuscaloosa to the Alabama State Docks at 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 the coast 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...
. Via the Tenn-Tom Waterway
Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway
The Tennessee–Tombigbee Waterway is a 234-mile man-made, artificial waterway that extends from the Tennessee River to the junction of the Black Warrior-Tombigbee River system near Demopolis, Alabama, United States. The Tenneessee-Tombigbee Waterway links commercial navigation from the nation’s...
, the city is connected to the Ohio River
Ohio River
The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...
valley and beyond.
Points of interest
Some of the more notable points of interest in the city of Tuscaloosa include:- Dreamland Bar-B-QueDreamland Bar-B-QueDreamland Bar-B-Que is a barbecue restaurant chain based in Alabama. It was founded by "Big Daddy" John Bishop in the Jerusalem Heights neighborhood of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, in 1958, but has since franchised, opening restaurants in Birmingham, Montgomery, Huntsville, Mobile, Northport, and opened...
- Alabama Stage and Screen Hall of FameAlabama Stage and Screen Hall of FameThe Alabama Stage and Screen Hall of Fame was founded in 1998 for the purpose of honoring Alabamians who have made significant contributions to film, television or theatre...
- Battle-Friedman HouseBattle-Friedman HouseThe Battle Friedman House is an antebellum town home located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The house was built in 1835 by Alfred Battle and his wife, Millicent Battle. The house's grounds include the only remaining documented antebellum garden in the state, the house itself is noted for its vernacular...
- Dr. John R. Drish HouseDr. John R. Drish HouseThe Dr. John R. Drish House, also known simply as the Drish House, is a historic plantation house in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States. It is considered by state preservationists to be one of the most unique mixes of the Greek Revival and Italianate styles in Alabama...
- Christ Episcopal Church
- Hugh R. Thomas BridgeHugh R. Thomas BridgeThe Hugh R. Thomas Bridge is the six-lane, girder bridge spanning the Black Warrior River along U.S. 43 and Alabama State Route 69 between Tuscaloosa and Northport in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama that opened in 1974. As of 1997, the average daily traffic count for the bridge is 60,000 vehicles...
- Paul Bryant BridgePaul Bryant BridgeThe Paul Bryant Bridge is the four-lane, tall, $28 million bridge spanning the Black Warrior River along Alabama State Route 297 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Construction of the long, twin-span bridge commenced in March 2000...
- Queen City Pool and Pool HouseQueen City Pool and Pool HouseThe Queen City Pool and Pool House, also known as the Queen City Pool, is a historic bathhouse and swimming pool located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA...
- Woolsey Finnell BridgeWoolsey Finnell BridgeThe Woolsey Finnell Bridge is the four-lane, girder bridge spanning the Black Warrior River along U.S. 82 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama that opened in 1961. The bridge takes its name from the former state director of highways for Alabama, Woolsey Finnell...
- Bryant-Denny StadiumBryant-Denny StadiumBryant–Denny Stadium, located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, is the home stadium for the University of Alabama football team. The stadium opened in 1929, and was originally named Denny Stadium, in honor of former Alabama president George Hutchenson Denny...
- Paul W. Bryant MuseumPaul W. Bryant MuseumThe Paul W. Bryant Museum is located on the campus of the University of Alabama, in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Founded in 1985, the museum was opened in 1988 to "house the history of Alabama football, with special emphasis on the legendary coach," Bear Bryant....
- Alabama Museum of Natural HistoryAlabama Museum of Natural HistoryThe Alabama Museum of Natural History is the state's natural history museum, located in Smith Hall at the University of Alabama campus in Tuscaloosa. The oldest museum in the state, it was founded in 1831. The exhibits depict the natural diversity of Alabama from the Age of Dinosaurs, the Coal Age,...
- Bama TheatreBama TheatreThe Bama Theatre is Tuscaloosa's performing arts center. Its development is the result of a unique cooperation between the Arts Council of Tuscaloosa and the Tuscaloosa County Parks and Recreation Authority...
- Tuscaloosa AmphitheaterTuscaloosa AmphitheaterThe Tuscaloosa Amphitheater is a outdoor amphitheater in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA that is used primarily for music performances. It has a seating capacity of 7,470....
- Ol' Colony Golf ComplexOl' Colony Golf ComplexOl' Colony Golf Complex is a municipal public golf course in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The course opened in December 2000 on 597 acres that was once a farm plantation for a mental institution named Boy's Colony...
- Westervelt Warner Museum of American ArtWestervelt Warner Museum of American ArtThe Westervelt Warner is located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States. The Westervelt collection is the result of 40 years of collecting American art by Jack Warner. He founded the museum in 2003 after exhibiting portions of the collection elsewhere...
- Denny ChimesDenny ChimesThe Denny Chimes is a tall campanile equipped with a 25-bell carillon, located on the south side of The Quad of the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Alabama U.S.A.. The tower was named in honor of former University president George H. Denny, who served from 1912 to 1936 and again in 1941...
- Gorgas House
- Jemison-Van de Graaff MansionJemison-Van de Graaff MansionThe Jemison-Van de Graaff Mansion is a historic house in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States. The structure remained a private residence until 1955, when it served first as a library, then publishing house offices, and lastly as a historic house museum...
- Moundville Archaeological Park
- University of Alabama ArboretumUniversity of Alabama ArboretumThe University of Alabama Arboretum is a 60 acre arboretum located near the intersection of Veterans Memorial Parkway and Pelham Loop Road in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.The Arboretum's primary emphasis is on Alabama's native flora and fauna...
Sister cities
The Tuscaloosa Sister Cities Commission was formed in 1986. The city currently has sister city relationships with cities in three countries: Narashino, JapanNarashino, Chiba
is a city located in northern Chiba, Japan. As of February 2011, the city had an estimated population of 164,809 and a population density of 7850 persons per km². The total area was 20.99 km².-Geography:...
Schorndorf, Germany
Schorndorf
Schorndorf is a town in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, located c. 26 km east of Stuttgart. Its station is a the terminus of line S2 of the Stuttgart S-Bahn....
Sunyani
Sunyani
Sunyani is a city in the West African republic of Ghana, and is the capital of the both the Sunyani District and Brong-Ahafo Region.According to the 2005 population estimates 80,245 people reside in the city of Sunyani, with a growth rate, in the city, of 3.4% per annum.-History of...
–Techiman, Ghana
Techiman
Techiman is the leading market town in Ghana and is, together with Sunyani, one of the two chief cities of the Brong-Ahafo Region. This city of nearly 80,000 is located at a historical crossroads of trade routes and the Tano River, and serves as capital of the Techiman Municipal...
(Two cities partnered as one sister city)
Notable residents
Though there are many famous Tuscaloosa natives (Stokely Chaffin, film producer for New Line Cinemas; Devin Grissom, star of CMTCountry Music Television
Country Music Television, or CMT, is an American country music-oriented cable television network. Programming includes music videos, taped concerts, movies, biographies of country music stars, game shows, and reality programs...
's Sweet Home Alabama; Scott Stetson, renowned traveler and host of top rated travel show in Port Elizabeth, South Africa; Joe Borden and Jim Patton, co-writers for Tosh.o; and many, many more), some of the more notable residents include:
Arts and entertainment
- Willie D. Burton, born in Tuscaloosa, sound technician in the film industry; Oscar winner DreamgirlsDreamgirls (film)Dreamgirls is a 2006 musical drama film, directed by Bill Condon and jointly produced and released by DreamWorks and Paramount Pictures. The film debuted in three special road show engagements beginning December 15, 2006 before its nationwide release on December 25, 2006...
& Bird - Tom CheronesTom CheronesTom Cherones is an American director and producer of several TV series.-Early life:He grew up in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, where his father operated a radio and TV repair shop. His grandfather was a Greek immigrant. From 1961 to 1965, he was a lieutenant in the United States Navy...
, from Tuscaloosa, University of Alabama alumnus, television producer and director of SeinfeldSeinfeldSeinfeld is an American television sitcom that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, lasting nine seasons, and is now in syndication. It was created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld, the latter starring as a fictionalized version of himself...
, NewsRadioNewsRadioNewsRadio is an American television situation comedy that aired on NBC from 1995 to 1999. The series was created by executive producer Paul Simms, and was filmed in front of a studio audience at CBS Studio Center and Sunset Gower Studios...
, Desperate HousewivesDesperate HousewivesDesperate Housewives is an American television comedy-drama series created by Marc Cherry and produced by ABC Studios and Cherry Productions. Executive producer Cherry serves as Showrunner. Other executive producers since the fourth season include Marc Cherry, Bob Daily, George W...
, others - Frank CallowayFrank CallowayFrank Calloway is a self-taught artist from the United States. Diagnosed with schizophrenia in 1952, he was committed to Bryce Hospital and the Alabama Department of Mental Health in Tuscaloosa. He is currently living in the Alice M. Kidd Nursing Facility in Tuscaloosa. His imagery is primarily...
, folk artist - Vera HallVera HallAdell Hall Ward, better known as Vera Hall was an American folk singer, born in Livingston, Alabama, United States. She is best known for her song "Trouble So Hard" .-Biography:...
, born near Livingston, AL, but worked, occasionally lived in and married a man from Tuscaloosa; folk musician - Chuck LeavellChuck LeavellChuck Leavell is an American pianist and keyboardist, who was a member of The Allman Brothers Band throughout the height of their popularity, a founding member of the jazz-rock combo Sea Level, a frequently-employed session musician, and later, the keyboardist for Eric Clapton and The Rolling...
, born in Birmingham but raised in Tuscaloosa; keyboardist for The Rolling Stones - Robert Gibson, one-half of the professional wrestlingProfessional wrestlingProfessional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
team The Rock 'n' Roll Express - Debra MarshallDebra MarshallDebra Gale Marshall is an American actress and former professional wrestling manager and WWE Diva. Arguably best known by her ring name, Debra, she gained recognition for her appearances with the World Wrestling Federation between 1998 and 2002.She began her career in professional wrestling in...
, professional wrestler and diva with World Wrestling EntertainmentWorld Wrestling EntertainmentWorld Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales... - Johnny ShinesJohnny ShinesJohnny Shines was an American blues singer and guitarist. According to the music journalist Tony Russell, "Shines was that rare being, a blues artist who overcame age and rustiness to make music that stood up beside the work of his youth...
, blues musician, born in Frazier, TN, died in Tuscaloosa - Dinah WashingtonDinah WashingtonDinah Washington, born Ruth Lee Jones , was an American blues, R&B and jazz singer. She has been cited as "the most popular black female recording artist of the '50s", and called "The Queen of the Blues"...
, born in Tuscaloosa, blues, R&B and jazz singer - Madeline MitchellMadeline MitchellMadeline Mitchell is an American beauty queen from Russellville, Alabama. She won the title of Miss Alabama USA 2011 and competed in the Miss USA 2011 competition, where she finished as the second runner-up...
, current Miss Tuscaloosa and Miss Alabama 2011, 2nd runner up at the Miss USA pageant - Dylan Riley SnyderDylan Riley SnyderDylan Riley Snyder is an American film, television and musical theatre performer. Beginning his acting career in community theatre at the age of five, Snyder is known for his acting, singing, and dancing abilities, starring as "Young Tarzan" in the 2006 Broadway musical, Tarzan, as "Timmy" in the...
, born in Tuscaloosa; film, television and theatre actor, star of Broadway's TarzanTarzan (musical)Tarzan: The Musical is based on the Disney film of the same name and the story by Edgar Rice Burroughs. Music and lyrics are written by Phil Collins, with a book by David Henry Hwang.-Production:...
, the feature film Life During WartimeLife During Wartime (film)Life During Wartime is a 2009 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Todd Solondz, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival on September 2009. It is a direct, but loose sequel to his 1998 film Happiness, with new actors playing the same characters, and imperfect continuity...
and the TV sitcom Kickin' ItKickin' ItKickin' It is an American martial arts inspired comedy television series, which debuted on June 13, 2011 on Disney XD. Created and executive produced by Jim O'Doherty, the series is rated TV-Y7 and follows the karate instructor at an under-performing martial arts academy, played by Jason Earles,...
Politics
- Joe ScarboroughJoe ScarboroughCharles Joseph "Joe" Scarborough is an American cable news and talk radio host, lawyer, author, and former politician. He is currently the host of Morning Joe on MSNBC, and previously hosted Scarborough Country on the same channel...
, former politician and host of Morning JoeMorning JoeMorning Joe is a weekday morning talk show on MSNBC, with Joe Scarborough discussing the news of the day in a panel format with co-hosts Mika Brzezinski and Willie Geist. It was created as the replacement for Imus in the Morning, which was canceled in April 2007 after simulcasting on MSNBC since 1996...
on MSNBCMSNBCMSNBC is a cable news channel based in the United States available in the US, Germany , South Africa, the Middle East and Canada... - Walter FlowersWalter FlowersWalter Flowers was an American Democratic politician who represented Alabama's 7th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from January 1969 to January 1979.-Private life:...
, raised in Tuscaloosa, former United States Congressman, served on the congressional committee that voted to impeach President Richard M. Nixon - Richard C. Shelby, U.S. Senator, Chairman of the United States Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban AffairsUnited States Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban AffairsThe United States Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs has jurisdiction over matters related to: banks and banking, price controls, deposit insurance, export promotion and controls, federal monetary policy, financial aid to commerce and industry, issuance of redemption of notes,...
and Chairman of the United States Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies - Margaret TutwilerMargaret D. TutwilerMargaret DeBardeleben Tutwiler is a former Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs at the US State Department, serving from December 16, 2003 to June 30, 2004. She was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on December 9, 2003 to replace outgoing Under Secretary Charlotte Beers...
, former resident of Tuscaloosa, served in three presidential administrations, former Ambassador to the Kingdom of Morocco, Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs in the State Department - Lurleen WallaceLurleen WallaceLurleen Brigham Wallace , born in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, was the 46th Governor of Alabama from 1967 until her death in 1968. She was the first wife of Alabama Governor George Wallace, whom she succeeded as governor. She succeeded her husband as he was forbidden by Alabama law to succeed himself. She...
, born in Tuscaloosa, former Governor of Alabama - Coleman YoungColeman YoungColeman Alexander Young served as mayor of Detroit in the U.S. state of Michigan from 1974 to 1993. Young became the first African-American mayor of Detroit in the same week that Maynard Jackson became the first African-American mayor of Atlanta.-Pre-Mayoral career:Young was born in Tuscaloosa,...
, born in Tuscaloosa, served as mayor of Detroit from 1974-1993. - Robert J. Bentley, dermatologist elected Governor of Alabama in 2010.
Sports
- Ollie Brown, born in Tuscaloosa, Major League BaseballMajor League BaseballMajor League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
player - Sylvester CroomSylvester CroomSylvester Croom, Jr. is the former football head coach at Mississippi State University and current running backs coach of the St. Louis Rams. He was the first African American head football coach in the Southeastern Conference...
, born in Tuscaloosa, the first African-American head football coach in the Southeastern ConferenceSoutheastern ConferenceThe Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama... - Javier ArenasJavier Arenas (American football)Javier E. Arenas is an American football cornerback and return specialist for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League...
, lives in Tuscaloosa, NFL cornerback and return specialist for the Kansas City ChiefsKansas City ChiefsThe Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They are a member of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960 as a...
. He's the cousin of Gilbert ArenasGilbert ArenasGilbert Jay Arenas, Jr. is an American professional basketball player for the Orlando Magic of the National Basketball Association . He plays as a point guard and shooting guard....
. - George Foster, born in Tuscaloosa, Major League Baseball player
- Butch HobsonButch HobsonClell Lavern "Butch" Hobson, Jr. is a former third baseman and manager in Major League Baseball. Hobson played for the Boston Red Sox , California Angels and New York Yankees . He batted and threw right-handed.After retiring, he managed the Pawtucket Red Sox and the Boston Red Sox...
, born in Tuscaloosa, Major League Baseball player and manager - Frank LaryFrank LaryFrank Strong Lary is a former Major League Baseball pitcher for the Detroit Tigers , New York Mets , Milwaukee Braves , and Chicago White Sox . He led the American League with 21 wins in 1956 and ranked second in the same category with 23 wins in 1961...
, Major League Baseball player - Angel MartinoAngel MartinoAngelina L. Myers-Sims better known as Angel Martino is a former American swimmer. She swam in college at Furman University. Over her career, she won three relay Olympic gold medals and three Olympic bronze medals.In addition to her Olympic medals, she won twelve Pan Pacific medals, seven Goodwill...
, born in Tuscaloosa, Olympic swimmer - Lee MayeLee MayeArthur Lee Maye was a Major League Baseball player. He played eleven seasons in the majors as an outfielder for the Milwaukee Braves , Houston Astros , Cleveland Indians , Washington Senators , and Chicago White Sox .Maye was also well known as a Rhythm & Blues singer...
, born in Tuscaloosa, Major League baseball player - Andy PhillipsAndy PhillipsGeorge Andrew "Andy" Phillips is the current assistant coach for The University of Alabama's baseball team. He has played for the New York Yankees, New York Mets, Cincinnati Reds and Chicago White Sox. Phillips was raised in Demopolis, Alabama, where he played baseball for the Demopolis Academy...
, born in Tuscaloosa, former major league baseballMajor League BaseballMajor League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
player and Alabama baseballAlabama Crimson Tide baseballThe Alabama Crimson Tide baseball team represents the University of Alabama in NCAA Division I college baseball. Along with most other Alabama athletic teams, the baseball team participates in the Western Division of the Southeastern Conference. The team plays its home games on campus at...
assistant coach - Tike RedmanTike RedmanJulian Jawann "Tike" Redman is a Major League Baseball center fielder who is a free agent. His first year in the major leagues was...
, born in Tuscaloosa, former major league baseballMajor League BaseballMajor League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
player for the Pittsburgh PiratesPittsburgh PiratesThe Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
, New York MetsNew York MetsThe New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...
, and Baltimore OriolesBaltimore OriolesThe Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
. - Joe SewellJoe SewellJoseph Wheeler Sewell was a Major League Baseball infielder for the Cleveland Indians and New York Yankees...
, Major League Baseball player and member of the National Baseball Hall of FameNational Baseball Hall of Fame and MuseumThe National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 25 Main Street in Cooperstown, New York, operated by private interests serving as the central point for the study of the history of baseball in the United States and beyond, the display of... - John StallworthJohn StallworthJohnny Lee Stallworth is a former American football wide receiver who played fourteen seasons in the National Football League for the Pittsburgh Steelers. He played college football at Alabama A&M, and was the Steelers' fourth-round draft pick in 1974. Stallworth played in six AFC championships,...
, born in Tuscaloosa, played football for the Pittsburgh SteelersPittsburgh SteelersThe Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
, played in six AFC championships and went to four Super Bowls - Frank Thomas, University of Alabama head football coach
- D. J. WhiteD. J. WhiteDewayne "D. J." White, Jr. is an American professional basketball player for the Charlotte Bobcats of the National Basketball Association. His primary position is power forward but he also plays at center. He was selected with the 29th pick in the 2008 NBA Draft by the Detroit Pistons but his...
, born in Tuscaloosa, professional basketball player for the NBA's Charlotte BobcatsCharlotte BobcatsThe Charlotte Bobcats is a professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They play in the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association. The Bobcats were established in 2004 as an expansion team, two seasons after Charlotte's previous NBA... - Deontay WilderDeontay WilderDeontay Wilder is an American heavyweight boxer best known for winning two major national titles in 2007 and for being the only American boxer to win a medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics.-Career:...
, 2008 Olympic bronze medalist and professional boxer
Other
- Shannon ShorrShannon ShorrShannon Shorr is a professional poker player from Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Shorr grew up in Birmingham, where he was a baseball player at Shades Valley High School....
, professional poker player - Robert J. Van de GraaffRobert J. Van de GraaffRobert Jemison Van de Graaff, was an American physicist, noted for his design and construction of high voltage generators, who taught at Princeton University and MIT.-Biography:...
, born in Tuscaloosa, the designer of the Van de Graaff generatorVan de Graaff generatorA Van de Graaff generator is an electrostatic generator which uses a moving belt to accumulate very high voltages on a hollow metal globe on the top of the stand. It was invented in 1929 by American physicist Robert J. Van de Graaff. The potential differences achieved in modern Van de Graaff... - Jimmy WalesJimmy WalesJimmy Donal "Jimbo" Wales is an American Internet entrepreneur best known as a co-founder and promoter of the online non-profit encyclopedia Wikipedia and the Wikia company....
, American Internet entrepreneurInternet entrepreneurAn Internet entrepreneur is an entrepreneur that applies innovation to create new businesses on the Internet.Internet entrepreneurs are part of the more general category of digital entrepreneurs...
and a co-founder and promoter of WikipediaWikipediaWikipedia is a free, web-based, collaborative, multilingual encyclopedia project supported by the non-profit Wikimedia Foundation. Its 20 million articles have been written collaboratively by volunteers around the world. Almost all of its articles can be edited by anyone with access to the site,...
External links
Emergency Tornado Aid- Alabama Red Cross
- National Red Cross
- Tuscaloosa News People Finder Set up by local newspaper to aid in finding loved ones and friends missing in the tornado.