Hotels in Birmingham, Alabama

A little about Birmingham...

Birmingham is the largest city in the U.S. state of Alabama and is the county seat of Jefferson County. The population of the city proper is 242,820 (2000 U.S. census), and has declined to 231,483 according to the 2005 estimate. It also serves as the primary nucleus for a sprawling urbanization known as Greater Birmingham with 1,170,012 inhabitants constituting roughly one quarter of the state of Alabama's entire population. Birmingham was founded in 1871, just after the U.S. Civil War, as an industrial enterprise. It was named after Birmingham, the major industrial city of England. Home to a significant African American middle class, Birmingham was one of the battlegrounds of the American Civil Rights Movement throughout the 1960s.

Today, Birmingham ranks as one of the most important business centers in the Southeastern United States and is also one of the largest banking centers in the U.S. In addition, the Birmingham area serves as headquarters to two Fortune 500 companies: Regions Financial and Saks Incorporated. Birmingham has been recognized as the South's top city for income growth and among the top ten nationally over the last 20 years.

Through the middle of the 20th century, Birmingham was the primary industrial center of the Southern United States. The astonishing pace of Birmingham's growth through the turn of the century, earned it the nicknames "The Magic City" and "The Pittsburgh of the South". Birmingham's major industries centered around iron and steel production. Over the course of the 20th century, while industry declined nationwide, the city's economy diversified. Though manufacturing is still a strong sector, Birmingham has also become a major medical research center and a regional banking and publishing power. In recent years, biotechnology and information technology have begun to grow rapidly to complement other sectors of Birmingham's economy. As one of the cultural centers of the South, Birmingham is recognized for its world-class food and music. In recent years Birmingham has been named by various groups as one of the best U.S. cities in which to live.