Our City & Community

Founded in 1871, Birmingham quickly became an industrial center of the South. The city, which developed around the crossing of two railroad lines in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, grew quickly because of its abundant natural resources of coal, iron ore, and limestone needed for its steel mills and blast furnaces. Birmingham suffered during the Great Depression, the postwar years, and especially during the turbulent 1960s. People here learned much during the battle for civil rights. Today the community, with its diversity and much cleaner air, is a great example of what a modern, small city can accomplish.

Iron and steel are still important, but they no longer drive Birmingham’s economy. The growing influence and reputation of the University of Alabama at Birmingham during the mid 1970s began to usher in more affluence and education, which in turn has brought more cultural and recreational opportunities. Many businesses such as banking, telecommunications, and electrical power now play a critical role in defining Birmingham, and the city is home to many colleges and universities, including renowned Birmingham Southern College and Samford University.

The University of Alabama-Birmingham’s medical school and research facilities are ranked among the finest in the nation.

The city hosts many major cultural and recreation attractions, including the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, McWane Center, the Birmingham Museum of Art, the Birmingham Zoo, the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail, the Botanical Gardens, and more. Music critic Alex Ross of

Oak Mountain State Park has grown to 9,940 acres, making it Alabama’s largest state park. With one of the widest varieties of outdoor activities, a stunning physical landscape, and more than 50 miles of hiking, mountain biking, and horse trails, visitors have plenty of options. Other activities include nature programs, Peavine Falls, the Interpretive

Center, fishing lakes, picnic areas, and a demonstration farm. Birmingham is also home to some of the nation’s best restaurants, and their award-winning chefs are well known for incorporating fresh local ingredients into modern Southern cuisine.

Saint Stephen’s is located in Cahaba Heights, one of Birmingham’s “over the mountain” suburbs, which also include Vestavia Hills, Homewood, and Mountain Brook. These growing areas offer the leading school systems in the state and are regarded as very desirable communities in which to live and raise a family.

The New Yorker magazine recently called Birmingham’s Alabama Symphony Orchestra “one of the country’s most adventurous regional orchestras.” Located in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, the area’s temperate climate allows Birmingham to offer many outdoor activities as well as municipal and state parks. Red Mountain Park encompasses 1,500 acres along the Red Mountain Ridge in central Alabama. The park is central to Birmingham and its surrounding diverse communities, and offers more than fourteen miles of trails, two overlooks, three tree houses, and a Zip Tour and Adventure Tower.

Downtown Birmingham continues to see a renaissance, not only with historic architecture being renovated for new uses but also new development such as Regions Field, the home of the Birmingham Barons baseball team, and nearby Railroad Park, regarded by many as one of the best open spaces in urban America.