City Town Info

Birmingham, AL


  • Overview
  • Almanac
  • People
  • Local
  • Schools
  • Comments

Birmingham, Alabama

Introduction to Birmingham, Alabama

Incorporated in 1871, Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is home to approximately 240,000 inhabitants. The metropolitan area, including Cullman and Hoover, has a population of about 1.1 million. Birmingham is located in the north central part of the state, 220 miles north of the Gulf of Mexico, and 140 miles west of Atlanta, GA.

For Birmingham, geology was destiny. The main raw materials needed to make steel are iron ore, limestone, and coal. Seldom do all three occur close together in large quantities, as they do here. Add the planned intersection of two railroads, and a steel making city was born. Although manufacturing is still a force, the area has since diversified into industries such as finance, health care, and the beginnings of biotech. In 1963, Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote the historic "Letter from Birmingham Jail".

In 2004 Birmingham was named one of the Most Livable Mid-Size Cities by Partners for Livable Communities. In 1990 it was one of the Finalist Communities for the "All-America City Award" given by the National Civic League.

Precipitation in Birmingham is about 54 inches per year. Temperatures reach 90 degrees an average of 57 days a year. July average daily high and low temperatures are 90.6 and 69.7 degrees Fahrenheit. January average daily highs and lows are 52.8 and 32.3 degrees Fahrenheit.

Fortune 1000 companies headquartered in Birmingham include:

  • Regions Financial
  • Saks
  • AmSouth Bancorp
  • Vulcan Materials
  • Torchmark
  • Compass Bancshares
  • Protective Life

Arts and Leisure

Birmingham cultural, historical, and leisure attractions include:

  • The Birmingham Museum of Art
  • The Birmingham Summerfest, Inc.
  • The Red Mountain Chamber Orchestra
  • The Magic City Blues Society
  • The Alabama Symphony Orchestra
  • The Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame
  • The Alabama Ballet
  • The Virginia Samford Theatre
  • The Alabama Museum of the Health Sciences
  • The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute
  • The Oak Mountain State Park
  • The Sloss Blast Furnace Site
  • The Quinlan Castle

Birmingham sports teams include:

  • The Birmingham Barons, a Double-A Southern League baseball club affiliated with the Chicago White Sox
  • The Birmingham Magicians of the American Basketball Association
  • The Birmingham Steeldogs of the Arena Football League
=

High Points

Birmingham strengths, compared to Peers (similar size places nationally) or State (other places in Alabama):

CategoryTrophy
Public Transportation Use
(vs. State)		Top 2%trophyBirmingham Public Transportation Use
Affordability of Rents
(vs. Peers)		Top 3%trophyBirmingham Affordability of Rents
Affordability of Property Taxes
(vs. Peers)		Top 3%trophyBirmingham Affordability of Property Taxes
Walking and Biking to Work
(vs. State)		Top 7%Birmingham Walking and Biking to Work

Comparative Profile of Birmingham, AL

Comparing Birmingham to similar size places nationwide (Peers) and to other places in Alabama (State):

Ratings range from 1 (lowest) to 10 (highest).


The People

CharacteristicCompared
to Peers		Compared
to State
Female Share of the Population108
Senior Citizens94
Age of the Population82
Children Under 5 Years Old47
Well-Paid Single Women38
Well-Paid Single Men17
Racial Diversity19
Male Share of the Population13

Families

CharacteristicCompared
to Peers		Compared
to State
Average Household Size34
Portion of People Married21

Wealth

CharacteristicCompared
to Peers		Compared
to State
College Educated Adults39
People in Middle Class or Better23
People Above Poverty13
Median Family Income13

Commute & Sprawl

CharacteristicCompared
to Peers		Compared
to State
Short Commute Times66
Public Transportation Use510
Walking and Biking to Work310
Working at Home13

Housing

CharacteristicCompared
to Peers		Compared
to State
Affordability of Rents103
Affordability of Property Taxes102
People Living Alone99
Seasonal and Vacation Housing53
Studio & One-Bedroom Rentals410
Housing Recently Built31

Crime

CharacteristicCompared
to Peers		Compared
to State
Low Property Crime21
Low Violent Crime21

Detailed pages on related topics: Birmingham colleges • Birmingham travel • Birmingham mortgage and property.

You are visiting:
All States > Alabama > Birmingham

Additional Details

Birmingham CareersBirmingham Careers
Birmingham career and employment information.
Birmingham CollegesBirmingham Colleges
Birmingham colleges and trade schools.
Birmingham Hotels & TravelBirmingham Hotels & Travel
Birmingham hotels, landmarks, tourism, transportation.
Birmingham MortgageBirmingham Mortgage
Birmingham property, mortgage, and real estate.

Career and College Resources on CityTownInfo

Real-World Career Reports

Career Stories from workers: daily activities, job tips, best/worst job aspects, training, etc.

Career Videos. Professional videos on 800+ jobs, featuring actual employees.

Daily Career & Education News from our staff. We're an approved Google News provider!

Career Reference and Data

Resource Center. A starting point for all CityTownInfo career and college resources.

Career Overviews of hundreds of careers: descriptions, salaries, forecasts, schools, more.

Top Cities for each career. Lists and maps; salaries by city.

Top Industries. Lists of major hiring industries by career, with salaries.

City Comparisons, showing most common jobs, highest paying, etc.

Original Career Articles and Studies

Best Careers Not Requiring Degrees: Good pay, job growth, low need for degrees.

Helpful Articles, many in "how-to" format; e.g., "How to Become a Chef".

Interactive College Search Tools

College Search Scout™. Search by degree, location, major, athletics, etc.

CollegeMatch™. Find school most similar to one of interest.

College Directories and Lists

These lists link to thousands of detailed school profiles.

Colleges by State. Nearly every college and trade school in the country.

Colleges Listed Alphabetically. About 7,000 colleges & trade schools, including online schools.

Exceptional Schools. Lists of the "best/most/highest/lowest" schools.

Places Similar to Birmingham

We've crunched the numbers to create PlaceMatch™, which compares thousands of cities and towns to find the places most similar to each.

Find places similar to Birmingham

Historic Birmingham

photo

Title Guarantee Land and Trust Bldg. c1906.

Select a photo to view (Source):

Title Guarantee Land and Trust Bldg. c1906.

Jefferson County Court House and St. Paul's Church c1906.

Jefferson County Court House 1906 (est.)

Additional Resources


Large City Map

Info for Birmingham Government Officials

Are you an official in the Birmingham government or quasi-government agency such as the chamber of commerce, visitors bureau or economic development council? If so, visit our information page for government officials to see how CityTownInfo can support you.

Spread The Word

Webmasters & Bloggers: Please link to this page on Birmingham. Just copy the HTML below and paste it into your web page or blog.


Copyright © 2004-2009, Moving Traffic, Inc. All Rights Reserved.