Birmingham, Alabama
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| Birmingham, Alabama | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Name | Birmingham, Alabama |
| Settlement type | City |
| Nickname | "The Magic City", "Pittsburgh of the South" |
| Pushpin label | Birmingham |
| Coordinates | 33, 31, 03, N... |
| Subdivision type | Country |
| Subdivision name | United States |
| Subdivision type1 | State |
| Subdivision name1 | Alabama |
| Subdivision type2 | Counties |
| Subdivision name2 | Jefferson, Shelby |
| Established title | Founded |
| Established date | 1871 |
| Established title1 | Incorporated |
| Established date1 | December 19, 1871 |
| Government type | Mayor–Council |
| Leader title | Mayor |
| Leader name | Randall Woodfin |
| Area total km2 | 384.9 |
| Area total sq mi | 148.6 |
| Area land km2 | 378.0 |
| Area land sq mi | 146.0 |
| Area water km2 | 6.9 |
| Area water sq mi | 2.7 |
| Elevation ft | 614 |
| Elevation m | 187 |
| Population total | 200,733 |
| Population as of | 2020 |
| Population density km2 | 531.1 |
| Population density sq mi | 1374.9 |
| Timezone | CST |
| Utc offset | −6 |
| Timezone DST | CDT |
| Utc offset DST | −5 |
| Postal code type | ZIP Codes |
| Postal code | 35201–35298 |
| Area code | 205, 659 |
| Blank name | FIPS code |
| Blank info | 01-07000 |
| Blank1 name | GNIS feature ID |
| Blank1 info | 015817 |
| Website | www.birminghamal.gov |
Birmingham, Alabama. Birmingham is the most populous city in the state of Alabama and the seat of Jefferson County. Founded in 1871 during the post-Civil War Reconstruction era, it rapidly grew into a major industrial center for iron and steel production, earning the nickname "The Magic City." Birmingham holds a pivotal and painful place in American history as a primary battleground of the U.S. Civil Rights Movement during the mid-20th century, where seminal events catalyzed national support for the passage of landmark federal legislation.
History and Early Development
Birmingham was founded in 1871 by the Elyton Land Company, named for the industrial city of Birmingham in England, reflecting its founders' ambitions for it to become a center of iron production. Its strategic location at the intersection of major railroad lines near deposits of iron ore, coal, and limestone—the three raw materials necessary for steelmaking—fueled explosive growth. This rapid expansion from a planned town to a major industrial hub led to its nickname, "The Magic City." The city's economy was dominated by the Tennessee Coal, Iron and Railroad Company, later acquired by U.S. Steel. From its inception, Birmingham was a deeply segregated city, with a rigid Jim Crow social and legal structure that enforced racial separation and economic disparity between its white and sizable Black populations. The Great Depression severely impacted its heavy industry, and the city struggled with labor unrest and economic challenges for decades.
Civil Rights Movement in Birmingham
By the mid-20th century, Birmingham had become known as one of the most racially divided and violently segregated cities in the United States, a reputation that earned it the grim moniker "Bombingham" due to numerous unsolved bombings targeting Black leaders and institutions. The city's staunch enforcement of segregation was led by Eugene "Bull" Connor, the Commissioner of Public Safety. In response, local activists, including the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights (ACMHR) led by Fred Shuttlesworth, organized sustained resistance. The national Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), co-founded by Martin Luther King Jr., identified Birmingham as a critical target for a major nonviolent campaign due to its extreme segregation and the predictable, harsh response from Connor's police force. This strategic choice was intended to create a crisis that would force federal intervention and draw national media attention to the brutality of segregation.
Birmingham Campaign of 1963
The Birmingham campaign, known as Project C (for "Confrontation"), began in the spring of 1963. Organized by the SCLC and the ACMHR, it involved a series of nonviolent demonstrations, including sit-ins at segregated lunch counters, marches, and a boycott of downtown businesses. The campaign's tactical masterstroke was the inclusion of thousands of school children in the Children's Crusade in May. Commissioner Connor's response—unleashing police dogs and directing firefighters to use high-pressure water cannons against peaceful protesters, a