Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham (the 'H' is pronounced, unlike the British Birmingham) is a city located in Jefferson County, Alabama. As of the 2000 census, the population is 242,820, and the metropolitan area population is 849,194. It is the largest city in Alabama, and the county seat of Jefferson County,
Panorama of Birmingham, Alabama c1916
History
Birmingham was founded in 1871 at a railroad junction just to the west of the still-standing Arlington House museum, and was named for the English city of Birmingham. Through the early 20th century, due largely to its abundant mineral reserves, Birmingham grew rapidly, and soon became a leading industrial center. The mushrooming early development of the city led to its nickname of "The Magic City". Its economy was based largely upon iron and steel production and for that reason it also became known as the "Pittsburgh of the South".
Birmingham was hit hard by the Great Depression in the 1930s. The city's economy subsequently evolved into a more service-, research-, and engineering-oriented system.
In the 1950s and 60s Birmingham received national and international attention as a center of the civil rights struggle for African-Americans. Most notoriously, four black girls were killed in a church bombing in 1963.
In 1979 Birmingham elected its first African-American mayor.
In 1996 Birmingham hosted early rounds of Olympic soccer in Legion Field
Famous residents
Birmingham is the birthplace of:
- Charles Barkley, basketball player
- Amber Benson, actress
- Lyman Bostock, baseball player
- Bobby Bowden, football coach
- Nell Carter, singer & actress
- Dorothy Love Coates, gospel singer
- Courteney Cox, actress
- Angela Davis, activist
- Sam Dees, soul music singer
- Dennis Edwards, soul music singer
- Fannie Flagg, author, actress
- Louise Fletcher, actress
- Vonetta Flowers, bobsledder
- Roland Frye, scholar
- Emmylou Harris, singer
- Erskine Hawkins, jazz composer
- Odetta Holmes, folk singer
- Bo Jackson, multi-sport athlete
- Kate Jackson, actress
- Carl Lewis, track and field athlete
- Rebecca Luker, singer, actress
- Willie Mays, baseball player
- Walker Percy, author
- Michael K. Powell, former FCC chairman
- Howell Raines, former New York Times editor
- Condoleezza Rice, politician
- Wayne Rogers, actor
- Vincent Saizis, cinematographer
- Sonia Sanchez, poet
- Richard Shelby, U.S. Senator
- Ruben Studdard, "American Idol"
- Sun Ra, musician
- Margaret Tutwiler, diplomat
- Al Worthington, baseball player
- Tobias Wolff, author
Landmarks
- Vulcan statue, cast for the 1904 World's Fair, the largest cast iron statue in the world. Website
- The Alabama Theatre
- Arlington House,
- Legion Field
- Rickwood Field, built in 1910, America's oldest standing baseball park. Website
- Kelly Ingram Park, site of notable Civil Rights protests
- Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark. Website
Miscellaneous
The mayor of Birmingham (as of 2003) is Bernard Kincaid. The city has a mayor/council form of government.
Birmingham is served by Birmingham International Airport (there is another airport of the same name in Birmingham, England).
There is a Randy Newman song about the city, called "Birmingham" (lyrics). The city is also referenced in folk singer Ani DiFranco's song "Hello Birmingham" (lyrics).
Geography
Birmingham is located at 33°31'29" North, 86°48'46" West (33.524755, -86.812740)1.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 393.5 km² (151.9 mi²). 388.3 km² (149.9 mi²) of it is land and 5.3 km² (2.0 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 1.34% water.
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there are 242,820 people, 98,782 households, and 59,269 families residing in the city. The population density is 625.4/km² (1,619.7/mi²). There are 111,927 housing units at an average density of 288.3/km² (746.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 24.07% White, 73.46% Black or African American, 0.17% Native American, 0.80% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.62% from other races, and 0.83% from two or more races. 1.55% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 98,782 households out of which 27.7% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 31.1% are married couples living together, 24.6% have a female householder with no husband present, and 40.0% are non-families. 34.4% of all households are made up of individuals and 10.4% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.37 and the average family size is 3.09.
In the city the population is spread out with 25.0% under the age of 18, 11.1% from 18 to 24, 30.0% from 25 to 44, 20.4% from 45 to 64, and 13.5% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 34 years. For every 100 females there are 85.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 80.4 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $26,735, and the median income for a family is $31,851. Males have a median income of $28,184 versus $23,641 for females. The per capita income for the city is $15,663. 24.7% of the population and 20.9% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 35.4% are under the age of 18 and 18.5% are 65 or older.
