Birmingham

Birmingham (pop. 907,810), largest city in Alabama, situated in the Jones Valley and protected by mountains to the southeast and northwest. Located in a region rich in coal and iron, it manufactures numerous iron and steel products, including pipes, stoves, cotton gins, diesel engines, and electrical equipment. Birmingham was founded and incorporated in 1871, on a site where railroads from 4 directions met in a cotton field. It is now an important rail and air terminus and has a port of entry accessible from the Gulf of Mexico through a channel. The city is also an important educational center, being the site of Miles College, Howard College, Birmingham-Southern College, and the University of Alabama Birmingham (UAB).

See also: Alabama.