What Alabama is known for

Alabama, also known as “The Heart of Dixie,” was admitted as a state of the United States of America on December 14, 1819, making it the twenty-second state in the nation. The name Alabama is derived from a Native American Tribe from the area, the Alibamons Tribe. Southern states in America are often referred to as “Dixie States,” especially the Confederate ones. Alabama gained its nickname “The Heart of Dixie” because Montgomery, Alabama, was the first Confederate capital. Montgomery continues to be the capital of the state today, although the largest city is Birmingham.[7] The population of Alabama is 4,903,185 people.[6] Several famous events that transpired during the civil rights movement happened on Alabama soil, such as Rosa Parks refusing to give up her seat to a white person. The state now has monuments and museums to commemorate these events that led to desegregation in the nation.[1]

Birmingham Civil Rights Insitute and the Civil Rights Historic District are popular attractions that provide an in-depth look at the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s. The place showcases exhibits from violent conflict to segregation. The district covers landmarks such as the Kelly Ingram Park, Carver Theater, and the Fourth Avenue Business District. The Civil Rights Memorials of Montgomery is another monument featuring a sculpture remembering those who were killed during the Civil Rights Movement. Visitors can also learn about the movement at the site through educational displays, including the Wall of Tolerance. Another monument often visited by tourists is the USS Alabam Battleship Memorial Park, where the 1942 USS Alabama Battleship is docked. The ship was decommissioned after World War II and is now available to be toured in certain parts of the boat. The option to tour a WWII submarine is available in the park as well. The state also houses other attractions besides civil rights monuments, such as the U.S. Space and Rocket Center. The center is in Huntsville, where interactive experiences, exhibits, and presentations of the world’s largest spacecraft collections are available. At this location, one can also experience the effects of space, such as weightlessness.[2]

Alabama often draws people to it by means of its natural geographic features and recreational attractions. Popular destinations are the Cheaha Mountain, Russell Cave, Little River Canyon National Preserve, and Neversink Pit. The pit is a limestone sinkhole that drops sixteen stories, making it one of the most photographed sinkholes in the world.[3] The busiest month for tourism in Alabama falls in June, with July and May following. December is the slowest month for tourism, and therefore, the cheapest time to visit. Summer months are the warmest time of the year, with the hottest months being July, August, and June.[4]

The state has a higher diversity level compared to many states within the nation. White people make up 69.1% of the population, while 26.8% are African American.[6] The overall population grows 0.26% a year, steadily increasing the number of residents. The state is reasonably religious, with 86% of the people affiliating themselves with some denomination of Christianity. Most of the remainder are unaffiliated to a particular religion.[5] The state is nestled in what is known as the nation’s “Bible Belt,” where a high majority of the population is Christian. Alabama is also considered the most religious state in the nation.[8] Rural cultural traditions are abundant in Alabama, with storytelling being the main attractor of folklore specialists. The rural life experiences have influenced jazz, ragtime, and country music in Alabama.[1] The state is home to what many Americans call “Southern Hospitality,” where manners are implemented daily, including the stereotypical southern phrases "Ma’am," "Miss," and "Sir."[8] 

Alabama is a relatively poor state, with a median family income lower than the national average. The economy has long depended on cotton production but has seen shifts towards manufacturing and service sectors, decreasing cotton production. Roots run deep in industrial development through the iron and steel industry located in Birmingham. Manufacturing of food products, apparel, wood products, plastic, and chemicals has come forth to share importance with steel and iron in the economy.[1] The economy’s growth took off after the Civil Rights Movement, especially in the cities of Birmingham and Montgomery, which are major industrial hubs.[8] A unique aspect of Alabama’s economy is the George C. Marshall Space Flight Center located in Huntsville. The space center has been recognized as the producer of the Saturn booster rockets aiding in the Apollo and Skylab spacecrafts. This center has played a significant role in the economy, and the city has now become an essential technological city.[1]

Geography

Alabama is located in the southern part of the United States and is bordered by its southern sister states; Mississippi, Tennessee, Georgia, and Florida. The state is surrounded mainly by land but is slightly connected with the Gulf of Mexico in the bottom left corner. Other bodies of water connected to the state are the Tennessee River, Alabama River, Weiss Lake, Martin Lake, and Lewis Smith Lake.[1] Alabama also contains mountainous ridges with deep valleys, the Black Belt prairie, foothills of the Appalachians, and substantial cave systems. Overall the state is divided into three central regions; Coastal, Upper Plains, and Mountains/Piedmont.[9]

The climate of Alabama attributes to its vast biodiversity, as well as animal and plant diversity.[9] The climate is seen as temperate, with an average annual temperature of 64 degrees Fahrenheit. The heat may occasionally rise during the summers to 100 degrees Fahrenheit but averages around 79 degrees, while the winter average is around 48 degrees. Despite the seasons, Alabama has a long growing season throughout the year. Droughts rarely happen due to evenly dispersed rainfalls. The annual average precipitation is 56 inches. With the state being located along the coast, the likelihood of tropical storms and hurricanes increases and is a common occurrence. The last significant storms to cause severe damage to Alabama were Hurricanes Camille and Katrina. Towards to upper regions of the state, the threat of tornadoes is present with occasional large outbreaks of multiple tornadoes.[1]

Alabama is home to two of North America’s rarest species; the Perdido Key beach mouse and the Alabama beach mouse. Other wildlife found in the state includes deer, feral pics, coyotes, American alligators, bald eagles, and hawks. The land is covered in trees, including red cedars, pines, magnolias, and live oaks species. Alabama is made up of 70% forests that have made the state known for its timber.[7] Such forests are located in the north and northeast areas of the state. The alligators in the state can be found in the swamps and bayous of the coastal regions.[1]

Neversink Pit in Jackson county, Alabama, is one of the most photographed sinkholes globally and is a popular tourist attraction. Another natural attraction is Lake Martin which covers 44,000 acres of land and is one of the largest manmade lakes in the United States. It’s a popular place to go boating, water skiing, and swimming. Cathedral Caverns in Woodville is seen as one of the top tourist attractions in Alabama. The caverns were initially known as the “Bat Cave” and are home to “Goliath,” one of the largest stalagmites in the world. The Cavern itself is twenty-five feet high and 126 feet wide. Overall, Alabama overs a wide variety of geographical features, including caverns, mountains, lakes, the coast, forests to waterfalls.[3]

History

The indigenous groups of the land were primarily the Chickasaw, Muskogee, Choctaw, and the Cherokee people. The name Alabama is derived from one of the native words, Alibamons—Native American's Tribe name.[7] The first Europeans to arrive in Alabama were Spaniards in 1519, which led to Hernando de Soto's arrival with his army of 500 men in 1540. His presence eventually sparked one of the bloodiest encounters with Native Americans. Eventually, however, he left the area after failing to find gold.[1]

The first permanent European settlement was founded in 1702 in present-day Mobile. Struggles for claiming the land arose between the French, British, and Spanish but were eventually settled during the Louisiana Purchase when the United States established its claim on the land. After the purchase, Native Americans were removed from the area as the cotton economy proliferated. The region was made the state of Alabama on December 14, 1819. Cotton was the major cash crop during the early days of Alabama but eventually ventured into a more diverse industrial economy through railroads, cotton manufacturing, and mining.[1]

Alabama was heavily dependent on free slave labor and chose to secede from the Union and join the Confederate States in an attempt to preserve slavery. The Confederacy eventually lost the Civil War, and all states, including Alabama, were expected to free their slaves. In 1867, Alabama was put under military rule due to its refusal to ratify the Fourteenth Amendment that granted citizenship to former slaves. They eventually ratified a new constitution that allowed them back into the Union—the following reconstruction period created political turmoil as White and Black Alabamians figured out how to live together with equal rights.[1]

However, segregation and unjust treatment of African Americans continued well into the 20th century. Such unfair treatment caused some of the most important civil rights actions to take place in Alabama.[1] One such action is the bus boycott, including Rosa Parks. On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white passenger, resulting in her arrest. This nonviolent protest resulted in the Montgomery bus boycott, which led to the United States Supreme Court ruling that segregation on buses was unconstitutional. Martin Luther King Jr. was the president of the Montgomery Improvement Association, which coordinated the boycott. King later stated the boycott to be the power of the struggle for civil rights.[10] Other civil rights events that took place in Alabama were the defiant attempts of Governor George C. Wallaces to stop desegregation at the state’s university, the death of four Black children due to an explosion in Sunday school, and the march of Selma.[1]

The events of the Civil Rights Movement led to greater equality between the two races in the United States. It wasn’t until 2007 that Alabama officially apologized for its role in slavery. The population of Alabama has a direct heritage linking many people to the early American Slaves.[1] It has influenced today’s population characteristics, with 26.8% of the population being African American, more than one-fourth of the total population. The total population of the state is 4,903,185 people.[6] Like other states, Alabama has been on the slow and steady upward trend of population growth. The demographics of race are likely to change, with the younger generation being Hispanic and African American.[5]