Information AboutAlabama |
Alabama is a U.S. State located in the Southern United States . Geography See Also: Geography of Alabama See Also: List of Alabama counties Alabama is the 30th largest state in the United States with 52,423 Square Mile s (135,775 km2) of total area. 3.19% of that is water, making Alabama 23rd in the amount of surface water, also giving it the second largest inland waterway system in the United States . About three-fifths of the land area is a gentle Plain with a general decline towards the Mississippi River and the Gulf Of Mexico . The North Alabama region is mostly mountainous, with the Tennessee River cutting a large valley creating numerous creeks, streams, rivers, mountains, and lakes. The lowest point east of the Mississippi River lies in Dekalb County along a creek cutting tower ridges, and creating Buck's Pocket State Park . Another natural wonder is "Land Bridge" the longest natural bridge span east of the Mississippi River . Alabama generally ranges in Elevation from Sea Level at Mobile Bay , to a little more than 1,800 Feet (550 m) in the Appalachian mountains in the northeast. The highest point is Mount Cheaha . Other U.S. states bordering Alabama include: Tennessee to the north; Georgia to the east; Florida to the south; and Mississippi to the west. Alabama has coastline at the Gulf Of Mexico in the extreme southern edge of the state. in Daviston; Little River Canyon National Preserve in Fort Payne; Russell Cave National Monument in Bridgeport; Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site in Tuskegee; and Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site near Tuskegee. Alabama also contains the Natchez Trace Parkway , the Selma To Montgomery National Historic Trail , and the Trail Of Tears National Historic Trail . History See Also: History of Alabama were Alabama (Alibamu), Cherokee , Chickasaw , Choctaw , Creek , Koasati , and Mobile . Trade with the Northeast via the Ohio River began during the Burial Mound Period ( 1000 BC -A.D. 700 ) and continued until European contact. Meso-American influence is evident in the agrarian Mississippian culture that followed. The French established the first Europe an settlement in the state with the establishment of Mobile in 1702 . Southern Alabama was French from 1702 – 1763 , part of British West Florida from 1763 – 1780 , and part of Spanish West Florida from 1780 – 1814 . Northern and central Alabama was part of British Georgia from 1763 – 1783 and part of the American Mississippi territory thereafter. Its statehood was delayed by the lack of a coastline (rectified when Andrew Jackson captured Spanish Mobile in 1814 ). Alabama became the 22nd state in 1819 . The economy of the central "black belt" featured large rich slave plantation that grew cotton. Elsewhere poor whites were subsistence farmers. Alabama seceded and joined the Confederate States Of America , 1861-65. While not many battles were fought in the state, Alabama contributed about 120,000 soldiers to the Civil War . All the slaves were freed by 1865. After a period of Reconstruction it emerged as a poor rural state, still tied to cotton, with high racial tensions between the ruling whites and the recently emancipated African Americans, who had second-class legal, social and economic status. The blacks lost the right to vote in 1901, and after 1917 many migrated to northern cities. Politically the state was one-party Democratic, and produced a number of national leaders. World War II brought prosperity. Cotton faded in importance as the state developed a manufacturing and service base. In the 1960s under Governor George Wallace the state opposed federal integration efforts. After the passage of the Civil Rights Laws of 1964 and 1965, blacks regained the right to vote and segregation and Jim Crow disappeared. After 1980 the state became a Republican stronghold in presidential elections, and leaned Republican in state elections. Demographics See Also: Demographics of Alabama As of 2005, Alabama has an estimated population of 4,557,808, which is an increase of 32,433, or 0.7%, from the prior year and an increase of 110,457, or 2.5%, since the year 2000. This includes a natural increase since the last census of 77,418 people (that is 319,544 births minus 242,126 deaths) and an increase due to net migration of 36,457 people into the state. Immigration from outside the United States resulted in a net increase of 25,936 people, and migration within the country produced a net increase of 10,521 people. The state had 108,000 foreign-born (2.4% of the state population), of which an estimated 22.2% were illegal aliens (24,000). Race and ancestry The racial makeup of the state and comparison to the prior census: The largest reported ancestry groups in Alabama: American (17.0%), English (7.8%), Irish (7.7%), German (5.7%), and Scotch-Irish (2.0%). 'American' includes those reported as Native American or African American . Religion Alabama is part of the Bible Belt , in which Evangelicals and Fundamentalists are predominant. There is a strong Catholic presence along the Gulf Coast. The major denominations are:
Economy According to the , Georgia and Mississippi comprising the top three. Its Industrial outputs include Iron and Steel products (including cast-iron and steel pipe); Paper , Lumber , and Wood products; Mining (mostly coal); Plastic products; cars and trucks; and Apparel . Also, Alabama produces Aerospace and Electronic products, mostly in the Huntsville area, which is home of the NASA George C. Marshall Space Flight Center and the US Army Missile Command , headquartered at Redstone Arsenal . Also, the city of Mobile is a busy seaport on the Gulf Of Mexico , and with inland waterway access to the Midwest via the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway . Alabama levies a 2, 4 or 5 percent personal income tax, depending upon the amount earned and filing status. The state's sales general tax rate is 4 percent. The collection rate could be substantially higher, depending upon additional city and county sales taxes. The corporate income tax rate is currently 6.5%. Transportation Alabama has four major interstate roads that cross it: I-65 runs north-south rough through the middle of the state; I-59/I-20 travels form the central west border to the north-east corner of the state; and I-85 goes from the border of Georgia and ends in Montgomery, providing a main thoroughfare to Atlanta. Major airports in Alabama include Birmingham International Airport (BHM), Dothan Regional Airport (DHN), Huntsville International Airport (HSV), Mobile Regional Airport (MOB), Muscle Shoals - Northwest Alabama Regional Airport (MSL), and Tuscaloosa Regional Airport (TCL). Law and government See Also: Law and Government of Alabama Local and county government Alabama has 67 Counties . Each county has its own elected legislative branch, usually called the Board of Commissioners, which usually also has executive authority in the county. Due to the restraints placed in the Alabama Constitution , all but 7 counties (Jefferson, Lee, Mobile, Madison, Montgomery, Shelby, and Tuscaloosa) in the state have little to no Home Rule . Instead, most counties in the state must lobby the Local Legislation Committee of the state legislature to get simple local policies such as waste disposal to land use zoning. Alabama is an Alcoholic Beverage Control State ; the government holds a monopoly on the sale of alcohol. Political climate The current governor of the state is Bob Riley and the two U.S. senators are Jefferson B. Sessions III and Richard C. Shelby (all three from the Republican Party ). The current State Constitution was adopted in 1901 . During Reconstruction following the American Civil War , Alabama was occupied by federal troops of the Third Military District under General John Pope . In 1874 the Redeemers took control of the state government from the Republicans. After 1890 a coalition of whites passed laws to Segregate and disenfranchise black residents. The state became part of the " Solid South ," a one-party system in which the Democratic Party became essentially the only political party in every Southern state. For nearly 100 years, local and state elections in Alabama were decided in the Democratic Party primary, with generally no Republican challenger running. From 1876 through 1956, Alabama supported only Democratic presidential candidates, by large margins. 1960 was a curious election; the Democrats won with John F. Kennedy on the ballot, but the Democratic electors gave most of their electoral votes as a protest to someone else. In 1964 , Barry Goldwater swept the state in reaction to the Civil Rights Law Of 1964 . However Republican candidates rarely won state or local elections until the 1980s. In 1968 , Alabama supported native son and American Independent Party candidate George Wallace , who defeated both Richard Nixon and Hubert Humphrey . The Republican Southern Strategy failed in 1976 as Jimmy Carter won the state, the region, and the nation in 1976 . Today, the Republican party has become increasingly dominant in conservative Alabama politics. However, in local politics, Democrats still control many offices. Democrats have majorities in both houses of the Legislature, and registered Democrats outnumber Republicans in the state. In 2004 , George W. Bush won Alabama's nine electoral votes by a margin of 25 percentage points with 62.5% of the vote. The only 11 counties voting Democratic were Black Belt counties, where African American s are in the majority. Important cities and towns
Cities 200,000+ Cities 150,000-200,000 Cities 75,000-150,000 Cities 40,000-75,000 Cities 20,000-40,000 Metropolitan Areas (In order of population)
Education Colleges and Universities See Also: List of colleges and universities in Alabama Miscellaneous topics ¹ The phrase ''The Heart of Dixie '' is required by state law to be included on standard state vehicle license plates, but has recently been reduced to a very small size and eclipsed by the phrase ''Stars Fell on Alabama''. See also Cultural sites
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