Birmingham, Alabama

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Birmingham
Nickname : The Magic City, Pittsburgh of the South
View of downtown Birmingham
View of downtown Birmingham
Seal of Birmingham
seal 		Flag of Birmingham
flag
Location of Birmingham in Alabama
Jefferson County Alabama Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Birmingham Highlighted.svg
Basic data
Foundation : 1871
State : United States
State : Alabama
County : Jefferson County
Coordinates : 33 ° 31 ′  N , 86 ° 49 ′  W Coordinates: 33 ° 31 ′  N , 86 ° 49 ′  W
Time zone : Central ( UTC − 6 / −5 )
Inhabitants :
-  Metropolitan Area :		 212,157 (as of 2016)
1,147,417 (as of 2016)
Population density : 546.4 inhabitants per km 2
Area : 393.5 km 2  (approx. 152 mi 2 ) of
which 388.3 km 2  (approx. 150 mi 2 ) is land
Height : 140 m
Postcodes : 35201-35298
Area code : +1 205
FIPS : 01-07000
GNIS ID : 0158174
Website : www.birminghamal.gov
Mayor : Randall Woodfin ( D )
Jefferson County Alabama Courthouse.jpg
Jefferson County Courthouse

Birmingham is a city in Jefferson County in the US state of Alabama , United States and with 212,237 inhabitants (as of April 2010 census ) the largest city in Alabama. The city area is 393.5 km 2 .

Birmingham is an industrial city with mainly the cotton , electrical , cement and chemical industries.

history

The area of ​​what is now Birmingham was originally the hunting ground of the Cherokee , Choctaw and Muskogee Indians. A first settlement of European immigrants in this area was established in 1813. In 1861, during the Civil War , a small steel mill was built in what is now Birmingham. The city of Birmingham, named after the city ​​of the same name in England , was founded on June 1, 1871, when two railway lines were reached.

At the beginning of the 20th century, the city grew very quickly due to the mining of the plentiful ore deposits and the associated development of the steel industry and so Birmingham became the " Pittsburgh of the South". Given its rapid growth (3,086 inhabitants in 1880, 132,685 inhabitants in 1910), Birmingham was at times nicknamed "The Magic City".

Birmingham soon outstripped Montgomery as the largest city in Alabama. At the beginning of the 1960s the tide turned when the inferior iron ore was no longer competitive on the stagnating world market. More than 27,000 people worked in the steel mills in 1950, down from 11,000 in 1975 and 1,400 in 1997. Two large steel companies, American Cast Iron Pipe Company (ACIPCO) and McWane , are based in Birmingham. Today Alabama's economy is shaped by the large university hospital, the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB for short) and many medium-sized companies.

In the 1950s and 1960s, racial conflicts were also fierce in Birmingham. Numerous bomb attacks by the Ku Klux Klan gave Birmingham the nickname "Bombingham". On September 15, 1963, they set off at least 15 sticks of dynamite in the 16th Street Baptist Church . Four black girls (three under the age of 14) died and 22 people were injured. An inscription on the wall of the 16th Street Baptist Church commemorates the assassination attempt and racial conflicts; it is:

Birmingham c1916

"May Men learn to Replace Bitterness and Violence with Love and Understanding" ("May mankind learn to replace bitterness and violence with love and understanding")

Martin Luther King called Birmingham the "metropolis of racial segregation" and included the city in the 1963 protest march that later became legendary. King was incarcerated in Birmingham Jail for eight days. Two Ku Klux members were convicted of participating in the 1963 attack in 2001 and 2002, respectively.

In January 1998, Christian extremist Eric Rudolph bombed a gynecological clinic in Birmingham. A security guard died and a nurse was seriously injured. On April 13, 2005, Rudolph also confessed to this attack.

In the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, Birmingham's population declined, like many other US cities, while the population of the suburbs increased significantly. This is mainly due to the movement of many (white) residents from the cities to the suburbs. In 1979 Richard Arrington was elected Birmingham's first black mayor. He was re-elected four times; in 1999 ended his fifth and final term.

politics

administration

The city council of Birmingham is headed by the Mayor, who is elected by the population for a term of four years. The City Council consists of nine members and is also elected every four years. The mayoral election and the city council election take place two years apart. The incumbent mayor is William A. Bell . One of his predecessors, Larry Langford , was arrested by FBI officials on the morning of December 1, 2008. He was accused of bribery and fraud; In 2010 he was sentenced to 15 years in prison.

Town twinning

Birmingham is twinned with the following cities:

population

The city of Birmingham had 212,237 inhabitants in 2010. Approximately 99% of Birmingham's residents were born in the United States. The proportion of Afro-American residents is around 73%. A quarter of the population is younger than 18, the average age is 34 years. For every 100 female residents there are 85.7 males. The average income of a household is 26,542 euros. 24.7% of the population of Birmingham live below the poverty line . The population has been decreasing steadily for over 50 years, the highest number was recorded in 1960 with 340,887 inhabitants. This is probably due to the poor economic situation in the entire region.

Economy and Infrastructure

economy

The metropolitan area of ​​Birmingham generated a gross domestic product of 62.8 billion US dollars in 2016, making it 51st among the metropolitan areas of the United States. The unemployment rate in the metropolitan region was 3.4 percent and was thus below the national average of 3.8 percent (as of March 2018). The personal per capita income in 2016 was 45,795 US dollars, which means that Birmingham has a below-average income level.

The iron industry continues to play a role in Birmingham's economy despite a significant decline over the past 60 years. Since the UAB Medical Center opened in 1945, the medical and health care sector has steadily grown in importance; the University of Alabama at Birmingham is the city's largest employer. The Jefferson County , whose county seat is located in Birmingham, was forced to declare November 9, 2011 bankruptcy. It is the largest bankruptcy of a US district to date, triggered by a financial construct of a banking group that was supposed to finance a new sewage and sewer system. Water and sanitation fees quadrupled as the investments made before bankruptcy; many residents were in arrears.

traffic

Birmingham is connected to other cities by Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport , several passenger rail lines and Interstates 20 , 59 and 65 . The city is supplied on fourteen freight transport railway lines and around 100 truck routes. The Black Warrior River , which runs west of Birmingham, is a major shipping route; downstream is Tuscaloosa . Birmingham has a relatively small local transport system that consists entirely of bus routes.

media

In Birmingham, the newspaper appears The Birmingham News . The Birmingham Post Herald newspaper was discontinued in September 2005. There are also several weekly newspapers and magazines. In addition, seven of its own television channels and around 30 radio stations are broadcast in Birmingham.

education

The Birmingham school system has 52 elementary schools, 16 middle schools and 10 high schools . There are also more than 50 private and denominational schools in Birmingham. In addition to the University of Alabama at Birmingham , there are several other universities. For example, Birmingham-Southern College , Miles College and Samford University . The Birmingham public library system consists of a central library and 19 smaller libraries.

climate

The temperate climate of Birmingham is characterized by warm summers , mild winters and abundant rainfall . Birmingham has slightly less rainfall than cities on the Gulf Coast and is a bit cooler. In January, the average maximum temperature is 11.7 ° C, the average minimum temperature is −0.1 ° C. In July, the average high temperature is around 32.6 ° C and the average low temperature is 20.7 ° C. The average annual temperature is 17 ° C. Snowfall is very rare in Birmingham, with an annual average of one centimeter. The average annual precipitation is about 1330 mm. March is the wettest month, October the driest.

The spring and autumn months are pleasant, but also changeable. Cold fronts often bring with them strong, sometimes very strong thunderstorms and occasionally tornadoes . Autumn has less rainfall and fewer storms than spring, but it is the second storm season. Birmingham is in the heart of a tornado area called Dixie Alley . In the late summer and autumn months, the city is occasionally hit by tropical storms and hurricanes due to its proximity to the Gulf of Mexico .

Birmingham, Alabama
Climate diagram
J F. M. A. M. J J A. S. O N D.
 
 
130
 
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157
 
19th
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126
 
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14th
 
 
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2
Temperature in ° C ,  precipitation in mm
Source: National Weather Service, US Dept of Commerce
Average monthly temperatures and rainfall for Birmingham, Alabama
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Max. Temperature ( ° C ) 10.9 13.8 18.9 23.7 27.2 30.8 32.2 31.7 28.8 23.7 18.1 13.2 O 22.8
Min. Temperature (° C) −0.4 1.4 5.7 9.6 14.3 18.4 20.8 20.4 17.2 10.1 5.3 1.6 O 10.4
Precipitation ( mm ) 129.5 119.9 157.2 126.0 123.2 94.7 133.4 91.2 99.8 71.4 110.0 130.0 Σ 1,386.3
Rainy days ( d ) 8.9 7.9 9.2 7.9 8.4 7.4 10.6 7.5 6.7 5.1 7.7 8.4 Σ 95.7
T
e
m
p
e
r
a
t
u
r
10.9
−0.4
13.8
1.4
18.9
5.7
23.7
9.6
27.2
14.3
30.8
18.4
32.2
20.8
31.7
20.4
28.8
17.2
23.7
10.1
18.1
5.3
13.2
1.6
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
N
i
e
d
e
r
s
c
h
l
a
g 		129.5
119.9
157.2
126.0
123.2
94.7
133.4
91.2
99.8
71.4
110.0
130.0
  Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Attractions

The Long Life Lake Bridge in the Birmingham Botanical Garden

Birmingham Botanical Garden is located in Birmingham , a botanical garden with an area of ​​273,000 m 2 .

  • Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark - industrial monument, former blast furnace
  • Civil Rights District (Civil Rights Institute)
  • Kelly Ingram Park
  • 16th Street Baptist Church
  • 4th Avenue District
  • Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame
  • Five Points South District
  • Vulcan statue
  • Arlington Home & Gardens
  • Birmingham Museum of Art
  • Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument
  • Boutwell Memorial Auditorium

sons and daughters of the town

Movie

music

  • Dud Bascomb (1916–1972), jazz trumpeter
  • Paul Bascomb (1910–1986), tenor saxophonist and bandleader of swing and rhythm and blues
  • Charlie Baty (1953-2020), blues musician
  • Piney Brown (1922–2009), blues and R&B musician and songwriter
  • Jimmy Cheatham (1924-2007), jazz trombonist
  • Gene Conners (1930–2010), trombonist of modern jazz and rhythm and blues
  • White Dawg , crunk rapper, producer and businessman
  • Harry Dial (1907–1987), jazz musician
  • Arthur Doyle (1944–2014), free jazz musician
  • Dennis Edwards (1943–2018), soul and rhythm and blues singer
  • Richard Evans (1932–2014), R&B and jazz musician
  • Hard rock Gunter (1925–2013), rockabilly and country musician
  • Curley Hamner (1919–1982), rhythm & blues and jazz musician
  • Wilbur Harden (1924–1969), jazz trumpeter and flugelhorn player
  • Emmylou Harris (* 1947), country, folk and pop singer and songwriter
  • Heywood Henry (1913–1994), R&B and jazz musician
  • Taylor Hicks (* 1976), singer and winner of the fifth American Idol season
  • Teddy Hill (1909–1978), tenor saxophonist, big band leader in swing and jazz club manager
  • Odetta Holmes (1930-2008), African American singer
  • Lynn Hope (1926-1993), rhythm and blues tenor saxophonist
  • Jimmy Jones (1937–2012), rock and roll and pop singer
  • Baker Knight (1933–2005), rockabilly musician and composer
  • Sam Lay (born 1935), blues drummer and singer
  • Sammy Lowe (1918–1993), trumpeter, arranger and orchestra conductor
  • Gucci Mane (born 1980), rapper
  • Jimmy Murphy (1925–1981), country and rockabilly musician, songwriter and guitarist
  • Loulie Jean Norman (1913-2005), soprano and singer of the original Star Trek theme song
  • Hank Penny (1918-1992), country singer
  • Carl Pruitt (1918–1977), jazz and R&B musician
  • Sun Ra (1914–1993), experimental, avant-garde jazz composer and jazz musician
  • Johnny Smith (1922–2013), guitarist of cool jazz and mainstream jazz
  • Maria Taylor (* 1976), singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist in indie rock
  • Billy Valentine (* 1926), jazz and R&B musician
  • Paul Williams (1939–1973), singer and member of the Temptations

Sports

politics

Others

Web links

Commons : Birmingham, Alabama  - Collection of pictures, videos, and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ www.american-usa.com
  2. ↑ a list of Birmingham based companies here
  3. ↑ www.congress.gov April 24, 2013: Awarding Congressional Gold Medal ; see also Wikipedia .
  4. ↑ Events in Eric Rudoph's life , p. 3. ( Memento of the original from January 19, 2013 in the web archive archive.today ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , CNN, April 13, 2005. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / articles.cnn.com
  5. ↑ Events in Eric Rudoph's life , p. 1. ( Memento of the original from January 20, 2013 in the web archive archive.today ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , CNN, April 13, 2005. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / articles.cnn.com
  6. ↑ http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/dec/01/fbi-birmingham-mayor-arrested/
  7. ^ US Department of Commerce, BEA, Bureau of Economic Analysis: Bureau of Economic Analysis. Retrieved July 4, 2018 (American English).
  8. ↑ Birmingham-Hoover, AL Economy at a Glance. Retrieved July 5, 2018 .
  9. ^ US Department of Commerce, BEA, Bureau of Economic Analysis: Bureau of Economic Analysis. Retrieved July 5, 2018 (American English).
  10. ↑ bbc.com December 14, 2011: The scandal of the Alabama poor cut off from water
  11. ↑ www.slossfurnaces.com