Birmingham, Alabama

Birmingham is the second- or third-most populous city in the U.S. state of Alabama, with about 196,000 people living in it.^[3] It is the county seat of Jefferson County. Its metropolitan area is the biggest in Alabama with more than 1.1 million people living in it. The city has an area of about 152 square miles (390 km²) and an elevation of 614 feet (187 m) above sea level.

Birmingham, Alabama
City
Right to left, from top: Downtown, Vulcan statue, 16th Street Baptist Church, City Hall, Alabama Theatre, and the Birmingham Museum of Art
Flag Logo
Nickname(s):  "The Magic City", "Pittsburgh of the South"
Location in Jefferson County, Alabama
Birmingham Location in the United States
Coordinates: 33°31′03″N 86°48′34″W
Country	United States
State	Alabama
Counties	Jefferson, Shelby
Incorporated	December 19, 1871
Named for	Birmingham, United Kingdom
Government
• Type	Mayor – Council
• Mayor	Randall Woodfin (D)
Area [1]
• City	149.54 sq mi (387.31 km2)
• Land	147.02 sq mi (380.77 km2)
• Water	2.52 sq mi (6.53 km2)
Elevation [2]	597 ft (182 m)
Population  (2020)[3]
• City	200,733
• Estimate  (2024)[3]	196,357
• Rank	124th in the United States 2nd in Alabama
• Density	1,365.37/sq mi (527.17/km2)
• Urban	774,956 (US: 58th)
• Urban density	1,521.7/sq mi (587.5/km2)
• Metro [4]	1,180,631 (47th)
Time zone	UTC−6 (CST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
ZIP Codes	35201-35224, 35226, 35228-35229, 35231-35238, 35242-35244, 35246, 35249, 35253-35255, 35259-35261, 35266, 35270, 35282-35283, 35285, 35287-35288, 35290-35298
Area codes	205, 659
FIPS code	01-07000
GNIS feature ID	2403868[2]
Website	www.birminghamal.gov

History

Birmingham was founded in 1871. Three smaller towns came together to make one, which grew into a large town. It was named after Birmingham, England, a British industrial city. The Alabama city is famous for its iron ore, coal, and limestone, which were used in the town's steel mills.

Birmingham Sunday

Birmingham became famous around the world when a bomb exploded in the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church on Sunday September 15, 1963. Four young black girls were killed. A member of the Ku Klux Klan was charged for the bombing many years later. Richard Farina wrote a sad song called "Birmingham Sunday" in 1964 to the tune of "I Love A Lass".^[5] It has been recorded by several singers, including Joan Baez.