Birmingham, Alabama | |
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Right to left, from top: Downtown, Vulcan statue, 16th Street Baptist Church, City Hall, Alabama Theatre, and the Birmingham Museum of Art | |
Nickname(s): "The Magic City", "Pittsburgh of the South" | |
![]() Location in Jefferson County, Alabama | |
Coordinates: 33°31′03″N 86°48′34″W / 33.51750°N 86.80944°W | |
Country | United States |
State | Alabama |
Counties | Jefferson, Shelby |
Incorporated | December 19, 1871 |
Named for | Birmingham, United Kingdom |
Government | |
• Type | Mayor – Council |
• Mayor | Randall Woodfin (D) |
Area | |
• City | 149.54 sq mi (387.31 km2) |
• Land | 147.02 sq mi (380.77 km2) |
• Water | 2.52 sq mi (6.53 km2) |
Elevation | 597 ft (182 m) |
Population | |
• City | 200,733 |
• Estimate (2022)[3] | 196,910 |
• Rank | 124th in the United States 2nd in Alabama |
• Density | 1,365.37/sq mi (527.17/km2) |
• Urban | 774,956 (US: 58th) |
• Urban density | 1,521.7/sq mi (587.5/km2) |
• Metro | 1,115,289 (50th) |
Time zone | UTC−6 (CST) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
ZIP Codes | 35201-35224, 35226, 35228-35229, 35231-35238, 35242-35244, 35246, 35249, 35253-35255, 35259-35261, 35266, 35270, 35282-35283, 35285, 35287-35288, 35290-35298 |
Area codes | 205, 659 |
FIPS code | 01-07000 |
GNIS feature ID | 2403868[2] |
Website | www |
Birmingham is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Alabama, with about 197,000 people living in it.[3] It is the county seat of Jefferson County. Its metropolitan area is the biggest in Alabama with more than 1.1 million people living in it. The city has an area of about 152 square miles (390 km2) and an elevation of 614 feet (187 m) above sea level.
Birmingham was founded in 1871. Three smaller towns came together to make one, which grew into a large town. It was named after Birmingham, England, a British industrial city. The Alabama city is famous for its iron ore, coal, and limestone, which were used in the town's steel mills.
Birmingham became famous around the world when a bomb exploded in the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church on Sunday September 15, 1963. Four young black girls were killed. A member of the Ku Klux Klan was charged for the bombing many years later. Richard Farina wrote a sad song called "Birmingham Sunday" in 1964 to the tune of "I Love A Lass".[5] It has been recorded by several singers, including Joan Baez.