|CITIES: Fifteen of Alabama's cities have a |

|population of more than 25,000 (1980 census). |

|Birmingham 284,413 Prichard 39,541 |

|Mobile 200,452 Florence 37,029 |

|Montgomery 177,857 Bessemer 31,729 |

|Huntsville 142,513 Anniston 29,523 |

|Tuscaloosa 75,211 Auburn 28,471 |

|Dothan 48,750 Phenix City 26,928 |

|Gadsden 47,565 Selma 26,684 |

|Decatur 42,002 |

Waters. Alabama's water is one of its most valuable resources. The

supply is abundant. Mainly it is soft, pure water that does not require

treatment before being used in homes and industries.

Hydroelectric plants line the Coosa, Talla-poosa, Tennessee,

Chattahoochee, and Black Warrior rivers. Along the rivers there arc also

steam power plants, fed by Alabama's coal. Additional plants are now being

built or planned. They will provide ample power for years to come.

Wildlife. Alabama has more than 300 species of birds. Among the largest

are bald eagles, hawks, ospreys, and wild turkeys, ducks, and geese.

Rabbits, squirrels, raccoons, foxes, and white-tailed deer are found in

most of the state, and black bears in some areas. Fresh-water fish include

bass, perch, bluegill, and trout. Some fisheries have been closed by

mercury pollution.

In 1955 the tarpon was named the state salt-water fish. It is a big

fighting fish found in the warm, blue waters of the Gulf of Mexico. It has

no commercial value. The main products of the sea fisheries are shrimp,

oysters, and crabs.

THE PEOPLE AND THEIR WORK

There are very few foreign-born people living in Alabama. The majority

are descend

ants of European settlers who came to the area in colonial times. About one

third of the people are blacks whose ancestors were brought to the South as

slaves. Among the people of Indian heritage, the most active organized

group is the Creek Nation East of the Mississippi, at Atmore.

In 1960, for the first time, more Alabam-ians lived in cities than in

rural areas. The number of persons who work on farms has dropped steadily

since the 1940's. And the number who work in manufacturing and other kinds

of jobs has continued to grow.

Industries and Products

For some time the value of products manufactured in Alabama has been far

greater than the value of livestock and crops and of the different kinds of

minerals that are produced in the state.

Manufacturing. The mast important industries are the ones that manufacture

metals, textiles, chemicals, and forest products. Many of the industries

make use of Alabama's own raw materials.

The areas around Birmingham and Gadsden are the only places in the nation

where iron ore, coal, and limestone are found close together. These are

basic raw materials needed in the making of steel. About 90 percent of all

the steel making in the South is carried on in Alabama, mostly in and

around Birmingham, Anniston, and Gadsden. New factories that make products

from iron and steel continue to spring up throughout the state, mainly

along the water routes.

Around Mobile, as well as in other areas, there are plants that extract

aluminum from bauxite. These plants provide metal for factories in the

Tennessee Valley that make aluminum products. A large copper-tubing plant

at Decatur, on the Tennessee River, is a new development for Alabama.

The textile industry produces yarn and thread, woven fabrics, clothing,

and other goods. Textile mills are spread throughout the state.

WHAT ALABAMA PRODUCES

MANUFACTURED GOODS: Primary metals, paper and related products, chemicals

and related products, fabricated metal products, textiles, rubber and

plastic products, clothing, processed foods.

AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS: Broilers, cattle and calves, soybeans, eggs,

peanuts, cotton, milk.

MINERALS: Coal, petroleum, natural gas. Iron ore, cement, stone, sand and

gravel, lime.

Many of the chemical industries make use of coal tar, a tar that is left

from the process of making coke. Some of the by-products of coal tar are

medicines, explosives, dyes, and plastics. The salt deposits near Mobile

provide raw material for the making of chlorine products, such as bleaches,

disinfectants, and water purifiers. At Muscle Shoals in northwestern

Alabama there is a federal plant where fertilizers and munitions are

developed for the benefit of agriculture and industry.

Alabama ranks among the first five timber producers in the nation. The

forests supply lumber for furniture and other wood products as well as wood

pulp for the paper industries. The first pulp and paper plant in the state

was built at Tuscaloosa in 1929. Other cities that now have large pulp

mills are Mobile and Brewton, in southern Alabama, and De-mopolis, in the

western part of the state. Most of the pulp is made into finished products

such as newsprint, stationery, corrugated boxes, and kraft paper. Kraft

paper is the strong brown paper used in grocery bags.

Agriculture. In Enterprise, Alabama, there is a monument to the boll

weevil. It is perhaps the only monument in the world to an insect pest. The

monument was erected in 1919 after the boll weevil destroyed the cotton

crops. It reminds Alabama's farmers of the part that the boll weevil played

in teaching them not to depend on cotton alone for their living.

For a long time cotton ranked first among Alabama's crops, but today

cotton brings only a fraction of the total income from crops. Alabama also

produces substantial amounts of soybeans, peanuts, corn, hay, sweet

potatoes and other garden vegetables, and fruits and pecans. Some crops are

identified with particular areas. Soybeans are grown extensively in the

Black Belt and around Mobile Bay. Peanuts are a main crop in the Wire Grass

area. Strawberries are grown commercially around Cullman in Cullman County,

Clanton in Chilton County, and Georgiana in Butler County. Clanton is also

known for peaches. Truck farming is carried on in many areas.

An interesting fact about Alabama's agriculture is that since 1958

livestock sales have brought more income than crops. Cattle are raised

chiefly in the Black Belt and hogs in the Wire Grass area. Poultry raising

is concentrated north of Birmingham. Dairying is carried on throughout the

state.

Mining. Alabama is well-known for its production of coal, cement, and

limestone. A number of other' minerals are produced in varying quantities

including petroleum, iron ore, clays and shale, mica, sand and gravel,

bauxite, gold, silver, and manganese. Marble from Alabama's quarries is

sold throughout the United States.

The first producing oil well began operating near Gilbertown, in Choctaw

County, in 1944. Later, oil was found in Escambia County and near

Citronelle, in Mobile County. There arc more than 200 producing wells in

southwestern Alabama. In the northwest a large natural gas field is being

developed.

Transportation and Communication

Waterways, railroads, highways, and airways connect Alabama to other

parts of tlic nation. The port of Mobile connects the state to the seaports

of the world.

Waterways. Alabama has the finest river system in the nation. The U.S.

Corps of Engineers classifies large portions of its rivers as

suitable for navigation. Millions of dollars have been spent to develop the

harbor and build docks at Mobile, to widen and deepen the channels of the

rivers, and to build public docks along the waterways.

The Black Warrior and Tombigbee waterway extends all the way from the

port of Mobile to Jefferson and Walker counties. This waterway carries

great quantities of limestone as well as millions of tons of cargo for the

industries of Birmingham and other cities along the rivers. The Alabama

River provides water transportation between Mobile and the capital city,

Montgomery. The Tennessee River is the main water route of northern

Alabama. The Chattahoochee waterway, on the east border of the state,

serves the cities of Columbia, Eufaula, and Phenix City.

Railroads and Highways. Alabama was among the pioneers in railroad

building. Its first railway, between Decatur and Muscle Shoals, was

completed in 1832. Today Alabama's railroads are used largely for freight.

Hubs of state, federal, and interstate highway systems are Birmingham and

Montgomery.

Airlines. Several airlines provide commercial flights to cities in

different parts of the state. Frequent daily schedules are available from

major centers. Most of the interstate traffic uses the airports at

Birmingham, Huntsville, and Mobile. Alabama's system of local airfields,

with paved and lighted runways for smaller planes, is considered to be

among the best in the nation.

Newspapers, Radio, and Television. Almost every city has its own local

newspaper. More than 100 newspapers are published in the state, but only

about 20 are dailies. Among the more influential daily newspapers are the

Alabama Journal and the Montgomery Advertiser, both published at

Montgomery, and the Birmingham News. The Mobile Press-Register, originally

the Gazette, is one of the oldest newspapers in the state. It was founded

in 1815.

Birmingham had the state's first licensed radio station, WBRC, in 1925,

and the first television stations, WABT and WBRC-TV, both in 1949. In 1955

Alabama began operating one of the first state-owned educational television

networks (ETV) in the nation. Stations of this network are capable of

reaching almost all the people in the state.

EDUCATION

Alabama is proud of its natural resources and its industrial development

in recent years. State and community leaders also recognize the importance

of developing its educational and cultural institutions.

Schools and Colleges

The first teachers in Alabama were probably French and Spanish priests who

gave instruction to the Indians. In 1799 a New England cotton merchant,

John Pierce, opened a school for the children of wealthy settlers in the

Mobile Bay area. It was the kind of pioneer school known as a blab .school

because the pupils studied by repeating their lessons aloud.

When Alabama became a state in 1819, an attempt was made to establish a

system of public schools. The attempt failed, as did others in later years,

largely because of a lack of money. Private schools sprang up to educate

the children of parents who could afford to pay. It was not until after the

Civil War that the state was able to make progress toward establishing its

present system of public elementary schools, high schools, and colleges.

Alabama has more than 50 institutions of higher education. About half of

these are 2-year institutions, mainly state-supported junior or community

colleges. The others are universities and senior colleges.

The University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa (post office address, University)

is Alabama's oldest college. It was established by the legislature in 1820.

Other state-supported universities are located at Auburn, Birmingham,

Florence, Huntsville, Jacksonville, Livingston, Mobile, Montcvallo,

Montgomery, Normal, and Troy. Tuskegcc Institute, the famous school

established by Booker T. Washington in 1881, is partly supported by the

state.

Libraries

Throughout the state there are many pub lic and private libraries. The

largest public libraries are in Birmingham, Montgomery, and Mobile. The

Amelia Gayle Gorgas Library, on the campus of the University of Alabama, is

one of the largest libraries in the entire South.

Fine Arts and Museums

Most high schools and junior high schools in the state have bands or

orchestras. The Birmingham Civic Symphony gives annual concerts in the

city. It also tours the state.

Before the Civil War, architecture was one of the most important fine

arts. Some of the beautiful homes that were built before the war may be

seen in the older cities, such as Selma, Huntsville, Eufaula, Greensboro,

Mobile, Tuscaloosa, and Montgomery.

The Art Museum at Birmingham and the Museum of Fine Arts at Montgomery

have large collections of paintings. The following arc among the other

noted museums:

The Alabama Museum of Natural History, at

the University of Alabama, has an excellent display of rocks and minerals.

Mound State Monument, a state park and museum at Moundville, near

Tuscaloosa, preserves ancient mounds that Indians built for their temples,

council" houses, and burial places. Relics from the grounds in the park,

such as skeletons, tools, ornaments, and pottery, are displayed in the

museum.

The Regar Museum of Natural History, at Anniston, contains an unusual

display of 900 specimens of birds, with nests and eggs.

PLACES OF INTEREST

Some of the many other interesting places have been made by people. Some,

such as mountains, forests, and white sand beaches, arc nature's own work.

Historic Places

Many historic treasures are preserved in Alabama's museums. The following

are a few of the historic places in various parts of the state:

Horseshoe Bend National Military Park, on

the Tallapoosa River, marks the site of General Andrew Jackson's victory

over the Creek Indians.

The Natchez Trace Parkway crosses the northwestern corner of Alabama. It

extends from Natchez, Mississippi, to Nashville, Tennessee. The parkway

commemorates a famous Indian trail and pioneer highway.

Russell Cave National Monument, at Bridgeport in northeast Alabama, was

established in 1961. In the cave, scientists have found records of almost

continuous human habitation from at least 6000 b.c. to about a.d. 1650.

Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site includes Tuskegee Institute, the

George Washington Carver Museum, and Booker T. Washington's home. The

museum includes displays of African art and George Washington Carver's

agricultural experiments.

The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception,

at Mobile, stands on land that the first settlers used as a burying ground.

The State Capitol, Montgomery, is a stately building, similar in

appearance to the National Capitol. For the first few months of the Civil

War, it served as the capitol of the Confederacy.

Jefferson Davis' Home, in Montgomery, is known as the first White House of

the Confederacy because it was here that President Davis lived when

Montgomery was the Confederate capital.

Parks and Forests

Alabama has four national forests. The Talladega National Forest has two

sections, one in the central part of the state and the other in the east.

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