Upscale Community Living
Central Alabama
Area Info
Alabama is widely known as the "Heart of Dixie," and this region is the heart of Alabama, in a number of ways. Geographically, of course, it takes up the middle portion of the state; but it also remains the heart of Alabama in matters of population, politics, finance, industry, and culture.
Birmingham, the state's largest city and the center of its industry, is located in this region; as is Montgomery, the state capital, and the two university towns of Tuscaloosa (University of Alabama) and Auburn (Auburn University). Birmingham lies close to the southernmost outliers of the Appalachians, close to important sources of iron ore and coal. It became one of the country's largest steel producers, and by far the largest in the South. Today, it is a modern metropolis of more than a million people.
Montgomery, a hundred miles to the south, has long played an important role in history. This was the first capital of the Confederacy, after seven Deep South states seceded in 1861. It was also the center of Civil Rights battles a hundred years later...most notably the Montgomery Bus Boycott, which resulted in the first desegregation of facilities in the Jim Crow South. Montgomery today is an important center of industry, including automobile manufacturing, as well as serving as the state capital.
Articles
News from The Birmingham News
Judge allows Gov. Riley's gambling task force to resume
Mar 20, 2010 1:34 am
Task force still blocked from Macon County's VictoryLand. TUSKEGEE -- A judge allowed the Governor's Task Force on Illegal Gambling to resume investigatio...
Forecast: Sunny start to spring, but cold not gone yet
Mar 20, 2010 12:50 am
Monday's high is expected to be near 49. Spring officially arrives Saturday, but come Monday there might be some reminders of this year's bitterly cold w...
Update: Traffic moving again on Interstate 20/59 in downtown
Mar 19, 2010 11:30 pm
As of 6:30 p.m., all lanes have re-opened. Traffic is moving smoothly again on Interstate 20/59 North in downtown Birmingham after a wreck tied up traffi...
Bessemer resident claims city's bingo committee violated open meetings law
Mar 19, 2010 10:57 pm
The head of the committee denied the claims. A Bessemer resident has filed suit in Jefferson County Circuit Court against the Bessemer City Council's bingo committ...
Huntsville firm's contract for Ft. Benning hospital put on hold by Army Corps of Engineers
Mar 19, 2010 9:54 pm
GAO report upheld protests, finding conflicts of interest COLUMBUS, Ga. -- Groundbreaking for the replacement of Martin Army Community Hospital on Fort B...
Nuclear regulators set public meeting to discuss safety of 2009 operations at Farley Nuclear Plant
Mar 19, 2010 7:40 pm
Southern Co. plant under scrutiny [Click to view company PDF about Farley Nuclear Plant]DOTHAN, -- Federal regulators have scheduled a meeting to discuss 2009 sa...
Alabama Supreme Court upholds recount victory in disputed Evergreen mayor's race
Mar 19, 2010 7:08 pm
Winner changed with 7-vote swing in second count MONTGOMERY -- The Alabama Supreme Court has upheld the election of Pete Wolf III as mayor of Evergreen after a se...
Jefferson County gets $13.3 million in federal stimulus grants to fight obesity, smoking
Mar 19, 2010 4:55 pm
$6.3 million goes to improve nutrition and physical activity, while $7 million goes to cutting tobacco use. (The Birmingham News/Frank Couch)Jefferson County has...
Rail cars from Birmingham carrying steel coils derail in Arizona
Mar 19, 2010 4:07 pm
No injuries reported FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. -- Railroad officials are investigating why 14 railcars on a westbound freight train derailed Thursday morning near...
School districts turn to ads on school buses to help ease strain on shrunken budgets
Mar 19, 2010 3:32 pm
Concept has its critics In this Feb. 9, 2010 photo, Marc Horner, fleet manager for Jefferson Public Schools in Colorado, stands next to a school bus with a bank a...
