Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the name of a number of other places, see Birmingham (disambiguation)
Birmingham is a city located in Jefferson County, Alabama. As of the 2000 census, the population is 242,820, and the metropolitan area population is 849,194. It is the largest city in Alabama, and the county seat of Jefferson County,
History
Birmingham was founded in 1871 at a railroad junction, and was named for the English city of Birmingham. Through the early 20th century, due largely to it's abundant mineral reserves, Birmingham grew rapidly, and soon became a leading industrial center. This rapid growth led to its nickname of "The Magic City". Its economy was based largely upon steel refining and for that reason it also became known as the "Pittsburgh of the South".
Birmingham was hit hard by the Great Depression in the 1930s. And the city's economy has gradually been diversified to be more service and engineering orientated.
In the 1950s and 60s Birmingham received national and international attention, due to it being a center of the civil rights struggle for African Americans. Most notoriously, four black girls were killed in a church bombing in 1963.
Birmingham elected its first African American mayor in 1979.
Miscellaneous
The city is referenced in folk singer Ani DiFranco's song "Hello Birmingham" (lyrics) because of its civil rights movement connections. There is also a Randy Newman song about the city, called "Birmingham" (lyrics).
Birmingham is the birthplace of:
The mayor of Birmingham (as of 2003) is Bernard Kincaid. The city has a mayor/council form of government.
Birmingham is served by Birmingham International Airport (there is another airport of the same name in Birmingham, England).
Geography
Birmingham is located at 33°31'29" North, 86°48'46" West (33.524755, -86.812740)1.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 393.5 km² (151.9 mi²). 388.3 km² (149.9 mi²) of it is land and 5.3 km² (2.0 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 1.34% water.
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there are 242,820 people, 98,782 households, and 59,269 families residing in the city. The population density is 625.4/km² (1,619.7/mi²). There are 111,927 housing units at an average density of 288.3/km² (746.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 24.07% White, 73.46% Black or African American, 0.17% Native American, 0.80% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.62% from other races, and 0.83% from two or more races. 1.55% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 98,782 households out of which 27.7% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 31.1% are married couples living together, 24.6% have a female householder with no husband present, and 40.0% are non-families. 34.4% of all households are made up of individuals and 10.4% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.37 and the average family size is 3.09.
In the city the population is spread out with 25.0% under the age of 18, 11.1% from 18 to 24, 30.0% from 25 to 44, 20.4% from 45 to 64, and 13.5% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 34 years. For every 100 females there are 85.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 80.4 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $26,735, and the median income for a family is $31,851. Males have a median income of $28,184 versus $23,641 for females. The per capita income for the city is $15,663. 24.7% of the population and 20.9% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 35.4% are under the age of 18 and 18.5% are 65 or older.
Landmarks
External Link
Referenced By
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