Birmingham

Birmingham, Alabama 

Birmingham is a city in the north central part of the U.S. state of Alabama (/brmhaem/ BUR-ming-ham). The most populous county in Alabama, Jefferson County, has its seat in Birmingham. After Huntsville and Montgomery, Birmingham was the third-most populated city in Alabama according to the 2021 census estimates, with a population of 197,575, a 1% decrease from the 2020 Census. The population of the greater Birmingham metropolitan area was 1,115,289 in 2020, making it the 50th most populous metropolitan region in the country and the largest in Alabama. With ties to the Deep South, Piedmont, and Appalachian areas of the country, Birmingham plays a key regional hub role. 

Three existing farm communities, including Elyton, were combined to become Birmingham in 1871, during the post-Civil War Reconstruction period. It expanded from there, incorporating numerous more of its smaller neighbors, and eventually became a major mining, iron and steel, and railroad transportation hub. Birmingham was given its name after Birmingham, England, one of the main industrial centers of that country. The majority of the initial inhabitants who established Birmingham were of English descent. The city may have been designed to provide it a competitive edge over industrial cities in the Midwest and Northeast by allowing cheap, non-unionized, and frequently African American workers from rural Alabama to be hired in the city's steel mills and blast furnaces. 

Birmingham served as the main industrial hub of the South from its establishment until the end of the 1960s. Birmingham was known as The Magic City and The Pittsburgh of the South due to the rapidity of its growth between 1881 and 1920. Similar to Pittsburgh, Birmingham's main businesses were the production of iron and steel as well as a significant portion of the railroading sector, where rails and railroad cars were both created there. Beginning in the 1860s and continuing to the current day, the two main railroad hubs in the Deep South were the close-by cities of Atlanta and Birmingham. In the second part of the 20th century, the economy expanded its diversification. Birmingham still has a sizable manufacturing sector, but other firms and industries have grown in importance, including banking, telecommunications, transportation, electrical power transmission, healthcare, higher education, and insurance. With the exception of coal mining, mining is no longer a significant business in the Birmingham region. Birmingham is ranked as one of the most significant business hubs in the Southeast and one of the biggest banking hubs in the country. In addition, Regions Financial and five additional Fortune 1000 firms have their headquarters in the Birmingham region. Regions Financial is a Fortune 500 corporation. 

Since 1947, the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine (formerly the Medical College of Alabama) and the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Dentistry have been located in Birmingham. Since then, it has also acquired one of the University of Alabama System's three main campuses, University of Alabama at Birmingham, which was created in 1969. Three private universities, Samford University, Birmingham-Southern College, and Miles College, are also located there. The Birmingham region offers significant colleges of medicine, dentistry, optometry, pharmacy, law, engineering, and nursing in addition to these colleges and institutions. One of the main collegiate athletic leagues in the United States, the Southeastern Conference, has its headquarters in Birmingham. 

Geography 

Birmingham is located in Jones Valley, which is bordered on both sides by long, parallel mountain ridges that run from the north-east to the south-west and are the last of the Appalachian foothills (see Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians). Little tributaries (Village Creek and Valley Creek) that empty into the Black Warrior River provide drainage for the valley. The main train track, which began most of the early manufacturing industries, cut across the valley. 

South of the city center is where Red Mountain is located. Along this prominent hill, there are numerous television and radio transmission towers in Birmingham. The "Over the Mountain" region, which includes Shades Valley, Shades Mountain, and further out, was mainly insulated from the dirty streets and industrial smog of the industrial metropolis. The wealthier neighborhoods of Mountain Brook, Vestavia Hills, Homewood, and Hoover are located in this area of Birmingham. The Cahaba River basin, one of the most diverse river ecosystems in the country, is located south of Shades Valley. 

Jones Valley is separated from the much more untamed region to the north by Sand Mountain, a smaller hill that surrounds the city to the north. Boyles Gap, a noticeable opening in the lengthy low hill, serves as the entrance to the valley for the Louisville and Nashville Railroad (now CSX Transportation). 

The Ruffner Mountain Nature Center, one of the largest urban nature reserves in the United States, is situated on Ruffner Mountain, which is directly east of the city's center. 

The city has a total area of 151.9 square miles (393 km2), of which 149.9 square miles (388 km2) is land and 2.0 square miles (5.2 km2) (1.34%) is water, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. 

Climate 

Birmingham experiences hot summers, moderate winters, and a lot of rain. It has a humid subtropical climate. The average annual low temperature in January is 43.8 °F (6.6 °C), and there are 47 days with a high below freezing and 1.4 days with a high above freezing. The average daily temperature in July is 81.1 °F (27.3 °C), with highs of 90 °F (32 °C) or higher on 65 days per year and 100 °F (38 °C) on 2 days. The amount of precipitation is fairly evenly distributed throughout the year, occasionally falling as snow during the winter. However, on March 13, 1993, during the 1993 Storm of the Century, 10.3 inches (26.2 cm) of snow fell, setting records for the highest daily snowfall, one-storm total, and winter season total ever. Normal snowfall from 1981 to 2010 was 1.6 inches (4.1 cm), although the median monthly snowfall for each month during that time was zero. 

It is very hot and humid during the summer. Thunderstorms, the majority of which take place in the late afternoon and evening, are the primary cause of precipitation that occurs during the summer. 

Although pleasant, the spring and fall months can be unpredictable due to the frequent strong to severe thunderstorms and sporadic tornadoes brought by cold fronts. Compared to the spring, the fall season (particularly October) has less rainfall, fewer storms, and lower humidity, but November and early December are a secondary severe weather season. Due to the frequent occurrence of tornadoes in Central Alabama, Birmingham is situated in the center of a Tornado Alley known as the Dixie Alley. Two F5 tornadoes have struck the wider Birmingham area: one in the northern suburbs of Birmingham in 1977, and the other in the western suburbs in 1998. In April 2011, an EF4 tornado that was a component of a wider outbreak struck the region. Due to its proximity to the Central Gulf Coast, Birmingham occasionally receives tropical storms and hurricanes in the late summer and early fall. 

The highest temperature ever recorded was 107 °F (42 °C) on July 29, 1930, and the lowest temperature ever recorded was 10 °F (23 °C) on February 13, 1899. 

Economy 

Steel 

The steel industry has been a key component of the local economy since Birmingham's founding. Steel production and processing still play a significant role in the economy, even though they are not as prominent as they previously were in Birmingham. The American Cast Iron Pipe Company (ACIPCO) and McWane are situated in the city and produce steel goods. Several of the biggest steel producers in the country, such as CMC Steel, U.S. Steel, and Nucor, are also well-represented in Birmingham. Local steel businesses have recently announced investments in new and expanded factories in and around the city totaling roughly $100 million. Birmingham is home to Vulcan Materials Company, a significant supplier of crushed stone, sand, and gravel for use in construction. 

Biotechnology 

Investments in biotechnology and medical research at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) and its neighboring hospital altered Birmingham's economy in the 1970s and 1980s. A Level 1 trauma center offering medical care and ground-breaking research, the UAB Hospital. With 18,750 employees as of 2011, UAB is now the second-largest employer in Alabama and the vicinity. The city is home to the corporate offices of the healthcare service providers HealthSouth, Surgical Care Affiliates, and Diagnostic Health Company. In the city, Caremark Rx was also established. 

Banking 

Regions Financial Corporation's corporate offices are in Birmingham, which is a major hub for banking. In Birmingham, Regions Financial Corporation, PNC Financial Services, Servisfirst Bank, and Wells Fargo each hold a market share of deposits of over 5%. 

The Magic City has served as the headquarters for almost a dozen smaller banks, including Superior Bancorp and Cadence Bank. A total of 1,870 financial managers, 1,530 loan officers, 680 sales agents for securities, commodities, and financial services, 380 financial analysts, 310 financial examiners, 220 credit analyzers, and 130 loan counselors were working in Birmingham's finance and banking industry as of 2009. 

Birmingham was the ninth-largest banking hub in the United States in 2012 based on the volume of deposits from locally headquartered banks. Birmingham ranked as the tenth-largest banking center in 2014. 

Engineering and Construction 

BE&K, Brasfield & Gorrie, Robins & Morton, and B.L. Harbert International, which are frequently listed in the Engineering News-Record rankings of top design and worldwide construction businesses, are just a few of the construction and engineering powerhouses in Birmingham. 

Beverages 

Birmingham is home to two of the biggest soft drink bottlers in the country, each of which generates more than $500 million in annual sales. The 1901-founded Buffalo Rock Company, which once produced just ginger ale, is now a significant bottler for the Pepsi Cola Company. The third-largest bottler of Coca-Cola products in the United States is the Coca-Cola Bottling Company United, which was established in 1902. 

Government 

A mayor and a nine-member city council make up Birmingham's mayor-council system of governance. In 1962, the current system took over from the old municipal commission government (primarily as a way to remove Commissioner of Public Safety Eugene "Bull" Connor from power). 

According to Alabama law, a two-thirds majority vote is required for a city council to approve a matter (Act No. 452, Ala. Acts 1955, as supplemented by Act No. 294, Ala. Acts 1965). The Mayor's Office is the only entity with executive authority. Randall Woodfin is the mayor of Birmingham at the moment. On January 19, 2010, Mayor Bell, who had previously served as interim mayor in 1999, won a special election to complete former mayor Larry Langford's term. On October 28, 2009, Langford was removed from office following his conviction on federal corruption charges. 

A systematic network of neighborhood groups and community advisory committees was developed in Birmingham in 1974 to ensure public participation in governmental decisions that affect neighborhoods. On issues including zoning amendments, liquor licensing, economic development, policing, and other city services, neighborhood associations are frequently consulted. Also, neighborhoods receive discretionary funding from the city budget for capital projects. Officers from each community gather with their neighbors to create Community Advisory Committees, which are given more authority over city departments. These committee presidents in turn make up the Citizen's Advisory Board, which frequently meets with the mayor, council, and department heads. Birmingham is divided into 23 communities altogether, and then into 99 distinct neighborhoods, each with its own community association. 

Education 

In order to provide education and pleasure for people of all ages, the Birmingham Public Library has 21 branches throughout the city and is a part of a larger system that also includes 19 suburban branches in Jefferson County. 

The Birmingham City Schools system provides education to residents of Birmingham. 30,500 students are currently enrolled in its 62 schools, which include nine kindergarten–8th-grade primary schools, seven high schools, thirteen middle schools, and 33 elementary schools. It is managed by the Birmingham Board of Education. 

There are many independent school systems in the greater Birmingham area since Alabama's educational systems, particularly in Jefferson County, have been extremely fragmented. Only three to five schools make up several of these "school systems." The Jefferson County School System, Birmingham City Schools, and the Shelby County School System are the three largest school systems in the metropolitan area. There are numerous smaller school systems, nevertheless. 

The greatest high schools, colleges, and universities in Alabama are thought to be located in the Birmingham area. A major magazine named Newsweek ranked the Jefferson County International Baccalaureate School in Irondale, an eastern suburb of Birmingham, as the best high school in America in 2005. The institution is still one of the top 5 high schools in the country. On the list, Mountain Brook High School came in at number 250. Homewood High School, Vestavia Hills High School, and the Alabama Academy of Fine Arts in downtown Birmingham are some additional nearby schools that have been included among the best in the nation in various magazines. Three prestigious preparatory schools are also located in the metro area: Saint Rose Academy, which is located in Birmingham. The Indian Springs School in north Shelby County close to Pelham and the Altamont School, both of which are situated in Birmingham proper. 

The University of Alabama at Birmingham, Samford University (which has the Cumberland School of Law), Birmingham School of Law, Miles College, the independent Miles Law School, Jefferson State Community College, Birmingham-Southern College, University of Montevallo (in Shelby County), Lawson State Community College, and Virginia College in Birmingham, the largest career college with its headquarters in Birmingham, are notable higher education institutions in the greater Birmingham area. 

Population 

Alabama's Jefferson County and Shelby County both contain the city of Birmingham. It serves as Jefferson County's County seat as well. It is the 138th largest city in the United States and the third largest city in Alabama with a population of 197,283. Birmingham's population has declined by -1.72% from the most recent census, which showed that there were 200,733 people living there in 2020, and is now falling at a pace of -0.58% annually. Birmingham's population density per square mile is 1,351, spanning more than 149 miles. 

The poverty rate in Birmingham is 28.56% while the average household income is $54,559. The median monthly cost of rent in recent years has been, and the median value of a home is. In Birmingham, the median age is 36.2 years, with 34.1 years for men and 38.3 years for women. 

The city, which was established in 1871, originally served as one of the major industrial hubs of the southeastern United States. Despite the fact that its industries have evolved, it is still one of the most significant financial and business hubs in the US today.