Covering an area of 393.5 km2, Birmingham is the largest city in the US state of Alabama. It is a county seat of Jefferson County and also includes part of Shelby County. It is located in Jones Valley at the southern end of the Appalachian Mountains. About 250,000 people live here. Birmingham was named after the city of the same name in the United Kingdom, which was one of the country’s major industrial cities in the past.
According to existingcountries, Birmingham was founded in 1871 after the end of the American Civil War as an industrial enterprise and during the middle of the 20th century became the foremost industrial center of the southern United States. The largest factories here were focused on the production of iron and steel. From 1880 to 1940, the city grew as an industrial metropolis with developed heavy engineering. Due to its rapid development, it was called the “Magic City.” However, during the crisis of the 1930s, the economy slowed greatly.
During the 20th century, with the development of the economy in the area, the city itself began to develop. Banking, insurance, pharmacy, publishing and biotechnology began to grow. Even today, Birmingham is considered one of the largest business centers in the southeastern United States and also one of the largest banking centers in the United States. The city is also a center of culture and education, home to the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Great attention is paid to education and training in Birmingham. The city is home to a number of the best schools in the United States, such as Birmingham Southern College, Miles College, Miles Law School, Birmingham School of Law, Samford University and the University of Montevallo.
The city is home to a number of museums and galleries, the largest of which is the Birmingham Museum of Art. Birmingham also boasts an excellent symphony orchestra, ballet ensemble and opera. Performances by musical and theater groups from all over the world are often held here.
Tourist attractions include Oak Mountain State Park, which is about 10 miles from Birmingham and offers stunning views. Vulcan Park, located south of the city, houses the largest cast iron statue in the world, known as Vulcan. The McWane Regional Science Center presents science and research in an interactive way. IMAX, a 3D cinema and a fossil exhibition are also included. Kelly Ingram Park is the site of well-known human rights protests. There is the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, which presents the story of Birmingham’s history in connection with the American Civil War in the form of an emotional exhibition. The site of the Civil War is Tannehill Ironworks Historical State Park, which is also a reminder of the city’s earlier steel industry boom. There is Iron & Steel Museum with preserved remains of the original steelworks and blast furnaces. The Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum houses the largest collection of motorcycles in the world.
Birmingham has a humid subtropical climate with characteristic hot summers, mild winters and heavy rainfall. The average annual temperature in the city is 17 ° C.
