Birmingham [br'minghem] je největším městem ve státě Alabama a okresním městem pro Jefferson County. Město z části patří do Shelby County. Ve městě žilo v roce 2006 přibližně 229 424 obyvatel, přičemž Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area má zhruba 1 108 210 obyvatel. It is also the largest city in the Birmingham-Hoover-Cullman Combined Statistical Area, colloquially known as Greater Birmingham, which contains roughly one quarter of the population of Alabama.
Birmingham byl založen roku 1871, krátce po občanské válce, jako průmyslové město. Byl pojmenován po britském Birminghamu, jednoho z nejdůležitějších průmyslových měst země. V polovině 20. století byl Birmingham hlavním průmyslovým centrem jihu USA. The astonishing pace of Birmingham's growth through the turn of the century earned it the nicknames "The Magic City" and "The Pittsburgh of the South". Much like Pittsburgh in the north, Birmingham's major industries centered around iron and steel production.
Over the course of the 20th century, the city's economy diversified. Though the manufacturing industry maintains a strong presence in Birmingham, other industries such as banking, insurance, medicine, publishing, and biotechnology have risen in stature. Birmingham has been recognized as one of the top cities for income growth in the United States South with a significant increase in per capita income since 1990.
Today, Birmingham ranks as one of the most important business centers in the Southeastern United States and is also one of the largest banking centers in the U.S. In addition, the Birmingham area serves as headquarters to one Fortune 500 company: Regions Financial. Five Fortune 1000 companies are headquartered in Birmingham.
Alabama
- Birmingham
- Montgomery
