Alabama Facts & Figures
Area: 135,765 km²
Population: approx.4,780,000 (63 per km²)
Capital: Montgomery (approx. 205,000 pe)
Highest point: Cheaha Peak (735 m)
State bird: Gold woodpecker
State flower: camellias
State tree: swamp pine
Taxes: State Sales Tax: 4%
Time zone: Central Standard Time (CET -7 hours)
Maximum speed: Interstates between 60 mph and 70 mph, other roads 55 mph
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham, Alabama’s largest city, is located in the former Muskogee, Choctaw, and Cherokee hunting grounds in Jefferson County.
- Timedictionary: Offers a list of largest cities in Alabama.
The Magic City
The iron and steel industry has dominated here since the city was founded in 1871. This helped Birmingham to grow so rapidly at the beginning of the 20th century that the city was temporarily given the nickname ‘The Magic City’. The ” Sloss Furnaces ” and ‘Vulcan Park & Museum’ blast furnaces, which now house the largest cast iron statue in the world, commemorate the wedding of this industry.
Civil Rights Movement
Birmingham is also known for its role in the civil rights movement of the 1960s. Because of the numerous bombings by the Ku Klux clan, the city was also called ‘Bombingham’. Martin Luther King called it the ‘metropolis of racial segregation’ and included it in the legendary protest march of 1963.
The events of this important phase in US history were processed in the ‘Birmingham Civil Rights Institute’. A visit to the museum is worthwhile. It is located in the center of the city, in the Civil Rights District, which was named one of President Obama’s last official acts in January 2017 as a National Monument.
Birmingham today
Today Birmingham is an important medical, financial and cultural center of Alabama and is characterized by its great entertainment, diverse nightlife, world-class cuisine and art. You will find a wide range of sculptures, ceramics, jewelry and folkloric art in dozens of galleries. The ‘Birmingham Museum of Art’ shows an impressive collection of works of art from around the world.
Outdoor fans will also get their money’s worth in Birmingham. You can hike, climb and bike through the state parks around the city, or play golf on the two courses on the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail.
- Transporthint: Overview of Alabama, including population, history, geography and major industries.
Highlights in Birmingham
- Birmingham Civil Rights Institute
The state-of-the-art exhibition shows the history of desegregation and the historical development of the rights of black people in the United States from the first half of the 20th century to the present day. - Kelly Ingram Park
Opposite the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, life-size sculptures commemorate the brutal attacks by police officers on the peaceful civil rights activists. There were many children among the demonstrators. - 16th Street Baptist Church
The neighboring church was made famous by a racially motivated attack in 1963. The bomb detonated here killed four young girls. - Negro Southern League Museum
The museum shows the history of racial segregation from a completely new perspective. Because, just like black and white children were forbidden to play on the street with each other until the mid-1960s, mixed sports teams were prohibited at that time. The Negro Southern League Museum is dedicated to the stars of the African American baseball league. Her sporting achievements contributed significantly to overcoming racist thinking. - Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum
The Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum shows over 1,200 motorcycles, making it the largest museum of its kind in the world. A collection of Lotus racing cars is also on display. - Gip’s Place Highly
recommended for blues fans: ‘Gip’s Place’ in Bessemer, a suburb of Birmingham. On Saturday evenings, blues is played here in one of America’s last real juke joints. - Vulcan Park & Museum
‘Vulcan’ is a 17 meter statue and the symbol of Birmingham. From the park that surrounds the monument, you have a more spectacular view of the city. - Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark
Pig iron was produced in the ‘Sloss Furnaces’ from 1882 to 1971. Today, the blast furnace is an impressive monument of American industry that you can walk through, past cobweb-studded workshops and abandoned production lines. The attached museum is dedicated to the history of the stoves. - Ruffner Mountain Nature Preserve
The Ruffner Mountain Nature Preserve is a 1,040 acre nature reserve just ten minutes from downtown Birmingham. - Oak Mountain State Park
Oak Mountain State Park is a public recreation area located approximately 20 miles south of Birmingham in the northeastern city of Pelham, Alabama, United States. - Birmingham Botanical Gardens
Birmingham’s botanical garden is 67.5 hectares and is the largest living museum in Alabama with 10,000 plants in 25 subject areas. It has rose gardens, a Japanese garden, wild flower gardens, winter gardens, a huge horticultural library and miles of hiking trails. - Birmingham Museum of Art
This museum contains works from Asia, Africa, Europe and America. In the sculpture garden there are works by Rodin, Botero and Dali, etc.
Information about Birmingham
Foundation: 1871
Population: approx.212,160
Metropolitan area: approx.1,147,420 pe
Area: 393.5 km²
Height: 140 m above sea level
Airport: Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport
Huntsville, Alabama
The small city of Huntsville is best known as the birthplace of American space travel. Numerous museums and cultural offers, relaxation in wonderful nature and historical attractions invite you to explore the city and the region around Huntsville. With the establishment of NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in the 1960s, in which Wernher von Braun played a key role, Huntsville developed into the most important location for rocket research and is still closely linked to this industry. Therefore, the city is still called “Rocket City”.
The main attraction is the US Space & Rocket Center. Visit a Saturn V moon rocket and discover the development of the first space shuttles and the establishment of the international space station ISS. Big and small eyes get wide eyes at various hands-on exhibitions and space travel is brought closer to you in your own IMAX cinema. Finally, it is also advisable to participate in a space mission – in the simulator, of course.
But Huntsville has more to offer. Explore e.g. B. the huge botanical garden with its own butterfly house and 14 themed gardens. A visit to the Historic Districts is also worthwhile. Huntsville has three historic neighborhoods with their own character: In Twickenham, over 60 southern villas frame the streets, Old Town captivates with its Victorian-style houses and Five Points exudes the charm of the 1950s and 60s. In the Harrison Brothers Hardware Store on Southside Square, the clocks stopped at exactly this time. Here you will find plenty of bells and whistles, from nostalgic household goods to chocolate candy. If you want a little more nature, plan a trip to the Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge.
Highlights in Huntsville
- US Space & Rocket Center
The birthplace of American space travel will inspire you. Explore the huge area that shows numerous NASA exhibits. Including a Saturn V rocket that served as the launch vehicle for the Apollo missions to the moon. - Historic Districts
Huntsville has three historic neighborhoods, each with its own character. In Twickenham over 60 southern villas frame the streets, Old Town captivates with its Victorian-style houses and Five Points exudes the charm of the 1950s and 60s. - Harrison Brothers Hardware Store
In the Harrison Brothers Hardware Store on Southside Square, the clocks stopped at exactly this time. Here you will find plenty of bells and whistles, from nostalgic household goods to chocolate candy. - Huntsville Botanical Garden
Themed gardens show you the diversity of nature. Relax in the sea of flowers and explore the breathtaking beauty of the flora and fauna. - Lowe Mill Arts & Entertainment Complex
More than 120 artists work side by side under the roof of an abandoned shoe factory. Their galleries and studios are open to visitors and buyers from Wednesday to Saturday. - Burritt on the Mountain
From the former property of the Burritt family there is a wonderful view of the city. In the garden of the villa, an open-air museum invites you on a trip to the 19th century.
Information about Huntsville
Foundation: 1805
Population: approx.180,000
Area: 554 km²
Height: 193 m above sea level
Airport: Huntsville International Airport
