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}}{{maplink|frame=yes|frame-width=300|type=line|stroke-width=3|text=Interactive map}}Alabama ({{IPAc-en|,|æ|l|É™|’|b|æ|m|É™|}} {{respell|AL|É™|BAM|É™}})COLLINS DICTIONARY, Alabama, March 8, 2024, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama is the 30th largest by areaWEB,beef2live.com/story-ranking-states-area-89-118259, Ranking of U.S. States by Area, November 7, 2022, December 17, 2022,web.archive.org/web/20221217192443/https://beef2live.com/story-ranking-states-area-89-118259, live, and the 24th-most populous of the 50 U.S. states.WEB,worldpopulationreview.com/states, US States – Ranked by Population 2022, November 7, 2022, March 24, 2022,web.archive.org/web/20220324055635/https://worldpopulationreview.com/states, live, Alabama is nicknamed the Yellowhammer State, after the state bird. Alabama is also known as the “Heart of Dixie” and the “Cotton State”. The state has diverse geography, with the north dominated by the mountainous Tennessee Valley and the south by Mobile Bay, a historically significant port. Alabama’s capital is Montgomery, and its largest city by population and area is Huntsville.WEB, August 12, 2021, Huntsville rockets past Birmingham in Census, now Alabama’s largest city,www.al.com/news/2021/08/huntsville-rockets-past-birmingham-in-2020-census-now-alabamas-largest-city.html, August 12, 2021, al, en, August 12, 2021,web.archive.org/web/20210812230342/https://www.al.com/news/2021/08/huntsville-rockets-past-birmingham-in-2020-census-now-alabamas-largest-city.html, live, Its oldest city is Mobile, founded by French colonists (Alabama Creoles) in 1702 as the capital of French Louisiana.BOOK, Thomason, Michael, Mobile: The New History of Alabama’s First City, 2001, University of Alabama Press, Tuscaloosa, 978-0-8173-1065-3, 2–21, BOOK, Mobile the life and times of a great Southern city, Melton McLaurin, Michael Thomason, 1981, 1st, Windsor Publications, United States of America, 12, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 24, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 41. 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 88, 92, 105, 119, 120, 123, Greater Birmingham is Alabama’s largest metropolitan area and its economic center.WEB,www.alabamanewscenter.com/2018/08/31/alabamas-largest-county-looks-to-continue-economic-development-momentum/, Alabama’s largest county looks to continue economic development momentum, August 31, 2018, September 21, 2020, October 21, 2020,web.archive.org/web/20201021223215/https://alabamanewscenter.com/2018/08/31/alabamas-largest-county-looks-to-continue-economic-development-momentum/, live, Politically, as part of the Deep South, Alabama is predominantly a conservative state, and is known for its Southern culture. Within Alabama, American football, particularly at the college level, plays a major part of the state’s culture. Originally home to many native tribes, present-day Alabama was a Spanish territory beginning in the sixteenth century until the French acquired it in the early eighteenth century. The British won the territory in 1763 until losing it in the American Revolutionary War. Spain held Mobile as part of Spanish West Florida until 1813. In December 1819, Alabama was recognized as a state. During the antebellum period, Alabama was a major producer of cotton, and widely used African American slave labor. In 1861, the state seceded from the United States to become part of the Confederate States of America, with Montgomery acting as its first capital, and rejoined the Union in 1868. Following the American Civil War, Alabama would suffer decades of economic hardship, in part due to agriculture and a few cash crops being the main driver of the state’s economy. Similar to other former slave states, Alabamian legislators employed Jim Crow laws from the late 19th century up until the 1960s. High-profile events such as the Selma to Montgomery march made the state a major focal point of the civil rights movement in the 1950s and 1960s.During and after World War II, Alabama grew as the state’s economy diversified with new industries. NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville would help Alabama’s economic growth in the mid-to-late 20th century, by developing an aerospace industry. Alabama’s economy in the 21st century is based on automotive, finance, tourism, manufacturing, aerospace, mineral extraction, healthcare, education, retail, and technology.WEB,www2.dir.alabama.gov/projections/Occupational/Proj2018/Statewide/alabama2008_2018.pdf, Alabama Occupational Projections 2008–2018, Alabama Department of Industrial Relations, State of Alabama, September 22, 2012, dead,www2.dir.alabama.gov/projections/Occupational/Proj2018/Statewide/alabama2008_2018.pdf," title="web.archive.org/web/20130117053325www2.dir.alabama.gov/projections/Occupational/Proj2018/Statewide/alabama2008_2018.pdf,">web.archive.org/web/20130117053325www2.dir.alabama.gov/projections/Occupational/Proj2018/Statewide/alabama2008_2018.pdf, January 17, 2013,

Etymology

The European-American naming of the Alabama River and state was derived from the Alabama people, a Muskogean-speaking tribe whose members lived just below the confluence of the Coosa and Tallapoosa rivers on the upper reaches of the river.BOOK, Read, William A., Indian Place Names in Alabama, 1984, University of Alabama Press, 978-0-8173-0231-3, 10724679, In the Alabama language, the word for a person of Alabama lineage is (or variously or in different dialects; the plural form is ).BOOK, Sylestine, Cora, Hardy, Heather, Timothy Montler, Montler, Timothy, Dictionary of the Alabama Language, University of Texas Press, Austin, 1993, 978-0-292-73077-9,www.ling.unt.edu/~montler/Alabama/, 26590560, dead,www.ling.unt.edu/~montler/Alabama/," title="web.archive.org/web/20081024054330www.ling.unt.edu/~montler/Alabama/,">web.archive.org/web/20081024054330www.ling.unt.edu/~montler/Alabama/, October 24, 2008, The word’s spelling varies significantly among historical sources.WEB,www.archives.alabama.gov/statenam.html, Alabama: The State Name, August 2, 2007, All About Alabama, Alabama Department of Archives and History,www.archives.alabama.gov/statenam.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20070628215841www.archives.alabama.gov/statenam.html,">web.archive.org/web/20070628215841www.archives.alabama.gov/statenam.html, June 28, 2007, dead, The first usage appears in three accounts of the Hernando de Soto expedition of 1540: Garcilaso de la Vega used , while the Knight of Elvas and Rodrigo Ranjel wrote Alibamu and Limamu, respectively, in transliterations of the term. As early as 1702, the French called the tribe the , with French maps identifying the river as . Other spellings of the name have included Alibamu, Alabamo, Albama, Alebamon, Alibama, Alibamou, Alabamu, and Allibamou.BOOK, Wills, Charles A., A Historical Album of Alabama, 1995, The Millbrook Press, 978-1-56294-591-6, 32242468, registration,archive.org/details/historicalalbumo0000will_y2e2, BOOK, Griffith, Lucille, Alabama: A Documentary History to 1900, 1972, University of Alabama Press, 978-0-8173-0371-6, 17530914, The use of state names derived from Native American languages is common in the U.S.; an estimated 26 states have names of Native American origin.BOOK, Weiss, Sonia, The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Baby Names, 1999, Macmillan USA, 978-0-02-863367-1, 222611214, registration,archive.org/details/completeidiotsgu00weis_0, Sources disagree on the word’s meaning. Some scholars suggest the word comes from the Choctaw (meaning ‘plants’ or ‘weeds’) and (meaning ‘to cut’, ‘to trim’, or ‘to gather’).BOOK, Rogers, William W., Robert D. Ward, Leah R. Atkins, Wayne Flynt, Alabama: the History of a Deep South State, 1994, University of Alabama Press, 978-0-8173-0712-7, 28634588, JOURNAL, Swanton, John R., John R. Swanton, 1953, The Indian Tribes of North America, Bureau of American Ethnology Bulletin, 145, 153–174,www.hiddenhistory.com/PAGE3/swsts/alabam-1.htm, August 2, 2007,www.hiddenhistory.com/PAGE3/swsts/alabam-1.htm," title="web.archive.org/web/20070804025900www.hiddenhistory.com/PAGE3/swsts/alabam-1.htm,">web.archive.org/web/20070804025900www.hiddenhistory.com/PAGE3/swsts/alabam-1.htm, August 4, 2007, live, 2027/mdp.39015005395804, The meaning may have been ‘clearers of the thicket’ or ‘herb gatherers’,JOURNAL, Swanton, John R., John R. Swanton, 1937, Review of Read, Indian Place Names of Alabama, American Speech, 212–215, 3, 10.2307/452431, 12, 452431, referring to clearing land for cultivation or collecting medicinal plants. The state has numerous place names of Native American origin.WEB,www.archives.alabama.gov/tours/Previsit_Indian.pdf, Southeastern Indian Place Names in what is now Alabama, 1994, Indian Place Names in Alabama, William A. Read, Alabama Department of Archives and History, October 3, 2011, October 1, 2011,www.archives.alabama.gov/tours/Previsit_Indian.pdf," title="web.archive.org/web/20111001052323www.archives.alabama.gov/tours/Previsit_Indian.pdf,">web.archive.org/web/20111001052323www.archives.alabama.gov/tours/Previsit_Indian.pdf, live, BOOK, Native American placenames of the United States, Bright, William, 2004, University of Oklahoma Press, 978-0-8061-3576-2, 29–559,books.google.com/books?id=5XfxzCm1qa4C, October 29, 2015, June 17, 2016,web.archive.org/web/20160617172237/https://books.google.com/books?id=5XfxzCm1qa4C, live, An 1842 article in the Jacksonville Republican proposed it meant ‘Here We Rest’. This notion was popularized in the 1850s through the writings of Alexander Beaufort Meek. Experts in the Muskogean languages have not found any evidence to support such a translation.

History

Pre-European settlement

File:Moundville Archaeological Site Alabama.jpg|thumb|left|The Moundville Archaeological Site in Hale County. It was occupied by Native Americans of the Mississippian cultureMississippian cultureIndigenous peoples of varying cultures lived in the area for thousands of years before the advent of European colonization. Trade with the northeastern tribes by the Ohio River began during the Burial Mound Period (1000{{spaces}}BCE{{snd}}700{{spaces}}CE) and continued until European contact.NEWS,travel2.nytimes.com/2004/07/15/travel/NYT_ALMANAC_US_ALABAMA.html, Alabama, August 11, 2006, The New York Times Almanac 2004, September 23, 2006,travel2.nytimes.com/2004/07/15/travel/NYT_ALMANAC_US_ALABAMA.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20131016195242travel2.nytimes.com/2004/07/15/travel/NYT_ALMANAC_US_ALABAMA.html,">web.archive.org/web/20131016195242travel2.nytimes.com/2004/07/15/travel/NYT_ALMANAC_US_ALABAMA.html, October 16, 2013, dead, The agrarian Mississippian culture covered most of the state from 1000 to 1600 CE, with one of its major centers built at what is now the Moundville Archaeological Site in Moundville, Alabama.BOOK, Welch, Paul D., Moundville’s Economy, University of Alabama Press, 1991, 978-0-8173-0512-3, 21330955, BOOK, Walthall, John A., Prehistoric Indians of the Southeast-Archaeology of Alabama and the Middle South, University of Alabama Press, 1990, 978-0-8173-0552-9, 26656858, This is the second-largest complex of the classic Middle Mississippian era, after Cahokia in present-day Illinois, which was the center of the culture. Analysis of artifacts from archaeological excavations at Moundville were the basis of scholars’ formulating the characteristics of the Southeastern Ceremonial Complex (SECC).BOOK, Townsend, Richard F., Hero, Hawk, and Open Hand, Yale University Press, 2004, 978-0-300-10601-5, 56633574, Hero, Hawk, and Open Hand, Contrary to popular belief, the SECC appears to have no direct links to Mesoamerican culture but developed independently. The Ceremonial Complex represents a major component of the religion of the Mississippian peoples; it is one of the primary means by which their religion is understood.BOOK, F. Kent Reilly, James Garber, Ancient Objects and Sacred Realms, University of Texas Press, 2004, 978-0-292-71347-5, Foreword by Vincas P. Steponaitis, 70335213, Ancient Objects and Sacred Realms, Among the historical tribes of Native American people living in present-day Alabama at the time of European contact were the Cherokee, an Iroquoian language people; and the Muskogean-speaking Alabama (Alibamu), Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek, and Koasati.WEB,www.accessgenealogy.com/native/alabama/, Alabama Indian Tribes, September 23, 2006, 2006, Indian Tribal Records, AccessGenealogy.com,www.accessgenealogy.com/native/alabama/," title="archive.today/20061012073735www.accessgenealogy.com/native/alabama/,">archive.today/20061012073735www.accessgenealogy.com/native/alabama/, October 12, 2006, live, While part of the same large language family, the Muskogee tribes developed distinct cultures and languages.

European settlement

The Spanish were the first Europeans to reach Alabama during their exploration of North America in the 16th century. The expedition of Hernando de Soto passed through Mabila and other parts of the state in 1540. More than 160 years later, the French founded the region’s first European settlement at Old Mobile in 1702.WEB,www.theus50.com/alabama/, Alabama State History, September 23, 2006, theUS50.com,www.theus50.com/alabama/," title="web.archive.org/web/20060825052401www.theus50.com/alabama/,">web.archive.org/web/20060825052401www.theus50.com/alabama/, August 25, 2006, live, The city was moved to the current site of Mobile in 1711. This area was claimed by the French from 1702 to 1763 as part of La Louisiane.After the French lost to the British in the Seven Years’ War, it became part of British West Florida from 1763 to 1783. After the United States victory in the American Revolutionary War, the territory was divided between the United States and Spain. The latter retained control of this western territory from 1783 until the surrender of the Spanish garrison at Mobile to U.S. forces on April 13, 1813.WEB, Alabama History Timeline,www.archives.alabama.gov/timeline/al1801.html, Alabama Department of Archives and History, July 27, 2013, June 18, 2016,www.archives.alabama.gov/timeline/al1801.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20160618035649www.archives.alabama.gov/timeline/al1801.html,">web.archive.org/web/20160618035649www.archives.alabama.gov/timeline/al1801.html, live, BOOK, Thomason, Michael, Mobile: The New History of Alabama’s First City, 2001, University of Alabama Press, Tuscaloosa, 978-0-8173-1065-3, 61, Thomas Bassett, a loyalist to the British monarchy during the Revolutionary era, was one of the earliest white settlers in the state outside Mobile. He settled in the Tombigbee District during the early 1770s.WEB,www.archives.state.al.us/aha/markers/washington.html, Alabama Historical Association Marker Program: Washington County, Archives.state.al.us, June 1, 2011, dead,www.archives.state.al.us/aha/markers/washington.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20110822222441www.archives.state.al.us/aha/markers/washington.html,">web.archive.org/web/20110822222441www.archives.state.al.us/aha/markers/washington.html, August 22, 2011, The district’s boundaries were roughly limited to the area within a few miles of the Tombigbee River and included portions of what is today southern Clarke County, northernmost Mobile County, and most of Washington County.BOOK, The Old Southwest 1795–1830: Frontiers in Conflict, Clark, Thomas D., John D. W. Guice, 1989, University of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque, 978-0-8061-2836-8, 44–65, 210–257, BOOK, Colonial Mobile: An Historical Study of the Alabama-Tombigbee Basin and the Old South West from the Discovery of the Spiritu Sancto in 1519 until the Demolition of Fort Charlotte in 1821, Hamilton, Peter Joseph, 1910, Hougthon Mifflin, Boston, 49073155, 241–244, What are now Baldwin and Mobile counties became part of Spanish West Florida in 1783, part of the independent Republic of West Florida in 1810, and finally part of the Mississippi Territory in 1812. Most of what is now the northern two-thirds of Alabama was known as the Yazoo lands beginning during the British colonial period. It was claimed by the Province of Georgia from 1767 onwards. Following the Revolutionary War, it remained a part of Georgia, although heavily disputed.BOOK, Cadle, Farris W, Georgia Land Surveying History and Law, 1991, University of Georgia Press, Athens, Ga., BOOK, Pickett, Albert James, History of Alabama and incidentally of Georgia and Mississippi, from the earliest period,archive.org/details/historyalabamaa00pickgoog, 1851, Walker and James, Charleston, 408–428, With the exception of the area around Mobile and the Yazoo lands, what is now the lower one-third of Alabama was made part of the Mississippi Territory when it was organized in 1798. The Yazoo lands were added to the territory in 1804, following the Yazoo land scandal.WEB, The Pine Barrens Speculation and Yazoo Land Fraud,www.aboutnorthgeorgia.com/ang/The_Pine_Barrens_Speculation_and_Yazoo_Land_Fraud, About North Georgia, July 27, 2013, November 3, 2013,www.aboutnorthgeorgia.com/ang/The_Pine_Barrens_Speculation_and_Yazoo_Land_Fraud," title="web.archive.org/web/20131103193838www.aboutnorthgeorgia.com/ang/The_Pine_Barrens_Speculation_and_Yazoo_Land_Fraud,">web.archive.org/web/20131103193838www.aboutnorthgeorgia.com/ang/The_Pine_Barrens_Speculation_and_Yazoo_Land_Fraud, dead, Spain kept a claim on its former Spanish West Florida territory in what would become the coastal counties until the Adams–Onís Treaty officially ceded it to the United States in 1819.

19th century

(File:Mississippiterritory.PNG|thumb|upright=0.9)Before Mississippi’s admission to statehood on December 10, 1817, the more sparsely settled eastern half of the territory was separated and named the Alabama Territory. The United States Congress created the Alabama Territory on March 3, 1817. St. Stephens, now abandoned, served as the territorial capital from 1817 to 1819.WEB,www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/face/Article.jsp?id=h-1674, Old St. Stephens, Encyclopedia of Alabama, Auburn University, June 21, 2011,www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/face/Article.jsp?id=h-1674," title="web.archive.org/web/20110726152101www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/face/Article.jsp?id=h-1674,">web.archive.org/web/20110726152101www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/face/Article.jsp?id=h-1674, July 26, 2011, dead, Alabama was admitted as the 22nd state on December 14, 1819, with Congress selecting Huntsville as the site for the first Constitutional Convention. From July{{spaces}}5 to August 2, 1819, delegates met to prepare the new state constitution. Huntsville served as temporary capital from 1819 to 1820, when the seat of government moved to Cahaba in Dallas County.WEB, Huntsville,www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/face/Article.jsp?id=h-2498, The Encyclopedia of Alabama, Alabama Humanities Foundation, January 22, 2013,www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/face/Article.jsp?id=h-2498," title="web.archive.org/web/20130122065945www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/face/Article.jsp?id=h-2498,">web.archive.org/web/20130122065945www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/face/Article.jsp?id=h-2498, January 22, 2013, dead, Cahaba, now a ghost town, was the first permanent state capital from 1820 to 1825.WEB, Old Cahawba, Alabama’s first state capital, 1820 to 1826, Old Cahawba: A Cahawba Advisory Committee Project,www.cahawba.com/, September 22, 2012, August 21, 2012,www.cahawba.com/," title="web.archive.org/web/20120821130209www.cahawba.com/,">web.archive.org/web/20120821130209www.cahawba.com/, live, The Alabama Fever land rush was underway when the state was admitted to the Union, with settlers and land speculators pouring into the state to take advantage of fertile land suitable for cotton cultivation.WEB,www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/face/Article.jsp?id=h-3155, Alabama Fever, LeeAnna Keith, October 13, 2011, Encyclopedia of Alabama, Auburn University, September 22, 2012,www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/face/Article.jsp?id=h-3155," title="web.archive.org/web/20130117053816www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/face/Article.jsp?id=h-3155,">web.archive.org/web/20130117053816www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/face/Article.jsp?id=h-3155, January 17, 2013, dead, WEB,www.alabamaheritage.com/vault/kingcotton.htm, Alabama Fever, Alabama Department of Archives and History, State of Alabama, September 22, 2012, dead,www.alabamaheritage.com/vault/kingcotton.htm," title="web.archive.org/web/20130117053326www.alabamaheritage.com/vault/kingcotton.htm,">web.archive.org/web/20130117053326www.alabamaheritage.com/vault/kingcotton.htm, January 17, 2013, Part of the frontier in the 1820s and 1830s, its constitution provided for universal suffrage for white men.File:Thornhill 01.jpg|thumb|right|The main house, built in 1833, at Thornhill in Greene County. It is a former Black Belt plantation.]]Southeastern planters and traders from the Upper South brought slaves with them as the cotton plantations in Alabama expanded. The economy of the central Black Belt (named for its dark, productive soil) was built around large cotton plantations whose owners’ wealth grew mainly from slave labor. The area also drew many poor, disenfranchised people who became subsistence farmers. Alabama had an estimated population of under 10,000 people in 1810, but it increased to more than 300,000 people by 1830. Most Native American tribes were completely removed from the state within a few years of the passage of the Indian Removal Act by Congress in 1830.WEB,www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/face/Article.jsp?id=h-1598, Alabama, Wayne Flynt, July 9, 2008, Encyclopedia of Alabama, Auburn University, September 22, 2012,www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/face/Article.jsp?id=h-1598," title="web.archive.org/web/20120906010441www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/face/Article.jsp?id=h-1598,">web.archive.org/web/20120906010441www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/face/Article.jsp?id=h-1598, September 6, 2012, dead, From 1826 to 1846, Tuscaloosa served as Alabama’s capital. On January 30, 1846, the Alabama legislature announced it had voted to move the capital city from Tuscaloosa to Montgomery. The first legislative session in the new capital met in December 1847.WEB,www.archives.state.al.us/capital/capitals.html, Capitals of Alabama, Alabama Department of Archives and History, July 8, 2011,www.archives.state.al.us/capital/capitals.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20110716220255www.archives.state.al.us/capital/capitals.html,">web.archive.org/web/20110716220255www.archives.state.al.us/capital/capitals.html, July 16, 2011, live, A new capitol building was erected under the direction of Stephen Decatur Button of Philadelphia. The first structure burned down in 1849, but was rebuilt on the same site in 1851. This second capitol building in Montgomery remains to the present day. It was designed by Barachias Holt of Exeter, Maine.BOOK, Gamble, Robert, 1987, The Alabama Catalog: A Guide to the Early Architecture of the State, 144, 323–324, University of Alabama Press, University, AL, 978-0-8173-0148-4, BOOK, Bowsher, Alice Meriwether, 2001, Alabama Architecture, 90–91, University of Alabama Press, Tuscaloosa, 978-0-8173-1081-3,

Civil War and Reconstruction

By 1860, the population had increased to 964,201 people, of which nearly half, 435,080, were enslaved African Americans, and 2,690 were free people of color.WEB,www.archives.alabama.gov/timeline/al1801.html, Alabama History Timeline, Alabama Department of Archives and History, State of Alabama, September 22, 2012, June 18, 2016,www.archives.alabama.gov/timeline/al1801.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20160618035649www.archives.alabama.gov/timeline/al1801.html,">web.archive.org/web/20160618035649www.archives.alabama.gov/timeline/al1801.html, live, On January 11, 1861, Alabama declared its secession from the Union. After remaining an independent republic for a few days, it joined the Confederate States of America. The Confederacy’s capital was initially at Montgomery. Alabama was heavily involved in the American Civil War. Although comparatively few battles were fought in the state, Alabama contributed about 120,000 soldiers to the war effort.File:Huntsville Courthouse Square 1864.jpg|thumb|left|Union ArmyUnion ArmyA company of cavalry soldiers from Huntsville, Alabama, joined Nathan Bedford Forrest’s battalion in Hopkinsville, Kentucky. The company wore new uniforms with yellow trim on the sleeves, collar and coattails. This led to them being greeted with “Yellowhammer”, and the name later was applied to all Alabama troops in the Confederate Army.Official Symbols and Emblems of Alabama, State Bird of Alabama, Yellowhammer {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190102071436www.archives.state.al.us/emblems/st_bird.html |date=January 2, 2019 }}. Alabama State ArchivesAlabama’s slaves were freed by the 13th Amendment in 1865.WEB,www.historicaldocuments.com/13thAmendment.htm, 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Abolition of Slavery (1865), September 23, 2006, 2005, Historical Documents, HistoricalDocuments.com, dead,www.historicaldocuments.com/13thAmendment.htm," title="web.archive.org/web/20061031131251www.historicaldocuments.com/13thAmendment.htm,">web.archive.org/web/20061031131251www.historicaldocuments.com/13thAmendment.htm, October 31, 2006, Alabama was under military rule from the end of the war in May 1865 until its official restoration to the Union in 1868. From 1867 to 1874, with most white citizens barred temporarily from voting and freedmen enfranchised, many African Americans emerged as political leaders in the state. Alabama was represented in Congress during this period by three African-American congressmen: Jeremiah Haralson, Benjamin S. Turner, and James T. Rapier.WEB,www.alabamamoments.alabama.gov/sec24.html, Reconstruction in Alabama: A Quick Summary, Alabama Moments in American History, Alabama Department of Archives and History, September 22, 2012,www.alabamamoments.alabama.gov/sec24.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20120913020916www.alabamamoments.alabama.gov/sec24.html,">web.archive.org/web/20120913020916www.alabamamoments.alabama.gov/sec24.html, September 13, 2012, dead, Following the war, the state remained chiefly agricultural, with an economy tied to cotton. During Reconstruction, state legislators ratified a new state constitution in 1868 which created the state’s first public school system and expanded women’s rights. Legislators funded numerous public road and railroad projects, although these were plagued with allegations of fraud and misappropriation. Organized insurgent, resistance groups tried to suppress the freedmen and Republicans. Besides the short-lived original Ku Klux Klan, these included the Pale Faces, Knights of the White Camellia, Red Shirts, and the White League.Reconstruction in Alabama ended in 1874, when the Democrats regained control of the legislature and governor’s office through an election dominated by fraud and violence. They wrote another constitution in 1875, and the legislature passed the Blaine Amendment, prohibiting public money from being used to finance religious-affiliated schools.WEB,www.schoolreport.com/schoolreport/articles/blaine_7_00.htm, A Blaine Amendment Update (July 00), Schoolreport.com, June 1, 2011,www.schoolreport.com/schoolreport/articles/blaine_7_00.htm," title="web.archive.org/web/20110716014339www.schoolreport.com/schoolreport/articles/blaine_7_00.htm,">web.archive.org/web/20110716014339www.schoolreport.com/schoolreport/articles/blaine_7_00.htm, July 16, 2011, dead, The same year, legislation was approved that called for racially segregated schools.WEB,www.classroomhelp.com/till/jimcrowlaws/jimcrowalabama.html, Jim Crow Laws in Alabama, Emmett Till, It All Began with a Whistle, Classroomhelp, September 22, 2012, June 26, 2012,classroomhelp.com/till/jimcrowlaws/jimcrowalabama.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20120626210219classroomhelp.com/till/jimcrowlaws/jimcrowalabama.html,">web.archive.org/web/20120626210219classroomhelp.com/till/jimcrowlaws/jimcrowalabama.html, live, Railroad passenger cars were segregated in 1891.

20th century

(File:Birmingham Alabama skyline 1915.jpg|thumb|The developing skyline of Birmingham in 1915)The new 1901 Constitution of Alabama included provisions for voter registration that effectively disenfranchised large portions of the population, including nearly all African Americans and Native Americans, and tens of thousands of poor European Americans, through making voter registration difficult, requiring a poll tax and literacy test.Morgan Kousser. The Shaping of Southern Politics: Suffrage Restriction and the Establishment of the One-Party South, New Haven: Yale University Press, 1974 The 1901 constitution required racial segregation of public schools. By 1903 only 2,980 African Americans were registered in Alabama, although at least 74,000 were literate. This compared to more than 181,000 African Americans eligible to vote in 1900. The numbers dropped even more in later decades. The state legislature passed additional racial segregation laws related to public facilities into the 1950s: jails were segregated in 1911; hospitals in 1915; toilets, hotels, and restaurants in 1928; and bus stop waiting rooms in 1945.While the planter class had persuaded poor whites to vote for this legislative effort to suppress black voting, the new restrictions resulted in their disenfranchisement as well, due mostly to the imposition of a cumulative poll tax. By 1941, whites constituted a slight majority of those disenfranchised by these laws: 600,000 whites vs. 520,000 African Americans.Glenn Feldman. The Disfranchisement Myth: Poor Whites and Suffrage Restriction in Alabama. Athens: University of Georgia Press, 2004, p. 136. Nearly all Blacks had lost the ability to vote. Despite numerous legal challenges which succeeded in overturning certain provisions, the state legislature would create new ones to maintain disenfranchisement. The exclusion of blacks from the political system persisted until after passage of federal civil rights legislation in 1965 to enforce their constitutional rights as citizens.WEB,www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h-1248, Segregation (Jim Crow), Encyclopedia of Alabama, May 26, 2018, May 30, 2018,www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h-1248," title="web.archive.org/web/20180530141129www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h-1248,">web.archive.org/web/20180530141129www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h-1248, live, The rural-dominated Alabama legislature consistently underfunded schools and services for the disenfranchised African Americans, but it did not relieve them of paying taxes.JOURNAL,southernspaces.org/2004/black-belt, The Black Belt, September 23, 2006, April 19, 2004, Southern Spaces, Emory University, 10.18737/M70K6P, Tullos, Allen, free, January 11, 2011,southernspaces.org/2004/black-belt," title="web.archive.org/web/20110111023122southernspaces.org/2004/black-belt,">web.archive.org/web/20110111023122southernspaces.org/2004/black-belt, live, Partially as a response to chronic underfunding of education for African Americans in the South, the Rosenwald Fund began funding the construction of what came to be known as Rosenwald Schools. In Alabama, these schools were designed, and the construction partially financed with Rosenwald funds, which paid one-third of the construction costs. The fund required the local community and state to raise matching funds to pay the rest. Black residents effectively taxed themselves twice, by raising additional monies to supply matching funds for such schools, which were built in many rural areas. They often donated land and labor as well.WEB, The Rosenwald School Building Fund and Associated Buildings MPS, National Register Information System,npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/GetAsset/NRHP/64500011_text, October 3, 2012, June 7, 2022,web.archive.org/web/20220607152915/https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/GetAsset/NRHP/64500011_text, live, File:Mount Sinai School Autauga County July 2011 1.jpg|thumb|left|The former Mount Sinai School in rural Autauga County, completed in 1919. It was one of the 387 Rosenwald SchoolsRosenwald SchoolsBeginning in 1913, the first 80 Rosenwald Schools were built in Alabama for African American children. A total of 387 schools, seven teachers’ houses, and several vocational buildings were completed by 1937 in the state. Several of the surviving school buildings in the state are now listed on the National Register of Historic Places.Continued racial discrimination and lynchings, agricultural depression, and the failure of the cotton crops due to boll weevil infestation led tens of thousands of African Americans from rural Alabama and other states to seek opportunities in northern and midwestern cities during the early decades of the 20th century as part of the Great Migration out of the South.BOOK, Hine, Darlene, Hine, William, Harrold, Stanley, African Americans: A Concise History, 2012, Pearson Education, Inc., Boston, 9780205806270, 388–389, 4th,archive.org/details/africanamericans0000hine_i0f5/page/388, NEWS,www.britannica.com/event/Great-Migration, Great Migration {{!, African-American history |work=Encyclopædia Britannica |access-date=May 26, 2018 |archive-date=May 27, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180527024942www.britannica.com/event/Great-Migration |url-status=live }} Reflecting this emigration, the population growth rate in Alabama (see “historical populations” table below) dropped by nearly half from 1910 to 1920.WEB, Resident Population Data,2010.census.gov/2010census/data/apportionment-pop-text.php, Resident Population Data—2010 Census, 2010.census.gov, January 31, 2017,2010.census.gov/2010census/data/apportionment-pop-text.php," title="web.archive.org/web/201105191311222010.census.gov/2010census/data/apportionment-pop-text.php,">web.archive.org/web/201105191311222010.census.gov/2010census/data/apportionment-pop-text.php, May 19, 2011, dead, At the same time, many rural people migrated to the city of Birmingham to work in new industrial jobs. Birmingham experienced such rapid growth it was called the “Magic City”.WEB,www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h-1421, Birmingham {{!, Encyclopedia of Alabama |website=Encyclopedia of Alabama |access-date=May 26, 2018 |archive-date=September 8, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180908221815www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h-1421 |url-status=live }} By 1920, Birmingham was the 36th-largest city in the United States.WEB,www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0027/tab15.txt, Population of the 100 Largest Urban Places: 1920, United States Census Bureau,www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0027/tab15.txt," title="web.archive.org/web/20080814041159www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0027/tab15.txt,">web.archive.org/web/20080814041159www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0027/tab15.txt, August 14, 2008, dead, Heavy industry and mining were the basis of its economy. Its residents were under-represented for decades in the state legislature, which refused to redistrict after each decennial census according to population changes, as it was required by the state constitution. This did not change until the late 1960s following a lawsuit and court order.BOOK,books.google.com/books?id=_bq9L27c4fwC&q=birmingham+alabama+underrepresented+in+the+state+legislature&pg=PA149, Defending Constitutional Rights, Johnson, Frank Minis, 2001, University of Georgia Press, 9780820322858, November 8, 2020, December 31, 2021,web.archive.org/web/20211231203237/https://books.google.com/books?id=_bq9L27c4fwC&q=birmingham+alabama+underrepresented+in+the+state+legislature&pg=PA149, live, {{blockquote|Beginning in the 1940s, when the courts started taking the first steps to recognize the voting rights of black voters, the Alabama legislature took several counter-steps designed to disfranchise black voters. The legislature passed, and the voters ratified [as these were mostly white voters], a state constitutional amendment that gave local registrars greater latitude to disqualify voter registration applicants. Black citizens in Mobile successfully challenged this amendment as a violation of the Fifteenth Amendment. The legislature also changed the boundaries of Tuskegee to a 28-sided figure designed to fence out blacks from the city limits. The Supreme Court unanimously held that this racial “gerrymandering” violated the Constitution. In 1961,{{spaces}}... the Alabama legislature also intentionally diluted the effect of the black vote by instituting numbered place requirements for local elections.James Blacksher, Edward Still, Nick Quinton, Cullen Brown and Royal Dumas. Voting Rights in Alabama (1982–2006) {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200924102059www.protectcivilrights.org/pdf/voting/AlabamaVRA.pdf |date=September 24, 2020 }}, Renew the VRA.org, July 2006, from discussion in Peyton McCrary, Jerome A. Gray, Edward Still, and Huey L. Perry, “Alabama” in Quiet Revolution in the South, pp. 38–52, Chandler Davidson and Bernard Grofman, eds. 1994.}}Industrial development related to the demands of World War II brought a level of prosperity to the state not seen since before the civil war. Rural workers poured into the largest cities in the state for better jobs and a higher standard of living. One example of this massive influx of workers occurred in Mobile. Between 1940 and 1943, more than 89,000 people moved into the city to work for war-related industries.BOOK, Thomason, Michael, Mobile : the new history of Alabama’s first city, 2001, University of Alabama Press, Tuscaloosa, 0-8173-1065-7, 213–217, Cotton and other cash crops faded in importance as the state developed a manufacturing and service base.Despite massive population changes in the state from 1901 to 1961, the rural-dominated legislature refused to reapportion House and Senate seats based on population, as required by the state constitution to follow the results of decennial censuses. They held on to old representation to maintain political and economic power in agricultural areas. One result was that Jefferson County, containing Birmingham’s industrial and economic powerhouse, contributed more than one-third of all tax revenue to the state, but did not receive a proportional amount in services. Urban interests were consistently underrepresented in the legislature. A 1960 study noted that because of rural domination, “a minority of about 25% of the total state population is in majority control of the Alabama legislature.“WEB,elections.gmu.edu/Redistricting/AL.htm,elections.gmu.edu/Redistricting/AL.htm," title="web.archive.org/web/20071017192719elections.gmu.edu/Redistricting/AL.htm,">web.archive.org/web/20071017192719elections.gmu.edu/Redistricting/AL.htm, October 17, 2007, George Mason University, United States Election Project: Alabama Redistricting Summary., October 24, 2010, dead, In the United States Supreme Court cases of Baker v. Carr (1962) and Reynolds v. Sims (1964), the court ruled that the principle of “one man, one vote” needed to be the basis of both houses of state legislatures, and that their districts had to be based on population rather than geographic counties.WEB,www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h-2023, Reynolds v. Sims, Encyclopedia of Alabama, May 26, 2018, May 27, 2018,www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h-2023," title="web.archive.org/web/20180527201725www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h-2023,">web.archive.org/web/20180527201725www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h-2023, live, JOURNAL, 1963, Baker V. Carr and Legislative Apportionments: A Problem of Standards, 794657, The Yale Law Journal, 72, 5, 968–1040, 10.2307/794657, 249552862,digitalcommons.law.yale.edu/ylj/vol72/iss5/4, March 26, 2019, March 26, 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190326031411/https://digitalcommons.law.yale.edu/ylj/vol72/iss5/4/, live, African Americans continued to press in the 1950s and 1960s to end disenfranchisement and segregation in the state through the civil rights movement, including legal challenges. In 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Brown v. Board of Education that public schools had to be desegregated, but Alabama was slow to comply. During the 1960s, under Governor George Wallace, Alabama resisted compliance with federal demands for desegregation.BOOK,books.google.com/books?id=I5JJCAAAQBAJ&q=alabama+brown+v.+board&pg=PT94, Brown v. Board of Education and the Civil Rights Movement, Klarman, Michael J., July 31, 2007, Oxford University Press, 9780190294588, November 8, 2020, February 20, 2021,web.archive.org/web/20210220154843/https://books.google.com/books?id=I5JJCAAAQBAJ&q=alabama+brown+v.+board&pg=PT94, live, NEWS,www.abajournal.com/magazine/article/september_2_1963_gov._wallace_halts_integration/, September 2, 1963: Gov. Wallace halts integration, ABA Journal, May 26, 2018, Mark Curriden, May 27, 2018,www.abajournal.com/magazine/article/september_2_1963_gov._wallace_halts_integration/," title="web.archive.org/web/20180527023651www.abajournal.com/magazine/article/september_2_1963_gov._wallace_halts_integration/,">web.archive.org/web/20180527023651www.abajournal.com/magazine/article/september_2_1963_gov._wallace_halts_integration/, live, The civil rights movement had notable events in Alabama, including the Montgomery bus boycott (1955–1956), Freedom Rides in 1961, and 1965 Selma to Montgomery marches.WEB,www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/s-121, Civil Rights Movement in Alabama Feature, Encyclopedia of Alabama, May 26, 2018, May 27, 2018,www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/s-121," title="web.archive.org/web/20180527201747www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/s-121,">web.archive.org/web/20180527201747www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/s-121, live, These contributed to Congressional passage and enactment of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Voting Rights Act of 1965 by the U.S. Congress.WEB,finduslaw.com/civil_rights_act_of_1964_cra_title_vii_equal_employment_opportunities_42_us_code_chapter_21, Civil Rights Act of 1964, Finduslaw.com, October 24, 2010,finduslaw.com/civil_rights_act_of_1964_cra_title_vii_equal_employment_opportunities_42_us_code_chapter_21," title="web.archive.org/web/20101021141154finduslaw.com/civil_rights_act_of_1964_cra_title_vii_equal_employment_opportunities_42_us_code_chapter_21,">web.archive.org/web/20101021141154finduslaw.com/civil_rights_act_of_1964_cra_title_vii_equal_employment_opportunities_42_us_code_chapter_21, October 21, 2010, dead, NEWS,www.thenation.com/article/alabama-birthplace-of-voting-rights-act-once-again-gutting-voting-rights/, Alabama, Birthplace of the Voting Rights Act, Is Once Again Gutting Voting Rights, Berman, Ari, October 1, 2015, The Nation, May 26, 2018, 0027-8378, May 27, 2018,web.archive.org/web/20180527023747/https://www.thenation.com/article/alabama-birthplace-of-voting-rights-act-once-again-gutting-voting-rights/, live, Legal segregation ended in the states in 1964, but Jim Crow customs often continued until specifically challenged in court.WEB,www.usdoj.gov/kidspage/crt/voting.htm,www.usdoj.gov/kidspage/crt/voting.htm," title="web.archive.org/web/20070221054512www.usdoj.gov/kidspage/crt/voting.htm,">web.archive.org/web/20070221054512www.usdoj.gov/kidspage/crt/voting.htm, February 21, 2007, Voting Rights, September 23, 2006, January 9, 2002, Civil Rights: Law and History, U.S. Department of Justice, dead, According to The New York Times, by 2017, many of Alabama’s African Americans were living in Alabama’s cities such as Birmingham and Montgomery. Also, the Black Belt region across central Alabama “is home to largely poor counties that are predominantly African-American. These counties include Dallas, Lowndes, Marengo and Perry.“NEWS, Alabama Senate Race Between Roy Moore and Doug Jones Ends With More Controversy, Jonathan, Martin, Alan, Blinder, December 12, 2017, In 1972, for the first time since 1901, the legislature completed the congressional redistricting based on the decennial census. This benefited the urban areas that had developed, as well as all in the population who had been underrepresented for more than sixty years. Other changes were made to implement representative state house and senate districts.Alabama has made some changes since the late 20th century and has used new types of voting to increase representation. In the 1980s, an omnibus redistricting case, Dillard v. Crenshaw County, challenged the at-large voting for representative seats of 180 Alabama jurisdictions, including counties and school boards. At-large voting had diluted the votes of any minority in a county, as the majority tended to take all seats. Despite African Americans making up a significant minority in the state, they had been unable to elect any representatives in most of the at-large jurisdictions.As part of settlement of this case, five Alabama cities and counties, including Chilton County, adopted a system of cumulative voting for election of representatives in multi-seat jurisdictions. This has resulted in more proportional representation for voters. In another form of proportional representation, 23 jurisdictions use limited voting, as in Conecuh County. In 1982, limited voting was first tested in Conecuh County. Together use of these systems has increased the number of African Americans and women being elected to local offices, resulting in governments that are more representative of their citizens.WEB, Cumulative Elections in Alabama (2004),archive.fairvote.org/?page=516, FairVote Archives, January 11, 2015, February 3, 2015,archive.fairvote.org/?page=516," title="web.archive.org/web/20150203203843archive.fairvote.org/?page=516,">web.archive.org/web/20150203203843archive.fairvote.org/?page=516, live, Beginning in the 1960s, the state’s economy shifted away from its traditional lumber, steel, and textile industries because of increased foreign competition. Steel jobs, for instance, declined from 46,314 in 1950 to 14,185 in 2011.BOOK, Bridges, Edwin, Alabama: The Making of an American State, 2016, University of Alabama Press, Tuscaloosa, AL, 224, However, the state, particularly Huntsville, benefited from the opening of the George C. Marshall Space Flight Center in 1960, a major facility in the development of the Saturn rocket program and the space shuttle. Technology and manufacturing industries, such as automobile assembly, replaced some the state’s older industries in the late twentieth century, but the state’s economy and growth lagged behind other states in the area, such as Georgia and Florida.BOOK, Bridges, Edwin, Alabama: The Making of an American State, 2016, University of Alabama Press, Tuscaloosa, AL, 224–229,

21st century

In 2001, Alabama Supreme Court chief justice Roy Moore installed a statue of the Ten Commandments in the capitol in Montgomery. In 2002, the 11th US Circuit Court ordered the statue removed, but Moore refused to follow the court order, which led to protests around the capitol in favor of keeping the monument. The monument was removed in August 2003.WEB, Faulk, Kent, A Roy Moore timeline: From Ten Commandments to senate candidate,www.al.com/news/birmingham/2016/05/a_roy_moore_timeline_from_ten.html, al.com, February 6, 2021, May 8, 2016, August 13, 2020,web.archive.org/web/20200813094511/https://www.al.com/news/birmingham/2016/05/a_roy_moore_timeline_from_ten.html, live, A few natural disasters have occurred in the state in the twenty-first century. In 2004, Hurricane Ivan, a category 3 storm upon landfall, struck the state and caused over $18 billion of damage. It was among the most destructive storms to strike the state in its modern history.WEB, Morgan, Leigh, Remembering Hurricane Ivan 14 years later,www.al.com/news/erry-2018/09/338f6e161d3228/remembering-hurricane-ivan-14.html, al.com, February 6, 2021, September 16, 2018, February 20, 2021,web.archive.org/web/20210220152012/https://www.al.com/news/erry-2018/09/338f6e161d3228/remembering-hurricane-ivan-14.html, live, A super outbreak of 62 tornadoes hit the state in April 2011 and killed 238 people, devastating many communities.WEB, Leada, Gore, April 27, 2011 tornadoes in Alabama: A by-the-numbers look at day of devastation,www.al.com/sports/g66l-2019/04/4a522b8b4b5305/april-27-2011-tornadoes-in-alabama-a-bythenumbers-look-at-day-of-devastation.html, al.com, February 6, 2021, April 27, 2019, February 14, 2021,web.archive.org/web/20210214052116/https://www.al.com/sports/g66l-2019/04/4a522b8b4b5305/april-27-2011-tornadoes-in-alabama-a-bythenumbers-look-at-day-of-devastation.html, live,

Geography

{{See also|List of Alabama counties|Geology of Alabama}}File:Map of Alabama terrain NA.jpg|thumb|right|Map of Alabama from the National Atlas of the United StatesNational Atlas of the United StatesFile:OnoIslandAl.jpg|thumb|right|Ono Island in Baldwin County]]File:MonteSanoStateParkhsval.jpg|thumb|Monte Sano State ParkMonte Sano State ParkFile:Cathedral Cavern 2019.png|thumb|right|Cathedral Caverns in Marshall County ]]Alabama is the thirtieth-largest state in the United States with {{convert|52419|sqmi|km2|abbr=out|sp=us}} of total area: 3.2% of the area is water, making Alabama 23rd in the amount of surface water, also giving it the second-largest inland waterway system in the United States.WEB,factfinder.census.gov/servlet/GCTTable?_bm=n&_lang=en&mt_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U_GCTPH1R_US9S&format=US-9S&_box_head_nbr=GCT-PH1-R&ds_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U&geo_id=01000US, GCT-PH1-R. Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density (areas ranked by population): 2000, 2000, September 23, 2006, Geographic Comparison Table, U.S. Census Bureau,webarchive.loc.gov/all/20090403062125/http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/GCTTable?_bm=n&_lang=en&mt_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U_GCTPH1R_US9S&format=US-9S&_box_head_nbr=GCT-PH1-R&ds_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U&geo_id=01000US, April 3, 2009, dead, About three-fifths of the land area is part of the Gulf Coastal Plain, a gentle plain with a general descent towards the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico. The North Alabama region is mostly mountainous, with the Tennessee River cutting a large valley and creating numerous creeks, streams, rivers, mountains, and lakes.WEB,www.netstate.com/states/geography/al_geography.htm, The Geography of Alabama, Geography of the States, NetState.com, August 11, 2006, September 23, 2006,www.netstate.com/states/geography/al_geography.htm," title="web.archive.org/web/20060917172224www.netstate.com/states/geography/al_geography.htm,">web.archive.org/web/20060917172224www.netstate.com/states/geography/al_geography.htm, September 17, 2006, live, Alabama is bordered by the states of 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. The state ranges in elevation from sea levelWEB, April 29, 2005,erg.usgs.gov/isb/pubs/booklets/elvadist/elvadist.html#Highest, Elevations and Distances in the United States, U.S. Geological Survey, November 3, 2006,erg.usgs.gov/isb/pubs/booklets/elvadist/elvadist.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20080116113632erg.usgs.gov/isb/pubs/booklets/elvadist/elvadist.html,">web.archive.org/web/20080116113632erg.usgs.gov/isb/pubs/booklets/elvadist/elvadist.html, January 16, 2008, dead, at Mobile Bay to more than {{convert|2000|ft|m}} in the northeast, to Mount Cheaha at {{cvt|2413|ft}}.WEB,www.ngs.noaa.gov/cgi-bin/ds_mark.prl?PidBox=DG3595, NGS Data Sheet for Cheaha Mountain, U.S. National Geodetic Survey, June 8, 2011, July 23, 2013,www.ngs.noaa.gov/cgi-bin/ds_mark.prl?PidBox=DG3595," title="web.archive.org/web/20130723044128www.ngs.noaa.gov/cgi-bin/ds_mark.prl?PidBox=DG3595,">web.archive.org/web/20130723044128www.ngs.noaa.gov/cgi-bin/ds_mark.prl?PidBox=DG3595, live, Alabama’s land consists of {{convert|22|e6acre|km2}} of forest or 67% of the state’s total land area.Alabama Forest Owner’s Guide to Information Resources, Introduction, Alabamaforests.org {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150427181510www.alabamaforests.org/Introduction/index.html |date=April 27, 2015}} Suburban Baldwin County, along the Gulf Coast, is the largest county in the state in both land area and water area.WEB,factfinder.census.gov/servlet/GCTTable?_bm=y&-context=gct&-ds_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U&-mt_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U_GCTPH1R_ST2S&-CONTEXT=gct&-tree_id=4001&-redoLog=true&-geo_id=04000US01&-format=ST-2, Alabama County (geographies ranked by total population): 2000, 2000, Geographic Comparison Table, U.S. Census Bureau, May 14, 2007,factfinder.census.gov/servlet/GCTTable?_bm=y&-context=gct&-ds_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U&-mt_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U_GCTPH1R_ST2S&-CONTEXT=gct&-tree_id=4001&-redoLog=true&-geo_id=04000US01&-format=ST-2," title="web.archive.org/web/20081011232646factfinder.census.gov/servlet/GCTTable?_bm=y&-context=gct&-ds_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U&-mt_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U_GCTPH1R_ST2S&-CONTEXT=gct&-tree_id=4001&-redoLog=true&-geo_id=04000US01&-format=ST-2,">web.archive.org/web/20081011232646factfinder.census.gov/servlet/GCTTable?_bm=y&-context=gct&-ds_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U&-mt_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U_GCTPH1R_ST2S&-CONTEXT=gct&-tree_id=4001&-redoLog=true&-geo_id=04000US01&-format=ST-2, October 11, 2008, dead, File:NaturalBridgeAl.jpg|thumb|left|The Natural Bridge Rock in Winston County is the longest natural bridge east of the Rockies.]]Areas in Alabama administered by the National Park Service include Horseshoe Bend National Military Park near Alexander City; Little River Canyon National Preserve near Fort Payne; Russell Cave National Monument in Bridgeport; Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site in Tuskegee; and Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site near Tuskegee.WEB,home.nps.gov/applications/parksearch/state.cfm?st=al, National Park Guide, September 23, 2006, Geographic Search, National Park Service—U.S. Department of the Interior, Washington, D.C,home.nps.gov/applications/parksearch/state.cfm?st=al," title="web.archive.org/web/20060930090713home.nps.gov/applications/parksearch/state.cfm?st=al,">web.archive.org/web/20060930090713home.nps.gov/applications/parksearch/state.cfm?st=al, September 30, 2006, live, Additionally, Alabama has four National Forests: Conecuh, Talladega, Tuskegee, and William B. Bankhead.WEB,www.fs.fed.us/r8/alabama/forests/, National Forests in Alabama, October 5, 2008, USDA Forest Service, United States Department of Agriculture,www.fs.fed.us/r8/alabama/forests/," title="web.archive.org/web/20081007051917www.fs.fed.us/r8/alabama/forests/,">web.archive.org/web/20081007051917www.fs.fed.us/r8/alabama/forests/, October 7, 2008, live, Alabama also contains the Natchez Trace Parkway, the Selma To Montgomery National Historic Trail, and the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail.Natural wonders include the “Natural Bridge” rock, the longest natural bridge east of the Rockies, just south of Haleyville; Cathedral Caverns, in Marshall County, named for its cathedral-like appearance, which features one of the largest cave entrances and one of the largest stalagmites in the world; Ecor Rouge, in Fairhope, the highest coastline point between Maine and Mexico;WEB,mobilebaymag.com/coastal-clay/, Coastal Clay, Breck, Pappas, January 14, 2016, Mobile Bay Magazine, September 21, 2020, February 20, 2021,web.archive.org/web/20210220154038/https://mobilebaymag.com/coastal-clay/, live, DeSoto Caverns, in Childersburg, the first officially recorded cave in the United States;WEB,lcweb2.loc.gov/diglib/legacies/loc.afc.afc-legacies.200002662/, DeSoto Caverns Park, Childersburg, Alabama, Representative (3rd District) Bob Riley--, Collector, September 21, 2000, lcweb2.loc.gov, September 21, 2020, July 2, 2016,lcweb2.loc.gov/diglib/legacies/loc.afc.afc-legacies.200002662/," title="web.archive.org/web/20160702172258lcweb2.loc.gov/diglib/legacies/loc.afc.afc-legacies.200002662/,">web.archive.org/web/20160702172258lcweb2.loc.gov/diglib/legacies/loc.afc.afc-legacies.200002662/, live, Noccalula Falls, in Gadsden, which has a 90-foot waterfall; Dismals Canyon, near Phil Campbell, which is home to two waterfalls and six natural bridges and is said to have been a hideout of Jesse James;WEB,encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h-3172, Dismals Canyon, Encyclopedia of Alabama, September 21, 2020, October 31, 2020,encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h-3172," title="web.archive.org/web/20201031175203encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h-3172,">web.archive.org/web/20201031175203encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h-3172, live, Stephens Gap Cave, in Jackson County, which has a 143-foot pit and two waterfalls and is one of the most photographed wild cave scenes in America;WEB,www.saveyourcaves.org/preserve?rowid=stephens-gap-callahan-cave-preserve, Preserve: Stephens Gap Callahan Cave Preserve, www.saveyourcaves.org, June 27, 2019, February 20, 2021,web.archive.org/web/20210220153323/https://www.saveyourcaves.org/preserve?rowid=stephens-gap-callahan-cave-preserve, live, Little River Canyon, near Fort Payne, one of the nation’s longest mountaintop rivers; Rickwood Caverns, near Warrior, which has an underground pool, blind cave-fish, and 260-million-year-old limestone formations; and the Walls of Jericho canyon, on the Alabama–Tennessee border.File:Cliffs inside the Wetumpka impact crater in Wetumpka, Alabama.jpg|thumb|right|Cliffs at the rim of the Wetumpka meteorite crater ]]A {{convert|5|mi|km|0|adj=on}}-wide meteorite impact crater is located in Elmore County, just north of Montgomery. This is the Wetumpka crater, the site of “Alabama’s greatest natural disaster”. A {{convert|1000|ft|m|adj=on}}-wide meteorite hit the area about 80 million years ago.EARTH IMPACT DB, Wetumpka, August 20, 2009, 1, The hills just east of downtown Wetumpka showcase the eroded remains of the impact crater that was blasted into the bedrock, with the area labeled the Wetumpka crater or astrobleme (“star-wound“) because of the concentric rings of fractures and zones of shattered rock that can be found beneath the surface.“The Wetumpka Astrobleme” by John C. Hall, Alabama Heritage, Fall 1996, Number 42. In 2002, Christian Koeberl with the Institute of Geochemistry University of Vienna published evidence and established the site as the 157th recognized impact crater on Earth.WEB, King, David T. Jr., Wetumpka Crater,www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/face/Article.jsp?id=h-1035, Encyclopedia of Alabama, December 13, 2011, April 23, 2010, February 16, 2012,www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/face/Article.jsp?id=h-1035," title="web.archive.org/web/20120216201429www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/face/Article.jsp?id=h-1035,">web.archive.org/web/20120216201429www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/face/Article.jsp?id=h-1035, live,

Climate

The state is classified as humid subtropical (Cfa) under the Koppen Climate Classification.WEB,www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/face/Article.jsp?id=h-1283, Encyclopedia of Alabama: Climate, August 17, 2007, University of Alabama, April 26, 2014,www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/face/Article.jsp?id=h-1283," title="web.archive.org/web/20100621180731www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/face/Article.jsp?id=h-1283,">web.archive.org/web/20100621180731www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/face/Article.jsp?id=h-1283, June 21, 2010, dead, The average annual temperature is 64{{spaces}}°F (18{{spaces}}°C). Temperatures tend to be warmer in the southern part of the state with its proximity to the Gulf of Mexico, while the northern parts of the state, especially in the Appalachian Mountains in the northeast, tend to be slightly cooler.WEB,www.britannica.com/eb/article-78303/Alabama, Alabama Climate, Encyclopædia Britannica, October 24, 2010, June 16, 2008,web.archive.org/web/20080616140321/https://www.britannica.com/eb/article-78303/Alabama, live, Generally, Alabama has very hot summers and mild winters with copious precipitation throughout the year. Alabama receives an average of {{convert|56|in|mm}} of rainfall annually and enjoys a lengthy growing season of up to 300 days in the southern part of the state.Summers in Alabama are among the hottest in the U.S., with high temperatures averaging over {{convert|90|°F}} throughout the summer in some parts of the state. Alabama is also prone to tropical storms and hurricanes. Areas of the state far away from the Gulf are not immune to the effects of the storms, which often dump tremendous amounts of rain as they move inland and weaken.South Alabama reports many thunderstorms. The Gulf Coast, around Mobile Bay, averages between 70 and 80 days per year with thunder reported. This activity decreases somewhat further north in the state, but even the far north of the state reports thunder on about 60 days per year. Occasionally, thunderstorms are severe with frequent lightning and large hail; the central and northern parts of the state are most vulnerable to this type of storm. Alabama ranks ninth in the number of deaths from lightning and tenth in the number of deaths from lightning strikes per capita.Lightning Fatalities, Injuries and Damages in the United States, 2004–2013 {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140427010029www.lightningsafety.noaa.gov/stats/04-13state_fatality_rates.pdf |date=April 27, 2014}}. NLSI. Retrieved April 26, 2014.File:Phil Campbell tornado damage.jpg|thumb|left|Tornado damage in Phil Campbell following the statewide April 27, 2011, tornado outbreak ]]Alabama, along with Oklahoma and Iowa, has the most confirmed F5 and EF5 tornadoes of any state, according to statistics from the National Climatic Data Center for the period January 1, 1950, to June 2013.WEB, LIST: States with the most F5/EF5 tornadoes since 1950; Ohio high on list,www.newsnet5.com/weather/weather-news/kshb-list-states-with-the-most-ef5-tornadoes, April 26, 2014,www.newsnet5.com/weather/weather-news/kshb-list-states-with-the-most-ef5-tornadoes," title="web.archive.org/web/20140426232719www.newsnet5.com/weather/weather-news/kshb-list-states-with-the-most-ef5-tornadoes,">web.archive.org/web/20140426232719www.newsnet5.com/weather/weather-news/kshb-list-states-with-the-most-ef5-tornadoes, April 26, 2014, Several long-tracked F5/EF5 tornadoes have contributed to Alabama reporting more tornado fatalities since 1950 than any other state. The state was affected by the 1974 Super Outbreak and was devastated tremendously by the 2011 Super Outbreak. The 2011 Super Outbreak produced a record amount of tornadoes in the state. The tally reached 62.WEB, Oliver, Mike, April 27’s record tally: 62 tornadoes in Alabama, August 4, 2011,blog.al.com/spotnews/2011/08/april_27s_record_tally_62_torn.html, al.com, November 4, 2012, November 9, 2012,blog.al.com/spotnews/2011/08/april_27s_record_tally_62_torn.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20121109185256blog.al.com/spotnews/2011/08/april_27s_record_tally_62_torn.html,">web.archive.org/web/20121109185256blog.al.com/spotnews/2011/08/april_27s_record_tally_62_torn.html, live, The peak season for tornadoes varies from the northern to southern parts of the state. Alabama is one of the few places in the world that has a secondary tornado season in November and December besides the typically severe spring. The northern part—along the Tennessee River Valley—is most vulnerable. The area of Alabama and Mississippi most affected by tornadoes is sometimes referred to as Dixie Alley, as distinct from the Tornado Alley of the Southern Plains.Winters are generally mild in Alabama, as they are throughout most of the Southeastern United States, with average January low temperatures around {{convert|40|°F}} in Mobile and around {{convert|32|°F}} in Birmingham. Although snow is a rare event in much of Alabama, areas of the state north of Montgomery may receive a dusting of snow a few times every winter, with an occasional moderately heavy snowfall every few years. Historic snowfall events include New Year’s Eve 1963 snowstorm and the 1993 Storm of the Century. The annual average snowfall for the Birmingham area is {{convert|2|in|mm}} per year. In the southern Gulf coast, snowfall is less frequent, sometimes going several years without any snowfall.Alabama’s highest temperature of {{convert|112|°F}} was recorded on September 5, 1925, in the unincorporated community of Centerville. The record low of {{convert|-27|°F}} occurred on January 30, 1966, in New Market.WEB,www.accuracyproject.org/recordtemps.html, Record high and low temperatures for all 50 states, Internet Accuracy Project, accuracyproject.org, November 3, 2012, January 17, 2013,www.accuracyproject.org/recordtemps.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20130117053325www.accuracyproject.org/recordtemps.html,">web.archive.org/web/20130117053325www.accuracyproject.org/recordtemps.html, live, {{Alabama weatherbox}}

Flora and fauna

File:CahabaRiverNWR1.jpg|thumb|A stand of Cahaba lilies (Hymenocallis coronaria) in the Cahaba River, within the Cahaba River National Wildlife RefugeCahaba River National Wildlife RefugeAlabama is home to a diverse array of flora and fauna in habitats that range from the Tennessee Valley, Appalachian Plateau, and Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians of the north to the Piedmont, Canebrake, and Black Belt of the central region to the Gulf Coastal Plain and beaches along the Gulf of Mexico in the south. The state is usually ranked among the top in nation for its range of overall biodiversity.BOOK, Alabama Wildlife: Volume One, Mirarchi, Ralph E., 2004, University of Alabama Press, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, 978-0-81735-1304, 1–3, 60, WEB,www.outdooralabama.com/watchable-wildlife/what/, Alabama Wildlife and their Conservation Status, Outdoor Alabama, Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, October 16, 2012, dead,www.outdooralabama.com/watchable-wildlife/what/," title="web.archive.org/web/20121015045607www.outdooralabama.com/watchable-wildlife/what/,">web.archive.org/web/20121015045607www.outdooralabama.com/watchable-wildlife/what/, October 15, 2012, Alabama is in the subtropical coniferous forest biome and once boasted huge expanses of pine forest, which still form the largest proportion of forests in the state. It currently ranks fifth in the nation for the diversity of its flora. It is home to nearly 4,000 pteridophyte and spermatophyte plant species.WEB,www.floraofalabama.org/, About the Atlas, Alabama Plant Atlas, Alabama Herbarium Consortium and University of West Alabama, October 16, 2012, October 29, 2012,www.floraofalabama.org/," title="web.archive.org/web/20121029023054www.floraofalabama.org/,">web.archive.org/web/20121029023054www.floraofalabama.org/, live, Indigenous animal species in the state include 62 mammal species,WEB,www.outdooralabama.com/mammals, Mammals, Outdoor Alabama, Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, May 22, 2017,www.outdooralabama.com/mammals," title="web.archive.org/web/20170525205745www.outdooralabama.com/mammals,">web.archive.org/web/20170525205745www.outdooralabama.com/mammals, May 25, 2017, dead, 93 reptile species,WEB,www.outdooralabama.com/reptiles, Reptiles, Outdoor Alabama, Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, May 22, 2017,www.outdooralabama.com/reptiles," title="web.archive.org/web/20170525205947www.outdooralabama.com/reptiles,">web.archive.org/web/20170525205947www.outdooralabama.com/reptiles, May 25, 2017, dead, 73 amphibian species,WEB,www.outdooralabama.com/Amphibians-0, Amphibians, Outdoor Alabama, Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, May 22, 2017,www.outdooralabama.com/Amphibians-0," title="web.archive.org/web/20170525210052www.outdooralabama.com/Amphibians-0,">web.archive.org/web/20170525210052www.outdooralabama.com/Amphibians-0, May 25, 2017, dead, roughly 307 native freshwater fish species, and 420 bird species that spend at least part of their year within the state.WEB,www.outdooralabama.com/Birds, Birds, Outdoor Alabama, Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, May 22, 2017,www.outdooralabama.com/Birds," title="web.archive.org/web/20170525210156www.outdooralabama.com/Birds,">web.archive.org/web/20170525210156www.outdooralabama.com/Birds, May 25, 2017, dead, Invertebrates include 97 crayfish species and 383 mollusk species. 113 of these mollusk species have never been collected outside the state.WEB,www.outdooralabama.com/mollusks, Alabama Snails and Mussels, Outdoor Alabama, Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, May 22, 2017,www.outdooralabama.com/mollusks," title="web.archive.org/web/20170525210608www.outdooralabama.com/mollusks,">web.archive.org/web/20170525210608www.outdooralabama.com/mollusks, May 25, 2017, dead, WEB,www.outdooralabama.com/crayfish, Crayfish, Outdoor Alabama, Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, May 22, 2017,www.outdooralabama.com/crayfish," title="web.archive.org/web/20170525210652www.outdooralabama.com/crayfish,">web.archive.org/web/20170525210652www.outdooralabama.com/crayfish, May 25, 2017, dead,

Census-designated and metropolitan areas

{| class=“wikitable”www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/popest/2020s-total-metro-and-micro-statistical-areas.html, United States Census Bureau, April 6, 2022, June 29, 2022,web.archive.org/web/20220629175327/https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/popest/2020s-total-metro-and-micro-statistical-areas.html, live, ! Rank! Combined statistical area!Population (2021 estimate)!Population (2020 census)|1Birmingham metropolitan area, Alabama>Birmingham–Hoover–Talladega1,350,6461,290,744|2Chattanooga–Cleveland–Dalton, TN–GA–AL Combined Statistical Area>Chattanooga–Cleveland–DaltonIn Alabama, only Jackson County (2019 population: 51,626; 2010 population: 53,227) is included in the Chattanooga CSA1,000,303951,434|3Mobile metropolitan area>Mobile–Daphne–Fairhope661,964612,838|4Huntsville-Decatur-Albertville, AL Combined Statistical Area>Huntsville–Decatur–Albertville648,217571,422|5Columbus–Auburn–Opelika, GA–AL CSA>Columbus–Auburn–OpelikaIn Alabama, only Lee, Russell, and Chambers Counties (total 2019 population: 255,757; total 2010 population: 227,409) are included in the Columbus CSA503,124448,035|6Dothan–Enterprise–Ozark Combined Statistical Area>Dothan–Enterprise–Ozark200,333195,890{{reflist|group=“CSA“}}{| class=“wikitable“|+ Metropolitan areas! Rank! Metropolitan area! Population (2021 estimate)! Population (2020 census)|1Birmingham metropolitan area, Alabama>Birmingham–Hoover1,114,2621,115,289|2Huntsville Metropolitan Area>Huntsville502,728491,723|3Mobile metropolitan area>Mobile429,536430,573|4Montgomery metropolitan area>Montgomery385,798386,047|5Tuscaloosa, Alabama metropolitan area>Tuscaloosa268,191268,674|6Baldwin County, Alabama>Daphne–Fairhope–Foley239,294231,767|7Auburn metropolitan area, Alabama>Auburn–Opelika177,218174,241|8Decatur metropolitan area, Alabama>Decatur156,758156,494|9Dothan metropolitan area, Alabama>Dothan151,618151,007|10Florence–Muscle Shoals metropolitan area>Florence–Muscle Shoals147,970147,137|11Anniston–Oxford metropolitan area>Anniston–Oxford–Jacksonville115,972116,441|12Gadsden, AL Metropolitan Statistical Area>Gadsden103,162103,436

Cities

(File:A bronze replica (one-fifth size) of the Statue of Liberty, Birmingham, Alabama LCCN2010639411.tif|thumb|right|upright=0.9|Statue of Liberty replica at Liberty Park in Vestavia Hills)(File:Dauphin St Mobile Al.jpg|thumb|right|upright=0.9|Dauphin Street in Mobile)File:Lake Guntersville Lighthouse.jpg|thumb|right|upright=0.9|Lighthouse on Guntersville LakeGuntersville Lake{| class=“wikitable“|+ Largest cities! scope=“col” | Rank! scope=“col” | City! scope=“col” | Population{{break}}(2020 census)! scope=“col” | County(ies)Huntsville, Alabama>HuntsvilleMadison County, Alabama>Madison, Limestone County, Alabama, Morgan County, Alabama>MorganMontgomery, Alabama>MontgomeryMontgomery County, Alabama>MontgomeryBirmingham, Alabama>BirminghamJefferson County, Alabama>Jefferson, ShelbyMobile, Alabama>MobileMobile County, Alabama>MobileTuscaloosa, Alabama>TuscaloosaTuscaloosa County, Alabama>TuscaloosaHoover, Alabama>Hoover 7Auburn, Alabama>AuburnLee County, Alabama>LeeDothan, Alabama>DothanHouston County, Alabama>Houston, Dale County, Alabama, Henry County, Alabama>HenryMadison, Alabama>Madison 10Decatur, Alabama>Decatur 11Florence, Alabama>FlorenceLauderdale County, Alabama>LauderdalePrattville, Alabama>PrattvilleAutauga County, Alabama>Autauga, ElmoreVestavia Hills, Alabama>Vestavia Hills 14Phenix City, Alabama>Phenix CityRussell County, Alabama>RussellAlabaster, Alabama>AlabasterShelby County, Alabama>Shelby

Demographics

(File:Alabama population map.png|thumb|Alabama’s population density, 2010){{US Census population|1800= 1250|1810= 90461820n= {{refnPopulation of States and Counties of the United States: 1790 to 1990. Washington: U.S. Bureau of the Census, pp. 8–11. {{ISBN>0-934213-48-8}}. Retrieved May 19, 2021. Due to the late arrival of returns from the counties of Lawrence County, Alabama, Perry County, Alabama>Perry, and Washington County, Alabama, the population of the state for 1820 was incorrectly listed as 127,901 in the official state total.{{refn>group=subnote|1=The relevant note on p. 10 erroneously switches the population values for Perry and Washington counties. The correct values can be found on page 121 of the final census report for 1820.}}}}|1830= 309527|1840= 590756|1850= 771623|1860= 964201|1870= 996992|1880= 1262505|1890= 1513401|1900= 1828697|1910= 2138093|1920= 2348174|1930= 2646248|1940= 2832961|1950= 3061743|1960= 3266740|1970= 3444165|1980= 3893888|1990= 4040587|2000= 4447100|2010= 4779736|2020= 5024279|estyear= 2023|estimate= 5108468|estref=|align-fn=centerHistorical Population Change Data (1910–2020) {{webarchive >url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210429012609www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/dec/popchange-data-text.html |date=April 29, 2021}}}}(File:Ethnic Origins in Alabama.png|thumb|Ethnic origins in Alabama)(File:Alabama counties by race.svg|thumb|280x280px|Map of counties in Alabama by racial plurality, per the 2020 census{{Collapsible list{{col-begin}}{{col-2}}Non-Hispanic White{{legend|#dd7e6b|40–50%}}{{legend|#cc4125|50–60%}}{{legend|#a61c00|60–70%}}{{legend|#85200c|70–80%}}{{legend|#5b0f00|80–90%}}{{legend|#410b00|90%+}}{{col-2}}Black or African American{{legend|#ffe599|40–50%}}{{legend|#ffd966|50–60%}}{{legend|#bf9000|70–80%}}{{legend|#7f6000|80–90%}}{{col-end}}}})According to the 2020 United States census the population of Alabama was 5,024,279 on April 1, 2020, which represents an increase of 244,543 or 5.12%, since the 2010 census.WEB,www.census.gov/2010census/popmap/ipmtext.php?fl=01, 2010 Census Interactive Population Search, 2010.census.gov, December 29, 2014,www.census.gov/2010census/popmap/ipmtext.php?fl=01," title="web.archive.org/web/20141230025253www.census.gov/2010census/popmap/ipmtext.php?fl=01,">web.archive.org/web/20141230025253www.census.gov/2010census/popmap/ipmtext.php?fl=01, December 30, 2014, dead, This includes a natural increase since the last census of 121,054 (502,457 births minus 381,403 deaths) and an increase due to net migration of 104,991 into the state.WEB, Annual Estimates of the Population for the United States, Regions, States, and Puerto Rico: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2012,www.census.gov/popest/data/national/totals/2012/index.html, U.S. Census Bureau, comma-separated values, CSV, December 24, 2012,www.census.gov/popest/states/tables/NST-EST2008-04.csv," title="web.archive.org/web/20090205023552www.census.gov/popest/states/tables/NST-EST2008-04.csv,">web.archive.org/web/20090205023552www.census.gov/popest/states/tables/NST-EST2008-04.csv, February 5, 2009, dead, Immigration from outside the U.S. resulted in a net increase of 31,180 people, and migration within the country produced a net gain of 73,811 people. The state had 108,000 foreign-born (2.4% of the state population), of which an estimated 22.2% were undocumented (24,000). The top countries of origin for immigrants were Mexico, China, India, Germany and Guatemala in 2018.WEB,www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/sites/default/files/research/immigrants_in_alabama.pdf, Immigrants in Alabama, The center of population of Alabama is located in Chilton County, outside the town of Jemison.WEB, Population and Population Centers by State—2000, United States Census Bureau, December 3, 2008,www.census.gov/geo/www/cenpop/statecenters.txt,www.census.gov/geo/www/cenpop/statecenters.txt," title="web.archive.org/web/20081218235101www.census.gov/geo/www/cenpop/statecenters.txt,">web.archive.org/web/20081218235101www.census.gov/geo/www/cenpop/statecenters.txt, December 18, 2008, dead, According to HUD’s 2022 Annual Homeless Assessment Report, there were an estimated 3,752 homeless people in Alabama.WEB, 2007–2022 PIT Counts by State,view.officeapps.live.com/op/view.aspx?src=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.huduser.gov%2Fportal%2Fsites%2Fdefault%2Ffiles%2Fxls%2F2007-2022-PIT-Counts-by-State.xlsx&wdOrigin=BROWSELINK, March 11, 2023, March 14, 2023,web.archive.org/web/20230314020239/https://view.officeapps.live.com/op/view.aspx?src=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.huduser.gov%2Fportal%2Fsites%2Fdefault%2Ffiles%2Fxls%2F2007-2022-PIT-Counts-by-State.xlsx&wdOrigin=BROWSELINK, live, WEB, The 2022 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report (AHAR) to Congress,www.huduser.gov/portal/sites/default/files/pdf/2022-AHAR-Part-1.pdf, March 11, 2023, March 11, 2023,web.archive.org/web/20230311234217/https://www.huduser.gov/portal/sites/default/files/pdf/2022-AHAR-Part-1.pdf, live,

Ancestry {| class“wikitable sortable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed” ; text-align:right; font-size:80%;”

2020 census! Race and ethnicityWEB,www.census.gov/library/visualizations/interactive/race-and-ethnicity-in-the-united-state-2010-and-2020-census.html, Race and Ethnicity in the United States: 2010 Census and 2020 Census, August 12, 2021, census.gov, United States Census Bureau, September 26, 2021, August 15, 2021,web.archive.org/web/20210815165418/https://www.census.gov/library/visualizations/interactive/race-and-ethnicity-in-the-united-state-2010-and-2020-census.html, live, ! colspan=“2” data-sort-type=number |Alone! colspan=“2” data-sort-type=number |TotalNon-Hispanic or Latino whites>White (non-Hispanic) {{bartable%|background:gray}} {{bartable%|background:gray}}African Americans>African American (non-Hispanic) {{bartable%|background:mediumblue}} {{bartable%|background:mediumblue}}Hispanic and Latino Americans>Hispanic or Latino{{efn|Persons of Hispanic or Latino origin are not distinguished between total and partial ancestry.}} {{bartable}} {{bartable%|background:green}}Asian Americans>Asian {{bartable%|background:purple}} {{bartable%|background:purple}}| Native American {{bartable%|background:gold}} {{bartable%|background:gold}}Pacific Islander Americans>Pacific Islander {{bartable%|background:pink}} {{bartable%|background:pink}}| Other {{bartable%|background:brown}} {{bartable%|background:brown}}{| class=“wikitable sortable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed collapsible” style="font-size: 90%;“|+ Historical racial demographics 1990–2020! Racial and ethnic composition !! 1990WEB,www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0056/twps0056.html,www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0056/twps0056.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20141224151538www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0056/twps0056.html,">web.archive.org/web/20141224151538www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0056/twps0056.html, dead, Historical Census Statistics on Population Totals By Race, 1790 to 1990, and By Hispanic Origin, 1970 to 1990, For The United States, Regions, Divisions, and States, December 24, 2014, !! 2000WEB,censusviewer.com/state/AL, Population of Alabama—Census 2010 and 2000 Interactive Map, Demographics, Statistics, Quick Facts—CensusViewer, censusviewer.com, July 21, 2015, August 17, 2014,censusviewer.com/state/AL," title="web.archive.org/web/20140817102305censusviewer.com/state/AL,">web.archive.org/web/20140817102305censusviewer.com/state/AL, live, !! 2010WEB,www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census/decade.2010.html, 2010 Census Data, Center for New Media and Promotions, census.gov, July 21, 2015, May 22, 2017,web.archive.org/web/20170522200920/https://census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census/decade.2010.html, live, !! 2020WEB,data.census.gov/table/DECENNIALDP2020.DP1?g=040XX00US01, Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2020 Demographic Profile Data (DP-1): Alabama, United States Census Bureau, April 2, 2024, White American>White 73.6% 71.1% 68.5% 64.1%African American>Black 25.3% 26% 26.2% 25.8%Asian American>Asian 0.5% 0.7% 1.1% 1.5%Native Americans in the United States>Native 0.4% 0.5% 0.6% 0.7%Native Hawaiian and{{break}}Pacific Islander American>other Pacific Islander — — 0.1% 0.1%Race and ethnicity in the United States Census>Other race 0.1% 0.6% 2% 2.7%Multiracial American>Two or more races — 1% 1.5% 5.1%Those citing “American” ancestry in Alabama are of overwhelmingly English extraction. Demographers estimate that a minimum of 20–23% of people in Alabama are of predominantly English ancestry and state that the figure is probably much higher. In the 1980 census 1,139,976 people in Alabama cited that they were of English ancestry out of a total state population of 2,824,719 making them 41% of the state at the time and the largest ethnic group.WEB,www.census.gov/population/www/censusdata/files/pc80-s1-10/tab03.pdf, Ancestry of the Population by State: 1980 – Table 3, February 18, 2018, February 24, 2012,www.census.gov/population/www/censusdata/files/pc80-s1-10/tab03.pdf," title="web.archive.org/web/20120224233043www.census.gov/population/www/censusdata/files/pc80-s1-10/tab03.pdf,">web.archive.org/web/20120224233043www.census.gov/population/www/censusdata/files/pc80-s1-10/tab03.pdf, live, Stanley Lieberson and Lawrence Santi, ‘The Use of Nativity Data to Estimate Ethnic Characteristics and Patterns’, Social Science Research, Vol. 14, No. 1 (1985), pp. 44–46.Stanley Lieberson and Mary C. Waters, ‘Ethnic Groups in Flux: The Changing Ethnic Responses of American Whites’, Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, Vol. 487, No. 79 (September 1986), pp. 82–86.Alabama has the 5th highest African American population among US states at 25.8% as of 2020.WEB, Race and Ethnicity in the United States: 2010 Census and 2020 Census,www.census.gov/library/visualizations/interactive/race-and-ethnicity-in-the-united-state-2010-and-2020-census.html, September 6, 2021, August 15, 2021,web.archive.org/web/20210815165418/https://www.census.gov/library/visualizations/interactive/race-and-ethnicity-in-the-united-state-2010-and-2020-census.html, live, In 2011, 46.6% of Alabama’s population younger than age{{spaces}}1 were minorities.NEWS,www.cleveland.com/datacentral/index.ssf/2012/06/americas_under_age_1_populatio.html, Americans under age 1 now mostly minorities, but not in Ohio: Statistical Snapshot, Exner, Rich, The Plain Dealer, June 3, 2012, August 5, 2012, July 14, 2016,www.cleveland.com/datacentral/index.ssf/2012/06/americas_under_age_1_populatio.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20160714084214www.cleveland.com/datacentral/index.ssf/2012/06/americas_under_age_1_populatio.html,">web.archive.org/web/20160714084214www.cleveland.com/datacentral/index.ssf/2012/06/americas_under_age_1_populatio.html, live, The largest reported ancestry groups in Alabama are American (13.4%), Irish (10.5%), English (10.2%), German (7.9%), and Scots-Irish (2.5%) based on 2006–2008 Census data.WEB, Factfinder.census.gov,factfinder.census.gov/servlet/ADPTable?_bm=y&-geo_id=04000US01&-qr_name=ACS_2008_3YR_G00_DP3YR2&-ds_name=&-_lang=en&-redoLog=false, Alabama—Selected Social Characteristics in the United States: 2006–2008, October 24, 2010,factfinder.census.gov/servlet/ADPTable?_bm=y&-geo_id=04000US01&-qr_name=ACS_2008_3YR_G00_DP3YR2&-ds_name=&-_lang=en&-redoLog=false," title="archive.today/20200211182250factfinder.census.gov/servlet/ADPTable?_bm=y&-geo_id=04000US01&-qr_name=ACS_2008_3YR_G00_DP3YR2&-ds_name=&-_lang=en&-redoLog=false,">archive.today/20200211182250factfinder.census.gov/servlet/ADPTable?_bm=y&-geo_id=04000US01&-qr_name=ACS_2008_3YR_G00_DP3YR2&-ds_name=&-_lang=en&-redoLog=false, February 11, 2020, dead, The Scots-Irish were the largest non-English immigrant group from the British Isles before the American Revolution, and many settled in the South, later moving into the Deep South as it was developed.David Hackett Fischer, Albion’s Seed: Four British Folkways in America, New York: Oxford University Press, 1989, pp.361–368In 1984, under the Davis–Strong Act, the state legislature established the Alabama Indian Affairs Commission.“Alabama Indian Affairs Commission” {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131003045646www.aiac.state.al.us/tribes.aspx |date=October 3, 2013}}, State of Alabama, accessed September 28, 2013 Native American groups within the state had increasingly been demanding recognition as ethnic groups and seeking an end to discrimination. Given the long history of slavery and associated racial segregation, the Native American peoples, who have sometimes been of mixed race, have insisted on having their cultural identification respected. In the past, their self-identification was often overlooked as the state tried to impose a binary breakdown of society into white and black. The state has officially recognized nine American Indian tribes in the state, descended mostly from the Five Civilized Tribes of the American Southeast. These are the following.WEB,aiac.alabama.gov/ByLaws.aspx, AIAC Bylaws, Alabama Indian Affairs Commission, State of Alabama, September 22, 2012, dead,aiac.alabama.gov/ByLaws.aspx," title="web.archive.org/web/20120918101025aiac.alabama.gov/ByLaws.aspx,">web.archive.org/web/20120918101025aiac.alabama.gov/ByLaws.aspx, September 18, 2012, mdy,

• Poarch Band of Creek Indians (who also have federal recognition)
• MOWA Band of Choctaw Indians
• Star Clan of Muscogee Creeks
• Echota Cherokee Tribe of Alabama
• Cherokee Tribe of Northeast Alabama
• Cher-O-Creek Intra Tribal Indians
• Ma-Chis Lower Creek Indian Tribe
• Piqua Shawnee Tribe
• Ani-Yun-Wiya Nation

The state government has promoted recognition of Native American contributions to the state, including the designation in 2000 for Columbus Day to be jointly celebrated as American Indian Heritage Day.WEB,www.aiac.state.al.us/ProcIndianHeritageDay.aspx,www.aiac.state.al.us/ProcIndianHeritageDay.aspx," title="web.archive.org/web/20131003045701www.aiac.state.al.us/ProcIndianHeritageDay.aspx,">web.archive.org/web/20131003045701www.aiac.state.al.us/ProcIndianHeritageDay.aspx, dead, Proclamation, October 3, 2013, www.aiac.state.al.us,

Language

Most Alabama residents (95.1% of those five and older) spoke only English at home in 2010, a minor decrease from 96.1% in 2000.{|class=“wikitable sortable” style="margin-left:1em; float:center“|+ Top non-English languages spoken in Alabama! Language !! Percentage of population{{break}}({{as of|2010|lc=y}}){{Citation needed|date=March 2022}}| 2.2%| 0.4%Jamaican Patois>Patois, Cajun language) >| 0.3%Vietnamese language>Vietnamese, Korean language, Arabic, African languages, Japanese, and Italian (tied)>| 0.1%

Religion

(File:Highlands UMC Birmingham Dec 2012 2.jpg|thumb|Highlands United Methodist Church in Birmingham, part of the Five Points South Historic District)File:Temple B’Nai Sholom Dec2009 01.jpg|thumb|upright|Temple B’Nai Sholom in Huntsville, established in 1876. It is the oldest synagogue building in continuous use in the state.]](File:Islamic Center of Tuscaloosa.jpg|thumb|upright|The Islamic Center of Tuscaloosa)In the 2008 American Religious Identification Survey, 86% of Alabama respondents reported their religion as Christian, including 6% Catholic, with 11% as having no religion.WEB,b27.cc.trincoll.edu/weblogs/AmericanReligionSurvey-ARIS/reports/ARIS_Report_2008.pdf, American Religious Identification Survey (ARIS) 2008, Barry A. Kosmin, Ariela Keysar, 2009, Trinity College, Hartford, Connecticut, US, 20, May 8, 2009,b27.cc.trincoll.edu/weblogs/AmericanReligionSurvey-ARIS/reports/ARIS_Report_2008.pdf," title="web.archive.org/web/20090407053149b27.cc.trincoll.edu/weblogs/AmericanReligionSurvey-ARIS/reports/ARIS_Report_2008.pdf,">web.archive.org/web/20090407053149b27.cc.trincoll.edu/weblogs/AmericanReligionSurvey-ARIS/reports/ARIS_Report_2008.pdf, April 7, 2009, dead, The composition of other traditions is 0.5% Mormon, 0.5% Jewish, 0.5% Muslim, 0.5% Buddhist, and 0.5% Hindu.WEB,religions.pewforum.org/maps, Religion in America: U.S. Religious Data, Demographics and Statistics—Pew Research Center, May 11, 2015, Pew Research Center’s Religion & Public Life Project, July 21, 2015, July 7, 2013,religions.pewforum.org/maps," title="web.archive.org/web/20130707085300religions.pewforum.org/maps,">web.archive.org/web/20130707085300religions.pewforum.org/maps, live, {| class=“wikitable sortable” font-size:80%;”www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/state/alabama/, Religious Landscape Study, May 11, 2015, December 18, 2015, May 15, 2015,www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/state/alabama/," title="web.archive.org/web/20150515002129www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/state/alabama/,">web.archive.org/web/20150515002129www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/state/alabama/, live, ! Affiliation! colspan=“2“|% of population| Christian {{bartable|background:darkblue}} Protestant {{bartable|background:mediumblue}} Evangelical Protestant {{bartable|background:lightblue}} Mainline Protestant {{bartable|background:lightblue}} Black church {{bartable|background:lightblue}} Catholic {{bartable|background:mediumblue}} Mormon {{bartable|background:mediumblue}} Jehovah’s Witnesses {{bartable|background:mediumblue}} Eastern Orthodox {{bartable|background:mediumblue}} Other Christian {{bartable|background:mediumblue}}Irreligion>Unaffiliated {{bartable|background:purple}} Nothing in particular {{bartable|background:#A020F0}} Agnostic {{bartable|background:#A020F0}} Atheist {{bartable|background:#A020F0}}| Non-Christian faiths {{bartable|background:darkgreen}} Jewish {{bartable|background:lightgreen}} Muslim {{bartable|background:lightgreen}} Buddhist {{bartable|background:lightgreen}} Hindu {{bartable|background:lightblue}} Other Non-Christian faiths {{bartable|background:lightgreen}}| Don’t know/refused answer {{bartable|background:#A020F0}}1002background:grey}}{{Further|topic=Christianity in Alabama|History of Baptists in Alabama|List of Baptist churches in Alabama|Episcopal Diocese of Alabama|Episcopal Diocese of the Central Gulf Coast|Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Mobile|Roman Catholic Diocese of Birmingham in Alabama|The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Alabama}}Alabama is located in the middle of the Bible Belt, a region of numerous Protestant Christians. Alabama has been identified as one of the most religious states in the United States, with about 58% of the population attending church regularly.WEB,www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20060502/news_lz1n2thelist.html, Church or synagogue attendance by state, The San Diego Union-Tribune, July 21, 2015, dead,www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20060502/news_lz1n2thelist.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20120513103435www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20060502/news_lz1n2thelist.html,">web.archive.org/web/20120513103435www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20060502/news_lz1n2thelist.html, May 13, 2012, A majority of people in the state identify as Evangelical Protestant. {{as of|2010}}, the three largest denominational groups in Alabama are the Southern Baptist Convention, The United Methodist Church, and non-denominational Evangelical Protestant.WEB,www.thearda.com/rcms2010/r/s/01/rcms2010_01_state_name_2010.asp, The Association of Religion Data Archives, State membership Report, November 7, 2013,www.thearda.com/rcms2010/r/s/01/rcms2010_01_state_name_2010.asp," title="web.archive.org/web/20131012074403www.thearda.com/rcms2010/r/s/01/rcms2010_01_state_name_2010.asp,">web.archive.org/web/20131012074403www.thearda.com/rcms2010/r/s/01/rcms2010_01_state_name_2010.asp, October 12, 2013, dead, In Alabama, the Southern Baptist Convention has the highest number of adherents with 1,380,121; this is followed by the United Methodist Church with 327,734 adherents, non-denominational Evangelical Protestant with 220,938 adherents, and the Catholic Church with 150,647 adherents. Many Baptist and Methodist congregations became established in the Great Awakening of the early 19th century, when preachers proselytized across the South. The Assemblies of God had almost 60,000 members, the Churches of Christ had nearly 120,000 members. The Presbyterian churches, strongly associated with Scots-Irish immigrants of the 18th century and their descendants, had a combined membership around 75,000 (PCA—28,009 members in 108 congregations, PC(USA)—26,247 members in 147 congregations,WEB,www.thearda.com/rcms2010/r/s/01/rcms2010_01_state_name_2010.asp, The Association of Religion Data Archives, Maps & Reports, July 21, 2015,www.thearda.com/rcms2010/r/s/01/rcms2010_01_state_name_2010.asp," title="web.archive.org/web/20131012074403www.thearda.com/rcms2010/r/s/01/rcms2010_01_state_name_2010.asp,">web.archive.org/web/20131012074403www.thearda.com/rcms2010/r/s/01/rcms2010_01_state_name_2010.asp, October 12, 2013, dead, the Cumberland Presbyterian Church—6,000 members in 59 congregations, the Cumberland Presbyterian Church in America—5,000 members and fifty congregations plus the EPC and Associate Reformed Presbyterians with 230 members and nine congregations).WEB,www.thearda.com/mapsReports/reports/state/01_2000.asp, State Membership Reports, 2000, June 15, 2010, thearda.com,www.thearda.com/mapsReports/reports/state/01_2000.asp," title="web.archive.org/web/20100829192301www.thearda.com/mapsReports/reports/state/01_2000.asp,">web.archive.org/web/20100829192301www.thearda.com/mapsReports/reports/state/01_2000.asp, August 29, 2010, dead, In a 2007 survey, nearly 70% of respondents could name all four of the Christian Gospels. Of those who indicated a religious preference, 59% said they possessed a “full understanding” of their faith and needed no further learning.NEWS, Kirsten, Campbell, Mobile Register, Alabama rates well in biblical literacy, March 25, 2007, A1, Advance Publications, Inc, In a 2007 poll, 92% of Alabamians reported having at least some confidence in churches in the state.WEB,www.myaea.org/PDFfile/Confidence+in+State+Institutions07.pdf, Confidence in State and Local Institutions Survey, Capital Survey Research Center, June 2, 2007, dead,www.myaea.org/PDFfile/Confidence%20in%20State%20Institutions07.pdf," title="web.archive.org/web/20070614184507www.myaea.org/PDFfile/Confidence%20in%20State%20Institutions07.pdf,">web.archive.org/web/20070614184507www.myaea.org/PDFfile/Confidence%20in%20State%20Institutions07.pdf, June 14, 2007, NEWS, David, White, Poll says we feel good about state Trust in government, unlike some institutions, hasn’t fallen, April 1, 2007, Birmingham News, 13A, Although in much smaller numbers, many other religious faiths are represented in the state as well, including Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, the Baháʼí Faith, and Unitarian Universalism.Jews have been present in what is now Alabama since 1763, during the colonial era of Mobile, when Sephardic Jews immigrated from London.BOOK, The Gates of Heaven : Congregation Sha’arai Shomayim, the first 150 years, Mobile, Alabama, 1844–1994, Zietz, Robert, 1994, Congregation Sha’arai Shomayim, Mobile, Alabama, 1–7, The oldest Jewish congregation in the state is Congregation Sha’arai Shomayim in Mobile. It was formally recognized by the state legislature on January 25, 1844. Later immigrants in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries tended to be Ashkenazi Jews from eastern Europe. Jewish denominations in the state include two Orthodox, four Conservative, ten Reform, and one Humanistic synagogue.WEB,www.kosherdelight.com/USA/Alabama/AlabamaSynagogues.shtml, Synagogues in Alabama, Kosher Delight, September 8, 2012, January 17, 2013,www.kosherdelight.com/USA/Alabama/AlabamaSynagogues.shtml," title="web.archive.org/web/20130117053313www.kosherdelight.com/USA/Alabama/AlabamaSynagogues.shtml,">web.archive.org/web/20130117053313www.kosherdelight.com/USA/Alabama/AlabamaSynagogues.shtml, live, Muslims have been increasing in Alabama, with 31 mosques built by 2011, many by African-American converts.NEWS, Survey: U.S. Muslims grow by 30 percent since 2000, Kay Campbell,www.al.com/living/index.ssf/2012/02/survey_us_muslims_grow_by_30_p.html, The Huntsville Times, February 29, 2012, September 8, 2012, July 19, 2012,www.al.com/living/index.ssf/2012/02/survey_us_muslims_grow_by_30_p.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20120719215839www.al.com/living/index.ssf/2012/02/survey_us_muslims_grow_by_30_p.html,">web.archive.org/web/20120719215839www.al.com/living/index.ssf/2012/02/survey_us_muslims_grow_by_30_p.html, live, Several Hindu temples and cultural centers in the state have been founded by Indian immigrants and their descendants, the best-known being the Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Birmingham, the Hindu Temple and Cultural Center of Birmingham in Pelham, the Hindu Cultural Center of North Alabama in Capshaw, and the Hindu Mandir and Cultural Center in Tuscaloosa.WEB,www.garamchai.com/templesSE.htm, Hindu Temples in the South East: catering to the needs of NRI and Indians in US, GaramChai, September 22, 2012, September 22, 2012,www.garamchai.com/templesSE.htm," title="web.archive.org/web/20120922084948www.garamchai.com/templesSE.htm,">web.archive.org/web/20120922084948www.garamchai.com/templesSE.htm, live, WEB,hindumandir.cc/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=33&Itemid=42, History of Hindu Mandir & Cultural Center, Hindu Mandir & Cultural Center, September 22, 2012,hindumandir.cc/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=33&Itemid=42," title="web.archive.org/web/20130117053326hindumandir.cc/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=33&Itemid=42,">web.archive.org/web/20130117053326hindumandir.cc/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=33&Itemid=42, January 17, 2013, dead, There are six Dharma centers and organizations for Theravada Buddhists.WEB,www.manjushri.com/Centers/alabama.htm, Dharma Centers and Organizations in Alabama, Manjushri Buddhist Community, AcuMaestro, September 22, 2012,www.manjushri.com/Centers/alabama.htm," title="web.archive.org/web/20130117053327www.manjushri.com/Centers/alabama.htm,">web.archive.org/web/20130117053327www.manjushri.com/Centers/alabama.htm, January 17, 2013, dead, Most monastic Buddhist temples are concentrated in southern Mobile County, near Bayou La Batre. This area has attracted an influx of refugees from Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam during the 1970s and thereafter.WEB,www.journalofamericanhistory.org/projects/katrina/Gaillard.html, After the Storms: Tradition and Change in Bayou La Batre, Frye Gaillard, December 2007, Journal of American History, Organization of American Historians, September 22, 2012, dead,www.journalofamericanhistory.org/projects/katrina/Gaillard.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20121201013011www.journalofamericanhistory.org/projects/katrina/Gaillard.html,">web.archive.org/web/20121201013011www.journalofamericanhistory.org/projects/katrina/Gaillard.html, December 1, 2012, The four temples within a ten-mile radius of Bayou La Batre, include Chua Chanh Giac, Wat Buddharaksa, and Wat Lao Phoutthavihan.NEWS,blog.al.com/living-press-register/2011/10/for_vietnamese_buddhists_in_so.html, For Vietnamese Buddhists in South Alabama, A Goddess of Mercy Is A Powerful Figure, Roy Hoffman, Press-Register, October 22, 2011, September 22, 2012, November 17, 2012,blog.al.com/living-press-register/2011/10/for_vietnamese_buddhists_in_so.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20121117144248blog.al.com/living-press-register/2011/10/for_vietnamese_buddhists_in_so.html,">web.archive.org/web/20121117144248blog.al.com/living-press-register/2011/10/for_vietnamese_buddhists_in_so.html, live, NEWS,blog.al.com/living-press-register/2009/08/a_welcome_gateway_to_the_far_e.html, A Welcome Gateway to the Far East, Debbie M. Lord, Press-Register, August 29, 2009, September 22, 2012, November 19, 2012,blog.al.com/living-press-register/2009/08/a_welcome_gateway_to_the_far_e.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20121119120248blog.al.com/living-press-register/2009/08/a_welcome_gateway_to_the_far_e.html,">web.archive.org/web/20121119120248blog.al.com/living-press-register/2009/08/a_welcome_gateway_to_the_far_e.html, live, NEWS,blog.al.com/live/2012/05/buddhist_monk_killed_temple_le.html, Buddhist Monk Killed Temple Leader During Argument Over Food, Prosecutor Says, Katherine Sayre, Press-Register, May 17, 2012, September 22, 2012, November 17, 2012,blog.al.com/live/2012/05/buddhist_monk_killed_temple_le.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20121117013740blog.al.com/live/2012/05/buddhist_monk_killed_temple_le.html,">web.archive.org/web/20121117013740blog.al.com/live/2012/05/buddhist_monk_killed_temple_le.html, live, The first community of adherents of the Baháʼí Faith in Alabama was founded in 1896 by Paul K. Dealy, who moved from Chicago to Fairhope. Baháʼí centers in Alabama exist in Birmingham, Huntsville, and Florence.WEB,www.shoalsbahais.com/About-Us.html, Bahais of the Shoals, shoalsbahais.com, July 21, 2015,www.shoalsbahais.com/About-Us.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20150511002203www.shoalsbahais.com/About-Us.html,">web.archive.org/web/20150511002203www.shoalsbahais.com/About-Us.html, May 11, 2015, dead,

Health

In 2018, life expectancy in Alabama was 75.1 years, below the national average of 78.7 years and is the third lowest life expectancy in the country. Factors that can cause lower life expectancy are maternal mortality, suicide, and gun crimes.WEB, Here are which states have the longest life expectancies — and which have the shortest,www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/which-states-longest-life-expectancies-shortest-life-expectancies-160420160.html, Yahoo, March 11, 2021, March 11, 2021, March 11, 2021,web.archive.org/web/20210311225343/https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/which-states-longest-life-expectancies-shortest-life-expectancies-160420160.html, live, A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study in 2008 showed that obesity in Alabama is a problem, with most counties having more than 29% of adults obese, except for ten which had a rate between 26% and 29%.WEB,www.cdc.gov/diabetes/pubs/factsheets/countylvlestimates.htm, County Level Estimates of Obesity—State Maps, 2008, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, dead,www.cdc.gov/diabetes/pubs/factsheets/countylvlestimates.htm," title="web.archive.org/web/20140331230945www.cdc.gov/diabetes/pubs/factsheets/countylvlestimates.htm,">web.archive.org/web/20140331230945www.cdc.gov/diabetes/pubs/factsheets/countylvlestimates.htm, March 31, 2014, Residents of the state, along with those in five other states, were least likely in the nation to be physically active during leisure time.WEB,www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2011/p0216_physicalinactivity.html, Highest Rates of Leisure-Time Physical Inactivity in Appalachia and South, 2008, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, September 8, 2017, July 7, 2017,web.archive.org/web/20170707145314/https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2011/p0216_physicalinactivity.html, live, Alabama, and the southeastern U.S. in general, has one of the highest incidences of adult onset diabetes in the country, exceeding 10% of adults.WEB,apps.nccd.cdc.gov/DDTSTRS/Index.aspx?stateId=1&state=Alabama&cat=prevalence&Data=data&view=TO&trend=prevalence&id=1, Alabama—Percentage of Adults(aged 18 years or older) with Diagnosed Diabetes, 1994–2010, 2010, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, dead,apps.nccd.cdc.gov/DDTSTRS/Index.aspx?stateId=1&state=Alabama&cat=prevalence&Data=data&view=TO&trend=prevalence&id=1," title="web.archive.org/web/20111018105633apps.nccd.cdc.gov/DDTSTRS/Index.aspx?stateId=1&state=Alabama&cat=prevalence&Data=data&view=TO&trend=prevalence&id=1,">web.archive.org/web/20111018105633apps.nccd.cdc.gov/DDTSTRS/Index.aspx?stateId=1&state=Alabama&cat=prevalence&Data=data&view=TO&trend=prevalence&id=1, October 18, 2011, WEB,apps.nccd.cdc.gov/DDT_STRS2/NationalDiabetesPrevalenceEstimates.aspx?mode=DBT, CDC national chart on diabetes, Apps.nccd.cdc.gov, June 1, 2011, dead,apps.nccd.cdc.gov/DDT_STRS2/NationalDiabetesPrevalenceEstimates.aspx?mode=DBT," title="web.archive.org/web/20111015110228apps.nccd.cdc.gov/DDT_STRS2/NationalDiabetesPrevalenceEstimates.aspx?mode=DBT,">web.archive.org/web/20111015110228apps.nccd.cdc.gov/DDT_STRS2/NationalDiabetesPrevalenceEstimates.aspx?mode=DBT, October 15, 2011,

Economy

{{See also|Economy of Alabama|Alabama locations by per capita income}}The state has invested in aerospace, education, health care, banking, and various heavy industries, including automobile manufacturing, mineral extraction, steel production and fabrication. By 2006, crop and animal production in Alabama was valued at $1.5{{spaces}}billion. In contrast to the primarily agricultural economy of the previous century, this was only about one percent of the state’s gross domestic product. The number of private farms has declined at a steady rate since the 1960s, as land has been sold to developers, timber companies, and large farming conglomerates.WEB,encyclopediaofalabama.org/face/Article.jsp?id=h-2330, Food Production in Alabama, Ijaz, Ahmad, Addy, Samuel N., July 6, 2009, The Encyclopedia of Alabama, Auburn University, September 22, 2012,encyclopediaofalabama.org/face/Article.jsp?id=h-2330," title="web.archive.org/web/20130117053325encyclopediaofalabama.org/face/Article.jsp?id=h-2330,">web.archive.org/web/20130117053325encyclopediaofalabama.org/face/Article.jsp?id=h-2330, January 17, 2013, dead, File:RTJattheshoals.jpg|thumb|left|The Robert Trent Jones Golf TrailRobert Trent Jones Golf TrailNon-agricultural employment in 2008 was 121,800 in management occupations; 71,750 in business and financial operations; 36,790 in computer-related and mathematical occupation; 44,200 in architecture and engineering; 12,410 in life, physical, and social sciences; 32,260 in community and social services; 12,770 in legal occupations; 116,250 in education, training, and library services; 27,840 in art, design and media occupations; 121,110 in healthcare; 44,750 in fire fighting, law enforcement, and security; 154,040 in food preparation and serving; 76,650 in building and grounds cleaning and maintenance; 53,230 in personal care and services; 244,510 in sales; 338,760 in office and administration support; 20,510 in farming, fishing, and forestry; 120,155 in construction and mining, gas, and oil extraction; 106,280 in installation, maintenance, and repair; 224,110 in production; and 167,160 in transportation and material moving.File:Center Court of the Riverchase Galleria.jpg|thumb|upright|The Riverchase GalleriaRiverchase GalleriaAccording to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, the 2008 total gross state product was $170{{spaces}}billion, or $29,411 per capita. Alabama’s 2012 GDP increased 1.2% from the previous year. The single largest increase came in the area of information.WEB,www.bea.gov/newsreleases/regional/gdp_state/gsp_newsrelease.htm, GDP by State (2008), June 2, 2009, Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts, October 9, 2009, August 26, 2009,web.archive.org/web/20090826143618/https://www.bea.gov/newsreleases/regional/gdp_state/gsp_newsrelease.htm, live, full release with tables {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170630210541www.bea.gov/newsreleases/regional/gdp_state/2009/pdf/gsp0609.pdf |date=June 30, 2017 }} In 2010, per capita income for the state was $22,984.WEB,quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/01000.html, United States Census Bureau, February 25, 2012, State and County Quick Facts, dead,quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/01000.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20120226182304quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/01000.html,">web.archive.org/web/20120226182304quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/01000.html, February 26, 2012, The state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 5.8% in April 2015.WEB, Local Area Unemployment Statistics—Alabama, Bureau of Labor Statistics,data.bls.gov/cgi-bin/surveymost?la+01, June 15, 2013, February 9, 2014,data.bls.gov/cgi-bin/surveymost?la+01," title="web.archive.org/web/20140209183335data.bls.gov/cgi-bin/surveymost?la+01,">web.archive.org/web/20140209183335data.bls.gov/cgi-bin/surveymost?la+01, live, This compared to a nationwide seasonally adjusted rate of 5.4%.WEB, Bureau of Labor Statistics Data,data.bls.gov/cgi-bin/surveymost?bls, United States Department of Labor, July 6, 2015, October 24, 2013,data.bls.gov/cgi-bin/surveymost?bls," title="web.archive.org/web/20131024023419data.bls.gov/cgi-bin/surveymost?bls,">web.archive.org/web/20131024023419data.bls.gov/cgi-bin/surveymost?bls, live, Alabama has no minimum wage and in February 2016 passed legislation preventing municipalities from setting one. (A Birmingham city ordinance would have raised theirs to $10.10.)NEWS,www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/feb/26/alabama-passes-law-banning-minimum-wage-increase, Alabama passes law banning cities and towns from increasing minimum wage, Jana, Kasperkevic, February 26, 2016, The Guardian, December 13, 2016, February 11, 2017,web.archive.org/web/20170211161330/https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/feb/26/alabama-passes-law-banning-minimum-wage-increase, live, {{as of|2018}}, Alabama has the sixth highest poverty rate among states in the U.S.WEB,alabamapossible.org/ap_povertyfactsheet_2018_web/, AP_PovertyFactSheet_2018_Web, Kristina, Scott, September 4, 2018, September 4, 2018,alabamapossible.org/ap_povertyfactsheet_2018_web/," title="web.archive.org/web/20180904192109alabamapossible.org/ap_povertyfactsheet_2018_web/,">web.archive.org/web/20180904192109alabamapossible.org/ap_povertyfactsheet_2018_web/, live, In 2017, United Nations Special Rapporteur Philip Alston toured parts of rural Alabama and observed environmental conditions he said were poorer than anywhere he had seen in the developed world.NEWS, Ballesteros, Carlos, Alabama Has the Worst Poverty in the Developed World, U.N. Official Says,www.newsweek.com/alabama-un-poverty-environmental-racism-743601, Newsweek, December 10, 2017, September 4, 2018, September 8, 2018,web.archive.org/web/20180908163319/https://www.newsweek.com/alabama-un-poverty-environmental-racism-743601, live,

Largest employers

File:Enterprise lifted.jpg|thumb|upright|The Space Shuttle Enterprise being tested at Marshall Space Flight Center in 1978]](File:Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama Highsmith 01.jpg|thumb|Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama in Montgomery in 2010)File:Shelbyhallcomputing.JPG|thumb|Shelby Hall, School of Computing, at the University of South AlabamaUniversity of South AlabamaThe five employers that employed the most employees in Alabama in April 2011 were:Aneesa Macmillan. “Top of the List: Alabama’s largest employers {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110426110530www.bizjournals.com/birmingham/blog/2011/04/top-of-the-list-alabamas-largest.html |date=April 26, 2011 }}” (April 22, 2011). Birmingham Business Journal.{| class=“wikitable”! Employer! Employees| Redstone Arsenal| 25,373| University of Alabama at Birmingham (includes UAB Hospital)| 18,750| Maxwell Air Force Base| 12,280Government of Alabama>State of Alabama| 9,500| Mobile County Public School System| 8,100The next twenty largest employers, {{as of|2011|lc=y}}, included:WEB,www.americanregistry.com/recognition/alabamas-largest-employers/116523, Alabama’s Largest Employers, April 2011, Birmingham Business Journal, American Registry, September 19, 2012, January 17, 2013,www.americanregistry.com/recognition/alabamas-largest-employers/116523," title="web.archive.org/web/20130117053326www.americanregistry.com/recognition/alabamas-largest-employers/116523,">web.archive.org/web/20130117053326www.americanregistry.com/recognition/alabamas-largest-employers/116523, live, {| class=“wikitable”! Employer! Location| Anniston Army DepotAnniston, Alabama>AnnistonAT&T Inc.>AT&T| Multiple| Auburn UniversityAuburn, Alabama>Auburn| Baptist Medical Center SouthMontgomery, Alabama>Montgomery| Birmingham City SchoolsBirmingham, Alabama>BirminghamBirmingham, Alabama>City of Birmingham| Birmingham| DCH Health SystemTuscaloosa, Alabama>Tuscaloosa| Huntsville City SchoolsHuntsville, Alabama>Huntsville| Huntsville Hospital System| Huntsville| Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama| Montgomery| Infirmary Health SystemMobile, Alabama>MobileJefferson County Schools (Alabama)>Jefferson County Board of Education| Birmingham| Marshall Space Flight Center| Huntsville| Mercedes-Benz U.S. InternationalVance, Alabama>Vance| Montgomery Public Schools| Montgomery| Regions Financial Corporation| Multiple| Boeing| Multiple| University of Alabama| Tuscaloosa| University of South Alabama| Mobile| Walmart| Multiple

Agriculture

Alabama’s agricultural outputs include poultry and eggs, cattle, fish, plant nursery items, peanuts, cotton, grains such as corn and sorghum, vegetables, milk, soybeans, and peaches. Although known as “The Cotton State”, Alabama ranks between eighth and tenth in national cotton production, according to various reports,WEB,cber.cba.ua.edu/pdf/ab2005q4.pdf, Alabama and CBER: 75 Years of Change, September 23, 2006, 2005, Alabama Business, Center for Business and Economic Research, Culverhouse College of Commerce, The University of Alabama,cber.cba.ua.edu/pdf/ab2005q4.pdf," title="web.archive.org/web/20060927141609cber.cba.ua.edu/pdf/ab2005q4.pdf,">web.archive.org/web/20060927141609cber.cba.ua.edu/pdf/ab2005q4.pdf, September 27, 2006, dead, WEB,www.aces.edu/dept/nass/bulletin/2005/pg05.pdf, State Highlights for 2004–2005, September 23, 2006, 2005, Alabama Cooperative Extension System, USDA, NASS, Alabama Statistical Office,www.aces.edu/dept/nass/bulletin/2005/pg05.pdf," title="web.archive.org/web/20060921005808www.aces.edu/dept/nass/bulletin/2005/pg05.pdf,">web.archive.org/web/20060921005808www.aces.edu/dept/nass/bulletin/2005/pg05.pdf, September 21, 2006, dead, with Texas, Georgia and Mississippi comprising the top three.

Aquaculture

Aquaculture is a large part of the economy of Alabama.Hanson, TE. 2015. Economics of Aquaculture Production in Alabama. United States Department of Agriculture. Project No. ALA016-1-10022. Available from:reeis.usda.gov/web/crisprojectpages/0222158-economics-of-aquaculture-production-in-alabama.html {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210924191911reeis.usda.gov/web/crisprojectpages/0222158-economics-of-aquaculture-production-in-alabama.html |date=September 24, 2021 }} Alabamians began to practice aquaculture in the early 1960s.JOURNAL, Pine, H.J., Boyd, C.E., 2011, Stream Salinization by Inland Brackish-Water Aquaculture,doi.org/10.1080/15222055.2011.545580, North American Journal of Aquaculture, 73, 2, 107–113, 10.1080/15222055.2011.545580, 2011NAJA...73..107P, U.S. farm-raised catfish is the 8th most popular seafood product in America.WEB, Hanson, Terry, Roy, Luke, Kelly, Anita, 2021, 2020 Alabama Farm-Raised Catfish Industry Highlights,www.aces.edu/blog/topics/aquaculture/alabama-farm-raised-catfish-industry-highlights/?cn-reloaded=1, live,web.archive.org/web/20210924191858/https://www.aces.edu/blog/topics/aquaculture/alabama-farm-raised-catfish-industry-highlights/?cn-reloaded=1, September 24, 2021, By 2008, approximately 4,000 people in Alabama were employed by the catfish industry and Alabama produced 132 million pounds of catfish. In 2020, Alabama produced {{frac|1|3}} of the United States’ farm-raised catfish. The total 2020 sales of catfish raised in Alabama equaled $307 million but by 2020 the total employment of Alabamians fell to 2,442.From the early 2000s to 2020, the Alabamian catfish industry has declined from 250 farms and 4 processors to 66 farms and 2 processors. Reasons for this decline include increased feed prices, catfish alternatives, COVID-19’s impact on restaurant sales, disease, and fish size.

Industry

Alabama’s 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. In addition, Alabama produces aerospace and electronic products, mostly in the Huntsville area, the location of NASA’s George C. Marshall Space Flight Center and the U.S. Army Materiel Command, headquartered at Redstone Arsenal.File:Mercedes Benz US International 01.jpg|thumb|Mercedes-Benz U.S. InternationalMercedes-Benz U.S. InternationalA great deal of Alabama’s economic growth since the 1990s has been due to the state’s expanding automotive manufacturing industry. Located in the state are Honda Manufacturing of Alabama, Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama, Mercedes-Benz U.S. International, and Toyota Motor Manufacturing Alabama, as well as their various suppliers. Since 1993, the automobile industry has generated more than 67,800 new jobs in the state. Alabama currently ranks 4th in the nation for vehicle exports.WEB,www1.eere.energy.gov/vehiclesandfuels/facts/2008_fotw539.html, Vehicle Technologies Program: Fact #539: October 6, 2008, Light Vehicle Production by State, .eere.energy.gov, October 6, 2008, October 24, 2010,www1.eere.energy.gov/vehiclesandfuels/facts/2008_fotw539.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20081006202740www1.eere.energy.gov/vehiclesandfuels/facts/2008_fotw539.html,">web.archive.org/web/20081006202740www1.eere.energy.gov/vehiclesandfuels/facts/2008_fotw539.html, October 6, 2008, dead, Automakers accounted for approximately a third of the industrial expansion in the state in 2012.NEWS, McCreless, Patrick, Automakers account for about a third of the state’s industrial expansion,www.annistonstar.com/view/full_story/20677539/article-Automakers-account-for-about-a-third-of-the-state-s-industrial-expansion?instance=home_news#ixzz2DioLu4sx, The Anniston Star, October 31, 2012, June 15, 2013, dead,www.annistonstar.com/view/full_story/20677539/article-Automakers-account-for-about-a-third-of-the-state-s-industrial-expansion?instance=home_news#ixzz2DioLu4sx," title="web.archive.org/web/20131022035218www.annistonstar.com/view/full_story/20677539/article-Automakers-account-for-about-a-third-of-the-state-s-industrial-expansion?instance=home_news#ixzz2DioLu4sx,">web.archive.org/web/20131022035218www.annistonstar.com/view/full_story/20677539/article-Automakers-account-for-about-a-third-of-the-state-s-industrial-expansion?instance=home_news#ixzz2DioLu4sx, October 22, 2013, The eight models produced at the state’s auto factories totaled combined sales of 74,335 vehicles for 2012. The strongest model sales during this period were the Hyundai Elantra compact car, the Mercedes-Benz GL-Class sport utility vehicle and the Honda Ridgeline sport utility truck.NEWS, Kent, Dawn, U.S. auto sales see gains in March, as Alabama-made models rise 4 percent,www.al.com/business/index.ssf/2013/04/us_auto_sales_see_gains_in_mar.html, June 15, 2013, AL.com, April 2, 2013, May 18, 2013,www.al.com/business/index.ssf/2013/04/us_auto_sales_see_gains_in_mar.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20130518041759www.al.com/business/index.ssf/2013/04/us_auto_sales_see_gains_in_mar.html,">web.archive.org/web/20130518041759www.al.com/business/index.ssf/2013/04/us_auto_sales_see_gains_in_mar.html, live, (File:Airbus Mobile Engineering Center.jpg|thumb|left|Airbus Mobile Engineering Center at the Brookley Aeroplex in Mobile)Steel producers Outokumpu, Nucor, SSAB, ThyssenKrupp, and U.S. Steel have facilities in Alabama and employ more than 10,000 people. In May 2007, German steelmaker ThyssenKrupp selected Calvert in Mobile County for a 4.65{{spaces}}billion combined stainless and carbon steel processing facility.NEWS,blog.al.com/live/2007/05/mobile_county_wins_thyssenkrup.html, ThyssenKrupp’s Alabama incentive package tops $811 million, Press-Register, May 11, 2007, July 22, 2011,blog.al.com/live/2007/05/mobile_county_wins_thyssenkrup.html," title="archive.today/20110726144848blog.al.com/live/2007/05/mobile_county_wins_thyssenkrup.html,">archive.today/20110726144848blog.al.com/live/2007/05/mobile_county_wins_thyssenkrup.html, July 26, 2011, live, ThyssenKrupp’s stainless steel division, Inoxum, including the stainless portion of the Calvert plant, was sold to Finnish stainless steel company Outokumpu in 2012.NEWS, New owners of ThyssenKrupp stainless steel division plan visit in June, Press-Register, May 31, 2012,blog.al.com/press-register-business/2012/05/new_owners_of_thyssenkrupp_sta.html, June 15, 2013, October 22, 2013,blog.al.com/press-register-business/2012/05/new_owners_of_thyssenkrupp_sta.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20131022053114blog.al.com/press-register-business/2012/05/new_owners_of_thyssenkrupp_sta.html,">web.archive.org/web/20131022053114blog.al.com/press-register-business/2012/05/new_owners_of_thyssenkrupp_sta.html, live, The remaining portion of the ThyssenKrupp plant had final bids submitted by ArcelorMittal and Nippon Steel for $1.6{{spaces}}billion in March 2013. Companhia Siderúrgica Nacional submitted a combined bid for the mill at Calvert, plus a majority stake in the ThyssenKrupp mill in Brazil, for $3.8{{spaces}}billion.NEWS, Report: ThyssenKrupp gets final bids for Steel Americas plants, AL.com, March 1, 2013,www.al.com/business/index.ssf/2013/03/report_thyssenkrupp_gets_final.html, June 15, 2013, May 7, 2013,www.al.com/business/index.ssf/2013/03/report_thyssenkrupp_gets_final.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20130507103651www.al.com/business/index.ssf/2013/03/report_thyssenkrupp_gets_final.html,">web.archive.org/web/20130507103651www.al.com/business/index.ssf/2013/03/report_thyssenkrupp_gets_final.html, live, In July 2013, the plant was sold to ArcelorMittal and Nippon Steel.WEB,www.stahl-online.de/index.php/alabama-ende-2014-bei-voller-kapazitaet/, Alabama: Ende 2014 bei voller Kapazität—stahl-online.de, stahl-online.de, July 21, 2015, September 24, 2015,www.stahl-online.de/index.php/alabama-ende-2014-bei-voller-kapazitaet/," title="web.archive.org/web/20150924105627www.stahl-online.de/index.php/alabama-ende-2014-bei-voller-kapazitaet/,">web.archive.org/web/20150924105627www.stahl-online.de/index.php/alabama-ende-2014-bei-voller-kapazitaet/, dead, The Hunt Refining Company, a subsidiary of Hunt Consolidated, Inc., is based in Tuscaloosa and operates a refinery there. The company also operates terminals in Mobile, Melvin, and Moundville.“Hunt Refining Company {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120518071518www.linkedin.com/company/hunt-refining-company |date=May 18, 2012 }}”. Linkedin. JVC America, Inc. operates an optical disc replication and packaging plant in Tuscaloosa.“www.jvc-america.com/about/plant_locations.aspx" title="web.archive.org/web/20130117053326www.jvc-america.com/about/plant_locations.aspx">Company Overview”. JVC America, Inc.The Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company operates a large plant in Gadsden which employs about 1,400 people. It has been in operation since 1929.Construction of an Airbus A320 family aircraft assembly plant in Mobile was formally announced by Airbus CEO Fabrice Brégier from the Mobile Convention Center on July 2, 2012. The plans include a $600{{spaces}}million factory at the Brookley Aeroplex for the assembly of the A319, A320 and A321 aircraft. Construction began in 2013, with plans for it to become operable by 2015 and produce up to 50 aircraft per year by 2017.bNEWS, Airbus to Build 1st US Assembly Plant in Alabama, Associated Press, Melissa Nelson-Gabriel, July 2, 2012,abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/officials-ala-airbus-plant-employ-1000-16690789, July 2, 2012,web.archive.org/web/20120703090843/https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/officials-ala-airbus-plant-employ-1000-16690789, July 3, 2012, dead, NEWS, Airbus confirms its first US factory to build A320 jet, BBC News, July 2, 2012,www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-18675711, July 2, 2012, July 2, 2012,www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-18675711," title="web.archive.org/web/20120702182124www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-18675711,">web.archive.org/web/20120702182124www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-18675711, live, The assembly plant is the company’s first factory to be built within the United States.NEWS, EADS to Build United States Assembly Line for Airbus A320,www.nytimes.com/2012/07/03/business/global/eads-to-build-airbus-assembly-line-in-mobile-ala.html, The New York Times, July 2, 2012, Nicola Clark, July 2, 2012, July 2, 2012,www.nytimes.com/2012/07/03/business/global/eads-to-build-airbus-assembly-line-in-mobile-ala.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20120702213020www.nytimes.com/2012/07/03/business/global/eads-to-build-airbus-assembly-line-in-mobile-ala.html,">web.archive.org/web/20120702213020www.nytimes.com/2012/07/03/business/global/eads-to-build-airbus-assembly-line-in-mobile-ala.html, live, It was announced on February 1, 2013, that Airbus had hired Alabama-based Hoar Construction to oversee construction of the facility.WEB, Airbus Appoints Program Manager for its Mobile Assembly Line,www.airbus.com/newsevents/news-events-single/detail/airbus-appoints-program-manager-for-its-mobile-assembly-line/, Airbus, February 7, 2013, February 6, 2013,www.airbus.com/newsevents/news-events-single/detail/airbus-appoints-program-manager-for-its-mobile-assembly-line/," title="web.archive.org/web/20130206110927www.airbus.com/newsevents/news-events-single/detail/airbus-appoints-program-manager-for-its-mobile-assembly-line/,">web.archive.org/web/20130206110927www.airbus.com/newsevents/news-events-single/detail/airbus-appoints-program-manager-for-its-mobile-assembly-line/, dead, The factory officially opened on September 14, 2015, covering one million square feet on 53 acres of flat grassland.NEWS, Arielle Emmett, Airbus Lands In Alabama,www.airspacemag.com/flight-today/airbus-in-mobile-180959124/, March 18, 2017, Air & Space Smithsonian, June 2016, March 19, 2017,www.airspacemag.com/flight-today/airbus-in-mobile-180959124/," title="web.archive.org/web/20170319114411www.airspacemag.com/flight-today/airbus-in-mobile-180959124/,">web.archive.org/web/20170319114411www.airspacemag.com/flight-today/airbus-in-mobile-180959124/, live,

Tourism and entertainment

(File:Orange Beach, Alabama.jpg|thumb|Alabama’s beaches are one of the state’s major tourist destinations.)According to Business Insider, Alabama ranked 14th in most popular states to visit in 2014.WEB,www.businessinsider.com/the-most-popular-us-states-for-tourism-2014-10, A Detailed Look At How Americans Travel Within The US, Jennifer, Polland, Business Insider, June 20, 2019, June 20, 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190620204823/https://www.businessinsider.com/the-most-popular-us-states-for-tourism-2014-10, live, An estimated 26 million tourists visited the state in 2017 and spent $14.3 billion, providing directly or indirectly 186,900 jobs in the state,WEB,www.al.com/news/2018/05/tourist_spending_in_alabama_hi.html, Tourist spending in Alabama hit all-time high in 2017, May 23, 2018, al, June 20, 2019, June 20, 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190620204823/https://www.al.com/news/2018/05/tourist_spending_in_alabama_hi.html, live, which includes 362,000 International tourists spending $589 million.WEB, Nusbaum, Lydia, November 30, 2018, International travel agents descend on Alabama,www.wsfa.com/2018/11/30/international-travel-agents-descend-alabama/, March 18, 2021, WSFA 12 News, June 15, 2021,web.archive.org/web/20210615194200/https://www.wsfa.com/2018/11/30/international-travel-agents-descend-alabama/, live, The state is home to various attractions, natural features, parks and events that attract visitors from around the globe, notably the annual Hangout Music Festival, held on the public beaches of Gulf Shores; the Alabama Shakespeare Festival, one of the ten largest Shakespeare festivals in the world;ENCYCLOPEDIA,www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/face/Article.jsp?id=h-1023, Alabama Shakespeare Festival (ASF), Jim Volz, February 21, 2007, The Encyclopedia of Alabama, Auburn University, April 3, 2012, March 8, 2012,encyclopediaofalabama.org/face/Article.jsp?id=h-1023," title="web.archive.org/web/20120308041406encyclopediaofalabama.org/face/Article.jsp?id=h-1023,">web.archive.org/web/20120308041406encyclopediaofalabama.org/face/Article.jsp?id=h-1023, live, the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail, a collection of championship caliber golf courses distributed across the state; casinos such as Victoryland; amusement parks such as Alabama Splash Adventure; the Riverchase Galleria, one of the largest shopping centers in the southeast; Guntersville Lake, voted the best lake in Alabama by Southern Living Magazine readers;WEB,encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h-2621, Guntersville Dam and Lake, Encyclopedia of Alabama, September 21, 2020, January 28, 2021,encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h-2621," title="web.archive.org/web/20210128212505encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h-2621,">web.archive.org/web/20210128212505encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h-2621, live, and the Alabama Museum of Natural History, the oldest museum in the state.WEB, Planning Your Alabama Visit,alabama.travel/visitor-tips/planning, alabama.travel.com, Sweet Home Alabama, September 16, 2016, September 24, 2016,alabama.travel/visitor-tips/planning," title="web.archive.org/web/20160924164535alabama.travel/visitor-tips/planning,">web.archive.org/web/20160924164535alabama.travel/visitor-tips/planning, live, (File:Mardi Gras Mobile Order of Inca.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Mobile is the birthplace of Mardi Gras in the U.S.)Mobile is known for having the oldest organized Mardi Gras celebration in the United States, beginning in 1703.WEB,www.museumofmobile.com/timeline.php, Carnival/Mobile Mardi Gras Timeline, Museum of Mobile, July 18, 2012, July 19, 2013,www.museumofmobile.com/timeline.php," title="web.archive.org/web/20130719184322www.museumofmobile.com/timeline.php,">web.archive.org/web/20130719184322www.museumofmobile.com/timeline.php, live, It was also host to the first formally organized Mardi Gras parade in the United States in 1830, a tradition that continues to this day. Mardi Gras is an official state holiday in Mobile and Baldwin counties.{{citation |work=Alabama Code |pages=1–3–8(c) |title=HOLIDAYS ENUMERATED; PERSONAL LEAVE DAYS; STATE HOLIDAYS OBSERVED BY CLOSING OF STATE OFFICES; COMPENSATORY LEAVE DAYS |url=http://codes.lp.findlaw.com/alcode/1/3/1-3-8#sthash.22vLhFOr.dpuf |access-date=December 2, 2014 |archive-date=July 14, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714230312codes.lp.findlaw.com/alcode/1/3/1-3-8#sthash.22vLhFOr.dpuf |url-status=live }}In 2018, Mobile’s Mardi Gras parade was the state’s top event, producing the most tourists with an attendance of 892,811. The top attraction was the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville with an attendance of 849,981, followed by the Birmingham Zoo with 543,090. Of the parks and natural destinations, Alabama’s Gulf Coast topped the list with 6,700,000 visitors.WEB,www.tuscaloosanews.com/news/20190128/alabama-ranks-top-tourist-attractions, Alabama ranks top tourist attractions, Ken, Roberts, Tuscaloosa News, June 26, 2019, June 26, 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190626162158/https://www.tuscaloosanews.com/news/20190128/alabama-ranks-top-tourist-attractions, live, Alabama has historically been a popular region for film shoots due to its diverse landscapes and contrast of environments.WEB,www.locationshub.com/blog/2013/10/27/four-alabama-filmed-movies-to-watch-in-2013, Four Alabama-Filmed Movies to Watch In 2013, LocationsHub, March 19, 2013, June 26, 2019, June 26, 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190626160701/https://www.locationshub.com/blog/2013/10/27/four-alabama-filmed-movies-to-watch-in-2013, live, Movies filmed in Alabama include Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Get Out, 42, Selma, Big Fish, The Final Destination, Due Date, and Need for Speed.WEB,birminghamwatch.org/growing-list-movies-made-alabama/, A Growing List of Movies Have Been Made in Alabama, Jackie Romine, Walburn, December 10, 2018, June 26, 2019, June 26, 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190626160701/https://birminghamwatch.org/growing-list-movies-made-alabama/, live,

Healthcare

UAB Hospital, USA Health University Hospital, Huntsville Hospital, and Children’s Hospital of Alabama are the only Level{{spaces}}I trauma centers in Alabama.WEB, Trauma Centers {{!, Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH)|url=https://www.alabamapublichealth.gov/aths/trauma-center-levels.html|access-date=November 6, 2020|website=www.alabamapublichealth.gov|archive-date=March 21, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200321235111www.alabamapublichealth.gov/aths/trauma-center-levels.html|url-status=live}} UAB is the largest state government employer in Alabama, with a workforce of about 18,000.WEB,www.uab.edu/humanresources/home/, UAB—Human Resources—Home, uab.edu, July 21, 2015, July 22, 2015,www.uab.edu/humanresources/home/," title="web.archive.org/web/20150722064704www.uab.edu/humanresources/home/,">web.archive.org/web/20150722064704www.uab.edu/humanresources/home/, live, A 2017 study found that Alabama had the least competitive health insurance market in the country, with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama having a market share of 84% followed by UnitedHealth Group at 7%.WEB,www.ama-assn.org/delivering-care/patient-support-advocacy/competition-health-insurance-research, Competition in health insurance research, American Medical Association, June 15, 2019, June 18, 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190618001323/https://www.ama-assn.org/delivering-care/patient-support-advocacy/competition-health-insurance-research, live,

Banking

File:Birmingham skyscrapers Nov 2011.jpg|thumb|Regions-Harbert Plaza, Regions Center, and Wells Fargo Tower in Birmingham’s financial district]]Regions Financial Corporation is the largest bank headquartered in or operating in Alabama. PNC Financial Services and Wells Fargo also have a major presence in Alabama.WEB,www7.fdic.gov/sod/sodMarketRpt.asp?barItem=2, Deposit Market Share Report, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, January 19, 2022, May 27, 2021,web.archive.org/web/20210527065621/https://www7.fdic.gov/sod/sodMarketRpt.asp?barItem=2, live, Wells Fargo has a regional headquarters, an operations center campus, and a $400{{spaces}}million data center in Birmingham. Many smaller banks are also headquartered in the Birmingham area, including ServisFirst and New South Federal Savings Bank. Birmingham also serves as the headquarters for several large investment management companies, including Harbert Management Corporation.

Electronics and communications

Telecommunications provider AT&T, formerly BellSouth, has a major presence in Alabama with several large offices in Birmingham.Many technology companies are headquartered in Huntsville, such as ADTRAN, a network access company; Intergraph, a computer graphics company; and Avocent, an IT infrastructure company.

Construction

Brasfield & Gorrie, BE&K, Hoar Construction, and B.L. Harbert International, based in Alabama and subsidiaries of URS Corporation, are all routinely are included in the Engineering News-Record lists of top design, international construction, and engineering firms.{{clear}}

Law and government

State government

File:Alabama Capitol Building.jpg|thumb|The State Capitol Building in Montgomery, completed in 1851]]The foundational document for Alabama’s government is the Alabama Constitution, the current one having been adopted in 2022.{{clarify|date=November 2023}} The Alabama constitution adopted in 1901 was, with over 850 amendments and almost 87,000 words, by some accounts the world’s longest constitution and roughly forty times the length of the United States Constitution.Tim Lockette, Is the Alabama Constitution the longest constitution in the world?Truth Rating: 4 out of 5 {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307224910www.annistonstar.com/article_c928bd51-fbf1-5056-a30c-1bf4b19eb012.html?mode=jqm |date=March 7, 2016 }}, Anniston Star.Campbell Robertson, Alabama Simmers Before Vote on Its Constitution’s Racist Language {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170723071330www.nytimes.com/2012/10/31/us/alabama-simmers-before-vote-on-its-constitutions-racist-language.html |date=July 23, 2017 }}, New York Times, October 10, 2012.NEWS,www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/2004/11/28/alabama-vote-opens-old-racial-wounds/c801ee54-a22b-424c-9122-729aabaf2007/, Roig-Franzia, Manuel, Alabama Vote Opens Old Racial Wounds, The Washington Post, November 28, 2004, November 4, 2021, March 22, 2022,web.archive.org/web/20220322031912/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/2004/11/28/alabama-vote-opens-old-racial-wounds/c801ee54-a22b-424c-9122-729aabaf2007/, live, WEB,www.legislature.state.al.us/CodeOfAlabama/Constitution/1901/Constitution1901_toc.htm, Constitution of Alabama—1901, The Alabama Legislative Information System, September 22, 2006,www.legislature.state.al.us/CodeOfAlabama/Constitution/1901/Constitution1901_toc.htm," title="web.archive.org/web/20060923081542www.legislature.state.al.us/CodeOfAlabama/Constitution/1901/Constitution1901_toc.htm,">web.archive.org/web/20060923081542www.legislature.state.al.us/CodeOfAlabama/Constitution/1901/Constitution1901_toc.htm, September 23, 2006, dead, There has been a significant movement to rewrite and modernize Alabama’s constitution.WEB,www.constitutionalreform.org/, Alabama Citizens for Constitutional Reform, Constitutionalreform.org, October 24, 2010,www.constitutionalreform.org/," title="web.archive.org/web/20100915165938www.constitutionalreform.org/,">web.archive.org/web/20100915165938www.constitutionalreform.org/, September 15, 2010, dead, Critics have argued that Alabama’s constitution maintains highly centralized power with the state legislature, leaving practically no power in local hands. Most counties do not have home rule. Any policy changes proposed in different areas of the state must be approved by the entire Alabama legislature and, frequently, by state referendum. The former constitution was particularly criticized for its complexity and length intentionally codifying segregation and racism.File:Ala Supreme Court Building Feb 2012 01.jpg|thumb|The Heflin-Torbert Judicial Building in Montgomery. It houses the Supreme Court of Alabama, Alabama Court of Civil Appeals, and Alabama Court of Criminal AppealsAlabama Court of Criminal AppealsAlabama’s government is divided into three coequal branches. The legislative branch is the Alabama Legislature, a bicameral assembly composed of the Alabama House of Representatives, with 105 members, and the Alabama Senate, with 35 members. The Legislature is responsible for writing, debating, passing, or defeating state legislation. The Republican Party currently holds a majority in both houses of the Legislature. The Legislature has the power to override a gubernatorial veto by a simple majority (most state Legislatures require a two-thirds majority to override a veto).Until 1964, the state elected state senators on a geographic basis by county, with one per county. It had not redistricted congressional districts since passage of its constitution in 1901; as a result, urbanized areas were grossly underrepresented. It had not changed legislative districts to reflect the decennial censuses, either. In Reynolds v. Sims (1964), the U.S. Supreme Court implemented the principle of “one man, one vote”, ruling that congressional districts had to be reapportioned based on censuses (as the state already included in its constitution but had not implemented.) Further, the court ruled that both houses of bicameral state legislatures had to be apportioned by population, as there was no constitutional basis for states to have geographically based systems.At that time, Alabama and many other states had to change their legislative districting, as many across the country had systems that underrepresented urban areas and districts. This had caused decades of underinvestment in such areas. For instance, Birmingham and Jefferson County taxes had supplied one-third of the state budget, but Jefferson County received only 1/67th of state services in funding. Through the legislative delegations, the Alabama legislature kept control of county governments.File:Governor Kay Ivey 2017 (cropped).jpg|thumb|Republican Kay Ivey is the governor of Alabamagovernor of AlabamaThe executive branch is responsible for the execution and oversight of laws. It is headed by the governor of Alabama. Other members of the executive branch include the cabinet, the lieutenant governor of Alabama, the Attorney General of Alabama, the Alabama Secretary of State, the Alabama State Treasurer, and the State Auditor of Alabama. The current governor is Republican Kay Ivey.The members of the Legislature take office immediately after the November elections. Statewide officials, such as the governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, and other constitutional officers, take office the following January.WEB,www.legislature.state.al.us/misc/legislativeprocess/legislativeprocess_ml.html, Alabama’s Legislative Process, McDowell, Lee, 2009, State of Alabama, dead,www.legislature.state.al.us/misc/legislativeprocess/legislativeprocess_ml.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20110102162559www.legislature.state.al.us/misc/legislativeprocess/legislativeprocess_ml.html,">web.archive.org/web/20110102162559www.legislature.state.al.us/misc/legislativeprocess/legislativeprocess_ml.html, January 2, 2011, The judiciary is responsible for interpreting the Constitution of Alabama and applying the law in state criminal and civil cases. The state’s highest court is the Supreme Court of Alabama. Alabama uses partisan elections to select judges. Since the 1980s judicial campaigns have become increasingly politicized.Judicial Selection in the States: Alabama {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006162358www.judicialselection.us/judicial_selection/index.cfm?state=AL |date=October 6, 2014}}, American Judicature Society. The current chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court is Republican Tom Parker. All sitting justices on the Alabama Supreme Court are members of the Republican Party. There are two intermediate appellate courts, the Court of Civil Appeals and the Court of Criminal Appeals, and four trial courts: the circuit court (trial court of general jurisdiction), and the district, probate, and municipal courts.Alabama has the death penalty with authorized methods of execution that include the electric chair and the gas chamber.WEB,deathpenaltyinfo.org/executions/methods-of-execution, Methods of Execution, March 20, 2023, July 1, 2018,web.archive.org/web/20180701043600/https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/methods-execution, live, Some critics believe the election of judges has contributed to an exceedingly high rate of executions.[WEB, Questions of Death Row Justice For Poor People in Alabama,www.nytimes.com/2000/03/01/us/questions-of-death-row-justice-for-poor-people-in-alabama.html, The New York Times, March 1, 2000,web.archive.org/web/20230326035332/https://www.nytimes.com/2000/03/01/us/questions-of-death-row-justice-for-poor-people-in-alabama.html, March 26, 2023, live, Rimer, Sara, Alabama has the highest per capita death penalty rate in the country. In some years, it imposes more death sentences than does Texas, a state which has a population five times larger. However, executions per capita are significantly higher in Texas.WEB,deathpenaltyinfo.org/stories/state-execution-rates, State Execution Rates (through 2020), Death Penalty Information Center, December 14, 2019, February 7, 2021,web.archive.org/web/20210207020714/https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/stories/state-execution-rates, live, Some of its cases have been highly controversial; the U.S. Supreme Court has overturnedWEB,www.eji.org/us-supreme-court-reverses-alabama-death-penalty-case-christopher-floyd-racially-biased-jury-selection, Supreme Court Reverses Another Alabama Death Penalty Case, June 21, 2016, EJI, August 3, 2016,www.eji.org/us-supreme-court-reverses-alabama-death-penalty-case-christopher-floyd-racially-biased-jury-selection," title="web.archive.org/web/20160820093442www.eji.org/us-supreme-court-reverses-alabama-death-penalty-case-christopher-floyd-racially-biased-jury-selection,">web.archive.org/web/20160820093442www.eji.org/us-supreme-court-reverses-alabama-death-penalty-case-christopher-floyd-racially-biased-jury-selection, August 20, 2016, dead, 24 convictions in death penalty cases.{{citation needed|date=March 2017}} It was the only state to allow judges to override jury decisions in whether or not to use a death sentence; in 10 cases judges overturned sentences of life imprisonment without parole that were voted unanimously by juries.NEWS, Rebecca Buckwalter-Poza,www.npr.org/2014/07/25/335418230/with-judges-overriding-death-penalty-cases-alabama-is-an-outlier, With Judges Overriding Death Penalty Cases, Alabama Is An Outlier, NPR, July 27, 2014, July 21, 2016, July 3, 2018,web.archive.org/web/20180703220906/https://www.npr.org/2014/07/25/335418230/with-judges-overriding-death-penalty-cases-alabama-is-an-outlier, live, This judicial authority was removed in April 2017.WEB,www.al.com/news/birmingham/index.ssf/2017/04/post_317.html, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey signs bill: Judges can no longer override juries in death penalty cases, Al.com, April 12, 2017, December 13, 2017, December 1, 2017,www.al.com/news/birmingham/index.ssf/2017/04/post_317.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20171201035444www.al.com/news/birmingham/index.ssf/2017/04/post_317.html,">web.archive.org/web/20171201035444www.al.com/news/birmingham/index.ssf/2017/04/post_317.html, live, On May 14, 2019, Alabama passed the Human Life Protection Act, banning abortion at any stage of pregnancy unless there is a “serious health risk”, with no exceptions for rape and incest. The law subjects doctors who perform abortions with 10 to 99 years imprisonment.NEWS,www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/may/14/abortion-bill-alabama-passes-ban-six-weeks-us-no-exemptions-vote-latest, Alabama abortion ban: Republican senate passes most restrictive law in US, York, Erin Durkin Jessica Glenza in New, May 15, 2019, The Guardian, May 15, 2019, 0261-3077, May 15, 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190515023534/https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/may/14/abortion-bill-alabama-passes-ban-six-weeks-us-no-exemptions-vote-latest, live, The law was originally supposed to take effect the following November, but on October 29, 2019, U.S. District Judge Myron Thompson blocked the law from taking effect due to it being in conflict with the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court case Roe v. Wade.WEB, Chandler, Kim, Federal judge blocks Alabama’s strict abortion ban,apnews.com/dae2aa0b0796432daa146bbc6128643b, Associated Press, November 9, 2019, Montgomery, October 29, 2019, November 8, 2019,web.archive.org/web/20191108185459/https://apnews.com/dae2aa0b0796432daa146bbc6128643b, live, On June 24, 2022, after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, Judge Thompson lifted the injunction, allowing the law to go into effect.WEB,bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/waaytv.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/d/ad/dad08b38-f403-11ec-b63f-6308c50f258e/62b62b6dda8ef.pdf.pdf,ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/waaytv.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/d/ad/dad08b38-f403-11ec-b63f-6308c50f258e/62b62b6dda8ef.pdf.pdf, October 9, 2022, live, YASHICA ROBINSON vs STEVEN MARSHALL Court Docket, bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com, Alabama is one of the very few states that does not allow the creation of state lotteries.Alabama Law, Article IV, §65

Taxes

Taxes are collected by the Alabama Department of Revenue.WEB,revenue.alabama.gov/, Alabama Department of Revenue, Alabama Department of Revenue, January 3, 2020, January 3, 2020,web.archive.org/web/20200103043604/https://revenue.alabama.gov/, live, Alabama levies a 2%, 4%, or{{spaces}}5% personal income tax, depending on the amount earned and filing status.WEB,taxfoundation.org/publications/state-individual-income-tax-rates-and-brackets/, State Individual Income Tax Rates and Brackets for 2021, Katherine, Loughead, Tax Foundation, February 17, 2021, January 19, 2022, January 18, 2022,web.archive.org/web/20220118042724/https://taxfoundation.org/publications/state-individual-income-tax-rates-and-brackets/, live, Taxpayers are allowed to deduct their federal income tax from their Alabama state tax, even if taking the standard deduction; those who itemize can also deduct FICA (the Social Security and Medicare tax).NEWS,www.thebalance.com/deducting-federal-income-taxes-on-your-state-return-3193248, States That Allow You to Deduct Federal Income Taxes, TONYA, MORENO, Dotdash, May 27, 2021, January 19, 2022, January 19, 2022,web.archive.org/web/20220119055340/https://www.thebalance.com/deducting-federal-income-taxes-on-your-state-return-3193248, live, The state’s general sales tax rate is 4%.WEB,revenue.alabama.gov/sales-use/taxes-administered/sales-tax/, Sales Tax, Alabama Department of Revenue, January 19, 2022, January 19, 2022,web.archive.org/web/20220119015045/https://revenue.alabama.gov/sales-use/taxes-administered/sales-tax/, live, Sales tax rates for cities and counties are also added to purchases.WEB,revenue.alabama.gov/sales-use/tax-rates/city-and-county-tax-rates/, City and County Tax Rates, Alabama Department of Revenue, January 19, 2022, January 19, 2022,web.archive.org/web/20220119055340/https://revenue.alabama.gov/sales-use/tax-rates/city-and-county-tax-rates/, live, For example, the total sales tax rate in Mobile County, Alabama is 10% and there is an additional restaurant tax of 1%, which means a diner in Mobile County, Alabama would pay an 11% tax on a meal.In 2020, sales and excise taxes in Alabama accounted for 38% of all state and local revenue.NEWS,rss.alabamanewscenter.com/2021/01/08/alabama-collected-record-12-2b-revenues-in-2020/, Alabama collected record $12.2B revenues in 2020, Chuck, Chandler, Alabama News Center, January 8, 2021, January 19, 2022, January 19, 2022,web.archive.org/web/20220119055339/https://rss.alabamanewscenter.com/2021/01/08/alabama-collected-record-12-2b-revenues-in-2020/, live, Only Alabama, Mississippi, and South Dakota tax groceries at the full state sales tax rate.WEB,www.cbpp.org/research/state-budget-and-tax/states-that-still-impose-sales-taxes-on-groceries-should-consider, States That Still Impose Sales Taxes on Groceries Should Consider Reducing or Eliminating Them, ERIC, FIGUEROA, JULIAN, LEGENDRE, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, April 1, 2020, January 19, 2022, January 31, 2021,web.archive.org/web/20210131124324/https://www.cbpp.org/research/state-budget-and-tax/states-that-still-impose-sales-taxes-on-groceries-should-consider, live, The corporate income tax rate in Alabama is 6.5%. The overall federal, state, and local tax burden in Alabama ranks the state as the second least tax-burdened state in the country.WEB,taxfoundation.org/state/alabama/, Taxes In Alabama, Tax Foundation, January 19, 2022, January 19, 2022,web.archive.org/web/20220119055341/https://taxfoundation.org/state/alabama/, live, Property taxes of .40% of assessed value per year, are the second-lowest in the U.S., after Hawaii.NEWS,www.forbes.com/sites/brendarichardson/2020/04/09/residents-pay-the-lowest-property-taxes-in-these-states/, Residents Pay The Lowest Property Taxes In These States, Brenda, Richardson, Forbes, April 9, 2020, limited, January 19, 2022, January 19, 2022,web.archive.org/web/20220119055340/https://www.forbes.com/sites/brendarichardson/2020/04/09/residents-pay-the-lowest-property-taxes-in-these-states/, live, The current state constitution requires a voter referendum to raise property taxes.

County and local governments

{{See also|List of counties in Alabama}}{{Alabama County Labelled Map|align=right|width=300}}Alabama has 67 counties. Each county has its own elected legislative branch, usually called the county commission. It also has limited executive authority in the county. Because of the constraints of the Alabama Constitution, which centralizes power in the state legislature, only seven counties (Jefferson, Lee, Mobile, Madison, Montgomery, Shelby, and Tuscaloosa) in the state have limited home rule. Instead, most counties in the state must lobby the Local Legislation Committee of the state legislature to get simple local policies approved, ranging from waste disposal to land use zoning.The state legislature has retained power over local governments by refusing to pass a constitutional amendment establishing home rule for counties, as recommended by the 1973 Alabama Constitutional Commission. Legislative delegations retain certain powers over each county. United States Supreme Court decisions in Baker v. Carr (1964) required that both houses have districts established on the basis of population, and redistricted after each census, to implement the principle of “one man, one vote”. Before that, each county was represented by one state senator, leading to under-representation in the state senate for more urbanized, populous counties. The rural bias of the state legislature, which had also failed to redistrict seats in the state house, affected politics well into the 20th century, failing to recognize the rise of industrial cities and urbanized areas.“The lack of home rule for counties in Alabama has resulted in the proliferation of local legislation permitting counties to do things not authorized by the state constitution. Alabama’s constitution has been amended more than 700 times, and almost one-third of the amendments are local in nature, applying to only one county or city. A significant part of each legislative session is spent on local legislation, taking away time and attention of legislators from issues of statewide importance.“WEB,www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h-1153, Home Rule, Albert P., Brewer, Encyclopedia of Alabama, February 4, 2015, February 3, 2015,www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h-1153," title="web.archive.org/web/20150203220653www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h-1153,">web.archive.org/web/20150203220653www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h-1153, live, Alabama is an alcoholic beverage control state, meaning the state government holds a monopoly on the sale of alcohol. The Alabama Alcoholic Beverage Control Board controls the sale and distribution of alcoholic beverages in the state. A total of 25 of the 67 counties are “dry counties” which ban the sale of alcohol, and there are many dry municipalities in counties which permit alcohol sales.WEB,alabcboard.gov/licensing-compliance/wet-cities, Wet Cities, Alabama ABC Board, January 19, 2022, January 19, 2022,web.archive.org/web/20220119055341/https://alabcboard.gov/licensing-compliance/wet-cities, live, {| class=“wikitable”! Rank !! County !! Population{{break}}(2019 Estimate) !! Population{{break}}(2010 Census) !! Seat !! Largest city 1Jefferson County, Alabama>Jefferson 658,573 658,158 Birmingham Birmingham 2Mobile County, Alabama>Mobile 413,210 412,992 Mobile Mobile 3Madison County, Alabama>Madison 372,909 334,811 Huntsville Huntsville 4Montgomery County, Alabama>Montgomery 226,486 229,363 Montgomery Montgomery 5Shelby County, Alabama>Shelby 217,702 195,085 Columbiana Hoover, Alabama (part){{break}}Alabaster, Alabama>Alabaster 6Baldwin County, Alabama>Baldwin 223,234 182,265 Bay Minette Daphne 7Tuscaloosa County, Alabama>Tuscaloosa 209,355 194,656 Tuscaloosa Tuscaloosa 8Lee County, Alabama>Lee 164,542 140,247 Opelika Auburn 9Morgan County, Alabama>Morgan 119,679 119,490 Decatur Decatur 10Calhoun County, Alabama>Calhoun 113,605 118,572 Anniston Anniston 11Houston County, Alabama>Houston 105,882 101,547 Dothan Dothan 12Etowah County, Alabama>Etowah 102,268 104,303 Gadsden Gadsden 13Limestone County, Alabama>Limestone 98,915 82,782 Athens Athens 14Marshall County, Alabama>Marshall 96,774 93,019 Guntersville Albertville 15Lauderdale County, Alabama>Lauderdale 92,729 92,709 Florence Florence

Politics

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 political coalition of white Democrats known as the Redeemers took control of the state government from the Republicans, in part by suppressing the black vote through violence, fraud, and intimidation. After 1890, a coalition of White Democratic politicians passed laws to segregate and disenfranchise African American residents, a process completed in provisions of the 1901 constitution. Provisions which disenfranchised blacks resulted in excluding many poor Whites. By 1941 more Whites than Blacks had been disenfranchised: 600,000 to 520,000. The total effects were greater on the black community, as almost all its citizens were disfranchised and relegated to separate and unequal treatment under the law.From 1901 through the 1960s, the state did not redraw election districts as population grew and shifted within the state during urbanization and industrialization of certain areas. As counties were the basis of election districts, the result was a rural minority that dominated state politics through nearly three-quarters of the century, until a series of federal court cases required redistricting in 1972 to meet equal representation. Alabama state politics gained nationwide and international attention in the 1950s and 1960s during the civil rights movement, when whites bureaucratically, and at times violently, resisted protests for electoral and social reform. Governor George Wallace, the state’s only four-term governor, was a controversial figure who vowed to maintain segregation. Only after passage of the federal Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Voting Rights Act of 1965 did African Americans regain the ability to exercise suffrage, among other civil rights. In many jurisdictions, they continued to be excluded from representation by at-large electoral systems, which allowed the majority of the population to dominate elections. Some changes at the county level have occurred following court challenges to establish single-member districts that enable a more diverse representation among county boards.In 2007, the Alabama Legislature passed, and Republican governor Bob Riley signed a resolution expressing “profound regret” over slavery and its lingering impact. In a symbolic ceremony, the bill was signed in the Alabama State Capitol, which housed Congress of the Confederate States of America.NEWS, Phillip, Rawls, Alabama offers an apology for slavery, The Virginian Pilot, June 1, 2007, In 2010, Republicans won control of both houses of the legislature for the first time in 136 years.NEWS,blog.al.com/spotnews/2010/11/gop_takes_alabama_legislature.html, GOP takes control of Alabama Legislature after 136 years, White, David, November 2, 2010, The Birmingham News, July 9, 2018, July 9, 2018,blog.al.com/spotnews/2010/11/gop_takes_alabama_legislature.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20180709153753blog.al.com/spotnews/2010/11/gop_takes_alabama_legislature.html,">web.archive.org/web/20180709153753blog.al.com/spotnews/2010/11/gop_takes_alabama_legislature.html, live, {{as of|2023|February|}}, there are a total of 3,707,233 registered voters, with 3,318,679 active, and the others inactive in the state.WEB,sos.alabama.gov/alabama-votes/voter/election-data, Elections Data Downloads, Alabama Secretary of State, March 2, 2023, December 8, 2017,sos.alabama.gov/alabama-votes/voter/election-data," title="web.archive.org/web/20171208174821sos.alabama.gov/alabama-votes/voter/election-data,">web.archive.org/web/20171208174821sos.alabama.gov/alabama-votes/voter/election-data, live, The 2023 American Values Atlas by Public Religion Research Institute found that a majority of Alabama residents support same-sex marriage.WEB, Staff, February 24, 2023, American Values Atlas: Approval of Same-Sex Marriage in Alabama,ava.prri.org/#lgbt/2022/States/lgbt_ssm/m/US-AL, April 12, 2023, Public Religion Research Institute, April 4, 2017,web.archive.org/web/20170404161714/https://ava.prri.org/#lgbt/2022/States/lgbt_ssm/m/US-AL, live,

Elections

File:Doug Jones Biden Event.jpg|thumb|Senator Doug Jones won a special election in 2017.]]

State elections

With the disfranchisement of Blacks in 1901, the state became part of the “Solid South”, a system in which the Democratic Party operated as effectively the only viable political party in every Southern state. For nearly a hundred years local and state elections in Alabama were decided in the Democratic Party primary, with generally only token Republican challengers running in the general election. Since the mid- to late 20th century, however, white conservatives started shifting to the Republican Party. In Alabama, majority-white districts are now expected to regularly elect Republican candidates to federal, state and local office.Members of the nine seats on the Supreme Court of AlabamaWEB,blog.al.com/spotnews/2009/05/sue_bell_cobb_considering_runn.html, Sue Bell Cobb considering running for governor, The Birmingham News, May 2, 2009, August 7, 2009, May 6, 2009,blog.al.com/spotnews/2009/05/sue_bell_cobb_considering_runn.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20090506035723blog.al.com/spotnews/2009/05/sue_bell_cobb_considering_runn.html,">web.archive.org/web/20090506035723blog.al.com/spotnews/2009/05/sue_bell_cobb_considering_runn.html, live, and all ten seats on the state appellate courts are elected to office. Until 1994, no Republicans held any of the court seats. In that general election, the then-incumbent chief justice, Ernest C. Hornsby, refused to leave office after losing the election by approximately 3,000 votes to Republican Perry O. Hooper Sr.WEB, April 26, 2016, Chief Justice Perry Hooper remembered as GOP pioneer,www.al.com/news/2016/04/alabama_chief_justice_perry_ho.html, April 2, 2021, al, June 13, 2021,web.archive.org/web/20210613164025/https://www.al.com/news/2016/04/alabama_chief_justice_perry_ho.html, live, Hornsby sued Alabama and defiantly remained in office for nearly a year before finally giving up the seat after losing in court.{{citation needed|date=January 2021}} The Democrats lost the last of the nineteen court seats in August 2011 with the resignation of the last Democrat on the bench.In the early 21st century, Republicans hold all seven of the statewide elected executive branch offices. Republicans hold six of the eight elected seats on the Alabama State Board of Education. In 2010, Republicans took large majorities of both chambers of the state legislature, giving them control of that body for the first time in 136 years. The last remaining statewide Democrat, who served on the Alabama Public Service Commission, was defeated in 2012.WEB,www.psc.state.al.us/commissioners.htm, Commissioners, Psc.state.al.us, August 7, 2009, dead,www.psc.state.al.us/commissioners.htm," title="web.archive.org/web/20090718210525www.psc.state.al.us/commissioners.htm,">web.archive.org/web/20090718210525www.psc.state.al.us/commissioners.htm, July 18, 2009, WEB, Special,blog.al.com/spotnews/2008/11/lucy_baxley_wins_alabama_publi.html, Lucy Baxley wins Alabama Public Service Commission presidency, but recount possible, Birmingham News via al.com, November 5, 2008, August 7, 2009,blog.al.com/spotnews/2008/11/lucy_baxley_wins_alabama_publi.html," title="wayback.archive-it.org/all/20090802212747blog.al.com/spotnews/2008/11/lucy_baxley_wins_alabama_publi.html,">wayback.archive-it.org/all/20090802212747blog.al.com/spotnews/2008/11/lucy_baxley_wins_alabama_publi.html, August 2, 2009, dead, WEB, Jeff Amy,blog.al.com/live/2010/11/public_service_commission.html, Public Service Commission: Twinkle Cavanaugh, Terry Dunn join GOP sweep, al.com, June 1, 2011,blog.al.com/live/2010/11/public_service_commission.html," title="wayback.archive-it.org/all/20120306232802blog.al.com/live/2010/11/public_service_commission.html,">wayback.archive-it.org/all/20120306232802blog.al.com/live/2010/11/public_service_commission.html, March 6, 2012, dead, Only three Republican lieutenant governors have been elected since the end of Reconstruction, when Republicans generally represented Reconstruction government, including the newly emancipated freedmen who had gained the franchise. The three GOP lieutenant governors are Steve Windom (1999–2003), Kay Ivey (2011–2017), and Will Ainsworth (2019–present).

Local elections

Many local offices (county commissioners, boards of education, tax assessors, mayors, etc.) in the state are still held by Democrats.WEB, Mayor’s Office {{!, City of Montgomery, AL |url=https://www.montgomeryal.gov/government/city-government/mayor-s-office |access-date=April 16, 2023 |website=www.montgomeryal.gov |language=en |archive-date=April 16, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230416204527www.montgomeryal.gov/government/city-government/mayor-s-office |url-status=live }}WEB, Mayor,www.tuscaloosa.com/government/mayor, April 16, 2023, City of Tuscaloosa, en, April 16, 2023,web.archive.org/web/20230416204526/https://www.tuscaloosa.com/government/mayor, live, Many metropolitan and suburban counties have voters who are majority Democrats, resulting in local elections being decided in the Democratic primary. Similarly most rural counties are majority-Republican and elections are effectively decided in the Republican Primary. However, since local governments in Alabama are weaker than in other parts of the country, Republicans have the upper hand in government.Alabama’s 67 county sheriffs are elected in partisan, at-large races, and Republicans retain the vast majority of those posts. The current split is 18 Democrats, and 49 Republicans as of 2023. However, most of the Democratic sheriffs preside over urban and more populated counties. The majority of Republican sheriffs have been elected in the more rural counties with lower population. The state of Alabama has and 11 African-American sheriffs.WEB, Sheriffs Directory – Alabama Sheriffs Association – Alabama,www.alabamasheriffs.com/sheriffs-directory, April 16, 2023, www.alabamasheriffs.com, May 30, 2023,web.archive.org/web/20230530115854/https://www.alabamasheriffs.com/sheriffs-directory, live,

Federal elections

The state’s two U.S. senators are Katie Britt and Tommy Tuberville, both of whom are Republican. In the U.S. House of Representatives, the state is represented by seven members, six of whom are Republicans: (Jerry Carl, Mike Rogers, Robert Aderholt, Dale Strong, Barry Moore, and Gary Palmer) and one Democrat: Terri Sewell, who represents the Black Belt as well as most of the predominantly black portions of Birmingham, Tuscaloosa and Montgomery.

Education

Primary and secondary education

File:Vestavia Hills High School.jpg|thumb|right|Vestavia Hills High SchoolVestavia Hills High SchoolPublic primary and secondary education in Alabama is under the purview of the Alabama State Board of Education as well as local oversight by 67 county school boards and 60 city boards of education. Together, 1,496 individual schools provide education for 744,637 elementary and secondary students.WEB,www.alsde.edu/sec/comm/Pages/quickfacts-item.aspx?FilterField1=ID&FilterValue1=7, Alabama Education Quick Facts 2012–13, April 29, 2014, PDF, April 29, 2014,www.alsde.edu/sec/comm/Pages/quickfacts-item.aspx?FilterField1=ID&FilterValue1=7," title="web.archive.org/web/20140429203418www.alsde.edu/sec/comm/Pages/quickfacts-item.aspx?FilterField1=ID&FilterValue1=7,">web.archive.org/web/20140429203418www.alsde.edu/sec/comm/Pages/quickfacts-item.aspx?FilterField1=ID&FilterValue1=7, live, Public school funding is appropriated through the Alabama Legislature through the Education Trust Fund. In FY 2006–2007, Alabama appropriated $3,775,163,578 for primary and secondary education. That represented an increase of $444,736,387 over the previous fiscal year. In 2007, more than 82 percent of schools made adequate yearly progress (AYP) toward student proficiency under the National No Child Left Behind law, using measures determined by the state of Alabama.While Alabama’s public education system has improved in recent decades, it lags behind in achievement compared to other states. According to U.S. Census data (2000), Alabama’s high school graduation rate (75%) is the fourth lowest in the U.S. (after Kentucky, Louisiana and Mississippi).WEB,www.census.gov/prod/2003pubs/c2kbr-24.pdf, Educational Attainment : 2000 : Census 2000 Brief, Census.gov, December 29, 2016, April 16, 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190416222303/https://www.census.gov/prod/2003pubs/c2kbr-24.pdf, live, The largest educational gains were among people with some college education but without degrees.Education Statistics {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080513164857www.censusscope.org/us/s1/chart_education.html |date=May 13, 2008 }}. CensusScope.org According to National Assessment of Educational Progress (NEAP), Alabama ranks 39 in reading and 40 in math among fourth-grade students in the rankings from 2022.weblinkGenerally prohibited in the West at large, school corporal punishment is not unusual in Alabama, with 27,260 public school students paddled at least one time, according to government data for the 2011–2012 school year.{{efn|This figure refers to only the number of students paddled, and does not refer to the number of instances of corporal punishment, which would be higher.}} The rate of school corporal punishment in Alabama is surpassed by only Mississippi and Arkansas.WEB,corpun.com/counuss.htm, Corporal punishment in US schools, World Corporal Punishment Research, Farrell, Colin, February 2016, April 4, 2016, April 3, 2016,www.corpun.com/counuss.htm," title="web.archive.org/web/20160403071606www.corpun.com/counuss.htm,">web.archive.org/web/20160403071606www.corpun.com/counuss.htm, live,

Colleges and universities

File:Harrison-plaza2.jpg|thumb|left|Harrison Plaza at the University of North Alabama in Florence. The school was chartered as LaGrange College by the Alabama LegislatureAlabama LegislatureAlabama’s programs of higher education include 14 four-year public universities, two-year community colleges, and 17 private, undergraduate and graduate universities. In the state are four medical schools (as of fall 2015) (University of Alabama School of Medicine, University of South Alabama and Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine and The Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine—Auburn Campus), two veterinary colleges (Auburn University and Tuskegee University), a dental school (University of Alabama School of Dentistry), an optometry college (University of Alabama at Birmingham), two pharmacy schools (Auburn University and Samford University), and five law schools (University of Alabama School of Law, Birmingham School of Law, Cumberland School of Law, Miles Law School, and the Thomas Goode Jones School of Law). Public, post-secondary education in Alabama is overseen by the Alabama Commission on Higher Education and the Alabama Department of Postsecondary Education. Colleges and universities in Alabama offer degree programs from two-year associate degrees to a multitude of doctoral level programs.WEB, Alabama Commission on Higher Education, Directory of Alabama Colleges and Universities,www.ache.alabama.gov/Colleges&Universities/Directory.htm, July 28, 2013, dead,www.ache.alabama.gov/Colleges%26Universities/Directory.htm," title="web.archive.org/web/20131011002457www.ache.alabama.gov/Colleges%26Universities/Directory.htm,">web.archive.org/web/20131011002457www.ache.alabama.gov/Colleges%26Universities/Directory.htm, October 11, 2013, File:William J. Samford Hall.jpg|thumb|right|William J. Samford Hall at Auburn UniversityAuburn UniversityThe largest single campus is the University of Alabama, located in Tuscaloosa, with 37,665 enrolled for fall 2016.WEB,www.ua.edu/about/quickfacts, The University of Alabama, www.ua.edu, July 5, 2017, November 11, 2020,web.archive.org/web/20201111170505/https://www.ua.edu/about/quickfacts, live, Troy University was the largest institution in the state in 2010, with an enrollment of 29,689 students across four Alabama campuses (Troy, Dothan, Montgomery, and Phenix City), as well as sixty learning sites in seventeen other states and eleven other countries. The oldest institutions are the public University of North Alabama in Florence and the Catholic Church-affiliated Spring Hill College in Mobile, both founded in 1830.WEB,www.una.edu/makinghistory/, History in the making, University of North Alabama, July 22, 2011,www.una.edu/makinghistory/," title="web.archive.org/web/20110812155526www.una.edu/makinghistory/,">web.archive.org/web/20110812155526www.una.edu/makinghistory/, August 12, 2011, dead, WEB,www.shc.edu/about-shc/employment/hiring/the-mission-statement-of-spring-hill-college/, The Mission Statement of Spring Hill College: History, Spring Hill College, July 22, 2011,www.shc.edu/about-shc/employment/hiring/the-mission-statement-of-spring-hill-college/," title="web.archive.org/web/20110723213128www.shc.edu/about-shc/employment/hiring/the-mission-statement-of-spring-hill-college/,">web.archive.org/web/20110723213128www.shc.edu/about-shc/employment/hiring/the-mission-statement-of-spring-hill-college/, July 23, 2011, dead, Accreditation of academic programs is through the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) as well as other subject-focused national and international accreditation agencies such as the Association for Biblical Higher Education (ABHE),WEB,directory.abhe.org/default.aspx?status=Member, Members, Association for Biblical Higher Education, June 24, 2011,directory.abhe.org/default.aspx?status=Member," title="web.archive.org/web/20110810144128directory.abhe.org/default.aspx?status=Member,">web.archive.org/web/20110810144128directory.abhe.org/default.aspx?status=Member, August 10, 2011, live, the Council on Occupational Education (COE),WEB, Membership Directory,www.council.org/forms/acc_membership.pdf, Council on Operational Education, August 5, 2011,www.council.org/forms/acc_membership.pdf," title="web.archive.org/web/20110725200522www.council.org/forms/acc_membership.pdf,">web.archive.org/web/20110725200522www.council.org/forms/acc_membership.pdf, July 25, 2011, November 2010, dead, and the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS).WEB, ACICS Website Directory,www.acics.org/uploadedFiles/Publications/7_20_09.pdf, Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools, August 5, 2011,www.acics.org/uploadedFiles/Publications/7_20_09.pdf," title="web.archive.org/web/20110724223614www.acics.org/uploadedFiles/Publications/7_20_09.pdf,">web.archive.org/web/20110724223614www.acics.org/uploadedFiles/Publications/7_20_09.pdf, July 24, 2011, July 20, 2009, dead, According to the 2011 U.S. News & World Report, Alabama had three universities ranked in the top 100 Public Schools in America (University of Alabama at 31, Auburn University at 36, and University of Alabama at Birmingham at 73).WEB, Top Public Schools,colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/rankings/national-universities/top-public/spp%2B50, U.S. News & World Report, September 17, 2011,colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/rankings/national-universities/top-public/spp+50," title="web.archive.org/web/20110817034759colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/rankings/national-universities/top-public/spp+50,">web.archive.org/web/20110817034759colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/rankings/national-universities/top-public/spp+50, August 17, 2011, dead, According to the 2012 U.S. News & World Report, Alabama had four tier one universities (University of Alabama, Auburn University, University of Alabama at Birmingham and University of Alabama in Huntsville).National University Rankings | Top National Universities | US News Best Colleges {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130608080824colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/rankings/national-universities/page+29 |date=June 8, 2013 }}. U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved on July 12, 2013.

Media

{{See also|:Category:Mass media in Alabama|List of newspapers in Alabama}}Major newspapers include Birmingham News, Mobile Press-Register, and Montgomery Advertiser.WEB,www.britannica.com/place/Alabama-state, Alabama, Encyclopædia Britannica, March 24, 2017, March 20, 2017,web.archive.org/web/20170320124331/https://www.britannica.com/place/Alabama-state, live, Major television network affiliates in Alabama include:{{div col start}}

• ABC
  • WGWW 40.2 ABC, Anniston
  • WBMA 58/WABM 68.2 ABC, Birmingham
  • WDHN 18 ABC, Dothan
  • WAAY 31 ABC, Huntsville
  • WEAR 3 ABC Pensacola, Florida/Mobile
  • WNCF 32 ABC, Montgomery
  • WDBB 17.2 ABC, Tuscaloosa
• CBS
  • WIAT 42 CBS, Birmingham
  • WTVY 4 CBS, Dothan
  • WHNT 19 CBS, Huntsville
  • WKRG 5 CBS, Mobile
  • WAKA 8 CBS, Selma/Montgomery
• Fox
  • WBRC 6 FOX, Birmingham
  • WZDX 54 FOX, Huntsville
  • WALA 10 FOX, Mobile
  • WCOV 20 FOX, Montgomery
  • WDFX 34 FOX, Ozark/Dothan
• NBC
  • WVTM 13 NBC, Birmingham
  • WRGX 23 NBC, Dothan
  • WAFF 48 NBC, Huntsville
  • WPMI 15 NBC, Mobile
  • WSFA 12 NBC, Montgomery
• PBS/Alabama Public Television
  • WBIQ 10 PBS, Birmingham
  • WIIQ 41 PBS, Demopolis
  • WDIQ 2 PBS, Dozier
  • WFIQ 36 PBS, Florence
  • WHIQ 25 PBS, Huntsville
  • WGIQ 43 PBS, LouisvilleWEB,www.stationindex.com/tv/callsign/WGIQ, APT—WGIQ Channel 43 Television, stationindex.com, May 12, 2017, May 25, 2017,www.stationindex.com/tv/callsign/WGIQ," title="web.archive.org/web/20170525200313www.stationindex.com/tv/callsign/WGIQ,">web.archive.org/web/20170525200313www.stationindex.com/tv/callsign/WGIQ, live,
  • WEIQ 42 PBS, Mobile
  • WAIQ 26 PBS, Montgomery
  • WCIQ 7 PBS, Mount Cheaha
• The CW
  • WTTO 21, Homewood/Birmingham
  • WTVY 4.3, Dothan
  • WHDF 15, Florence/Huntsville
  • WFNA 55, Gulf Shores/Mobile/Pensacola, FL
  • WDBB 17, Tuscaloosa
  • WBMM 22, Tuskegee/Montgomery

{{div col end}}

Culture

{{Expand section|date=March 2017}}

Literature

Alabama literature is characterized by themes of race and issues of gender and war, and is influenced by events such as the American Civil War, the Reconstruction era, the Civil Rights Movement, and the Vietnam War. Some notable examples of Alabama literature include Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird, Winston Groom’s Forrest Gump, Fannie Flagg’s Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistlestop Cafe, and the biographies of Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr.

Sports

File:Bryant–Denny Stadium, Tuscaloosa AL, North view 20160714 1.jpg|thumb|right|Bryant–Denny Stadium at the University of AlabamaUniversity of AlabamaFile:RegionsFieldBham.png|thumb|Regions FieldRegions FieldFile:Aerial view of Von Braun Center.jpg|thumb|Von Braun CenterVon Braun CenterFile:Birmingham–Jefferson Convention Complex tennis.jpg|thumb|Birmingham–Jefferson Convention ComplexBirmingham–Jefferson Convention Complex

Professional sports

Alabama has several professional and semi-professional sports teams, including three minor league baseball teams.{| class=“sortable wikitable”! Club! City! Sport! League! Venue| AFC MobileMobile, Alabama>Mobile| Soccer| Gulf Coast Premier League| Archbishop Lipscomb Athletic ComplexBirmingham Bulls (SPHL)>Birmingham BullsPelham, Alabama>Pelham| Ice hockey| Southern Professional Hockey League| Pelham Civic Center| Birmingham Legion FCBirmingham, Alabama>Birmingham| Soccer| USL ChampionshipPNC Field (Birmingham, Alabama)>PNC Field| Birmingham Barons| Birmingham| BaseballSouthern League (1964–present)>Southern League (Double-A)| Regions FieldBirmingham Stallions (2022)>Birmingham Stallions| BirminghamAmerican Football>FootballUnited Football League (2024)>United Football League| Protective Stadium| Huntsville HavocHuntsville, Alabama>Huntsville| Ice hockey| Southern Professional Hockey League| Von Braun Center| Montgomery BiscuitsMontgomery, Alabama>Montgomery| Baseball| Southern League (Double-A)| Montgomery Riverwalk Stadium| Rocket City Trash PandasMadison, Alabama>Madison| Baseball| Southern League (Double-A)Toyota Field (Madison, Alabama)>Toyota Field| Tennessee Valley Tigers| Huntsville| Football| Independent Women’s Football League| Milton Frank StadiumThe Talladega Superspeedway motorsports complex hosts a series of NASCAR events. It has a seating capacity of 143,000 and is the thirteenth largest stadium in the world and sixth largest stadium in America. Also, the Barber Motorsports Park has hosted IndyCar Series and Rolex Sports Car Series races.The ATP Birmingham was a World Championship Tennis tournament held from 1973 to 1980.Alabama has hosted several professional golf tournaments, such as the 1984 and 1990 PGA Championship at Shoal Creek, the Barbasol Championship (PGA Tour), the Mobile LPGA Tournament of Champions, Airbus LPGA Classic, and Yokohama Tire LPGA Classic (LPGA Tour), and The Tradition (Champions Tour).

College sports

College football is extremely popular in Alabama, particularly the University of Alabama Crimson Tide and Auburn University Tigers, rivals in the Southeastern Conference. Alabama averages over 100,000 fans per game and Auburn averages over 80,000—both numbers among the top twenty in the nation.NEWS,247sports.com/LongFormArticle/College-football-Top-10-teams-by-average-home-game-attendance-during-2021-season--179922401/, College football: Top 10 teams by average home game attendance during 2021 season, DEAN, STRAKA, 247Sports.com, January 5, 2022, January 19, 2022, January 9, 2022,web.archive.org/web/20220109165538/https://247sports.com/LongFormArticle/College-football-Top-10-teams-by-average-home-game-attendance-during-2021-season--179922401/, live, Bryant–Denny Stadium is the home of the Alabama football team, and has a seating capacity of 101,821,WEB, Bryant–Denny Stadium,rolltide.com/sports/2016/6/10/facilities-bryant-denny-html.aspx, RollTide.com, University of Alabama, January 19, 2022, January 5, 2022,web.archive.org/web/20220105213939/https://rolltide.com/sports/2016/6/10/facilities-bryant-denny-html.aspx, live, and is the fifth largest stadium in America.WEB,www.worldstadiums.com/stadium_menu/stadium_list/100000.shtml, Stadium List: 100 000+ Stadiums, World Stadiums, February 10, 2012,www.worldstadiums.com/stadium_menu/stadium_list/100000.shtml," title="web.archive.org/web/20061023205044www.worldstadiums.com/stadium_menu/stadium_list/100000.shtml,">web.archive.org/web/20061023205044www.worldstadiums.com/stadium_menu/stadium_list/100000.shtml, October 23, 2006, dead, Jordan-Hare Stadium is the home field of the Auburn football team and seats up to 87,451.WEB, Jordan-Hare Stadium,auburntigers.com/facilities/jordan-hare-stadium/11, Auburn University,www.auburntigers.com/facilities/jordan_hare_stadium.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20130801135500www.auburntigers.com/facilities/jordan_hare_stadium.html,">web.archive.org/web/20130801135500www.auburntigers.com/facilities/jordan_hare_stadium.html, August 1, 2013, dead, Protective Stadium is home of the UAB Blazers football program and the Birmingham Bowl. It seats 45,000.WEB, Short, Cody, October 1, 2021, Legion Field,wbhm.org/2021/a-new-stadium-has-been-a-35-year-conversation-in-birmingham-its-finally-here/amp/, live,web.archive.org/web/20211007141807/https://wbhm.org/2021/a-new-stadium-has-been-a-35-year-conversation-in-birmingham-its-finally-here/amp/, October 7, 2021, January 22, 2022, WBHM, Ladd–Peebles Stadium in Mobile is the home of the University of South Alabama football team, and serves as the home of the NCAA Senior Bowl, LendingTree Bowl, and Alabama-Mississippi All Star Classic; the stadium seats 40,646.WEB,laddpeebles.com/, Welcome to Ladd Peebles Stadium, Ladd–Peebles Stadium, January 19, 2022, January 19, 2022,web.archive.org/web/20220119060843/https://laddpeebles.com/, live, In 2009, Bryant–Denny Stadium and Jordan-Hare Stadium became the homes of the Alabama High School Athletic Association state football championship games, after previously being held at Legion Field in Birmingham.WEB,www.al.com/sentell/2009/04/super_6_byebye_birmingham.html, Super 6 leaving Birmingham for Bryant-Denny, Jordan-Hare stadiums | al.com, Jeff, Sentell, The Birmingham News, April 8, 2009, January 19, 2022, January 19, 2022,web.archive.org/web/20220119055340/https://www.al.com/sentell/2009/04/super_6_byebye_birmingham.html, live,

Transportation

File:Montgomery Regional Airport New Terminal.JPG|thumb|Terminal at the Montgomery Regional AirportMontgomery Regional AirportFile:I20I59Birmingham.JPG|thumb|Interstate 59 (co-signed with Interstate 20) approaching Interstate 65Interstate 65(File:Mobile Alabama harbor aerial view.jpg|thumb|Aerial view of the port of Mobile)

Aviation

Major airports with sustained operations in Alabama include Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport (BHM), Huntsville International Airport (HSV), Dothan Regional Airport (DHN), Mobile Regional Airport (MOB), Montgomery Regional Airport (MGM), Northwest Alabama Regional Airport (MSL) and Northeast Alabama Regional Airport (GAD).

Rail

{{Alabama rail network}}For rail transport, Amtrak schedules the Crescent, a daily passenger train, running from New York to New Orleans with station stops at Anniston, Birmingham, and Tuscaloosa.

Roads

Alabama has six major interstate routes: Interstate 65 (I-65) travels north–south roughly through the middle of the state; I-20/I-59 travel from the central west Mississippi state line to Birmingham, where I-59 continues to the north-east corner of the state and I-20 continues east towards Atlanta; I-85 originates in Montgomery and travels east-northeast to the Georgia state line, providing a main thoroughfare to Atlanta; and I-10 traverses the southernmost portion of the state, traveling from west to east through Mobile. I-22 enters the state from Mississippi and connects Birmingham with Memphis, Tennessee. In addition, there are currently five auxiliary interstate routes in the state: I-165 in Mobile, I-359 in Tuscaloosa, I-459 around Birmingham, I-565 in Decatur and Huntsville, and I-759 in Gadsden. A sixth route, I-685, will be formed when I-85 is rerouted along a new southern bypass of Montgomery. A proposed northern bypass of Birmingham will be designated as I-422. Since a direct connection from I-22 to I-422 will not be possible, I-222 has been proposed, as well.Several U.S. Highways also pass through the state, such as U.S. Route 11 (US-11), US-29, US-31, US-43, US-45, US-72, US-78, US-80, US-82, US-84, US-90, US-98, US-231, US-278, US-280, US-331, US-411, and US-431.There are four toll roads in the state: Montgomery Expressway in Montgomery; Northport/Tuscaloosa Western Bypass in Tuscaloosa and Northport; Emerald Mountain Expressway in Wetumpka; and Beach Express in Orange Beach.

Ports

The Port of Mobile, Alabama’s only saltwater port, is a large seaport on the Gulf of Mexico with inland waterway access to the Midwest by way of the Tennessee–Tombigbee Waterway. The Port of Mobile was ranked 12th by tons of traffic in the United States during 2009.WEB, Table 1086. Top U.S. Ports by Tons of Traffic: 2009, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers,www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2012/tables/12s1087.pdf, July 22, 2013,www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2012/tables/12s1087.pdf," title="web.archive.org/web/20121019042444www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2012/tables/12s1087.pdf,">web.archive.org/web/20121019042444www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2012/tables/12s1087.pdf, October 19, 2012, dead, The newly expanded container terminal at the Port of Mobile was ranked as the 25th busiest for container traffic in the nation during 2011.WEB, U.S. Waterborne Container Traffic by Port/Waterway in 2011 (Loaded and Empty TEUS), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers,www.navigationdatacenter.us/wcsc/by_porttons11.html, July 22, 2013,www.navigationdatacenter.us/wcsc/by_porttons11.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20131103145509www.navigationdatacenter.us/wcsc/by_porttons11.html,">web.archive.org/web/20131103145509www.navigationdatacenter.us/wcsc/by_porttons11.html, November 3, 2013, dead, The state’s other ports are on rivers with access to the Gulf of Mexico.Water ports of Alabama, listed from north to south:{| class=“wikitable“|+! Port name! Location! Connected toFlorence, Alabama>Florence/Muscle Shoals, Alabama, on Pickwick Lake >| Tennessee RiverPort of Decatur >Decatur, Alabama>Decatur, on Wheeler Lake Tennessee RiverDemopolis, Alabama>Demopolis, on Tombigbee River Tennessee–Tombigbee WaterwayGuntersville, Alabama>Guntersville, on Lake Guntersville Tennessee RiverBirmingham, Alabama>Birmingham, on Black Warrior River Tennessee–Tombigbee WaterwayTuscaloosa, Alabama>Tuscaloosa, on Black Warrior River Tennessee–Tombigbee WaterwayMontgomery, Alabama>Montgomery, on R.E. “Bob” Woodruff Lake >| Alabama RiverPort of Mobile >Mobile, Alabama>Mobile, on Mobile Bay Gulf of Mexico{{clear}}

See also

• Index of Alabama-related articles
• Outline of Alabama — organized list of topics about Alabama
• USS Alabama, 7 ships

{{Clear}}

Notes

Subnotes

{{reflist|group=subnote}}

Other notes

{{notelist}}

References

{{Reflist}}

Further reading

{{for|a detailed bibliography|History of Alabama}}

• Atkins, Leah Rawls, Wayne Flynt, William Warren Rogers, and David Ward. Alabama: The History of a Deep South State (1994).
• Flynt, Wayne. Alabama in the Twentieth Century (2004).
• Owen Thomas M. History of Alabama and Dictionary of Alabama Biography (4 vols, 1921).
• Jackson, Harvey H. Inside Alabama: A Personal History of My State (2004).
• Mohl, Raymond A. “Latinization in the Heart of Dixie: Hispanics in Late-twentieth-century Alabama” Alabama Review (2002, 55(4): 243–274). {{ISSN|0002-4341}}
• Peirce, Neal R. The Deep South States of America: People, Politics, and Power in the Seven Deep South States (1974).
• Williams, Benjamin Buford. A Literary History of Alabama: The Nineteenth Century (1979).
• WPA Guide to Alabama (1939).

External links

{{Sister project links|voy=Alabama|Alabama|s=Portal:Alabama}}

• {{official websitewww.alabama.gov/}}
• {{Curlie|Regional/North_America/United_States/Alabama}}
• Alabama State Guide, from the Library of Congress
• Your Not So Ordinary Alabama Tourist Guide {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201205174525digitalalabama.com/ |date=December 5, 2020 }}
• All About Alabama {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170906181733www.archives.state.al.us/aaa.html |date=September 6, 2017 }}, at the Alabama Department of Archives and History
• www.legislature.state.al.us/CodeofAlabama/1975/coatoc.htm" title="web.archive.org/web/20090107053602www.legislature.state.al.us/CodeofAlabama/1975/coatoc.htm">Code of Alabama 1975
• USGS real-time, geographic, and other scientific resources of Alabama {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070106165755www.usgs.gov/state/state.asp?State=AL |date=January 6, 2007 }}
• quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/01000.html" title="web.archive.org/web/20070823032917quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/01000.html">Alabama QuickFacts from the U.S. Census Bureau
• Alabama State Fact Sheet
• {{OSM relation|161950}}

{{NavboxesThe Northern flicker>Yellowhammer State, The Heart of Dixie, The Cotton State|list ={{Alabama|expanded}}{{Protected areas of Alabama}}{{Southern United States}}{{Confederate States political divisions}}{{United States political divisions}}|state=expanded}}{{Authority control}}{{coord|33|-87|dim:300000_region:US-AL_type:adm1st|name=State of Alabama|display=title}}