View source for Alabama

{{Short description|U.S. state}}
{{hatnote group|{{for|the river of the same name|Alabama River}}{{other uses}}}}
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{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{Infobox U.S. state
| name = Alabama
| image_flag = Flag of Alabama.svg
| flag_link = Flag of Alabama
| image_seal = Seal of Alabama.svg<!--also has coat of arms: Coat of arms of Alabama.svg-->
| seal_link = Seal of Alabama
| nicknames = the [[Northern flicker|Yellowhammer]] State, the Heart of [[Dixie]], the Cotton State
| motto = {{langx|la|[[Audemus jura nostra defendere]]}}{{break}}(We dare defend our rights)
| anthem = "[[Alabama (state song)|Alabama]]"
| image_map = Alabama in United States.svg
| seat = [[Montgomery, Alabama|Montgomery]]
| LargestCity = [[Huntsville, Alabama|Huntsville]]
| LargestMetro = [[Birmingham metropolitan area, Alabama|Greater Birmingham]]
| LargestCounty = [[Jefferson County, Alabama|Jefferson]]
| area_total_km2 = 135,765
| area_total_sq_mi = 52,419
| area_land_km2 = 131,426
| area_land_sq_mi = 50,744
| area_water_km2 = 4,338
| area_water_sq_mi = 1,675
| area_water_percent = 3.2
| area_rank = 30th
| length_km = 531
| length_mi = 330
| width_km = 305
| width_mi = 190
| Latitude = 30°11' N to 35° N
| Longitude = 84°53' W to 88°28' W
| elevation_m = 150
| elevation_ft = 500
| elevation_max_m = 735.5
| elevation_max_ft = 2,413
| elevation_max_point = [[Mount Cheaha]]<ref>{{cite ngs |id=DG3595 |designation= Cheehahaw |accessdate=October 20, 2011}}</ref><ref name=USGS>{{cite web |url=http://egsc.usgs.gov/isb/pubs/booklets/elvadist/elvadist.html |title=Elevations and Distances in the United States |publisher=United States Geological Survey |year=2001 |access-date=October 21, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111015012701/http://egsc.usgs.gov/isb/pubs/booklets/elvadist/elvadist.html |archive-date=October 15, 2011}}</ref>{{efn|Elevation adjusted to [[North American Vertical Datum of 1988]].}}
| elevation_min_m = 0
| elevation_min_ft = 0
| elevation_min_point = [[Gulf of Mexico]]<ref name=USGS/>
| OfficialLang = English
| Languages = {{as of|2010}}<ref>{{cite news |last1=Stephens |first1=Challen |title=A look at the languages spoken in Alabama and the drop in the Spanish speaking population |url=http://www.al.com/news/index.ssf/2015/10/a_look_at_the_drop_in_foreign.html |access-date=September 21, 2016 |work=AL.com |date=October 19, 2015 |archive-date=October 9, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161009145848/http://www.al.com/news/index.ssf/2015/10/a_look_at_the_drop_in_foreign.html |url-status=live}}</ref>
* English 95.1%
* Spanish 3.1%
| population_demonym = [[Adjectivals and demonyms for U.S. states|Alabamian]],<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.gettysburg.stonesentinels.com/Confederate/AL.php |title=State of Alabama |website=The Battle of Gettysburg |access-date=July 21, 2014 |archive-date=July 13, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140713111010/http://www.gettysburg.stonesentinels.com/Confederate/AL.php |url-status=live}}</ref> [[Adjectivals and demonyms for U.S. states|Alabaman]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Oxford English Dictionary |url=https://www.oed.com/view/Entry/248153?redirectedFrom=alabaman#eid |website=www-oed-com |publisher=Oxford University Press |access-date=September 30, 2020}}</ref>
| population_as_of = 2020
| population_rank = 24th
| 2020Pop = 5,024,279<ref name="Bureau 2021">{{cite web |title=2020 Census Apportionment Results |website=The United States Census Bureau|date=April 26, 2021|url=https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial/2020/data/apportionment/apportionment-2020-table02.pdf|access-date=April 27, 2021|archive-date=April 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210426194205/https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial/2020/data/apportionment/apportionment-2020-table02.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>
| MedianHouseholdIncome = ${{round|52035|-2}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/AL,US/PST045221|title=US Census Bureau QuickFacts|access-date=April 30, 2022|archive-date=March 13, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220313034211/https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/AL,US/PST045221|url-status=live}}</ref>
| 2020DensityUS = 99.2
| 2020Density = 38.3
| population_density_rank = 27th
| IncomeRank = [[List of U.S. states and territories by income#States and territories ranked by median household income|46th]]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://worldpopulationreview.com/state-rankings/median-household-income-by-state |title=Median Household Income by State 2022 |access-date=August 4, 2022 |archive-date=September 7, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220907051250/https://worldpopulationreview.com/state-rankings/median-household-income-by-state |url-status=live}}</ref>
| Former = Alabama Territory
| AdmittanceDate = December 14, 1819
| AdmittanceOrder = 22nd
| Governor = [[Kay Ivey]] ([[Republican Party (United States)|R]])
| Lieutenant Governor = [[Will Ainsworth]] (R)
| Legislature = [[Alabama Legislature]]
| Upperhouse = [[Alabama Senate|Senate]]
| Lowerhouse = [[Alabama House of Representatives|House of Representatives]]
| Judiciary = [[Supreme Court of Alabama]]
| Senators = [[Tommy Tuberville]] (R){{break}}[[Katie Britt]] (R)
| Representative = 6 Republicans{{break}}1 [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrat]]
| timezone1 = [[Central Time Zone|Central]]
| utc_offset1 = – 06:00
| timezone1_DST = [[Central Daylight Time|CDT]]
| utc_offset1_DST = – 05:00
| timezone1_location = Entire state (legally)
| timezone2 = [[Eastern Time Zone|Eastern]]
| utc_offset2 = – 05:00
| timezone2_DST = [[Eastern Daylight Time|EDT]]
| utc_offset2_DST = – 04:00
| timezone2_location = [[Phenix City, Alabama|Phenix City]] area (unofficially)
| iso_code = US-AL
| postal_code = AL
| TradAbbreviation = Ala.
| website = https://alabama.gov
| Capital = 
| Representatives = 
}}
{{Infobox region symbols|country=United States
 |state= Alabama
 |image_flag= Flag of Alabama.svg
 |image_seal= Seal of Alabama.svg
 |image_arms= Coat of arms of Alabama.svg
 |amphibian= [[Red Hills salamander]]
 |bird= [[Northern flicker|Yellowhammer]], [[wild turkey]]<!--State game bird-->
 |butterfly= [[Eastern tiger swallowtail]]
 |fish= [[Largemouth bass]], [[Atlantic tarpon|fighting tarpon]]
 |flower= [[Camellia]], [[Hydrangea quercifolia|oak-leaf hydrangea]]
 |insect= [[Monarch butterfly]]
 |mammal= [[American black bear]]
 |horse= [[Racking horse]]
 |reptile= [[Alabama red-bellied turtle]]
 |tree= [[Longleaf pine]]
 |beverage= [[Conecuh Ridge Whiskey]]
 |colors= Red, white
 |dance= [[Square dance]]
 |food= [[Pecan]], [[blackberry]], [[peach]]
 |fossil= ''[[Basilosaurus]]''
 |gemstone= [[Star blue quartz]]
 |mineral= [[Hematite]]
 |rock= [[Marble]]
 |shell= [[Scaphella junonia|Johnstone's junonia]]
 |slogan= ''Share The Wonder'',{{break}}''Alabama the beautiful'',{{break}}''Where America finds its voice'',{{break}}''Sweet Home Alabama''
 |soil= [[Bama (soil)|Bama]]
 |image_route= Alabama 3.svg
 |image_quarter= 2003 AL Proof.png
 |quarter_release_date= 2003
}}
{{maplink|frame=yes|frame-width=300|type=line|stroke-width=3|text=Interactive map}}

'''Alabama''' ({{IPAc-en|,|æ|l|ə|'|b|æ|m|ə|}} {{respell|AL|ə|BAM|ə}})<ref>{{Cite Collins Dictionary|Alabama|access-date=March 8, 2024}}</ref> is a [[U.S. state|state]] in the [[Southeastern United States|Southeastern]] region of the United States. It borders [[Tennessee]] to the north, [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]] to the east, [[Florida]] and the [[Gulf of Mexico]] to the south, and [[Mississippi]] to the west. Alabama is the [[List of U.S. states and territories by area|30th largest by area]]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://beef2live.com/story-ranking-states-area-89-118259 |title=Ranking of U.S. States by Area |access-date=November 7, 2022 |archive-date=December 17, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221217192443/https://beef2live.com/story-ranking-states-area-89-118259 |url-status=live}}</ref> and the [[List of U.S. states and territories by population|24th-most populous]] of the [[List of states and territories of the United States|50 U.S. states]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://worldpopulationreview.com/states |title=US States – Ranked by Population 2022 |access-date=November 7, 2022 |archive-date=March 24, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220324055635/https://worldpopulationreview.com/states |url-status=live}}</ref>

Alabama is nicknamed the ''[[Northern flicker|Yellowhammer]] State'', after the [[List of U.S. state birds|state bird]]. Alabama is also known as the "Heart of [[Dixie]]" and the "Cotton State". The state has diverse geography, with the north dominated by the mountainous [[Tennessee Valley]] and the south by [[Mobile Bay]], a historically significant port. Alabama's capital is [[Montgomery, Alabama|Montgomery]], and its largest city by population and area is [[Huntsville, Alabama|Huntsville]].<ref name="al.com">{{Cite web|date=August 12, 2021|title=Huntsville rockets past Birmingham in Census, now Alabama's largest city|url=https://www.al.com/news/2021/08/huntsville-rockets-past-birmingham-in-2020-census-now-alabamas-largest-city.html|access-date=August 12, 2021|website=al|language=en|archive-date=August 12, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210812230342/https://www.al.com/news/2021/08/huntsville-rockets-past-birmingham-in-2020-census-now-alabamas-largest-city.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Its oldest city is [[Mobile, Alabama|Mobile]], founded by [[French colonization of the Americas|French colonists]] ([[Alabama Creole people|Alabama Creoles]]) in 1702 as the capital of [[Louisiana (New France)|French Louisiana]].<ref name="pelican">{{cite book |last=Thomason |first=Michael |title=Mobile: The New History of Alabama's First City|year=2001 |publisher=University of Alabama Press|location=Tuscaloosa|isbn=978-0-8173-1065-3|pages=2–21}}</ref><ref name="meltonmclaurin">{{cite book |title=Mobile the life and times of a great Southern city|author=Melton McLaurin, Michael Thomason|year=1981|edition=1st|publisher=Windsor Publications|location=United States of America|pages=12, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 24, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 41. 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 88, 92, 105, 119, 120, 123}}</ref> [[Birmingham metropolitan area, Alabama|Greater Birmingham]] is Alabama's largest metropolitan area and its economic center.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.alabamanewscenter.com/2018/08/31/alabamas-largest-county-looks-to-continue-economic-development-momentum/|title=Alabama's largest county looks to continue economic development momentum|date=August 31, 2018|access-date=September 21, 2020|archive-date=October 21, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201021223215/https://alabamanewscenter.com/2018/08/31/alabamas-largest-county-looks-to-continue-economic-development-momentum/|url-status=live}}</ref> Politically, as part of the [[Deep South]], or "[[Bible Belt]]", Alabama is a predominantly [[conservatism in the United States|conservative]] state, and is known for its [[Culture of the Southern United States|Southern culture]]. Within Alabama, [[American football]], particularly at the [[college football|college]] level, plays a major part of the state's culture. 

Originally home to many native tribes, present-day Alabama was a Spanish territory beginning in the sixteenth century until the French acquired it in the early eighteenth century. The British won the territory in 1763 until losing it in the [[American Revolutionary War]]. Spain held Mobile as part of [[Spanish West Florida]] until 1813. In December 1819, Alabama was recognized as a state. During the antebellum period, Alabama was a major [[Cotton production in the United States|producer of cotton]], and widely used [[African Americans|African American]] [[Slavery in the United States|slave labor]]. In 1861, the state seceded from the United States to become part of the [[Confederate States of America]], with Montgomery acting as its first capital, and rejoined the Union in 1868. Following the [[American Civil War]], Alabama would suffer decades of economic hardship, in part due to agriculture and a few [[cash crops]] being the main driver of the state's economy. Similar to other former slave states, Alabamian legislators employed [[Jim Crow laws]] from the late 19th century up until the 1960s. High-profile events such as the [[Selma to Montgomery marches]] made the state a major focal point of the [[civil rights movement]] in the 1950s and 1960s.

During and after [[World War II]], Alabama grew as the state's [[Economic diversity|economy diversified]] with new industries. In 1960, the establishment of [[NASA]]'s [[Marshall Space Flight Center]] in Huntsville helped boost Alabama's economic growth by developing a local [[aerospace]] industry. Alabama's economy in the 21st century is based on automotive, finance, tourism, manufacturing, aerospace, mineral extraction, healthcare, education, retail, and technology.<ref name="alaindustrial">{{cite web |url=http://www2.dir.alabama.gov/projections/Occupational/Proj2018/Statewide/alabama2008_2018.pdf |title=Alabama Occupational Projections 2008–2018 |website=Alabama Department of Industrial Relations |publisher=State of Alabama |access-date=September 22, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130117053325/http://www2.dir.alabama.gov/projections/Occupational/Proj2018/Statewide/alabama2008_2018.pdf |archive-date=January 17, 2013}}</ref>

== Etymology ==
The name of the [[Alabama River]] and state is derived from the [[Alabama people]], a [[Muskogean languages|Muskogean-speaking tribe]] whose members lived just below the [[confluence]] of the [[Coosa River|Coosa]] and [[Tallapoosa River|Tallapoosa]] rivers on the upper reaches of the river.<ref name="Read">{{Cite book |last=Read |first=William A. |title=Indian Place Names in Alabama |year=1984 |publisher=University of Alabama Press |isbn=978-0-8173-0231-3 |oclc=10724679}}</ref> In the [[Alabama language]], the word for a person of Alabama lineage is {{lang|akz|Albaamo}} (or variously {{lang|akz|Albaama}} or {{lang|akz|Albàamo}} in different dialects; the plural form is {{lang|akz|Albaamaha}}).<ref>{{Cite book |author1=Sylestine, Cora |author2=Hardy, Heather |author3=[[Timothy Montler|Montler, Timothy]] |title=Dictionary of the Alabama Language |publisher=University of Texas Press |location=Austin |year=1993 |isbn=978-0-292-73077-9 |url=http://www.ling.unt.edu/~montler/Alabama/ |oclc=26590560 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081024054330/http://www.ling.unt.edu/~montler/Alabama/ |archive-date=October 24, 2008}}</ref> The word's spelling varies significantly among historical sources.<ref name="ADAH1">{{cite web |url=http://www.archives.alabama.gov/statenam.html |title=Alabama: The State Name |access-date=August 2, 2007 |website=All About Alabama |publisher=Alabama Department of Archives and History |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070628215841/http://www.archives.alabama.gov/statenam.html |archive-date=June 28, 2007 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The first usage appears in three accounts of the [[Hernando de Soto]] expedition of 1540: [[Inca Garcilaso de la Vega|Garcilaso de la Vega]] used {{lang|es|Alibamo}}, while the Knight of Elvas and Rodrigo Ranjel wrote ''Alibamu'' and ''Limamu'', respectively, in [[transliteration]]s of the term.<ref name="ADAH1"/> As early as 1702, the French called the tribe the {{lang|fr|Alibamon}}, with French maps identifying the river as {{lang|fr|Rivière des Alibamons}}.<ref name="Read"/> Other spellings of the name have included ''Alibamu'', ''Alabamo'', ''Albama'', ''Alebamon'', ''Alibama'', ''Alibamou'', ''Alabamu'', and ''Allibamou''.<ref name="ADAH1"/><ref name="Wills">{{Cite book |last=Wills |first=Charles A. |title=A Historical Album of Alabama |year=1995 |publisher=The Millbrook Press |isbn=978-1-56294-591-6 |oclc=32242468 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/historicalalbumo0000will_y2e2}}</ref><ref name="Griffith">{{Cite book |last=Griffith |first=Lucille |title=Alabama: A Documentary History to 1900|year=1972 |publisher=University of Alabama Press|isbn=978-0-8173-0371-6 |oclc=17530914}}</ref> The use of state names derived from [[Indigenous languages of the Americas|Native American languages]] is common in the U.S.; an estimated 26 states have names of Native American origin.<ref name="Weiss">{{Cite book |last=Weiss |first=Sonia |title=The Complete Idiot's Guide to Baby Names |year=1999 |publisher=Macmillan USA |isbn=978-0-02-863367-1 |oclc=222611214 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/completeidiotsgu00weis_0}}</ref>

Sources disagree on the word's meaning. Some scholars suggest the word comes from the Choctaw {{lang|cho|alba}} (meaning 'plants' or 'weeds') and {{lang|cho|amo}} (meaning 'to cut', 'to trim', or 'to gather').<ref name="ADAH1"/><ref name="Rogers">{{Cite book |last=Rogers |first=William W.|author2=Robert D. Ward|author3=Leah R. Atkins|author4=Wayne Flynt |title=Alabama: the History of a Deep South State |year=1994 |publisher=University of Alabama Press |isbn=978-0-8173-0712-7 |oclc=28634588}}</ref><ref name="Swanton1">{{Cite journal |last=Swanton |first=John R. |author-link=John R. Swanton |year=1953 |title=The Indian Tribes of North America |journal=Bureau of American Ethnology Bulletin |volume=145 |pages=153–174 |url=http://www.hiddenhistory.com/PAGE3/swsts/alabam-1.htm |access-date=August 2, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070804025900/http://www.hiddenhistory.com/PAGE3/swsts/alabam-1.htm |archive-date=August 4, 2007 |url-status=live |hdl=2027/mdp.39015005395804}}</ref> The meaning may have been 'clearers of the thicket'<ref name="Rogers"/> or 'herb gatherers',<ref name="Swanton1"/><ref name="Swanton2">{{Cite journal |last=Swanton |first=John R. |author-link=John R. Swanton |year=1937 |title=Review of Read, Indian Place Names of Alabama|journal=American Speech|pages=212–215|issue=3 |doi=10.2307/452431 |volume=12 |jstor=452431 |issn=0003-1283}}</ref> referring to clearing land for cultivation<ref name="Wills"/> or collecting medicinal plants.<ref name="Swanton2"/> The state has numerous [[List of place names of Native American origin in Alabama|place names of Native American origin]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.archives.alabama.gov/tours/Previsit_Indian.pdf |title=Southeastern Indian Place Names in what is now Alabama |year=1994 |website=Indian Place Names in Alabama |author=William A. Read |publisher=Alabama Department of Archives and History |access-date=October 3, 2011 |archive-date=October 1, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111001052323/http://www.archives.alabama.gov/tours/Previsit_Indian.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Native American placenames of the United States |last=Bright |first=William |year=2004 |publisher=University of Oklahoma Press |isbn=978-0-8061-3576-2 |pages=29–559 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5XfxzCm1qa4C |access-date=October 29, 2015 |archive-date=June 17, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160617172237/https://books.google.com/books?id=5XfxzCm1qa4C |url-status=live}}</ref>

An 1842 article in the ''Jacksonville Republican'' proposed it meant 'Here We Rest'.<ref name="ADAH1"/> This notion was popularized in the 1850s through the writings of [[Alexander Beaufort Meek]].<ref name="ADAH1"/> Experts in the Muskogean languages have not found any evidence to support such a translation.<ref name="Read"/><ref name="ADAH1"/>

== History ==
{{Main|History of Alabama}}

=== Pre-European settlement ===
[[File:Moundville Archaeological Site Alabama.jpg|thumb|left|The [[Moundville Archaeological Site]] in Hale County. It was occupied by Native Americans of the [[Mississippian culture]] from 1000 to 1450 CE.]]

[[Indigenous peoples]] of varying cultures lived in the area for thousands of years before the advent of European colonization. Trade with the northeastern tribes by the [[Ohio River]] began during the Burial Mound Period (1000{{spaces}}BCE{{snd}}700{{spaces}}CE) and continued until [[European colonization of the Americas|European contact]].<ref name="NewYorkTimesAlmanac">{{cite news |url=http://travel2.nytimes.com/2004/07/15/travel/NYT_ALMANAC_US_ALABAMA.html |title=Alabama |date=August 11, 2006 |work=The New York Times Almanac 2004 |access-date=September 23, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131016195242/http://travel2.nytimes.com/2004/07/15/travel/NYT_ALMANAC_US_ALABAMA.html |archive-date=October 16, 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

The agrarian [[Mississippian culture]] covered most of the state from 1000 to 1600 CE, with one of its major centers built at what is now the [[Moundville Archaeological Site]] in [[Moundville, Alabama]].<ref>{{Cite book |last= Welch |first= Paul D. |title= Moundville's Economy |publisher= University of Alabama Press |year= 1991 |isbn= 978-0-8173-0512-3 |oclc= 21330955}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last= Walthall |first= John A. |title= Prehistoric Indians of the Southeast-Archaeology of Alabama and the Middle South |publisher= University of Alabama Press |year= 1990 |isbn= 978-0-8173-0552-9 |oclc= 26656858}}</ref> This is the second-largest complex of the classic Middle Mississippian era, after [[Cahokia]] in present-day [[Illinois]], which was the center of the culture. Analysis of [[Artifact (archaeology)|artifacts]] from [[archaeological]] excavations at Moundville were the basis of scholars' formulating the characteristics of the [[Southeastern Ceremonial Complex]] (SECC).<ref>{{Cite book |last= Townsend |first= Richard F. |title= Hero, Hawk, and Open Hand |publisher= Yale University Press |year= 2004 |isbn= 978-0-300-10601-5 |oclc= 56633574 |title-link= Hero, Hawk, and Open Hand}}</ref> Contrary to popular belief, the SECC appears to have no direct links to [[Mesoamerica]]n culture but developed independently. The Ceremonial Complex represents a major component of the religion of the Mississippian peoples; it is one of the primary means by which their religion is understood.<ref>{{Cite book|editor= F. Kent Reilly |editor2= James Garber |title= Ancient Objects and Sacred Realms |publisher= University of Texas Press |year= 2004 |isbn= 978-0-292-71347-5 |others=Foreword by Vincas P. Steponaitis |oclc= 70335213 |title-link= Ancient Objects and Sacred Realms}}</ref>

Among the historical tribes of Native American people living in present-day Alabama at the time of European contact were the [[Cherokee]], an [[Iroquoian languages|Iroquoian language]] people; and the [[Muscogee language|Muskogean-speaking]] Alabama (''Alibamu''), [[Chickasaw]], [[Choctaw]], Creek, and [[Coushatta|Koasati]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.accessgenealogy.com/native/alabama/ |title=Alabama Indian Tribes |access-date=September 23, 2006 |year=2006 |website=Indian Tribal Records |publisher=AccessGenealogy.com |archive-url=https://archive.today/20061012073735/http://www.accessgenealogy.com/native/alabama/ |archive-date=October 12, 2006 |url-status=live}}</ref> While part of the same large language family, the [[Muscogee|Muskogee tribes]] developed distinct cultures and languages.

=== European settlement ===
{{Main|New France|Louisiana (New France)|French and Indian War|Treaty of Paris (1763)|New Spain|Louisiana (New Spain)|West Florida|Indian Reserve (1763)|American Revolutionary War|Treaty of Paris (1783)|Spanish West Florida|Seminole Wars|Adams–Onís Treaty|Republic of West Florida|Mississippi Territory}}

The Spanish were the first Europeans to reach Alabama during their exploration of North America in the 16th century. The expedition of Hernando de Soto passed through [[Mabila]] and other parts of the state in 1540. More than 160 years later, the French founded the region's first European settlement at [[Old Mobile Site|Old Mobile]] in 1702.<ref name="US50">{{cite web |url=http://www.theus50.com/alabama/ |title=Alabama State History |access-date=September 23, 2006 |publisher=theUS50.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060825052401/http://www.theus50.com/alabama/ |archive-date=August 25, 2006 |url-status=live}}</ref> The city was moved to the current site of Mobile in 1711. This area was claimed by the French from 1702 to 1763 as part of [[Louisiana (New France)|La Louisiane]].<ref name=alahisttmln/>

After the French lost to the British in the [[Seven Years' War]], it became part of British [[West Florida]] from 1763 to 1783. After the U.S. victory in the [[American Revolutionary War]], the territory was divided between the United States and Spain. The latter retained control of this western territory from 1783 until the surrender of the Spanish garrison at Mobile to U.S. forces on April 13, 1813.<ref name=alahisttmln>{{cite web |title=Alabama History Timeline |url=http://www.archives.alabama.gov/timeline/al1801.html |publisher=Alabama Department of Archives and History |access-date=July 27, 2013 |archive-date=June 18, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160618035649/http://www.archives.alabama.gov/timeline/al1801.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="annexed1">{{cite book |last=Thomason |first=Michael |title=Mobile: The New History of Alabama's First City|year=2001 |publisher=University of Alabama Press|location=Tuscaloosa|isbn=978-0-8173-1065-3|page=61}}</ref>

Thomas Bassett, a [[Loyalist (American Revolution)|loyalist]] to the [[British Empire|British monarchy]] during the Revolutionary era, was one of the earliest white settlers in the state outside Mobile. He settled in the [[Tombigbee District]] during the early 1770s.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.archives.state.al.us/aha/markers/washington.html |title=Alabama Historical Association Marker Program: Washington County |publisher=Archives.state.al.us |access-date=June 1, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110822222441/http://www.archives.state.al.us/aha/markers/washington.html |archive-date=August 22, 2011}}</ref> The district's boundaries were roughly limited to the area within a few miles of the [[Tombigbee River]] and included portions of what is today southern [[Clarke County, Alabama|Clarke County]], northernmost [[Mobile County, Alabama|Mobile County]], and most of [[Washington County, Alabama|Washington County]].<ref name="oldsw">{{cite book |title=The Old Southwest 1795–1830: Frontiers in Conflict |last=Clark |first=Thomas D. |author2=John D. W. Guice |year=1989 |publisher=University of New Mexico Press |location=Albuquerque |isbn=978-0-8061-2836-8 |pages=44–65, 210–257}}</ref><ref name="colonial mobile">{{cite book |title=Colonial Mobile: An Historical Study of the Alabama-Tombigbee Basin and the Old South West from the Discovery of the Spiritu Sancto in 1519 until the Demolition of Fort Charlotte in 1821 |last=Hamilton |first=Peter Joseph |year=1910 |publisher=Houghton Mifflin |location=Boston |oclc=49073155 |pages=241–244}}</ref>

What are now [[Baldwin County, Alabama|Baldwin]] and Mobile counties became part of [[Spanish West Florida]] in 1783, part of the independent [[Republic of West Florida]] in 1810, and finally part of the [[Mississippi Territory]] in 1812. Most of what is now the northern two-thirds of Alabama was known as the [[Yazoo lands]] beginning during the British colonial period. It was claimed by the [[Province of Georgia]] from 1767 onwards. Following the Revolutionary War, it remained a part of Georgia, although heavily disputed.<ref>{{cite book |last=Cadle |first=Farris W |title=Georgia Land Surveying History and Law|year=1991 |publisher=University of Georgia Press|location=Athens, Ga.}}</ref><ref name="pickett">{{cite book |last=Pickett |first=Albert James |title=History of Alabama and incidentally of Georgia and Mississippi, from the earliest period|url=https://archive.org/details/historyalabamaa00pickgoog |year=1851 |publisher=Walker and James|location=Charleston|pages=[https://archive.org/details/historyalabamaa00pickgoog/page/n432 408]–428}}</ref>

With the exception of the area around Mobile and the Yazoo lands, what is now the lower one-third of Alabama was made part of the Mississippi Territory when it was organized in 1798. The Yazoo lands were added to the territory in 1804, following the [[Yazoo land scandal]].<ref name="pickett"/><ref>{{cite web |title=The Pine Barrens Speculation and Yazoo Land Fraud |url=http://www.aboutnorthgeorgia.com/ang/The_Pine_Barrens_Speculation_and_Yazoo_Land_Fraud |publisher=About North Georgia |access-date=July 27, 2013 |archive-date=November 3, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131103193838/http://www.aboutnorthgeorgia.com/ang/The_Pine_Barrens_Speculation_and_Yazoo_Land_Fraud |url-status=dead}}</ref> Spain kept a claim on its former Spanish West Florida territory in what would become the coastal counties until the [[Adams–Onís Treaty]] officially ceded it to the U.S. in 1819.<ref name="annexed1"/>

=== 19th century ===
{{Main|Organic act#List of organic acts|Alabama Territory|Admission to the Union|List of U.S. states by date of admission to the Union}}
[[File:Mississippiterritory.PNG|thumb|upright=0.9]]

Before [[Mississippi|Mississippi's admission]] to statehood on December 10, 1817, the more sparsely settled eastern half of the territory was separated and named the [[Alabama Territory]]. The [[United States Congress]] created the Alabama Territory on March 3, 1817. [[St. Stephens, Alabama|St. Stephens]], now abandoned, served as the territorial capital from 1817 to 1819.<ref name="eoaststephens">{{cite web |url=http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/face/Article.jsp?id=h-1674 |title=Old St. Stephens |website=Encyclopedia of Alabama |publisher=Auburn University |access-date=June 21, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110726152101/http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/face/Article.jsp?id=h-1674 |archive-date=July 26, 2011 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

Alabama was admitted as the 22nd state on December 14, 1819, with Congress selecting [[Huntsville, Alabama|Huntsville]] as the site for the first [[Constituent assembly|Constitutional Convention]]. From July{{spaces}}5 to August 2, 1819, delegates met to prepare the new state constitution. Huntsville served as temporary capital from 1819 to 1820, when the seat of government moved to [[Cahaba, Alabama|Cahaba]] in [[Dallas County, Alabama|Dallas County]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Huntsville |url=http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/face/Article.jsp?id=h-2498 |website=The Encyclopedia of Alabama |publisher=Alabama Humanities Foundation |access-date=January 22, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130122065945/http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/face/Article.jsp?id=h-2498 |archive-date=January 22, 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

[[Cahaba, Alabama|Cahaba]], now a [[ghost town]], was the first permanent state capital from 1820 to 1825.<ref name="Cahaw">{{cite web |title=Old Cahawba, Alabama's first state capital, 1820 to 1826 |website=Old Cahawba: A Cahawba Advisory Committee Project |url=http://www.cahawba.com/ |access-date=September 22, 2012 |archive-date=August 21, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120821130209/http://www.cahawba.com/ |url-status=live}}</ref> The [[Alabama Fever]] land rush was underway when the state was admitted to the Union, with settlers and land speculators pouring into the state to take advantage of fertile land suitable for cotton cultivation.<ref name="fever">{{cite web |url=http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/face/Article.jsp?id=h-3155 |title=Alabama Fever |author=LeeAnna Keith |date=October 13, 2011 |website=Encyclopedia of Alabama |publisher=Auburn University |access-date=September 22, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130117053816/http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/face/Article.jsp?id=h-3155 |archive-date=January 17, 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="adahtalafvr">{{cite web |url=http://www.alabamaheritage.com/vault/kingcotton.htm |title=Alabama Fever |website=Alabama Department of Archives and History |publisher=State of Alabama |access-date=September 22, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130117053326/http://www.alabamaheritage.com/vault/kingcotton.htm |archive-date=January 17, 2013}}</ref> Part of the frontier in the 1820s and 1830s, its constitution provided for universal suffrage for white men.<ref name="SSpaces"/>

[[File:Thornhill 01.jpg|thumb|right|The main house, built in 1833, at [[Thornhill (Forkland, Alabama)|Thornhill]] in Greene County. It is a former [[Black Belt (region of Alabama)|Black Belt]] plantation.]]
Southeastern planters and traders from the [[Upper South]] brought [[History of slavery in Alabama|slaves]] with them as the cotton [[List of plantations in Alabama|plantations in Alabama]] expanded. The economy of the central [[Black Belt (region of Alabama)|Black Belt]] (named for its dark, productive soil) was built around large cotton [[Plantation complexes in the Southern United States|plantations]] whose owners' wealth grew mainly from slave labor.<ref name="SSpaces"/> The area also drew many poor, disenfranchised people who became [[Subsistence agriculture|subsistence farmers]]. Alabama had an estimated population of under 10,000 people in 1810, but it increased to more than 300,000 people by 1830.<ref name="fever"/> Most Native American tribes were [[Indian removal|completely removed]] from the state within a few years of the passage of the [[Indian Removal Act]] by Congress in 1830.<ref name="ala">{{cite web |url=http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/face/Article.jsp?id=h-1598 |title=Alabama |author=Wayne Flynt |date=July 9, 2008 |website=Encyclopedia of Alabama |publisher=Auburn University |access-date=September 22, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120906010441/http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/face/Article.jsp?id=h-1598 |archive-date=September 6, 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

From 1826 to 1846, [[Tuscaloosa, Alabama|Tuscaloosa]] served as Alabama's capital. On January 30, 1846, the Alabama legislature announced it had voted to move the capital city from Tuscaloosa to Montgomery. The first legislative session in the new capital met in December 1847.<ref name="capitols">{{cite web |url=http://www.archives.state.al.us/capital/capitals.html |title=Capitals of Alabama |website=Alabama Department of Archives and History |access-date=July 8, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716220255/http://www.archives.state.al.us/capital/capitals.html |archive-date=July 16, 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref> A new capitol building was erected under the direction of [[Stephen Decatur Button]] of [[Philadelphia]]. The first structure burned down in 1849, but was rebuilt on the same site in 1851. This second capitol building in Montgomery remains to the present day. It was designed by Barachias Holt of [[Exeter, Maine]].<ref name="alcatalog">{{cite book |last= Gamble |first=Robert|year =1987 |title =The Alabama Catalog: A Guide to the Early Architecture of the State|pages=144, 323–324 |publisher =University of Alabama Press|location = University, AL|isbn =978-0-8173-0148-4}}</ref><ref name="alarchitecture">{{cite book |last =Bowsher |first =Alice Meriwether|year =2001 |title =Alabama Architecture|pages=90–91 |publisher =University of Alabama Press|location = Tuscaloosa|isbn =978-0-8173-1081-3}}</ref>

==== Civil War and Reconstruction ====
{{Main|Ordinance of Secession|Confederate States of America|Alabama in the American Civil War}}

By 1860, the population had increased to 964,201 people, of which nearly half, 435,080, were enslaved African Americans, and 2,690 were [[free people of color]].<ref name="adahtmln">{{cite web |url=http://www.archives.alabama.gov/timeline/al1801.html |title=Alabama History Timeline |website=Alabama Department of Archives and History |publisher=State of Alabama |access-date=September 22, 2012 |archive-date=June 18, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160618035649/http://www.archives.alabama.gov/timeline/al1801.html |url-status=live}}</ref> On January 11, 1861, Alabama declared its [[Secession in the United States|secession]] from the [[Union (American Civil War)|Union]]. After remaining an independent republic for a few days, it joined the [[Confederate States of America]]. The Confederacy's capital was initially at Montgomery. Alabama was heavily [[Alabama in the American Civil War|involved in the American Civil War]]. Although comparatively few battles were fought in the state, Alabama contributed about 120,000 soldiers to the war effort.

[[File:Huntsville Courthouse Square 1864.jpg|thumb|left|[[Union Army]] troops occupying Courthouse Square in Huntsville, following its capture and occupation by federal forces in 1864]]
A company of cavalry soldiers from Huntsville, Alabama, joined [[Nathan Bedford Forrest]]'s battalion in [[Hopkinsville, Kentucky]]. The company wore new uniforms with yellow trim on the sleeves, collar and coattails. This led to them being greeted with "Yellowhammer", and the name later was applied to all Alabama troops in the Confederate Army.<ref>[http://www.archives.state.al.us/emblems/st_bird.html Official Symbols and Emblems of Alabama, State Bird of Alabama, Yellowhammer] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190102071436/http://www.archives.state.al.us/emblems/st_bird.html |date=January 2, 2019}}. Alabama State Archives</ref>

Alabama's slaves were freed by the 13th Amendment in 1865.<ref name="HistDocs">{{cite web |url=http://www.historicaldocuments.com/13thAmendment.htm |title=13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Abolition of Slavery (1865) |access-date=September 23, 2006 |year=2005 |website=Historical Documents |publisher=HistoricalDocuments.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061031131251/http://www.historicaldocuments.com/13thAmendment.htm |archive-date=October 31, 2006}}</ref> Alabama was under military rule from the end of the war in May 1865 until its official restoration to the Union in 1868. From 1867 to 1874, with most white citizens barred temporarily from voting and freedmen enfranchised, many African Americans emerged as political leaders in the state. Alabama was represented in Congress during this period by three African-American congressmen: [[Jeremiah Haralson]], [[Benjamin S. Turner]], and [[James T. Rapier]].<ref name="alrecnstrctn">{{cite web |url=http://www.alabamamoments.alabama.gov/sec24.html |title=Reconstruction in Alabama: A Quick Summary |website=Alabama Moments in American History |publisher=Alabama Department of Archives and History |access-date=September 22, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120913020916/http://www.alabamamoments.alabama.gov/sec24.html |archive-date=September 13, 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

Following the war, the state remained chiefly agricultural, with an economy tied to cotton. During Reconstruction, state legislators ratified a [[Constitution of Alabama|new state constitution]] in 1868 which created the state's first public school system and expanded women's rights. Legislators funded numerous public road and railroad projects, although these were plagued with allegations of fraud and [[misappropriation]].<ref name="alrecnstrctn"/> Organized [[Insurgency|insurgent]], resistance groups tried to suppress the freedmen and Republicans. These groups included The [[Ku Klux Klan]], the Pale Faces, [[Knights of the White Camelia|Knights of the White Camellia]], [[Red Shirts (United States)|Red Shirts]], and the [[White League]].<ref name="alrecnstrctn"/>

Reconstruction in Alabama ended in 1874, when the Democrats regained control of the legislature and governor's office through an election dominated by fraud and violence. They wrote another constitution in 1875,<ref name="alrecnstrctn"/> and the legislature passed the [[Blaine Amendment]], prohibiting public money from being used to finance religious-affiliated schools.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.schoolreport.com/schoolreport/articles/blaine_7_00.htm |title=A Blaine Amendment Update (July 00) |publisher=Schoolreport.com |access-date=June 1, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716014339/http://www.schoolreport.com/schoolreport/articles/blaine_7_00.htm |archive-date=July 16, 2011 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The same year, legislation was approved that called for [[racial segregation|racially segregated]] schools.<ref name="jimcrowala">{{cite web |url=http://www.classroomhelp.com/till/jimcrowlaws/jimcrowalabama.html |title=Jim Crow Laws in Alabama |website=Emmett Till, It All Began with a Whistle |publisher=Classroomhelp |access-date=September 22, 2012 |archive-date=June 26, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120626210219/http://classroomhelp.com/till/jimcrowlaws/jimcrowalabama.html |url-status=live}}</ref> Railroad passenger cars were segregated in 1891.<ref name="jimcrowala"/>

=== 20th century ===
[[File:Birmingham Alabama skyline 1915.jpg|thumb|The developing skyline of Birmingham in 1915]]

The new 1901 Constitution of Alabama included provisions for [[voter registration]] that effectively [[Disfranchisement after the Reconstruction era|disenfranchised]] large portions of the population, including nearly all African Americans and Native Americans, and tens of thousands of poor European Americans, through making voter registration difficult, requiring a [[Poll taxes in the United States|poll tax]] and [[literacy test]].<ref>Morgan Kousser. ''The Shaping of Southern Politics: Suffrage Restriction and the Establishment of the One-Party South'', New Haven: Yale University Press, 1974</ref> The 1901 constitution required racial segregation of public schools. By 1903 only 2,980 African Americans were registered in Alabama, although at least 74,000 were [[Literacy|literate]]. This compared to more than 181,000 African Americans eligible to vote in 1900. The numbers dropped even more in later decades.<ref name="epzzsd"/> The state legislature passed additional racial segregation laws related to public facilities into the 1950s: jails were segregated in 1911; hospitals in 1915; toilets, hotels, and restaurants in 1928; and bus stop waiting rooms in 1945.<ref name="jimcrowala"/>

While the planter class had persuaded poor whites to vote for this legislative effort to suppress black voting, the new restrictions resulted in their disenfranchisement as well, due mostly to the imposition of a cumulative poll tax.<ref name="epzzsd"/> By 1941, whites constituted a slight majority of those disenfranchised by these laws: 600,000 whites vs. 520,000 African Americans.<ref name="epzzsd">Glenn Feldman. ''The Disfranchisement Myth: Poor Whites and Suffrage Restriction in Alabama''. Athens: University of Georgia Press, 2004, p. 136.</ref> Nearly all Blacks had lost the ability to vote. Despite numerous legal challenges which succeeded in overturning certain provisions, the state legislature would create new ones to maintain disenfranchisement. The exclusion of blacks from the political system persisted until after passage of federal civil rights legislation in 1965 to enforce their constitutional rights as citizens.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h-1248 |title=Segregation (Jim Crow) |website=Encyclopedia of Alabama |access-date=May 26, 2018 |archive-date=May 30, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180530141129/http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h-1248 |url-status=live}}</ref>

The rural-dominated Alabama legislature consistently underfunded schools and services for the disenfranchised African Americans, but it did not relieve them of paying taxes.<ref name="SSpaces">{{cite journal |url= http://southernspaces.org/2004/black-belt |title= The Black Belt |access-date= September 23, 2006 |date= April 19, 2004 |journal= Southern Spaces |publisher= Emory University |doi= 10.18737/M70K6P |last1= Tullos |first1= Allen |doi-access= free |archive-date= January 11, 2011 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110111023122/http://southernspaces.org/2004/black-belt |url-status= live}}</ref> Partially as a response to chronic underfunding of education for African Americans in the South, the [[Rosenwald Fund]] began funding the construction of what came to be known as [[Rosenwald School]]s. In Alabama, these schools were designed, and the construction partially financed with Rosenwald funds, which paid one-third of the construction costs. The fund required the local community and state to raise matching funds to pay the rest. Black residents effectively taxed themselves twice, by raising additional monies to supply matching funds for such schools, which were built in many rural areas. They often donated land and labor as well.<ref name="rosenwaldal">{{cite web |title=The Rosenwald School Building Fund and Associated Buildings MPS |website=National Register Information System |url=https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/GetAsset/NRHP/64500011_text |access-date=October 3, 2012 |archive-date=June 7, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220607152915/https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/GetAsset/NRHP/64500011_text |url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:Mount Sinai School Autauga County July 2011 1.jpg|thumb|left|The former [[Mount Sinai School]] in rural Autauga County, completed in 1919. It was one of the 387 [[Rosenwald Schools]] built in the state.]]
Beginning in 1913, the first 80 Rosenwald Schools were built in Alabama for African American children. A total of 387 schools, seven teachers' houses, and several vocational buildings were completed by 1937 in the state. Several of the [[The Rosenwald School Building Fund and Associated Buildings Multiple Property Submission|surviving school buildings]] in the state are now listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]].<ref name="rosenwaldal"/>

Continued racial discrimination and [[lynching]]s, agricultural depression, and the failure of the cotton crops due to [[boll weevil]] infestation led tens of thousands of African Americans from rural Alabama and other states to seek opportunities in northern and midwestern cities during the early decades of the 20th century as part of the [[Great Migration (African American)|Great Migration]] out of the South.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Hine |first1=Darlene |last2=Hine |first2=William |last3=Harrold |first3=Stanley |title=African Americans: A Concise History |date=2012 |publisher=Pearson Education, Inc. |location=Boston |isbn=9780205806270 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/africanamericans0000hine_i0f5/page/388 388–389] |edition=4th |url=https://archive.org/details/africanamericans0000hine_i0f5/page/388}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.britannica.com/event/Great-Migration |title=Great Migration {{!}} African-American history |work=Encyclopædia Britannica |access-date=May 26, 2018 |archive-date=May 27, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180527024942/https://www.britannica.com/event/Great-Migration |url-status=live}}</ref> Reflecting this emigration, the population growth rate in Alabama (see "historical populations" table below) dropped by nearly half from 1910 to 1920.<ref name="census data">{{cite web|author=Resident Population Data |url=http://2010.census.gov/2010census/data/apportionment-pop-text.php |title=Resident Population Data—2010 Census |publisher=2010.census.gov |access-date=January 31, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110519131122/http://2010.census.gov/2010census/data/apportionment-pop-text.php |archive-date=May 19, 2011 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

At the same time, many rural people migrated to the city of Birmingham to work in new industrial jobs. Birmingham experienced such rapid growth it was called the "Magic City".<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h-1421 |title=Birmingham {{!}} Encyclopedia of Alabama |website=Encyclopedia of Alabama |access-date=May 26, 2018 |archive-date=September 8, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180908221815/http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h-1421 |url-status=live}}</ref> By 1920, Birmingham was the 36th-largest city in the United States.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0027/tab15.txt |title=Population of the 100 Largest Urban Places: 1920 |website=United States Census Bureau|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080814041159/http://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0027/tab15.txt|archive-date=August 14, 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref> Heavy industry and mining were the basis of its economy. Its residents were under-represented for decades in the state legislature, which refused to redistrict after each decennial census according to population changes, as it was required by the state constitution. This did not change until the late 1960s following a lawsuit and court order.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_bq9L27c4fwC&q=birmingham+alabama+underrepresented+in+the+state+legislature&pg=PA149 |title=Defending Constitutional Rights |last=Johnson |first=Frank Minis |date=2001 |publisher=University of Georgia Press |isbn=9780820322858 |access-date=November 8, 2020 |archive-date=December 31, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211231203237/https://books.google.com/books?id=_bq9L27c4fwC&q=birmingham+alabama+underrepresented+in+the+state+legislature&pg=PA149 |url-status=live}}</ref>
{{blockquote|Beginning in the 1940s, when the courts started taking the first steps to recognize the voting rights of black voters, the Alabama legislature took several counter-steps designed to disfranchise black voters. The legislature passed, and the voters ratified [as these were mostly white voters], a state constitutional amendment that gave local registrars greater latitude to disqualify voter registration applicants. Black citizens in Mobile successfully challenged this amendment as a violation of the [[Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution|Fifteenth Amendment]]. The legislature also changed the boundaries of [[Tuskegee, Alabama|Tuskegee]] to a 28-sided figure designed to fence out blacks from the city limits. The Supreme Court unanimously held that this racial "[[gerrymandering]]" violated the Constitution. In 1961,{{spaces}}... the Alabama legislature also intentionally diluted the effect of the black vote by instituting numbered place requirements for local elections.<ref name="vra">James Blacksher, Edward Still, Nick Quinton, Cullen Brown and Royal Dumas. [http://www.protectcivilrights.org/pdf/voting/AlabamaVRA.pdf ''Voting Rights in Alabama (1982–2006)''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200924102059/http://www.protectcivilrights.org/pdf/voting/AlabamaVRA.pdf |date=September 24, 2020}}, Renew the VRA.org, July 2006, from discussion in Peyton McCrary, Jerome A. Gray, Edward Still, and Huey L. Perry, "Alabama" in ''Quiet Revolution in the South'', pp. 38–52, Chandler Davidson and Bernard Grofman, eds. 1994.</ref>}}

Industrial development related to the demands of World War II brought a level of prosperity to the state not seen since before the civil war.<ref name="SSpaces"/> Rural workers poured into the largest cities in the state for better jobs and a higher standard of living. One example of this massive influx of workers occurred in Mobile. Between 1940 and 1943, more than 89,000 people moved into the city to work for war-related industries.<ref name="thomason2">{{cite book |last1=Thomason |first1=Michael |title=Mobile : the new history of Alabama's first city |date=2001 |publisher=University of Alabama Press |location=Tuscaloosa |isbn=0-8173-1065-7 |pages=213–217}}</ref> Cotton and other [[cash crop]]s faded in importance as the state developed a manufacturing and service base.

Despite massive population changes in the state from 1901 to 1961, the rural-dominated legislature refused to reapportion House and Senate seats based on population, as required by the state constitution to follow the results of decennial censuses. They held on to old representation to maintain political and economic power in agricultural areas. One result was that [[Jefferson County, Alabama|Jefferson County]], containing Birmingham's industrial and economic powerhouse, contributed more than one-third of all tax revenue to the state, but did not receive a proportional amount in services. Urban interests were consistently underrepresented in the legislature. A 1960 study noted that because of rural domination, "a minority of about 25% of the total state population is in majority control of the Alabama legislature."<ref name=":0" /><ref name="pjhwpa">{{cite web |url=http://elections.gmu.edu/Redistricting/AL.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071017192719/http://elections.gmu.edu/Redistricting/AL.htm |archive-date=October 17, 2007 |title=George Mason University, United States Election Project: Alabama Redistricting Summary.|access-date=October 24, 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

In the United States Supreme Court cases of ''[[Baker v. Carr]]'' (1962) and ''[[Reynolds v. Sims]]'' (1964), the court ruled that the principle of "[[one man, one vote]]" needed to be the basis of both houses of state legislatures, and that their districts had to be based on population rather than geographic counties.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h-2023 |title=Reynolds v. Sims |website=Encyclopedia of Alabama |access-date=May 26, 2018 |archive-date=May 27, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180527201725/http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h-2023 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|date=1963|title=Baker V. Carr and Legislative Apportionments: A Problem of Standards|jstor=794657|journal=The Yale Law Journal|volume=72|issue=5|pages=968–1040|doi=10.2307/794657|s2cid=249552862 |url=https://digitalcommons.law.yale.edu/ylj/vol72/iss5/4|access-date=March 26, 2019|archive-date=March 26, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190326031411/https://digitalcommons.law.yale.edu/ylj/vol72/iss5/4/|url-status=live}}</ref>

African Americans continued to press in the 1950s and 1960s to end disenfranchisement and segregation in the state through the civil rights movement, including legal challenges. In 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in ''[[Brown v. Board of Education]]'' that public schools had to be [[Desegregation in the United States|desegregated]], but Alabama was slow to comply. During the 1960s, under Governor [[George Wallace]], Alabama resisted compliance with federal demands for desegregation.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=I5JJCAAAQBAJ&q=alabama+brown+v.+board&pg=PT94 |title=Brown v. Board of Education and the Civil Rights Movement |last=Klarman |first=Michael J. |date=July 31, 2007 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=9780190294588 |access-date=November 8, 2020 |archive-date=February 20, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210220154843/https://books.google.com/books?id=I5JJCAAAQBAJ&q=alabama+brown+v.+board&pg=PT94 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.abajournal.com/magazine/article/september_2_1963_gov._wallace_halts_integration/|title=September 2, 1963: Gov. Wallace halts integration|work=ABA Journal|access-date=May 26, 2018|author=Mark Curriden|archive-date=May 27, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180527023651/http://www.abajournal.com/magazine/article/september_2_1963_gov._wallace_halts_integration/|url-status=live}}</ref> The civil rights movement had notable events in Alabama, including the [[Montgomery bus boycott]] (1955–1956), [[Freedom Rides]] in 1961, and 1965 Selma to Montgomery marches.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/s-121 |title=Civil Rights Movement in Alabama Feature |website=Encyclopedia of Alabama |access-date=May 26, 2018 |archive-date=May 27, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180527201747/http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/s-121 |url-status=live}}</ref> These contributed to Congressional passage and enactment of the [[Civil Rights Act of 1964]] and [[Voting Rights Act of 1965]] by the U.S. Congress.<ref name="cra64">{{cite web |url=http://finduslaw.com/civil_rights_act_of_1964_cra_title_vii_equal_employment_opportunities_42_us_code_chapter_21 |title=Civil Rights Act of 1964 |publisher=Finduslaw.com |access-date=October 24, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101021141154/http://finduslaw.com/civil_rights_act_of_1964_cra_title_vii_equal_employment_opportunities_42_us_code_chapter_21 |archive-date=October 21, 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.thenation.com/article/alabama-birthplace-of-voting-rights-act-once-again-gutting-voting-rights/ |title=Alabama, Birthplace of the Voting Rights Act, Is Once Again Gutting Voting Rights |last=Berman |first=Ari |date=October 1, 2015 |work=The Nation |access-date=May 26, 2018 |issn=0027-8378 |archive-date=May 27, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180527023747/https://www.thenation.com/article/alabama-birthplace-of-voting-rights-act-once-again-gutting-voting-rights/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

Legal segregation ended in the states in 1964, but Jim Crow customs often continued until specifically challenged in court.<ref name="USDOJ">{{cite web |url=http://www.usdoj.gov/kidspage/crt/voting.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070221054512/http://www.usdoj.gov/kidspage/crt/voting.htm |archive-date=February 21, 2007 |title=Voting Rights |access-date=September 23, 2006 |date=January 9, 2002 |website=Civil Rights: Law and History |publisher=U.S. Department of Justice |url-status=dead}}</ref> According to ''[[The New York Times]]'', by 2017, many of Alabama's African Americans were living in Alabama's cities such as Birmingham and Montgomery. Also, the Black Belt region across central Alabama "is home to largely poor counties that are predominantly African-American. These counties include Dallas, [[Lowndes County, Alabama|Lowndes]], [[Marengo County, Alabama|Marengo]] and [[Perry County, Alabama|Perry]]."<ref name="NYT_2017">{{cite news |title=Alabama Senate Race Between Roy Moore and Doug Jones Ends With More Controversy |first1=Jonathan |last1=Martin |first2=Alan |last2=Blinder |date=December 12, 2017}}</ref>

In 1972, for the first time since 1901, the legislature completed the congressional redistricting based on the decennial census. This benefited the urban areas that had developed, as well as all in the population who had been underrepresented for more than sixty years.<ref name="pjhwpa" /> Other changes were made to implement representative state house and senate districts.

Alabama has made some changes since the late 20th century and has used new types of voting to increase representation. In the 1980s, an omnibus redistricting case, ''[[Dillard v. Crenshaw County]]'', challenged the [[at-large]] voting for representative seats of 180 Alabama jurisdictions, including counties and school boards. At-large voting had diluted the votes of any minority in a county, as the majority tended to take all seats. Despite African Americans making up a significant minority in the state, they had been unable to elect any representatives in most of the at-large jurisdictions.<ref name="vra" />

As part of settlement of this case, five Alabama cities and counties, including [[Chilton County, Alabama|Chilton County]], adopted a system of [[proportional representation|cumulative voting]] for election of representatives in multi-seat jurisdictions. This has resulted in more proportional representation for voters. In another form of proportional representation, 23 jurisdictions use [[limited voting]], as in [[Conecuh County, Alabama|Conecuh County]]. In 1982, limited voting was first tested in Conecuh County. Together use of these systems has increased the number of African Americans and women being elected to local offices, resulting in governments that are more representative of their citizens.<ref name="cum">{{cite web |title=Cumulative Elections in Alabama (2004) |url=http://archive.fairvote.org/?page=516 |publisher=FairVote Archives |access-date=January 11, 2015 |archive-date=February 3, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150203203843/http://archive.fairvote.org/?page=516 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Beginning in the 1960s, the state's economy shifted away from its traditional lumber, steel, and textile industries because of increased foreign competition. Steel jobs, for instance, declined from 46,314 in 1950 to 14,185 in 2011.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Bridges |first1=Edwin |title=Alabama: The Making of an American State |date=2016 |publisher=University of Alabama Press |location=Tuscaloosa, AL |page=224}}</ref> However, the state, particularly Huntsville, benefited from the opening of the [[Marshall Space Flight Center|George C. Marshall Space Flight Center]] in 1960, a major facility in the development of the Saturn rocket program and the space shuttle. Technology and manufacturing industries, such as automobile assembly, replaced some the state's older industries in the late twentieth century, but the state's economy and growth lagged behind other states in the area, such as Georgia and Florida.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Bridges |first1=Edwin |title=Alabama: The Making of an American State |date=2016 |publisher=University of Alabama Press |location=Tuscaloosa, AL |pages=224–229}}</ref>

=== 21st century ===
In 2001, Alabama Supreme Court chief justice [[Roy Moore]] installed a statue of the [[Ten Commandments]] in the capitol in Montgomery. In 2002, the 11th US Circuit Court ordered the statue removed, but Moore refused to follow the court order, which led to protests around the capitol in favor of keeping the monument. The monument was removed in August 2003.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Faulk |first1=Kent |title=A Roy Moore timeline: From Ten Commandments to senate candidate |url=https://www.al.com/news/birmingham/2016/05/a_roy_moore_timeline_from_ten.html |website=al.com |access-date=February 6, 2021 |date=May 8, 2016 |archive-date=August 13, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200813094511/https://www.al.com/news/birmingham/2016/05/a_roy_moore_timeline_from_ten.html |url-status=live}}</ref>

A few natural disasters have occurred in the state in the twenty-first century. In 2004, [[Hurricane Ivan]], a category 3 storm upon landfall, struck the state and caused over $18&nbsp;billion of damage. It was among the most destructive storms to strike the state in its modern history.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Morgan |first1=Leigh |title=Remembering Hurricane Ivan 14 years later |url=https://www.al.com/news/erry-2018/09/338f6e161d3228/remembering-hurricane-ivan-14.html |website=al.com |access-date=February 6, 2021 |date=September 16, 2018 |archive-date=February 20, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210220152012/https://www.al.com/news/erry-2018/09/338f6e161d3228/remembering-hurricane-ivan-14.html |url-status=live}}</ref> A [[2011 Super Outbreak|super outbreak]] of 62 tornadoes hit the state in April 2011 and killed 238 people, devastating many communities.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Leada |first1=Gore |title=April 27, 2011 tornadoes in Alabama: A by-the-numbers look at day of devastation |url=https://www.al.com/sports/g66l-2019/04/4a522b8b4b5305/april-27-2011-tornadoes-in-alabama-a-bythenumbers-look-at-day-of-devastation.html |website=al.com |access-date=February 6, 2021 |date=April 27, 2019 |archive-date=February 14, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210214052116/https://www.al.com/sports/g66l-2019/04/4a522b8b4b5305/april-27-2011-tornadoes-in-alabama-a-bythenumbers-look-at-day-of-devastation.html |url-status=live}}</ref>

== Geography ==
{{Main|Geography of Alabama}}
{{See also|List of Alabama counties|Geology of Alabama}}
[[File:Map of Alabama terrain NA.jpg|thumb|right|Map of Alabama from the [[National Atlas of the United States]] (2007)]]
[[File:OnoIslandAl.jpg|thumb|right|[[Ono Island, Alabama|Ono Island]] in Baldwin County]]
[[File:MonteSanoStateParkhsval.jpg|thumb|[[Monte Sano State Park]] in Huntsville]]
[[File:Cathedral Cavern 2019.png|thumb|right|[[Cathedral Caverns State Park|Cathedral Caverns]] in [[Marshall County, Alabama|Marshall County]]]]

Alabama is the thirtieth-largest state in the United States with {{convert|52419|sqmi|km2|abbr=out|sp=us}} of total area: 3.2% of the area is water, making Alabama 23rd in the amount of surface water, also giving it the second-largest inland waterway system in the United States.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/GCTTable?_bm=n&_lang=en&mt_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U_GCTPH1R_US9S&format=US-9S&_box_head_nbr=GCT-PH1-R&ds_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U&geo_id=01000US |title= GCT-PH1-R. Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density (areas ranked by population): 2000 |year= 2000 |access-date= September 23, 2006 |website= Geographic Comparison Table |publisher= U.S. Census Bureau |archive-url= http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20090403062125/http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/GCTTable?_bm=n&_lang=en&mt_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U_GCTPH1R_US9S&format=US-9S&_box_head_nbr=GCT-PH1-R&ds_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U&geo_id=01000US |archive-date= April 3, 2009 |url-status= dead}}</ref> About three-fifths of the land area is part of the [[Gulf Coastal Plain]], a gentle plain with a general descent towards the [[Mississippi River]] and the Gulf of Mexico. The [[North Alabama]] region is mostly mountainous, with the [[Tennessee River]] cutting a large valley and creating numerous creeks, streams, rivers, mountains, and lakes.<ref name="NetState">{{cite web |url=http://www.netstate.com/states/geography/al_geography.htm |title=The Geography of Alabama |website=Geography of the States |publisher=NetState.com |date=August 11, 2006 |access-date=September 23, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060917172224/http://www.netstate.com/states/geography/al_geography.htm |archive-date=September 17, 2006 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Alabama is bordered by the states of Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama has coastline at the Gulf of Mexico, in the extreme southern edge of the state.<ref name="NetState"/> The state ranges in elevation from sea level<ref name="usgs">{{cite web|date=April 29, 2005 |url=http://erg.usgs.gov/isb/pubs/booklets/elvadist/elvadist.html#Highest |title=Elevations and Distances in the United States |publisher=U.S. Geological Survey |access-date=November 3, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080116113632/http://erg.usgs.gov/isb/pubs/booklets/elvadist/elvadist.html |archive-date=January 16, 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref> at Mobile Bay to more than {{convert|2000|ft|m}} in the [[Sand Mountain (Alabama)|northeast]], to [[Cheaha Mountain|Mount Cheaha]]<ref name="NetState" /> at {{cvt|2413|ft}}.<ref name=ngs>{{cite web |url=http://www.ngs.noaa.gov/cgi-bin/ds_mark.prl?PidBox=DG3595 |title=NGS Data Sheet for Cheaha Mountain |publisher=U.S. National Geodetic Survey |access-date=June 8, 2011 |archive-date=July 23, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130723044128/http://www.ngs.noaa.gov/cgi-bin/ds_mark.prl?PidBox=DG3595 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Alabama's land consists of {{convert|22|e6acre|km2}} of forest or 67% of the state's total land area.<ref>[http://www.alabamaforests.org/Introduction/index.html Alabama Forest Owner's Guide to Information Resources, Introduction], Alabamaforests.org {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150427181510/http://www.alabamaforests.org/Introduction/index.html |date=April 27, 2015}}</ref> Suburban [[Baldwin County, Alabama|Baldwin County]], along the Gulf Coast, is the largest county in the state in both land area and water area.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/GCTTable?_bm=y&-context=gct&-ds_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U&-mt_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U_GCTPH1R_ST2S&-CONTEXT=gct&-tree_id=4001&-redoLog=true&-geo_id=04000US01&-format=ST-2 |title=Alabama County (geographies ranked by total population): 2000 |date=2000 |website=Geographic Comparison Table |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |access-date=May 14, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081011232646/http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/GCTTable?_bm=y&-context=gct&-ds_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U&-mt_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U_GCTPH1R_ST2S&-CONTEXT=gct&-tree_id=4001&-redoLog=true&-geo_id=04000US01&-format=ST-2|archive-date=October 11, 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

[[File:NaturalBridgeAl.jpg|thumb|left|The Natural Bridge Rock in [[Winston County, Alabama|Winston County]] is the longest natural bridge east of the Rockies.]]
Areas in Alabama administered by the [[National Park Service]] include [[Horseshoe Bend National Military Park]] near [[Alexander City, Alabama|Alexander City]]; [[Little River Canyon National Preserve]] near [[Fort Payne, Alabama|Fort Payne]]; [[Russell Cave National Monument]] in [[Bridgeport, Alabama|Bridgeport]]; [[Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site]] in Tuskegee; and [[Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site]] near Tuskegee.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://home.nps.gov/applications/parksearch/state.cfm?st=al |title=National Park Guide |access-date=September 23, 2006 |website=Geographic Search |publisher=National Park Service—U.S. Department of the Interior |location=Washington, D.C. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060930090713/http://home.nps.gov/applications/parksearch/state.cfm?st=al |archive-date=September 30, 2006 |url-status=live}}</ref> Additionally, Alabama has four [[United States National Forest|National Forests]]: [[Conecuh National Forest|Conecuh]], [[Talladega National Forest|Talladega]], [[Tuskegee National Forest|Tuskegee]], and [[William B. Bankhead National Forest|William B. Bankhead]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fs.fed.us/r8/alabama/forests/ |title=National Forests in Alabama |access-date=October 5, 2008 |website=USDA Forest Service |publisher=United States Department of Agriculture |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081007051917/http://www.fs.fed.us/r8/alabama/forests/ |archive-date=October 7, 2008 |url-status=live}}</ref> Alabama also contains the [[Natchez Trace Parkway]], the [[Selma To Montgomery National Historic Trail]], and the [[Trail of Tears|Trail of Tears National Historic Trail]].

Natural wonders include the [[Natural Bridge, Alabama|"Natural Bridge"]] rock, the longest [[Natural arch|natural bridge]] east of the [[Rocky Mountains|Rockies]], just south of [[Haleyville, Alabama|Haleyville]]; [[Cathedral Caverns State Park|Cathedral Caverns]], in [[Marshall County, Alabama|Marshall County]], named for its cathedral-like appearance, which features one of the largest cave entrances and one of the largest stalagmites in the world; Ecor Rouge, in [[Fairhope, Alabama|Fairhope]], the highest coastline point between [[Maine]] and Mexico;<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://mobilebaymag.com/coastal-clay/|title=Coastal Clay|first=Breck|last=Pappas|date=January 14, 2016|website=Mobile Bay Magazine|access-date=September 21, 2020|archive-date=February 20, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210220154038/https://mobilebaymag.com/coastal-clay/|url-status=live}}</ref> [[DeSoto Caverns]], in [[Childersburg, Alabama|Childersburg]], the first officially recorded cave in the United States;<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://lcweb2.loc.gov/diglib/legacies/loc.afc.afc-legacies.200002662/|title=DeSoto Caverns Park, Childersburg, Alabama|first= Bob |last=Riley |date=September 21, 2000|website=Local Legacies |publisher= Library of Congress |access-date=September 21, 2020|archive-date=July 2, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160702172258/http://lcweb2.loc.gov/diglib/legacies/loc.afc.afc-legacies.200002662/|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Noccalula Falls Park|Noccalula Falls]], in [[Gadsden, Alabama|Gadsden]], which has a 90-foot waterfall; [[Dismals Canyon]], near [[Phil Campbell, Alabama|Phil Campbell]], which is home to two waterfalls and six natural bridges and is said to have been a hideout of [[Jesse James]];<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h-3172|title=Dismals Canyon|website=Encyclopedia of Alabama|access-date=September 21, 2020|archive-date=October 31, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201031175203/http://encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h-3172|url-status=live}}</ref> Stephens Gap Cave, in [[Jackson County, Alabama|Jackson County]], which has a 143-foot pit and two waterfalls and is one of the most photographed wild cave scenes in America;<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.saveyourcaves.org/preserve?rowid=stephens-gap-callahan-cave-preserve|title=Preserve: Stephens Gap Callahan Cave Preserve|website=www.saveyourcaves.org|access-date=June 27, 2019|archive-date=February 20, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210220153323/https://www.saveyourcaves.org/preserve?rowid=stephens-gap-callahan-cave-preserve|url-status=live}}</ref> Little River Canyon, near Fort Payne, one of the nation's longest mountaintop rivers; [[Rickwood Caverns State Park|Rickwood Caverns]], near [[Warrior, Alabama|Warrior]], which has an underground pool, blind cave-fish, and 260-million-year-old limestone formations; and the [[The Walls of Jericho (canyon)|Walls of Jericho]] canyon, on the Alabama–Tennessee border.

[[File:Cliffs inside the Wetumpka impact crater in Wetumpka, Alabama.jpg|thumb|right|Cliffs at the rim of the [[Wetumpka crater|Wetumpka meteorite crater]]]]
A {{convert|5|mi|km|0|adj=on}}-wide meteorite impact crater is located in [[Elmore County, Alabama|Elmore County]], just north of Montgomery. This is the [[Wetumpka crater]], the site of "Alabama's greatest natural disaster". A {{convert|1000|ft|m|adj=on}}-wide meteorite hit the area about 80 million years ago.<ref name="mlvguh">{{cite Earth Impact DB |name= Wetumpka |accessdate =August 20, 2009 |nocat=1}}</ref> The hills just east of downtown [[Wetumpka, Alabama|Wetumpka]] showcase the eroded remains of the impact crater that was blasted into the bedrock, with the area labeled the Wetumpka crater or astrobleme ("star-wound") because of the concentric rings of fractures and zones of shattered rock that can be found beneath the surface.<ref>"The Wetumpka Astrobleme" by John C. Hall, Alabama Heritage, Fall 1996, Number 42.</ref> In 2002, Christian Koeberl with the Institute of Geochemistry University of Vienna published evidence and established the site as the 157th recognized impact crater on Earth.<ref>{{cite web |last=King |first=David T. Jr. |title=Wetumpka Crater |url=http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/face/Article.jsp?id=h-1035 |website=Encyclopedia of Alabama |access-date=December 13, 2011 |date=April 23, 2010 |archive-date=February 16, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120216201429/http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/face/Article.jsp?id=h-1035 |url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Climate ===
{{Main|Climate of Alabama}}

The state is classified as [[humid subtropical climate|humid subtropical]] (''Cfa'') under the [[Köppen climate classification|Koppen Climate Classification]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/face/Article.jsp?id=h-1283 |title=Encyclopedia of Alabama: Climate |date=August 17, 2007 |publisher=University of Alabama |access-date=April 26, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100621180731/http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/face/Article.jsp?id=h-1283 |archive-date=June 21, 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The average annual temperature is 64{{spaces}}°F (18{{spaces}}°C). Temperatures tend to be warmer in the southern part of the state with its proximity to the [[Gulf of Mexico]], while the northern parts of the state, especially in the [[Appalachian Mountains]] in the northeast, tend to be slightly cooler.<ref name="cprgsw">{{cite web |url=https://www.britannica.com/eb/article-78303/Alabama |title=Alabama Climate |website=Encyclopædia Britannica |access-date=October 24, 2010 |archive-date=June 16, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080616140321/https://www.britannica.com/eb/article-78303/Alabama |url-status=live}}</ref> Generally, Alabama has very hot summers and mild winters with copious precipitation throughout the year. Alabama receives an average of {{convert|56|in|mm}} of rainfall annually and enjoys a lengthy growing season of up to 300 days in the southern part of the state.<ref name="cprgsw"/>

Summers in Alabama are among the hottest in the U.S., with high temperatures averaging over {{convert|90|°F}} throughout the summer in some parts of the state. Alabama is also prone to [[Tropical cyclone|tropical storms and hurricanes]]. Areas of the state far away from the Gulf are not immune to the effects of the storms, which often dump tremendous amounts of rain as they move inland and weaken.

South Alabama reports many [[thunderstorm]]s. The Gulf Coast, around Mobile Bay, averages between 70 and 80 days per year with thunder reported. This activity decreases somewhat further north in the state, but even the far north of the state reports thunder on about 60 days per year. Occasionally, thunderstorms are severe with frequent [[lightning]] and large [[hail]]; the central and northern parts of the state are most vulnerable to this type of storm. Alabama ranks ninth in the number of deaths from lightning and tenth in the number of deaths from lightning strikes per capita.<ref>[http://www.lightningsafety.noaa.gov/stats/04-13state_fatality_rates.pdf Lightning Fatalities, Injuries and Damages in the United States, 2004–2013] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140427010029/http://www.lightningsafety.noaa.gov/stats/04-13state_fatality_rates.pdf |date=April 27, 2014}}. NLSI. Retrieved April 26, 2014.</ref>

[[File:Phil Campbell tornado damage.jpg|thumb|left|Tornado damage in [[Phil Campbell, Alabama|Phil Campbell]] following the statewide [[2011 Super Outbreak|April 27, 2011, tornado outbreak]]]]
Alabama, along with [[Oklahoma]] and [[Iowa]], has the most confirmed [[Fujita scale|F5]] and [[Enhanced Fujita scale|EF5]] tornadoes of any state, according to statistics from the [[National Climatic Data Center]] for the period January 1, 1950, to June 2013.<ref>{{cite web |title=LIST: States with the most F5/EF5 tornadoes since 1950; Ohio high on list |url=http://www.newsnet5.com/weather/weather-news/kshb-list-states-with-the-most-ef5-tornadoes |access-date=April 26, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140426232719/http://www.newsnet5.com/weather/weather-news/kshb-list-states-with-the-most-ef5-tornadoes |archive-date=April 26, 2014}}</ref> Several long-tracked F5/EF5 tornadoes have contributed to Alabama reporting more tornado fatalities since 1950 than any other state. The state was affected by the [[1974 Super Outbreak]] and was devastated tremendously by the 2011 Super Outbreak. The 2011 Super Outbreak produced a record amount of tornadoes in the state. The tally reached 62.<ref>{{cite web |last=Oliver |first=Mike |title=April 27's record tally: 62 tornadoes in Alabama |date=August 4, 2011 |url=http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2011/08/april_27s_record_tally_62_torn.html |publisher=al.com |access-date=November 4, 2012 |archive-date=November 9, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121109185256/http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2011/08/april_27s_record_tally_62_torn.html |url-status=live}}</ref>

The peak season for tornadoes varies from the northern to southern parts of the state. Alabama is one of the few places in the world that has a secondary tornado season in November and December besides the typically severe spring. The northern part—along the Tennessee River Valley—is most vulnerable. The area of Alabama and Mississippi most affected by tornadoes is sometimes referred to as [[Dixie Alley]], as distinct from the [[Tornado Alley]] of the Southern Plains.

Winters are generally mild in Alabama, as they are throughout most of the Southeastern United States, with average January low temperatures around {{convert|40|°F}} in Mobile and around {{convert|32|°F}} in Birmingham. Although snow is a rare event in much of Alabama, areas of the state north of Montgomery may receive a dusting of snow a few times every winter, with an occasional moderately heavy snowfall every few years. Historic snowfall events include [[New Year's Eve 1963 snowstorm]] and the [[1993 Storm of the Century]]. The annual average snowfall for the Birmingham area is {{convert|2|in|mm}} per year. In the southern Gulf coast, snowfall is less frequent, sometimes going several years without any snowfall.

Alabama's highest temperature of {{convert|112|°F}} was recorded on September 5, 1925, in the unincorporated community of [[Centerville, Alabama|Centerville]]. The record low of {{convert|-27|°F}} occurred on January 30, 1966, in [[New Market, Alabama|New Market]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.accuracyproject.org/recordtemps.html |title=Record high and low temperatures for all 50 states |website=Internet Accuracy Project |publisher=accuracyproject.org |access-date=November 3, 2012 |archive-date=January 17, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130117053325/http://www.accuracyproject.org/recordtemps.html |url-status=live}}</ref>
{{Alabama weatherbox}}

=== Flora and fauna ===
{{Main|List of amphibians of Alabama|List of mammals of Alabama|List of reptiles of Alabama|Alabama Champion Tree Program|l4=Trees of Alabama}}
[[File:CahabaRiverNWR1.jpg|thumb|A stand of [[Hymenocallis coronaria|Cahaba lilies]] (''Hymenocallis coronaria'') in the [[Cahaba River]], within the [[Cahaba River National Wildlife Refuge]]]]

Alabama is home to a diverse array of [[flora]] and [[fauna]] in habitats that range from the Tennessee Valley, [[Appalachian Plateau]], and [[Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians]] of the north to the [[Piedmont (United States)|Piedmont]], [[Canebrake (region of Alabama)|Canebrake]], and Black Belt of the central region to the [[Gulf Coastal Plain]] and beaches along the Gulf of Mexico in the south. The state is usually ranked among the top in nation for its range of overall [[biodiversity]].<ref name="alawildlife">{{cite book |title=Alabama Wildlife: Volume One |last=Mirarchi |first=Ralph E. |year=2004 |publisher=University of Alabama Press |location=Tuscaloosa, Alabama |isbn=978-0-81735-1304 |pages=1–3, 60}}</ref><ref name="outalawildlife">{{cite web |url=http://www.outdooralabama.com/watchable-wildlife/what/ |title=Alabama Wildlife and their Conservation Status |website=Outdoor Alabama |publisher=Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources |access-date=October 16, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121015045607/http://www.outdooralabama.com/watchable-wildlife/what/ |archive-date=October 15, 2012}}</ref>

Alabama is in the subtropical coniferous forest biome and once boasted huge expanses of pine forest, which still form the largest proportion of forests in the state.<ref name="alawildlife"/> It currently ranks fifth in the nation for the diversity of its flora. It is home to nearly 4,000 [[pteridophyte]] and [[spermatophyte]] plant species.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.floraofalabama.org/ |title=About the Atlas |website=Alabama Plant Atlas |publisher=Alabama Herbarium Consortium and University of West Alabama |access-date=October 16, 2012 |archive-date=October 29, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121029023054/http://www.floraofalabama.org/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Native species|Indigenous]] animal species in the state include 62 [[mammal]] [[species]],<ref name="outalamam">{{cite web |url=http://www.outdooralabama.com/mammals |title=Mammals |website=Outdoor Alabama |publisher=Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources |access-date=May 22, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170525205745/http://www.outdooralabama.com/mammals |archive-date=May 25, 2017 |url-status=dead}}</ref> 93 reptile species,<ref name="outalarep">{{cite web |url=http://www.outdooralabama.com/reptiles |title=Reptiles |website=Outdoor Alabama |publisher=Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources |access-date=May 22, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170525205947/http://www.outdooralabama.com/reptiles |archive-date=May 25, 2017 |url-status=dead}}</ref> 73 [[amphibian]] species,<ref name="outalaamphi">{{cite web |url=http://www.outdooralabama.com/Amphibians-0 |title=Amphibians |website=Outdoor Alabama |publisher=Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources |access-date=May 22, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170525210052/http://www.outdooralabama.com/Amphibians-0 |archive-date=May 25, 2017 |url-status=dead}}</ref> roughly 307 native [[freshwater fish]] species,<ref name="alawildlife"/> and 420 bird species that spend at least part of their year within the state.<ref name="outalabird">{{cite web |url=http://www.outdooralabama.com/Birds |title=Birds |website=Outdoor Alabama |publisher=Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources |access-date=May 22, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170525210156/http://www.outdooralabama.com/Birds |archive-date=May 25, 2017 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Invertebrates include 97 [[crayfish]] species and 383 [[mollusk]] species. 113 of these mollusk species have never been collected outside the state.<ref name="outalamollusk">{{cite web |url=http://www.outdooralabama.com/mollusks |title=Alabama Snails and Mussels |website=Outdoor Alabama |publisher=Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources |access-date=May 22, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170525210608/http://www.outdooralabama.com/mollusks |archive-date=May 25, 2017 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="outalacray">{{cite web |url=http://www.outdooralabama.com/crayfish |title=Crayfish |website=Outdoor Alabama |publisher=Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources |access-date=May 22, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170525210652/http://www.outdooralabama.com/crayfish |archive-date=May 25, 2017 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

=== Census-designated and metropolitan areas ===
{{Main|List of metropolitan areas of Alabama}}

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Combined statistical areas<ref name="auto">{{cite web |title=Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas Population Totals and Components of Change: 2020–2021 |url=https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/popest/2020s-total-metro-and-micro-statistical-areas.html |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=April 6, 2022 |archive-date=June 29, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220629175327/https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/popest/2020s-total-metro-and-micro-statistical-areas.html |url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
! Rank
! Combined statistical area
!Population (2021 estimate)
!Population (2020 census)
|-
|1
|[[Birmingham metropolitan area, Alabama|Birmingham–Hoover–Talladega]]
| align="center" |1,350,646
| align="center" |1,290,744
|-
|2
|[[Chattanooga–Cleveland–Dalton, TN–GA–AL Combined Statistical Area|Chattanooga–Cleveland–Dalton]]<ref group="CSA">In Alabama, only Jackson County (2019 population: 51,626; 2010 population: 53,227) is included in the Chattanooga CSA</ref>
| align="center" |1,000,303
| align="center" |951,434
|-
|3
|[[Mobile metropolitan area|Mobile–Daphne–Fairhope]]
| align="center" |661,964
| align="center" |612,838
|-
|4
|[[Huntsville-Decatur-Albertville, AL Combined Statistical Area|Huntsville–Decatur–Albertville]]
| align="center" |648,217
| align="center" |571,422
|-
|5
|[[Columbus–Auburn–Opelika, GA–AL CSA|Columbus–Auburn–Opelika]]<ref group="CSA">In Alabama, only Lee, Russell, and Chambers Counties (total 2019 population: 255,757; total 2010 population: 227,409) are included in the Columbus CSA</ref>
| align="center" |503,124
| align="center" |448,035
|-
|6
|[[Dothan–Enterprise–Ozark Combined Statistical Area|Dothan–Enterprise–Ozark]]
| align="center" |200,333
| align="center" |195,890
|}
{{reflist|group="CSA"}}

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Metropolitan areas<ref name="auto" />
|-
! Rank
! Metropolitan area
! Population (2021 estimate)
! Population (2020 census)
|-
|1
|[[Birmingham metropolitan area, Alabama|Birmingham–Hoover]]
| align="center" |1,114,262
| align="center" |1,115,289
|-
|2
|[[Huntsville Metropolitan Area|Huntsville]]
| align="center" |502,728
| align="center" |491,723
|-
|3
|[[Mobile metropolitan area|Mobile]]
| align="center" |429,536
| align="center" |430,573
|-
|4
|[[Montgomery metropolitan area|Montgomery]]
| align="center" |385,798
| align="center" |386,047
|-
|5
|[[Tuscaloosa, Alabama metropolitan area|Tuscaloosa]]
| align="center" |268,191
| align="center" |268,674
|-
|6
|[[Baldwin County, Alabama|Daphne–Fairhope–Foley]]
| align="center" |239,294
| align="center" |231,767
|-
|7
|[[Auburn metropolitan area, Alabama|Auburn–Opelika]]
| align="center" |177,218
| align="center" |174,241
|-
|8
|[[Decatur metropolitan area, Alabama|Decatur]]
| align="center" |156,758
| align="center" |156,494
|-
|9
|[[Dothan metropolitan area, Alabama|Dothan]]
| align="center" |151,618
| align="center" |151,007
|-
|10
|[[Florence–Muscle Shoals metropolitan area|Florence–Muscle Shoals]]
| align="center" |147,970
| align="center" |147,137
|-
|11
|[[Anniston–Oxford metropolitan area|Anniston–Oxford–Jacksonville]]
| align="center" |115,972
| align="center" |116,441
|-
|12
|[[Gadsden, AL Metropolitan Statistical Area|Gadsden]]
| align="center" |103,162
| align="center" |103,436
|}

=== Cities ===
{{Main|List of cities and towns in Alabama}}

[[File:A bronze replica (one-fifth size) of the Statue of Liberty, Birmingham, Alabama LCCN2010639411.tif|thumb|right|upright=0.9|Statue of Liberty replica at Liberty Park in Vestavia Hills]]
[[File:Dauphin St Mobile Al.jpg|thumb|right|upright=0.9|Dauphin Street in Mobile]]
[[File:Lake Guntersville Lighthouse.jpg|thumb|right|upright=0.9|Lighthouse on [[Guntersville Lake]]]]
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Largest cities<ref name="al.com"/>
|-
! scope="col" |Rank
! scope="col" |City
! scope="col" |Population{{break}}<small>(2020 census)</small>
! scope="col" |County(ies)
|-
| scope="row" style="text-align:right" | 1
| [[Huntsville, Alabama|Huntsville]]
| style="text-align:right" |{{formatnum:221933}}
| [[Madison County, Alabama|Madison]], [[Limestone County, Alabama|Limestone]], [[Morgan County, Alabama|Morgan]]
|-
| scope="row" style="text-align:right" | 2
| [[Montgomery, Alabama|Montgomery]]
| style="text-align:right" |{{formatnum:196986}}
| [[Montgomery County, Alabama|Montgomery]]
|-
| scope="row" style="text-align:right" | 3
| [[Birmingham, Alabama|Birmingham]]
| style="text-align:right" |{{formatnum:196910}}
| [[Jefferson County, Alabama|Jefferson]], [[Shelby County, Alabama|Shelby]]
|-
| scope="row" style="text-align:right" | 4
| [[Mobile, Alabama|Mobile]]
| style="text-align:right" |{{formatnum:183289}}
| [[Mobile County, Alabama|Mobile]]
|-
| scope="row" style="text-align:right" | 5
| [[Tuscaloosa, Alabama|Tuscaloosa]]
| style="text-align:right;" |{{formatnum:110602}}
| [[Tuscaloosa County, Alabama|Tuscaloosa]]
|-
| scope="row" style="text-align:right" | 6
| [[Hoover, Alabama|Hoover]]
| style="text-align:right" |{{formatnum:92435}}
| Jefferson, Shelby
|-
| scope="row" style="text-align:right" | 7
| [[Auburn, Alabama|Auburn]]
| style="text-align:right" |{{formatnum:80006}}
| [[Lee County, Alabama|Lee]]
|-
| scope="row" style="text-align:right" | 8
| [[Dothan, Alabama|Dothan]]
| style="text-align:right" |{{formatnum:71235}}
| [[Houston County, Alabama|Houston]], [[Dale County, Alabama|Dale]], [[Henry County, Alabama|Henry]]
|-
| scope="row" style="text-align:right" | 9
| [[Madison, Alabama|Madison]]
| style="text-align:right" |{{formatnum:59785}}
| Madison, Limestone
|-
| scope="row" style="text-align:right" | 10
| [[Decatur, Alabama|Decatur]]
| style="text-align:right" |{{formatnum:57922}}
| Morgan, Limestone
|-
| scope="row" style="text-align:right" | 11
| [[Florence, Alabama|Florence]]
| style="text-align:right" |{{formatnum:41690}}
| [[Lauderdale County, Alabama|Lauderdale]]
|-
| scope="row" style="text-align:right" | 12
| [[Prattville, Alabama|Prattville]]
| style="text-align:right" |{{formatnum:38776}}
| [[Autauga County, Alabama|Autauga]], [[Elmore County, Alabama|Elmore]]
|-
| scope="row" style="text-align:right" | 13
| [[Vestavia Hills, Alabama|Vestavia Hills]]
| style="text-align:right" |{{formatnum:38292}}
| Jefferson, Shelby
|-
| scope="row" style="text-align:right" | 14
| [[Phenix City, Alabama|Phenix City]]
| style="text-align:right" |{{formatnum:38267}}
| [[Russell County, Alabama|Russell]]
|-
| scope="row" style="text-align:right" | 15
| [[Alabaster, Alabama|Alabaster]]
| style="text-align:right" |{{formatnum:33945}}
| [[Shelby County, Alabama|Shelby]]
|}

== Demographics ==
{{Main|Demographics of Alabama}}
[[File:Alabama population map.png|thumb|Alabama's population density, 2010]]

{{US Census population
|1800= 1250
|1810= 9046
|1820= 144317 |1820n= {{refn|1=Forstall, Richard L. (1996). ''[https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1990/population-of-states-and-counties-us-1790-1990/population-of-states-and-counties-of-the-united-states-1790-1990.pdf#page=21 Population of States and Counties of the United States: 1790 to 1990]''. Washington: U.S. Bureau of the Census, pp. 8–11. {{ISBN|0-934213-48-8}}. Retrieved May 19, 2021. Due to the late arrival of returns from the counties of [[Lawrence County, Alabama|Lawrence]], [[Perry County, Alabama|Perry]], and [[Washington County, Alabama|Washington]], the population of the state for 1820 was incorrectly listed as 127,901 in the official state total.{{refn|group=subnote|1=The relevant note on p. 10 erroneously switches the population values for Perry and Washington counties. The correct values can be found on [https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1820/1820a-02.pdf#page=109 page 121] of the final census report for 1820.}}}}
|1830= 309527
|1840= 590756
|1850= 771623
|1860= 964201
|1870= 996992
|1880= 1262505
|1890= 1513401
|1900= 1828697
|1910= 2138093
|1920= 2348174
|1930= 2646248
|1940= 2832961
|1950= 3061743
|1960= 3266740
|1970= 3444165
|1980= 3893888
|1990= 4040587
|2000= 4447100
|2010= 4779736
|2020= 5024279
|estyear= 2023
|estimate= 5108468
|estref=
|align-fn=center
|footnote=Sources: 1910–2020<ref name="Census2010">[https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/dec/popchange-data-text.html Historical Population Change Data (1910–2020)] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210429012609/https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/dec/popchange-data-text.html |date=April 29, 2021}}</ref>
}}
[[File:Ethnic Origins in Alabama.png|thumb|Ethnic origins in Alabama]]
[[File:Alabama counties by race.svg|thumb|280x280px|Map of counties in Alabama by racial plurality, per the 2020 census{{Collapsible list
| title = Legend|{{col-begin}}{{col-2}}

'''Non-Hispanic White'''

{{legend|#dd7e6b|40–50%}}

{{legend|#cc4125|50–60%}}

{{legend|#a61c00|60–70%}}

{{legend|#85200c|70–80%}}

{{legend|#5b0f00|80–90%}}

{{legend|#410b00|90%+}}

{{col-2}}

'''Black or African American'''

{{legend|#ffe599|40–50%}}

{{legend|#ffd966|50–60%}}

{{legend|#bf9000|70–80%}}

{{legend|#7f6000|80–90%}}

{{col-end}}
}}]]

According to the [[2020 United States census]] the population of Alabama was 5,024,279 on April 1, 2020, which represents an increase of 244,543 or 5.12%, since the [[2010 United States census|2010 census]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/2010census/popmap/ipmtext.php?fl=01 |title=2010 Census Interactive Population Search |publisher=2010.census.gov |access-date=December 29, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141230025253/http://www.census.gov/2010census/popmap/ipmtext.php?fl=01 |archive-date=December 30, 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref> This includes a natural increase since the last census of 121,054 (502,457 births minus 381,403 deaths) and an increase due to net migration of 104,991 into the state.<ref name=census_cum>{{cite web |title=Annual Estimates of the Population for the United States, Regions, States, and Puerto Rico: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2012 |url=https://www.census.gov/popest/data/national/totals/2012/index.html |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|format=[[comma-separated values|CSV]] |access-date=December 24, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090205023552/http://www.census.gov/popest/states/tables/NST-EST2008-04.csv|archive-date=February 5, 2009 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

[[Immigration to the United States|Immigration]] from outside the U.S. resulted in a net increase of 31,180 people, and migration within the country produced a net gain of 73,811 people.<ref name=census_cum/> The state had 108,000 foreign-born (2.4% of the state population), of which an estimated 22.2% were undocumented (24,000). The top countries of origin for immigrants were Mexico, China, India, Germany and [[Guatemala]] in 2018.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/sites/default/files/research/immigrants_in_alabama.pdf|title=Immigrants in Alabama}}</ref>

The [[center of population]] of Alabama is located in Chilton County, outside the town of [[Jemison, Alabama|Jemison]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Population and Population Centers by State—2000 |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=December 3, 2008 |url=https://www.census.gov/geo/www/cenpop/statecenters.txt |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081218235101/http://www.census.gov/geo/www/cenpop/statecenters.txt |archive-date=December 18, 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

According to [[United States Department of Housing and Urban Development|HUD]]'s 2022 Annual Homeless Assessment Report, there were an estimated 3,752 [[Homelessness in Alabama|homeless people in Alabama]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=2007–2022 PIT Counts by State |url=https://view.officeapps.live.com/op/view.aspx?src=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.huduser.gov%2Fportal%2Fsites%2Fdefault%2Ffiles%2Fxls%2F2007-2022-PIT-Counts-by-State.xlsx&wdOrigin=BROWSELINK |access-date=March 11, 2023 |archive-date=March 14, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230314020239/https://view.officeapps.live.com/op/view.aspx?src=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.huduser.gov%2Fportal%2Fsites%2Fdefault%2Ffiles%2Fxls%2F2007-2022-PIT-Counts-by-State.xlsx&wdOrigin=BROWSELINK |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The 2022 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report (AHAR) to Congress |url=https://www.huduser.gov/portal/sites/default/files/pdf/2022-AHAR-Part-1.pdf |access-date=March 11, 2023 |archive-date=March 11, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230311234217/https://www.huduser.gov/portal/sites/default/files/pdf/2022-AHAR-Part-1.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Ancestry ===
{| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" ; text-align:right; font-size:80%;"
|+ style="font-size:90%" |Racial and ethnic composition as of the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]]
|-
! Race and ethnicity<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/library/visualizations/interactive/race-and-ethnicity-in-the-united-state-2010-and-2020-census.html |title=Race and Ethnicity in the United States: 2010 Census and 2020 Census |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=August 12, 2021 |website=census.gov |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=September 26, 2021 |archive-date=August 15, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210815165418/https://www.census.gov/library/visualizations/interactive/race-and-ethnicity-in-the-united-state-2010-and-2020-census.html |url-status=live}}</ref>
! colspan="2" data-sort-type=number |Alone
! colspan="2" data-sort-type=number |Total
|-
| [[Non-Hispanic or Latino whites|White (non-Hispanic)]]
|align=right| {{bartable|63.1|%|2||background:gray}}
|align=right| {{bartable|66.5|%|2||background:gray}}
|-
| [[African Americans|African American (non-Hispanic)]]
|align=right| {{bartable|25.6|%|2||background:mediumblue}}
|align=right| {{bartable|26.9|%|2||background:mediumblue}}
|-
| [[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino]]{{efn|Persons of Hispanic or Latino origin are not distinguished between total and partial ancestry.}}
|align=right| {{bartable}}
|align=right| {{bartable|5.3|%|2||background:green}}
|-
| [[Asian Americans|Asian]]
|align=right| {{bartable|1.5|%|2||background:purple}}
|align=right| {{bartable|2.0|%|2||background:purple}}
|-
| Native American
|align=right| {{bartable|0.5|%|2||background:gold}}
|align=right| {{bartable|2.2|%|2||background:gold}}
|-
| [[Pacific Islander Americans|Pacific Islander]]
|align=right| {{bartable|0.1|%|2||background:pink}}
|align=right| {{bartable|0.1|%|2||background:pink}}
|-
| Other
|align=right| {{bartable|0.3|%|2||background:brown}}
|align=right| {{bartable|0.8|%|2||background:brown}}
|}

{| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed collapsible" style="font-size: 90%;"
|+ Historical racial demographics 1990–2020
|-
! Racial and ethnic composition !! 1990<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0056/twps0056.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141224151538/http://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0056/twps0056.html|url-status= dead|title=Historical Census Statistics on Population Totals By Race, 1790 to 1990, and By Hispanic Origin, 1970 to 1990, For The United States, Regions, Divisions, and States|archive-date=December 24, 2014}}</ref> !! 2000<ref>{{cite web |url=http://censusviewer.com/state/AL |title=Population of Alabama—Census 2010 and 2000 Interactive Map, Demographics, Statistics, Quick Facts—CensusViewer |website=censusviewer.com |access-date=July 21, 2015 |archive-date=August 17, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140817102305/http://censusviewer.com/state/AL |url-status=live}}</ref>!! 2010<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census/decade.2010.html |title=2010 Census Data |author1=Center for New Media and Promotions |website=census.gov |access-date=July 21, 2015 |archive-date=May 22, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170522200920/https://census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census/decade.2010.html |url-status=live}}</ref>!! 2020<ref name="2020DP1">{{Cite web |url=https://data.census.gov/table/DECENNIALDP2020.DP1?g=040XX00US01 |title=Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2020 Demographic Profile Data (DP-1): Alabama |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=April 2, 2024}}</ref> 
|-
| [[White American|White]] || 73.6% || 71.1% || 68.5% || 64.1%
|-
| [[African American|Black]] || 25.3% || 26% || 26.2% || 25.8%

|-
| [[Asian American|Asian]] || 0.5% || 0.7% || 1.1% || 1.5%

|-
| [[Native Americans in the United States|Native]] || 0.4% || 0.5% || 0.6% || 0.7%

|-
| [[Native Hawaiian]] and{{break}}[[Pacific Islander American|other Pacific Islander]] || — || — || 0.1% || 0.1%

|-
| [[Race and ethnicity in the United States Census|Other race]] || 0.1% || 0.6% || 2% || 2.7%

|-
| [[Multiracial American|Two or more races]] || — || 1% || 1.5% || 5.1%
|}

Those citing "American" ancestry in Alabama are of overwhelmingly English extraction. Demographers estimate that a minimum of 20–23% of people in Alabama are of predominantly [[English American|English]] ancestry and state that the figure is probably much higher. In the 1980 census 1,139,976 people in Alabama cited that they were of [[English American|English]] ancestry out of a total state population of 2,824,719 making them 41% of the state at the time and the largest ethnic group.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/population/www/censusdata/files/pc80-s1-10/tab03.pdf |title=Ancestry of the Population by State: 1980 – Table 3<!-- Bot generated title --> |access-date=February 18, 2018 |archive-date=February 24, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120224233043/http://www.census.gov/population/www/censusdata/files/pc80-s1-10/tab03.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>Stanley Lieberson and Lawrence Santi, 'The Use of Nativity Data to Estimate Ethnic Characteristics and Patterns', ''Social Science Research'', Vol. 14, No. 1 (1985), pp. 44–46.</ref><ref>Stanley Lieberson and Mary C. Waters, 'Ethnic Groups in Flux: The Changing Ethnic Responses of American Whites', ''Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science'', Vol. 487, No. 79 (September 1986), pp. 82–86.</ref>

Alabama has the 5th highest African American population among US states at 25.8% as of 2020.<ref>{{cite web |title=Race and Ethnicity in the United States: 2010 Census and 2020 Census |url=https://www.census.gov/library/visualizations/interactive/race-and-ethnicity-in-the-united-state-2010-and-2020-census.html |access-date=September 6, 2021 |archive-date=August 15, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210815165418/https://www.census.gov/library/visualizations/interactive/race-and-ethnicity-in-the-united-state-2010-and-2020-census.html |url-status=live}}</ref>  In 2011, 46.6% of Alabama's population younger than age{{spaces}}1 were minorities.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.cleveland.com/datacentral/index.ssf/2012/06/americas_under_age_1_populatio.html |title=Americans under age 1 now mostly minorities, but not in Ohio: Statistical Snapshot |last=Exner |first=Rich |work=The Plain Dealer |date=June 3, 2012 |access-date=August 5, 2012 |archive-date=July 14, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160714084214/http://www.cleveland.com/datacentral/index.ssf/2012/06/americas_under_age_1_populatio.html |url-status=live}}</ref> The largest reported ancestry groups in Alabama are American (13.4%), [[Irish Americans|Irish]] (10.5%), [[English Americans|English]] (10.2%), [[German Americans|German]] (7.9%), and [[Scotch-Irish Americans|Scots-Irish]] (2.5%) based on 2006–2008 Census data.<ref name="factfinder.census.gov">{{cite web |publisher= Factfinder.census.gov |url= http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/ADPTable?_bm=y&-geo_id=04000US01&-qr_name=ACS_2008_3YR_G00_DP3YR2&-ds_name=&-_lang=en&-redoLog=false |title= Alabama—Selected Social Characteristics in the United States: 2006–2008 |access-date= October 24, 2010 |archive-url= https://archive.today/20200211182250/http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/ADPTable?_bm=y&-geo_id=04000US01&-qr_name=ACS_2008_3YR_G00_DP3YR2&-ds_name=&-_lang=en&-redoLog=false |archive-date= February 11, 2020 |url-status= dead}}</ref>

The Scots-Irish were the largest non-English immigrant group from the British Isles before the American Revolution, and many settled in the South, later moving into the Deep South as it was developed.<ref>David Hackett Fischer, Albion's Seed: Four British Folkways in America, New York: Oxford University Press, 1989, pp.361–368</ref>

In 1984, under the Davis–Strong Act, the state legislature established the [[Alabama Indian Affairs Commission]].<ref name="aiac">[http://www.aiac.state.al.us/tribes.aspx "Alabama Indian Affairs Commission"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131003045646/http://www.aiac.state.al.us/tribes.aspx |date=October 3, 2013}}, State of Alabama, accessed September 28, 2013</ref> Native American groups within the state had increasingly been demanding recognition as ethnic groups and seeking an end to discrimination. Given the long history of slavery and associated racial segregation, the Native American peoples, who have sometimes been of mixed race, have insisted on having their cultural identification respected. In the past, their self-identification was often overlooked as the state tried to impose a binary breakdown of society into white and black. The state has [[State-recognized tribes in the United States|officially recognized]] nine American Indian tribes in the state, descended mostly from the [[Five Civilized Tribes]] of the American Southeast. These are the following.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://aiac.alabama.gov/ByLaws.aspx |title=AIAC Bylaws |website=Alabama Indian Affairs Commission |publisher=State of Alabama |access-date=September 22, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120918101025/http://aiac.alabama.gov/ByLaws.aspx |archive-date=September 18, 2012 |df= mdy}}</ref>
* [[Poarch Band of Creek Indians]] (who also have federal recognition)
* [[MOWA Band of Choctaw Indians]]
* Star Clan of Muscogee Creeks
* [[Echota Cherokee Tribe of Alabama]]
* [[Cherokee Tribe of Northeast Alabama]]
* Cher-O-Creek Intra Tribal Indians
* ''Ma-Chis'' Lower Creek Indian Tribe
* ''Piqua'' [[Shawnee]] Tribe
* ''Ani-Yun-Wiya'' Nation

The state government has promoted recognition of Native American contributions to the state, including the designation in 2000 for Columbus Day to be jointly celebrated as American Indian Heritage Day.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.aiac.state.al.us/ProcIndianHeritageDay.aspx|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131003045701/http://www.aiac.state.al.us/ProcIndianHeritageDay.aspx|url-status= dead|title=Proclamation|archive-date=October 3, 2013|website=www.aiac.state.al.us}}</ref> In 2020, 33,625 identified as being Native American alone, and 97,405 did in combination with one or more other races.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Race and Ethnicity in the United States: 2010 Census and 2020 Census |url=https://www.census.gov/library/visualizations/interactive/race-and-ethnicity-in-the-united-state-2010-and-2020-census.html}}</ref>

=== Language ===
Most Alabama residents (95.1% of those five and older) spoke only English at home in 2010, a minor decrease from 96.1% in 2000.

{|class="wikitable sortable" style="margin-left:1em; float:center"
|+ Top non-English languages spoken in Alabama
|-
! Language !! Percentage of population{{break}}<small>({{as of|2010|lc=y}})</small>{{Citation needed|date=March 2022}}
|-
| Spanish|| 2.2%
|-
| German || 0.4%
|-
| French (incl. [[Jamaican Patois|Patois]], [[Cajun language|Cajun]]) || 0.3%
|-
| Chinese, [[Vietnamese language|Vietnamese]], [[Korean language|Korean]], Arabic, [[African languages]], Japanese, and Italian (tied)|| 0.1%
|}

=== Religion ===
[[File:Highlands UMC Birmingham Dec 2012 2.jpg|thumb|Highlands United Methodist Church in Birmingham, part of the Five Points South Historic District]]
[[File:Temple B'Nai Sholom Dec2009 01.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Temple B'nai Sholom (Huntsville, Alabama)|Temple B'Nai Sholom]] in Huntsville, established in 1876. It is the oldest synagogue building in continuous use in the state.]]
[[File:Islamic Center of Tuscaloosa.jpg|thumb|upright|The Islamic Center of Tuscaloosa]]

In the 2008 [[American Religious Identification Survey]], 86% of Alabama respondents reported their religion as Christian, including 6% Catholic, with 11% as having no religion.<ref name=ARIS2008>{{cite web |url=http://b27.cc.trincoll.edu/weblogs/AmericanReligionSurvey-ARIS/reports/ARIS_Report_2008.pdf |title=American Religious Identification Survey (ARIS) 2008 |author1=Barry A. Kosmin |author2=Ariela Keysar |year=2009 |publisher=Trinity College |location=Hartford, Connecticut, US |page=20 |access-date=May 8, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090407053149/http://b27.cc.trincoll.edu/weblogs/AmericanReligionSurvey-ARIS/reports/ARIS_Report_2008.pdf |archive-date=April 7, 2009 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The composition of other traditions is 0.5% Mormon, 0.5% Jewish, 0.5% Muslim, 0.5% Buddhist, and 0.5% Hindu.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://religions.pewforum.org/maps |title=Religion in America: U.S. Religious Data, Demographics and Statistics—Pew Research Center |date=May 11, 2015 |website=Pew Research Center's Religion & Public Life Project |access-date=July 21, 2015 |archive-date=July 7, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130707085300/http://religions.pewforum.org/maps |url-status=live}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable sortable" font-size:80%;"
|+ style="font-size:100%" |Religious affiliation in Alabama (2014)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/state/alabama/|title=Religious Landscape Study|date=May 11, 2015|access-date=December 18, 2015|archive-date=May 15, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150515002129/http://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/state/alabama/|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
! Affiliation
! colspan="2"|% of population
|-
| Christian
|align=right| {{bartable|86||2||background:darkblue}}
|-
| style="text-align:left; text-indent:15px;"| [[Protestantism|Protestant]]
|align=right| {{bartable|78||2||background:mediumblue}}
|-
| style="text-align:left; text-indent:30px;"| [[Evangelical Protestant]]
|align=right| {{bartable|49||2||background:lightblue}}
|-
| style="text-align:left; text-indent:30px;"| [[Mainline Protestant]]
|align=right| {{bartable|13||2||background:lightblue}}
|-
| style="text-align:left; text-indent:30px;"| [[Black church]]
|align=right| {{bartable|16||2||background:lightblue}}
|-
| style="text-align:left; text-indent:15px;"| [[Catholic]]
|align=right| {{bartable|7||2||background:mediumblue}}
|-
| style="text-align:left; text-indent:15px;"| [[Mormon]]
|align=right| {{bartable|1||2||background:mediumblue}}
|-
| style="text-align:left; text-indent:15px;"| [[Jehovah's Witnesses]]
|align=right| {{bartable|0.1||2||background:mediumblue}}
|-
| style="text-align:left; text-indent:15px;"| [[Eastern Orthodox]]
|align=right| {{bartable|0.1||2||background:mediumblue}}
|-
| style="text-align:left; text-indent:15px;"| Other Christian
|align=right| {{bartable|0.1||2||background:mediumblue}}
|-
| [[Irreligion|Unaffiliated]]
|align=right| {{bartable|12||2||background:purple}}
|-
| style="text-align:left; text-indent:15px;"| Nothing in particular
|align=right| {{bartable|9||2||background:#A020F0}}
|-
| style="text-align:left; text-indent:15px;"| Agnostic
|align=right| {{bartable|1||2||background:#A020F0}}
|-
| style="text-align:left; text-indent:15px;"| [[Atheism|Atheist]]
|align=right| {{bartable|1||2||background:#A020F0}}
|-
| Non-Christian faiths
|align=right| {{bartable|1||2||background:darkgreen}}
|-
| style="text-align:left; text-indent:15px;"| Jewish
|align=right| {{bartable|0.2||2||background:lightgreen}}
|-
| style="text-align:left; text-indent:15px;"| [[Muslim]]
|align=right| {{bartable|0.2||2||background:lightgreen}}
|-
| style="text-align:left; text-indent:15px;"| [[Buddhist]]
|align=right| {{bartable|0.2||2||background:lightgreen}}
|-
| style="text-align:left; text-indent:15px;"| [[Hindu]]
|align=right| {{bartable|0.2||2||background:lightblue}}
|-
| style="text-align:left; text-indent:15px;"| Other Non-Christian faiths
|align=right| {{bartable|0.2||2||background:lightgreen}}
|-
| Don't know/refused answer
|align=right| {{bartable|1||2||background:#A020F0}}
|-
| Total || {{bartable|100||2||background:grey}}
|}
{{Further|topic=Christianity in Alabama|History of Baptists in Alabama|List of Baptist churches in Alabama|Episcopal Diocese of Alabama|Episcopal Diocese of the Central Gulf Coast|Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Mobile|Roman Catholic Diocese of Birmingham in Alabama|The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Alabama}}

Alabama is located in the middle of the [[Bible Belt]], a region of numerous [[Protestantism|Protestant]] Christians. Alabama has been identified as one of the most religious states in the United States, with about 58% of the population attending church regularly.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20060502/news_lz1n2thelist.html |title=Church or synagogue attendance by state |website=The San Diego Union-Tribune |access-date=July 21, 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120513103435/http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20060502/news_lz1n2thelist.html |archive-date=May 13, 2012}}</ref> A majority of people in the state identify as Evangelical Protestant. {{as of|2010}}, the three largest denominational groups in Alabama are the [[Southern Baptist Convention]], [[The United Methodist Church]], and [[Nondenominational Christianity|non-denominational]] Evangelical Protestant.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thearda.com/rcms2010/r/s/01/rcms2010_01_state_name_2010.asp |publisher=The Association of Religion Data Archives |title=State membership Report |access-date=November 7, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131012074403/http://www.thearda.com/rcms2010/r/s/01/rcms2010_01_state_name_2010.asp |archive-date=October 12, 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

In Alabama, the Southern Baptist Convention has the highest number of adherents with 1,380,121; this is followed by the United Methodist Church with 327,734 adherents, non-denominational Evangelical Protestant with 220,938 adherents, and the Catholic Church with 150,647 adherents. Many Baptist and Methodist congregations became established in the [[Great Awakening]] of the early 19th century, when preachers proselytized across the South. The [[Assemblies of God]] had almost 60,000 members, the [[Churches of Christ]] had nearly 120,000 members. The [[Presbyterianism|Presbyterian churches]], strongly associated with Scots-Irish immigrants of the 18th century and their descendants, had a combined membership around 75,000 ([[Presbyterian Church in America|PCA]]—28,009 members in 108 congregations, [[Presbyterian Church (USA)|PC(USA)]]—26,247 members in 147 congregations,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thearda.com/rcms2010/r/s/01/rcms2010_01_state_name_2010.asp |publisher=The Association of Religion Data Archives |title=Maps & Reports |access-date=July 21, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131012074403/http://www.thearda.com/rcms2010/r/s/01/rcms2010_01_state_name_2010.asp |archive-date=October 12, 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref> the [[Cumberland Presbyterian Church]]—6,000 members in 59 congregations, the [[Cumberland Presbyterian Church in America]]—5,000 members and fifty congregations plus the [[Edgewater Presbyterian Church|EPC]] and Associate Reformed Presbyterians with 230 members and nine congregations).<ref name="thearda">{{cite web |url=http://www.thearda.com/mapsReports/reports/state/01_2000.asp |title=State Membership Reports |year=2000 |access-date=June 15, 2010 |publisher=thearda.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100829192301/http://www.thearda.com/mapsReports/reports/state/01_2000.asp |archive-date=August 29, 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

In a 2007 survey, nearly 70% of respondents could name all four of the Christian [[Gospel]]s. Of those who indicated a religious preference, 59% said they possessed a "full understanding" of their faith and needed no further learning.<ref>{{cite news |first=Kirsten |last=Campbell |work=Mobile Register |title=Alabama rates well in biblical literacy |date=March 25, 2007 |page=A1 |publisher=Advance Publications, Inc}}</ref> In a 2007 poll, 92% of Alabamians reported having at least some confidence in churches in the state.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.myaea.org/PDFfile/Confidence+in+State+Institutions07.pdf |title=Confidence in State and Local Institutions Survey |publisher=Capital Survey Research Center |access-date=June 2, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070614184507/http://www.myaea.org/PDFfile/Confidence%20in%20State%20Institutions07.pdf |archive-date=June 14, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |first=David |last=White |title=Poll says we feel good about state Trust in government, unlike some institutions, hasn't fallen |date=April 1, 2007 |work=Birmingham News |page=13A}}</ref>

Although in much smaller numbers, many other religious faiths are represented in the state as well, including Judaism, [[Islam]], [[Hinduism]], [[Buddhism]], [[Sikhism]], the [[Baháʼí Faith]], and [[Unitarian Universalism]].<ref name="thearda"/>

Jews have been present in what is now Alabama since 1763, during the colonial era of Mobile, when [[Sephardi Jews|Sephardic Jews]] immigrated from London.<ref name="shomayim">{{cite book |title=The Gates of Heaven : Congregation Sha'arai Shomayim, the first 150 years, Mobile, Alabama, 1844–1994 |last=Zietz |first=Robert |year=1994 |publisher=Congregation Sha'arai Shomayim|location=Mobile, Alabama |pages=1–7}}</ref> The oldest Jewish congregation in the state is [[Congregation Sha'arai Shomayim (Mobile, Alabama)|Congregation Sha'arai Shomayim]] in Mobile. It was formally recognized by the state legislature on January 25, 1844.<ref name="shomayim"/> Later immigrants in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries tended to be [[Ashkenazi Jews]] from eastern Europe. Jewish denominations in the state include two [[Orthodox Judaism|Orthodox]], four [[Conservative Judaism|Conservative]], ten [[Reform Judaism|Reform]], and one [[Humanistic Judaism|Humanistic]] synagogue.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kosherdelight.com/USA/Alabama/AlabamaSynagogues.shtml |title=Synagogues in Alabama |publisher=Kosher Delight |access-date=September 8, 2012 |archive-date=January 17, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130117053313/http://www.kosherdelight.com/USA/Alabama/AlabamaSynagogues.shtml |url-status=live}}</ref>

Muslims have been increasing in Alabama, with 31 mosques built by 2011, many by African-American converts.<ref name="2011muslim">{{cite news |title=Survey: U.S. Muslims grow by 30 percent since 2000 |author=Kay Campbell |url=http://www.al.com/living/index.ssf/2012/02/survey_us_muslims_grow_by_30_p.html |newspaper=The Huntsville Times |date=February 29, 2012 |access-date=September 8, 2012 |archive-date=July 19, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120719215839/http://www.al.com/living/index.ssf/2012/02/survey_us_muslims_grow_by_30_p.html |url-status=live}}</ref>

Several Hindu temples and cultural centers in the state have been founded by Indian immigrants and their descendants, the best-known being the Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Birmingham, the Hindu Temple and Cultural Center of Birmingham in [[Pelham, Alabama|Pelham]], the Hindu Cultural Center of North Alabama in [[Capshaw, Alabama|Capshaw]], and the Hindu Mandir and Cultural Center in Tuscaloosa.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.garamchai.com/templesSE.htm |title=Hindu Temples in the South East: catering to the needs of NRI and Indians in US |website=GaramChai |access-date=September 22, 2012 |archive-date=September 22, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120922084948/http://www.garamchai.com/templesSE.htm |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://hindumandir.cc/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=33&Itemid=42 |title=History of Hindu Mandir & Cultural Center |website=Hindu Mandir & Cultural Center |access-date=September 22, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130117053326/http://hindumandir.cc/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=33&Itemid=42 |archive-date=January 17, 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

There are six [[Dharma centre|Dharma centers]] and organizations for [[Theravada]] Buddhists.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.manjushri.com/Centers/alabama.htm |title=Dharma Centers and Organizations in Alabama |website=Manjushri Buddhist Community |publisher=AcuMaestro |access-date=September 22, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130117053327/http://www.manjushri.com/Centers/alabama.htm |archive-date=January 17, 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Most monastic Buddhist temples are concentrated in southern Mobile County, near [[Bayou La Batre, Alabama|Bayou La Batre]]. This area has attracted an [[Indochina refugee crisis|influx of refugees from Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam]] during the 1970s and thereafter.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.journalofamericanhistory.org/projects/katrina/Gaillard.html |title=After the Storms: Tradition and Change in Bayou La Batre |author=Frye Gaillard |date=December 2007 |website=Journal of American History |publisher=Organization of American Historians |access-date=September 22, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121201013011/http://www.journalofamericanhistory.org/projects/katrina/Gaillard.html |archive-date=December 1, 2012}}</ref> The four temples within a ten-mile radius of Bayou La Batre, include Chua Chanh Giac, Wat Buddharaksa, and Wat Lao Phoutthavihan.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://blog.al.com/living-press-register/2011/10/for_vietnamese_buddhists_in_so.html |title=For Vietnamese Buddhists in South Alabama, A Goddess of Mercy Is A Powerful Figure |author=Roy Hoffman |newspaper=Press-Register |date=October 22, 2011 |access-date=September 22, 2012 |archive-date=November 17, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121117144248/http://blog.al.com/living-press-register/2011/10/for_vietnamese_buddhists_in_so.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://blog.al.com/living-press-register/2009/08/a_welcome_gateway_to_the_far_e.html |title=A Welcome Gateway to the Far East |author=Debbie M. Lord |newspaper=Press-Register |date=August 29, 2009 |access-date=September 22, 2012 |archive-date=November 19, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121119120248/http://blog.al.com/living-press-register/2009/08/a_welcome_gateway_to_the_far_e.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://blog.al.com/live/2012/05/buddhist_monk_killed_temple_le.html |title=Buddhist Monk Killed Temple Leader During Argument Over Food, Prosecutor Says |author=Katherine Sayre |newspaper=Press-Register |date=May 17, 2012 |access-date=September 22, 2012 |archive-date=November 17, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121117013740/http://blog.al.com/live/2012/05/buddhist_monk_killed_temple_le.html |url-status=live}}</ref>

The first community of adherents of the Baháʼí Faith in Alabama was founded in 1896 by Paul K. Dealy, who moved from Chicago to Fairhope. Baháʼí centers in Alabama exist in Birmingham, Huntsville, and [[Florence, Alabama|Florence]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.shoalsbahais.com/About-Us.html |title=Bahais of the Shoals |website=shoalsbahais.com |access-date=July 21, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150511002203/http://www.shoalsbahais.com/About-Us.html |archive-date=May 11, 2015 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

=== Health ===
In 2018, life expectancy in Alabama was 75.1 years, below the national average of 78.7 years and is the [[List of U.S. states and territories by life expectancy|third lowest life expectancy]] in the country. Factors that can cause lower life expectancy are maternal mortality, suicide, and gun crimes.<ref>{{cite web |title=Here are which states have the longest life expectancies — and which have the shortest |url=https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/which-states-longest-life-expectancies-shortest-life-expectancies-160420160.html |website=Yahoo |access-date=March 11, 2021 |date=March 11, 2021 |archive-date=March 11, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210311225343/https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/which-states-longest-life-expectancies-shortest-life-expectancies-160420160.html |url-status=live}}</ref>

A [[Centers for Disease Control and Prevention]] study in 2008 showed that obesity in Alabama is a problem, with most counties having more than 29% of adults obese, except for ten which had a rate between 26% and 29%.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/pubs/factsheets/countylvlestimates.htm |title=County Level Estimates of Obesity—State Maps |year=2008 |publisher=Centers for Disease Control and Prevention |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140331230945/http://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/pubs/factsheets/countylvlestimates.htm |archive-date=March 31, 2014}}</ref> Residents of the state, along with those in five other states, were least likely in the nation to be physically active during leisure time.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2011/p0216_physicalinactivity.html |title=Highest Rates of Leisure-Time Physical Inactivity in Appalachia and South |year=2008 |publisher=Centers for Disease Control and Prevention |access-date=September 8, 2017 |archive-date=July 7, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170707145314/https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2011/p0216_physicalinactivity.html |url-status=live}}</ref> Alabama, and the southeastern U.S. in general, has one of the highest incidences of adult onset [[Type 2 diabetes|diabetes]] in the country, exceeding 10% of adults.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://apps.nccd.cdc.gov/DDTSTRS/Index.aspx?stateId=1&state=Alabama&cat=prevalence&Data=data&view=TO&trend=prevalence&id=1 |title=Alabama—Percentage of Adults(aged 18 years or older) with Diagnosed Diabetes, 1994–2010 |year=2010 |publisher=Centers for Disease Control and Prevention |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111018105633/http://apps.nccd.cdc.gov/DDTSTRS/Index.aspx?stateId=1&state=Alabama&cat=prevalence&Data=data&view=TO&trend=prevalence&id=1 |archive-date=October 18, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://apps.nccd.cdc.gov/DDT_STRS2/NationalDiabetesPrevalenceEstimates.aspx?mode=DBT |title=CDC national chart on diabetes |publisher=Apps.nccd.cdc.gov |access-date=June 1, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111015110228/http://apps.nccd.cdc.gov/DDT_STRS2/NationalDiabetesPrevalenceEstimates.aspx?mode=DBT |archive-date=October 15, 2011}}</ref>

== Economy ==
{{See also|Economy of Alabama|Alabama locations by per capita income}}

The state has invested in aerospace, education, health care, banking, and various heavy industries, including automobile manufacturing, mineral extraction, steel production and [[Metal fabrication|fabrication]]. By 2006, crop and animal production in Alabama was valued at $1.5{{spaces}}billion. In contrast to the primarily agricultural economy of the previous century, this was only about one percent of the state's gross domestic product. The number of private farms has declined at a steady rate since the 1960s, as land has been sold to developers, timber companies, and large farming conglomerates.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://encyclopediaofalabama.org/face/Article.jsp?id=h-2330 |title=Food Production in Alabama |last1=Ijaz |first1=Ahmad |last2=Addy |first2=Samuel N. |date=July 6, 2009 |website=The Encyclopedia of Alabama |publisher=Auburn University |access-date=September 22, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130117053325/http://encyclopediaofalabama.org/face/Article.jsp?id=h-2330 |archive-date=January 17, 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

[[File:RTJattheshoals.jpg|thumb|left|The [[Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail]] has a large economic impact on the state.]]
Non-agricultural employment in 2008 was 121,800 in management occupations; 71,750 in business and financial operations; 36,790 in computer-related and mathematical occupation; 44,200 in architecture and engineering; 12,410 in life, physical, and social sciences; 32,260 in community and social services; 12,770 in legal occupations; 116,250 in education, training, and library services; 27,840 in art, design and media occupations; 121,110 in healthcare; 44,750 in fire fighting, law enforcement, and security; 154,040 in food preparation and serving; 76,650 in building and grounds cleaning and maintenance; 53,230 in personal care and services; 244,510 in sales; 338,760 in office and administration support; 20,510 in farming, fishing, and forestry; 120,155 in construction and mining, gas, and oil extraction; 106,280 in installation, maintenance, and repair; 224,110 in production; and 167,160 in transportation and material moving.<ref name="alaindustrial"/>

[[File:Center Court of the Riverchase Galleria.jpg|thumb|upright|The [[Riverchase Galleria]] in Hoover, one of the largest shopping centers in the southeast]]
According to the U.S. [[Bureau of Economic Analysis]], the 2008 total [[Gross regional domestic product|gross state product]] was $170{{spaces}}billion, or $29,411 per capita. Alabama's 2012 GDP increased 1.2% from the previous year. The single largest increase came in the area of information.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bea.gov/newsreleases/regional/gdp_state/gsp_newsrelease.htm |title=GDP by State (2008) |date=June 2, 2009 |website=Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts |access-date=October 9, 2009 |archive-date=August 26, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090826143618/https://www.bea.gov/newsreleases/regional/gdp_state/gsp_newsrelease.htm |url-status=live}} [https://www.bea.gov/newsreleases/regional/gdp_state/2009/pdf/gsp0609.pdf full release with tables] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170630210541/https://www.bea.gov/newsreleases/regional/gdp_state/2009/pdf/gsp0609.pdf |date=June 30, 2017}}</ref> In 2010, per capita income for the state was $22,984.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/01000.html |title=United States Census Bureau |access-date=February 25, 2012 |website=State and County Quick Facts |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120226182304/http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/01000.html |archive-date=February 26, 2012}}</ref>

The state's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 5.8% in April 2015.<ref>{{cite web |title=Local Area Unemployment Statistics—Alabama |website=Bureau of Labor Statistics |url=http://data.bls.gov/cgi-bin/surveymost?la+01 |access-date=June 15, 2013 |archive-date=February 9, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140209183335/http://data.bls.gov/cgi-bin/surveymost?la+01 |url-status=live}}</ref> This compared to a nationwide seasonally adjusted rate of 5.4%.<ref>{{cite web |title=Bureau of Labor Statistics Data |url=http://data.bls.gov/cgi-bin/surveymost?bls |publisher=United States Department of Labor |access-date=July 6, 2015 |archive-date=October 24, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131024023419/http://data.bls.gov/cgi-bin/surveymost?bls |url-status=live}}</ref>

Alabama has no minimum wage and in February 2016 passed legislation preventing municipalities from setting one. (A Birmingham city ordinance would have raised theirs to $10.10.)<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/feb/26/alabama-passes-law-banning-minimum-wage-increase |title=Alabama passes law banning cities and towns from increasing minimum wage |first=Jana |last=Kasperkevic |date=February 26, 2016 |newspaper=The Guardian |access-date=December 13, 2016 |archive-date=February 11, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170211161330/https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/feb/26/alabama-passes-law-banning-minimum-wage-increase |url-status=live}}</ref>

{{as of|2018}}, Alabama has the sixth highest poverty rate among states in the U.S.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://alabamapossible.org/ap_povertyfactsheet_2018_web/ |title=AP_PovertyFactSheet_2018_Web |first=Kristina |last=Scott |access-date=September 4, 2018 |archive-date=September 4, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180904192109/http://alabamapossible.org/ap_povertyfactsheet_2018_web/ |url-status=live}}</ref> In 2017, United Nations Special Rapporteur [[Philip Alston]] toured parts of rural Alabama and observed environmental conditions he said were poorer than anywhere he had seen in the developed world.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Ballesteros |first=Carlos |title=Alabama Has the Worst Poverty in the Developed World, U.N. Official Says |url=https://www.newsweek.com/alabama-un-poverty-environmental-racism-743601 |newspaper=Newsweek |date=December 10, 2017 |access-date=September 4, 2018 |archive-date=September 8, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180908163319/https://www.newsweek.com/alabama-un-poverty-environmental-racism-743601 |url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Largest employers ===
[[File:Enterprise lifted.jpg|thumb|upright|The [[Space Shuttle Enterprise|Space Shuttle ''Enterprise'']] being tested at Marshall Space Flight Center in 1978]]
[[File:Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama Highsmith 01.jpg|thumb|Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama in Montgomery in 2010]]
[[File:Shelbyhallcomputing.JPG|thumb|Shelby Hall, School of Computing, at the [[University of South Alabama]] in Mobile]]

The five employers that employed the most employees in Alabama in April 2011 were:<ref name="bbjournal">Aneesa Macmillan. "[http://www.bizjournals.com/birmingham/blog/2011/04/top-of-the-list-alabamas-largest.html Top of the List: Alabama's largest employers] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110426110530/http://www.bizjournals.com/birmingham/blog/2011/04/top-of-the-list-alabamas-largest.html |date=April 26, 2011}}" (April 22, 2011). ''Birmingham Business Journal''.</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Employer
! Employees
|-
| [[Redstone Arsenal]]
| 25,373
|-
| [[University of Alabama at Birmingham]] (includes [[UAB Hospital]])
| 18,750
|-
| [[Maxwell Air Force Base]]
| 12,280
|-
| [[Government of Alabama|State of Alabama]]
| 9,500
|-
| [[Mobile County Public School System]]
| 8,100
|}

The next twenty largest employers, {{as of|2011|lc=y}}, included:<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.americanregistry.com/recognition/alabamas-largest-employers/116523 |title=Alabama's Largest Employers |date=April 2011 |website=Birmingham Business Journal |publisher=American Registry |access-date=September 19, 2012 |archive-date=January 17, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130117053326/http://www.americanregistry.com/recognition/alabamas-largest-employers/116523 |url-status=live}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Employer
! Location
|-
| [[Anniston Army Depot]]
| [[Anniston, Alabama|Anniston]]
|-
| [[AT&T Inc.|AT&T]]
| Multiple
|-
| [[Auburn University]]
| [[Auburn, Alabama|Auburn]]
|-
| Baptist Medical Center South
| [[Montgomery, Alabama|Montgomery]]
|-
| [[Birmingham City Schools]]
| [[Birmingham, Alabama|Birmingham]]
|-
| [[Birmingham, Alabama|City of Birmingham]]
| Birmingham
|-
| DCH Health System
| [[Tuscaloosa, Alabama|Tuscaloosa]]
|-
| [[Huntsville City Schools]]
| [[Huntsville, Alabama|Huntsville]]
|-
| [[Huntsville Hospital System]]
| Huntsville
|-
| [[Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama]]
| Montgomery
|-
| Infirmary Health System
| [[Mobile, Alabama|Mobile]]
|-
| [[Jefferson County Schools (Alabama)|Jefferson County Board of Education]]
| Birmingham
|-
| [[Marshall Space Flight Center]]
| Huntsville
|-
| [[Mercedes-Benz U.S. International]]
| [[Vance, Alabama|Vance]]
|-
| [[Montgomery Public Schools]]
| Montgomery
|-
| [[Regions Financial Corporation]]
| Multiple
|-
| [[Boeing]]
| Multiple
|-
| [[University of Alabama]]
| Tuscaloosa
|-
| [[University of South Alabama]]
| Mobile
|-
| [[Walmart]]
| Multiple
|}

=== Agriculture ===
Alabama's agricultural outputs include poultry and [[Egg as food|eggs]], cattle, fish, plant nursery items, peanuts, cotton, grains such as [[Corn production in the United States|corn]] and [[sorghum]], vegetables, milk, [[soybean]]s, and peaches. Although known as "[[List of U.S. state and territory nicknames|The Cotton State]]", Alabama ranks between eighth and tenth in [[Cotton production in the United States|national cotton production]], according to various reports,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://cber.cba.ua.edu/pdf/ab2005q4.pdf |title=Alabama and CBER: 75 Years of Change |access-date=September 23, 2006 |year=2005 |website=Alabama Business |publisher=Center for Business and Economic Research, Culverhouse College of Commerce, The University of Alabama |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060927141609/http://cber.cba.ua.edu/pdf/ab2005q4.pdf |archive-date=September 27, 2006 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.aces.edu/dept/nass/bulletin/2005/pg05.pdf |title=State Highlights for 2004–2005 |access-date=September 23, 2006 |year=2005 |website=Alabama Cooperative Extension System |publisher=USDA, NASS, Alabama Statistical Office |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060921005808/http://www.aces.edu/dept/nass/bulletin/2005/pg05.pdf |archive-date=September 21, 2006 |url-status=dead}}</ref> with [[Texas]], Georgia and Mississippi comprising the top three.

=== Aquaculture ===
[[Aquaculture]] is a large part of the economy of Alabama.<ref name=":1">Hanson, TE. 2015. Economics of Aquaculture Production in Alabama. United States Department of Agriculture. Project No. ALA016-1-10022. Available from: https://reeis.usda.gov/web/crisprojectpages/0222158-economics-of-aquaculture-production-in-alabama.html {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210924191911/https://reeis.usda.gov/web/crisprojectpages/0222158-economics-of-aquaculture-production-in-alabama.html |date=September 24, 2021}}</ref> Alabamians began to practice aquaculture in the early 1960s.<ref name=":2">{{Cite journal |last1=Pine |first1=H.J. |last2=Boyd |first2=C.E. |date=2011 |title=Stream Salinization by Inland Brackish-Water Aquaculture |url=https://doi.org/10.1080/15222055.2011.545580 |journal=North American Journal of Aquaculture |volume=73 |issue=2 |pages=107–113|doi=10.1080/15222055.2011.545580 |bibcode=2011NAJA...73..107P}}</ref> U.S. [[farm-raised catfish]] is the 8th most popular seafood product in America.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |last1=Hanson |first1=Terry |last2=Roy |first2=Luke |last3=Kelly |first3=Anita |date=2021 |title=2020 Alabama Farm-Raised Catfish Industry Highlights |url=https://www.aces.edu/blog/topics/aquaculture/alabama-farm-raised-catfish-industry-highlights/?cn-reloaded=1 |url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210924191858/https://www.aces.edu/blog/topics/aquaculture/alabama-farm-raised-catfish-industry-highlights/?cn-reloaded=1 |archive-date=September 24, 2021}}</ref> By 2008, approximately 4,000 people in Alabama were employed by the catfish industry and Alabama produced 132 million pounds of catfish.<ref name=":1" /> In 2020, Alabama produced {{frac|1|3}} of the United States' farm-raised catfish.<ref name=":3" /> The total 2020 sales of catfish raised in Alabama equaled $307&nbsp;million but by 2020 the total employment of Alabamians fell to 2,442.<ref name=":3" />

From the early 2000s to 2020, the Alabamian catfish industry has declined from 250 farms and 4 processors to 66 farms and 2 processors.<ref name=":3" /> Reasons for this decline include increased feed prices, catfish alternatives, [[COVID-19]]'s impact on restaurant sales, disease, and fish size.<ref name=":3" />

=== Industry ===
Alabama's industrial outputs include iron and steel products (including cast-iron and steel pipe); paper, [[lumber]], and wood products; mining (mostly coal); plastic products; cars and trucks; and [[Clothing|apparel]]. In addition, Alabama produces [[aerospace]] and [[electronics|electronic]] products, mostly in the Huntsville area, the location of [[NASA]]'s George C. Marshall Space Flight Center and the [[United States Army Materiel Command|U.S. Army Materiel Command]], headquartered at [[Redstone Arsenal]].

[[File:Mercedes Benz US International 01.jpg|thumb|[[Mercedes-Benz U.S. International]] in Tuscaloosa County was the first automotive facility to locate within the state.]]
A great deal of Alabama's economic growth since the 1990s has been due to the state's expanding automotive manufacturing industry. Located in the state are [[Honda Manufacturing of Alabama]], [[Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama]], [[Mercedes-Benz U.S. International]], and [[Toyota Motor Manufacturing Alabama]], as well as their various suppliers. Since 1993, the automobile industry has generated more than 67,800 new jobs in the state. Alabama currently ranks 4th in the nation for vehicle exports.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www1.eere.energy.gov/vehiclesandfuels/facts/2008_fotw539.html |title=Vehicle Technologies Program: Fact #539: October 6, 2008, Light Vehicle Production by State |publisher=.eere.energy.gov |date=October 6, 2008 |access-date=October 24, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081006202740/http://www1.eere.energy.gov/vehiclesandfuels/facts/2008_fotw539.html |archive-date=October 6, 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

Automakers accounted for approximately a third of the industrial expansion in the state in 2012.<ref>{{cite news |last=McCreless |first=Patrick |title=Automakers account for about a third of the state's industrial expansion |url=http://www.annistonstar.com/view/full_story/20677539/article-Automakers-account-for-about-a-third-of-the-state-s-industrial-expansion?instance=home_news#ixzz2DioLu4sx |newspaper=The Anniston Star |date=October 31, 2012 |access-date=June 15, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131022035218/http://www.annistonstar.com/view/full_story/20677539/article-Automakers-account-for-about-a-third-of-the-state-s-industrial-expansion?instance=home_news#ixzz2DioLu4sx |archive-date=October 22, 2013}}</ref> The eight models produced at the state's auto factories totaled combined sales of 74,335 vehicles for 2012. The strongest model sales during this period were the [[Hyundai Elantra]] compact car, the [[Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class|Mercedes-Benz GL-Class]] sport utility vehicle and the [[Honda Ridgeline]] sport utility truck.<ref>{{cite news |last=Kent |first=Dawn |title=U.S. auto sales see gains in March, as Alabama-made models rise 4 percent |url=http://www.al.com/business/index.ssf/2013/04/us_auto_sales_see_gains_in_mar.html |access-date=June 15, 2013 |publisher=AL.com |date=April 2, 2013 |archive-date=May 18, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130518041759/http://www.al.com/business/index.ssf/2013/04/us_auto_sales_see_gains_in_mar.html |url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:Airbus Mobile Engineering Center.jpg|thumb|left|Airbus Mobile Engineering Center at the Brookley Aeroplex in Mobile]]
Steel producers [[Outokumpu]], [[Nucor]], [[SSAB]], [[ThyssenKrupp]], and [[U.S. Steel]] have facilities in Alabama and employ more than 10,000 people. In May 2007, German steelmaker ThyssenKrupp selected [[Calvert, Alabama|Calvert]] in Mobile County for a 4.65{{spaces}}billion combined [[stainless steel|stainless]] and [[carbon steel]] processing facility.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://blog.al.com/live/2007/05/mobile_county_wins_thyssenkrup.html |title=ThyssenKrupp's Alabama incentive package tops $811 million |newspaper=Press-Register |date=May 11, 2007 |access-date=July 22, 2011 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20110726144848/http://blog.al.com/live/2007/05/mobile_county_wins_thyssenkrup.html |archive-date=July 26, 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref> ThyssenKrupp's stainless steel division, Inoxum, including the stainless portion of the Calvert plant, was sold to Finnish stainless steel company Outokumpu in 2012.<ref>{{cite news |title=New owners of ThyssenKrupp stainless steel division plan visit in June |work=Press-Register |date=May 31, 2012 |url=http://blog.al.com/press-register-business/2012/05/new_owners_of_thyssenkrupp_sta.html |access-date=June 15, 2013 |archive-date=October 22, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131022053114/http://blog.al.com/press-register-business/2012/05/new_owners_of_thyssenkrupp_sta.html |url-status=live}}</ref> The remaining portion of the ThyssenKrupp plant had final bids submitted by [[ArcelorMittal]] and [[Nippon Steel]] for $1.6{{spaces}}billion in March 2013. [[Companhia Siderúrgica Nacional]] submitted a combined bid for the mill at Calvert, plus a majority stake in the ThyssenKrupp mill in Brazil, for $3.8{{spaces}}billion.<ref>{{cite news |title=Report: ThyssenKrupp gets final bids for Steel Americas plants |publisher=AL.com |date=March 1, 2013 |url=http://www.al.com/business/index.ssf/2013/03/report_thyssenkrupp_gets_final.html |access-date=June 15, 2013 |archive-date=May 7, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130507103651/http://www.al.com/business/index.ssf/2013/03/report_thyssenkrupp_gets_final.html |url-status=live}}</ref> In July 2013, the plant was sold to ArcelorMittal and Nippon Steel.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.stahl-online.de/index.php/alabama-ende-2014-bei-voller-kapazitaet/ |title=Alabama: Ende 2014 bei voller Kapazität—stahl-online.de |website=stahl-online.de |access-date=July 21, 2015 |archive-date=September 24, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924105627/http://www.stahl-online.de/index.php/alabama-ende-2014-bei-voller-kapazitaet/ |url-status=dead}}</ref>

The [[Hunt Refining Company]], a subsidiary of Hunt Consolidated, Inc., is based in Tuscaloosa and operates a refinery there. The company also operates terminals in Mobile, Melvin, and Moundville.<ref>"[http://www.linkedin.com/company/hunt-refining-company Hunt Refining Company] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120518071518/http://www.linkedin.com/company/hunt-refining-company |date=May 18, 2012}}". Linkedin.</ref> [[JVC|JVC America, Inc.]] operates an [[optical disc]] replication and packaging plant in Tuscaloosa.<ref>"[https://web.archive.org/web/20130117053326/http://www.jvc-america.com/about/plant_locations.aspx Company Overview]". JVC America, Inc.</ref>

The [[Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company]] operates a large plant in Gadsden which employs about 1,400 people. It has been in operation since 1929.

Construction of an [[Airbus A320 family]] aircraft assembly plant in Mobile was formally announced by [[Airbus]] CEO [[Fabrice Brégier]] from the Mobile Convention Center on July 2, 2012. The plans include a $600{{spaces}}million factory at the [[Mobile Aeroplex at Brookley|Brookley Aeroplex]] for the assembly of the A319, A320 and A321 aircraft. Construction began in 2013, with plans for it to become operable by 2015 and produce up to 50 aircraft per year by 2017.b<ref name="apconfirm">{{cite news |title=Airbus to Build 1st US Assembly Plant in Alabama |agency=Associated Press |author=Melissa Nelson-Gabriel |date=July 2, 2012 |url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/officials-ala-airbus-plant-employ-1000-16690789 |access-date=July 2, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120703090843/https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/officials-ala-airbus-plant-employ-1000-16690789 |archive-date=July 3, 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="bbcconfirm">{{cite news |title=Airbus confirms its first US factory to build A320 jet |work=BBC News |date=July 2, 2012 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-18675711 |access-date=July 2, 2012 |archive-date=July 2, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120702182124/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-18675711 |url-status=live}}</ref> The assembly plant is the company's first factory to be built within the United States.<ref>{{cite news|title=EADS to Build United States Assembly Line for Airbus A320|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/03/business/global/eads-to-build-airbus-assembly-line-in-mobile-ala.html|work=The New York Times|access-date=July 2, 2012|author=Nicola Clark|date=July 2, 2012 |archive-date=July 2, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120702213020/http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/03/business/global/eads-to-build-airbus-assembly-line-in-mobile-ala.html|url-status=live}}</ref> It was announced on February 1, 2013, that Airbus had hired Alabama-based [[Hoar Construction]] to oversee construction of the facility.<ref name=airbusasby>{{cite web |title=Airbus Appoints Program Manager for its Mobile Assembly Line |url=http://www.airbus.com/newsevents/news-events-single/detail/airbus-appoints-program-manager-for-its-mobile-assembly-line/ |publisher=Airbus |access-date=February 7, 2013 |archive-date=February 6, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130206110927/http://www.airbus.com/newsevents/news-events-single/detail/airbus-appoints-program-manager-for-its-mobile-assembly-line/ |url-status=dead}}</ref> The factory officially opened on September 14, 2015, covering one million square feet on 53 acres of flat grassland.<ref>{{cite news|author1=Arielle Emmett|title=Airbus Lands In Alabama|url=http://www.airspacemag.com/flight-today/airbus-in-mobile-180959124/|access-date=March 18, 2017|publisher=Air & Space Smithsonian|date=June 2016|archive-date=March 19, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170319114411/http://www.airspacemag.com/flight-today/airbus-in-mobile-180959124/|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Tourism and entertainment ===
[[File:Orange Beach, Alabama.jpg|thumb|Alabama's beaches are one of the state's major tourist destinations.]]

According to [[Business Insider]], Alabama ranked 14th in most popular states to visit in 2014.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/the-most-popular-us-states-for-tourism-2014-10|title=A Detailed Look At How Americans Travel Within The US|first=Jennifer|last=Polland|website=Business Insider|access-date=June 20, 2019|archive-date=June 20, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190620204823/https://www.businessinsider.com/the-most-popular-us-states-for-tourism-2014-10|url-status=live}}</ref> An estimated 26 million tourists visited the state in 2017 and spent $14.3&nbsp;billion, providing directly or indirectly 186,900 jobs in the state,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.al.com/news/2018/05/tourist_spending_in_alabama_hi.html|title=Tourist spending in Alabama hit all-time high in 2017|date=May 23, 2018|website=al|access-date=June 20, 2019|archive-date=June 20, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190620204823/https://www.al.com/news/2018/05/tourist_spending_in_alabama_hi.html|url-status=live}}</ref> which includes 362,000 International tourists spending $589&nbsp;million.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Nusbaum|first=Lydia|date=November 30, 2018|title=International travel agents descend on Alabama|url=https://www.wsfa.com/2018/11/30/international-travel-agents-descend-alabama/|access-date=March 18, 2021|website=WSFA 12 News|archive-date=June 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210615194200/https://www.wsfa.com/2018/11/30/international-travel-agents-descend-alabama/|url-status=live}}</ref>

The state is home to various attractions, natural features, parks and events that attract visitors from around the globe, notably the annual [[Hangout Music Festival]], held on the public beaches of [[Gulf Shores, Alabama|Gulf Shores]]; the [[Alabama Shakespeare Festival]], one of the ten largest [[Shakespeare festival]]s in the world;<ref name="encyclo">{{cite encyclopedia |url=http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/face/Article.jsp?id=h-1023 |title=Alabama Shakespeare Festival (ASF) |author=Jim Volz |date=February 21, 2007 |encyclopedia=The Encyclopedia of Alabama |publisher=Auburn University |access-date=April 3, 2012 |archive-date=March 8, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120308041406/http://encyclopediaofalabama.org/face/Article.jsp?id=h-1023 |url-status=live}}</ref> the [[Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail]], a collection of championship caliber golf courses distributed across the state; casinos such as [[Victoryland]]; amusement parks such as [[Alabama Splash Adventure]]; the [[Riverchase Galleria]], one of the largest shopping centers in the southeast; [[Guntersville Lake]], voted the best lake in Alabama by [[Southern Living]] Magazine readers;<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h-2621|title=Guntersville Dam and Lake|website=Encyclopedia of Alabama|access-date=September 21, 2020|archive-date=January 28, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210128212505/http://encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h-2621|url-status=live}}</ref> and the [[Alabama Museum of Natural History]], the oldest museum in the state.<ref>{{cite web |title=Planning Your Alabama Visit |url=http://alabama.travel/visitor-tips/planning |website=alabama.travel.com |publisher=Sweet Home Alabama |access-date=September 16, 2016 |archive-date=September 24, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160924164535/http://alabama.travel/visitor-tips/planning |url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:Mardi&nbsp;Gras&nbsp;Mobile&nbsp;Order of Inca.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Mobile is the birthplace of Mardi Gras in the U.S.]]
Mobile is known for having the oldest organized [[Mardi Gras in Mobile, Alabama|Mardi Gras]] celebration in the United States, beginning in 1703.<ref name=MoMtime>{{cite web |url=http://www.museumofmobile.com/timeline.php |title=Carnival/Mobile Mardi Gras Timeline |work=Museum of Mobile |access-date=July 18, 2012 |archive-date=July 19, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130719184322/http://www.museumofmobile.com/timeline.php |url-status=live}}</ref> It was also host to the first formally organized Mardi Gras parade in the U.S. in 1830, a tradition that continues to this day.<ref name=MoMtime/> Mardi Gras is an official state holiday in Mobile and Baldwin counties.<ref>{{citation |work=Alabama Code |pages=1–3–8(c) |title=HOLIDAYS ENUMERATED; PERSONAL LEAVE DAYS; STATE HOLIDAYS OBSERVED BY CLOSING OF STATE OFFICES; COMPENSATORY LEAVE DAYS |url=http://codes.lp.findlaw.com/alcode/1/3/1-3-8#sthash.22vLhFOr.dpuf |access-date=December 2, 2014 |archive-date=July 14, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714230312/http://codes.lp.findlaw.com/alcode/1/3/1-3-8#sthash.22vLhFOr.dpuf |url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2018, Mobile's [[Mardi Gras in Mobile, Alabama|Mardi Gras parade]] was the state's top event, producing the most tourists with an attendance of 892,811. The top attraction was the [[U.S. Space & Rocket Center]] in Huntsville with an attendance of 849,981, followed by the [[Birmingham Zoo]] with 543,090. Of the parks and natural destinations, Alabama's Gulf Coast topped the list with 6,700,000 visitors.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.tuscaloosanews.com/news/20190128/alabama-ranks-top-tourist-attractions|title=Alabama ranks top tourist attractions|first=Ken|last=Roberts|website=Tuscaloosa News|access-date=June 26, 2019|archive-date=June 26, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190626162158/https://www.tuscaloosanews.com/news/20190128/alabama-ranks-top-tourist-attractions|url-status=live}}</ref>

Alabama has historically been a popular region for film shoots due to its diverse landscapes and contrast of environments.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.locationshub.com/blog/2013/10/27/four-alabama-filmed-movies-to-watch-in-2013|title=Four Alabama-Filmed Movies to Watch In 2013|website=LocationsHub|date=March 19, 2013 |access-date=June 26, 2019|archive-date=June 26, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190626160701/https://www.locationshub.com/blog/2013/10/27/four-alabama-filmed-movies-to-watch-in-2013|url-status=live}}</ref> Movies filmed in Alabama include ''[[Close Encounters of the Third Kind]]'', ''[[Get Out]]'', ''[[42 (film)|42]]'', ''[[Selma (film)|Selma]]'', ''[[Big Fish]]'', ''[[The Final Destination]]'', ''[[Due Date]]'', and ''[[Need for Speed (film)|Need for Speed]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://birminghamwatch.org/growing-list-movies-made-alabama/|title=A Growing List of Movies Have Been Made in Alabama|first=Jackie Romine|last=Walburn|date=December 10, 2018|access-date=June 26, 2019|archive-date=June 26, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190626160701/https://birminghamwatch.org/growing-list-movies-made-alabama/|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Healthcare ===
[[UAB Hospital]], [[University of South Alabama|USA Health University Hospital]], [[Huntsville Hospital System|Huntsville Hospital]], and Children's Hospital of Alabama are the only [[trauma center|Level{{spaces}}I trauma centers]] in Alabama.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Trauma Centers {{!}} Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH)|url=https://www.alabamapublichealth.gov/aths/trauma-center-levels.html|access-date=November 6, 2020|website=www.alabamapublichealth.gov|archive-date=March 21, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200321235111/http://www.alabamapublichealth.gov/aths/trauma-center-levels.html|url-status=live}}</ref> UAB is the largest state government employer in Alabama, with a workforce of about 18,000.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.uab.edu/humanresources/home/ |title=UAB—Human Resources—Home |website=uab.edu |access-date=July 21, 2015 |archive-date=July 22, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150722064704/http://www.uab.edu/humanresources/home/ |url-status=live}}</ref> A 2017 study found that Alabama had the least competitive health insurance market in the country, with [[Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama]] having a market share of 84% followed by [[UnitedHealth Group]] at 7%.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.ama-assn.org/delivering-care/patient-support-advocacy/competition-health-insurance-research |title=Competition in health insurance research |website=American Medical Association |access-date=June 15, 2019 |archive-date=June 18, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190618001323/https://www.ama-assn.org/delivering-care/patient-support-advocacy/competition-health-insurance-research |url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Banking ===
[[File:Birmingham skyscrapers Nov 2011.jpg|thumb|[[Regions-Harbert Plaza]], [[Regions Center (Birmingham)|Regions Center]], and [[Wells Fargo Tower (Birmingham)|Wells Fargo Tower]] in Birmingham's financial district]]

[[Regions Financial Corporation]] is the largest bank headquartered in or operating in Alabama. [[PNC Financial Services]] and [[Wells Fargo]] also have a major presence in Alabama.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www7.fdic.gov/sod/sodMarketRpt.asp?barItem=2 |title=Deposit Market Share Report |publisher=[[Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation]] |access-date=January 19, 2022 |archive-date=May 27, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210527065621/https://www7.fdic.gov/sod/sodMarketRpt.asp?barItem=2 |url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Wells Fargo]] has a regional headquarters, an operations center campus, and a $400{{spaces}}million data center in Birmingham. Many smaller banks are also headquartered in the Birmingham area, including ServisFirst and New South Federal Savings Bank. Birmingham also serves as the headquarters for several large investment management companies, including [[Harbert Management Corporation]].

=== Electronics and communications ===
Telecommunications provider [[AT&T]], formerly [[BellSouth]], has a major presence in Alabama with several large offices in Birmingham.

Many technology companies are headquartered in Huntsville, such as [[ADTRAN]], a network access company; [[Intergraph]], a computer graphics company; and [[Avocent]], an IT infrastructure company.

=== Construction ===
[[Brasfield & Gorrie]], [[BE&K]], [[Hoar Construction]], and [[B.L. Harbert International]], based in Alabama and subsidiaries of [[URS Corporation]], are all routinely are included in the Engineering News-Record lists of top design, international construction, and engineering firms.
{{clear}}

== Law and government ==
=== State government ===
{{Main|Government of Alabama}}
[[File:Alabama Capitol Building.jpg|thumb|The [[Alabama State Capitol|State Capitol Building]] in Montgomery, completed in 1851]]

The foundational document for Alabama's government is the [[Constitution of Alabama|Alabama Constitution]], the current one having been adopted in 2022. The former Alabama [[Alabama Constitution of 1901|constitution adopted in 1901]] was, with over 850 amendments and almost 87,000 words, by some accounts the world's longest constitution and roughly forty times the length of the [[United States Constitution]].<ref>Tim Lockette, [http://www.annistonstar.com/article_c928bd51-fbf1-5056-a30c-1bf4b19eb012.html?mode=jqm Is the Alabama Constitution the longest constitution in the world?Truth Rating: 4 out of 5] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307224910/http://www.annistonstar.com/article_c928bd51-fbf1-5056-a30c-1bf4b19eb012.html?mode=jqm |date=March 7, 2016}}, ''Anniston Star''.</ref><ref>Campbell Robertson, [https://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/31/us/alabama-simmers-before-vote-on-its-constitutions-racist-language.html Alabama Simmers Before Vote on Its Constitution's Racist Language] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170723071330/http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/31/us/alabama-simmers-before-vote-on-its-constitutions-racist-language.html |date=July 23, 2017}}, ''New York Times'', October 10, 2012.</ref><ref name="Washington Post">{{Cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/2004/11/28/alabama-vote-opens-old-racial-wounds/c801ee54-a22b-424c-9122-729aabaf2007/ |last=Roig-Franzia |first=Manuel |title=Alabama Vote Opens Old Racial Wounds |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=November 28, 2004 |access-date=November 4, 2021 |archive-date=March 22, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220322031912/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/2004/11/28/alabama-vote-opens-old-racial-wounds/c801ee54-a22b-424c-9122-729aabaf2007/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Constitution">{{cite web |url=http://www.legislature.state.al.us/CodeOfAlabama/Constitution/1901/Constitution1901_toc.htm |title=Constitution of Alabama—1901 |website=The Alabama Legislative Information System |access-date=September 22, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060923081542/http://www.legislature.state.al.us/CodeOfAlabama/Constitution/1901/Constitution1901_toc.htm |archive-date=September 23, 2006 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

There has been a significant movement to rewrite and modernize Alabama's constitution.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.constitutionalreform.org/ |title=Alabama Citizens for Constitutional Reform |publisher=Constitutionalreform.org |access-date=October 24, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100915165938/http://www.constitutionalreform.org/ |archive-date=September 15, 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Critics have argued that Alabama's constitution maintains highly centralized power with the state legislature, leaving practically no power in local hands. Most counties do not have home rule. Any policy changes proposed in different areas of the state must be approved by the entire Alabama legislature and, frequently, by state referendum. The former constitution was particularly criticized for its complexity and length intentionally codifying segregation and racism.

[[File:Ala Supreme Court Building Feb 2012 01.jpg|thumb|The [[Alabama Judicial Building|Heflin-Torbert Judicial Building]] in Montgomery. It houses the [[Supreme Court of Alabama]], [[Alabama Court of Civil Appeals]], and [[Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals]].]]
Alabama's government is divided into three coequal branches. The [[Legislature|legislative branch]] is the [[Alabama Legislature]], a [[Bicameralism|bicameral]] assembly composed of the [[Alabama House of Representatives]], with 105 members, and the [[Alabama Senate]], with 35 members. The Legislature is responsible for writing, debating, passing, or defeating state legislation. The [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party]] currently holds a majority in both houses of the Legislature. The Legislature has the power to override a gubernatorial veto by a simple majority (most state Legislatures require a two-thirds majority to override a veto).

Until 1964, the state elected state senators on a geographic basis by county, with one per county. It had not redistricted congressional districts since passage of its constitution in 1901; as a result, urbanized areas were grossly underrepresented. It had not changed legislative districts to reflect the decennial censuses, either. In ''Reynolds v. Sims'' (1964), the U.S. Supreme Court implemented the principle of "one man, one vote", ruling that congressional districts had to be reapportioned based on censuses (as the state already included in its constitution but had not implemented.) Further, the court ruled that both houses of bicameral state legislatures had to be apportioned by population, as there was no constitutional basis for states to have geographically based systems.

At that time, Alabama and many other states had to change their legislative districting, as many across the country had systems that underrepresented urban areas and districts. This had caused decades of underinvestment in such areas. For instance, Birmingham and Jefferson County taxes had supplied one-third of the state budget, but Jefferson County received only 1/67th of state services in funding. Through the legislative delegations, the Alabama legislature kept control of county governments.

[[File:Governor Kay Ivey 2017 (cropped).jpg|thumb|[[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] [[Kay Ivey]] is the [[governor of Alabama]] as of 2024.]]
The [[Executive (government)|executive branch]] is responsible for the execution and oversight of laws. It is headed by the [[List of governors of Alabama|governor of Alabama]]. Other members of the executive branch include the cabinet, the [[List of lieutenant governors of Alabama|lieutenant governor of Alabama]], the [[Attorney General of Alabama]], the [[Secretary of State of Alabama|Alabama Secretary of State]], the [[Alabama State Treasurer]], and the [[State Auditor of Alabama]]. The current governor is Republican [[Kay Ivey]].

The members of the Legislature take office immediately after the November elections. Statewide officials, such as the governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, and other constitutional officers, take office the following January.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.legislature.state.al.us/misc/legislativeprocess/legislativeprocess_ml.html |title=Alabama's Legislative Process |first=McDowell |last=Lee |year=2009 |publisher=State of Alabama |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110102162559/http://www.legislature.state.al.us/misc/legislativeprocess/legislativeprocess_ml.html |archive-date=January 2, 2011}}</ref>

The [[judiciary]] is responsible for interpreting the [[Constitution of Alabama]] and applying the law in state criminal and civil cases. The [[State supreme court|state's highest court]] is the [[Supreme Court of Alabama]]. Alabama uses partisan elections to select judges. Since the 1980s judicial campaigns have become increasingly politicized.<ref name="AJS">[http://www.judicialselection.us/judicial_selection/index.cfm?state=AL Judicial Selection in the States: Alabama] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006162358/http://www.judicialselection.us/judicial_selection/index.cfm?state=AL |date=October 6, 2014}}, American Judicature Society.</ref> The current [[chief justice]] of the Alabama Supreme Court is Republican [[Tom Parker (judge)|Tom Parker]]. All sitting justices on the Alabama Supreme Court are members of the Republican Party. There are two intermediate [[appellate court]]s, the Court of Civil Appeals and the Court of Criminal Appeals, and four [[trial court]]s: the circuit court (trial court of general jurisdiction), and the district, probate, and municipal courts.<ref name="AJS"/>

Alabama has the death penalty with authorized methods of execution that include the [[electric chair]] and the [[gas chamber]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/executions/methods-of-execution |title=Methods of Execution |access-date=March 20, 2023 |archive-date=July 1, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180701043600/https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/methods-execution |url-status=live}}</ref> Some critics believe the election of judges has contributed to an exceedingly high rate of executions.<ref>[{{cite web |title=Questions of Death Row Justice For Poor People in Alabama |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/03/01/us/questions-of-death-row-justice-for-poor-people-in-alabama.html |website=[[The New York Times]] |date=March 1, 2000 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230326035332/https://www.nytimes.com/2000/03/01/us/questions-of-death-row-justice-for-poor-people-in-alabama.html |archive-date=March 26, 2023 |url-status=live |last1=Rimer |first1=Sara}}</ref> Alabama has the highest per capita [[Capital punishment in Alabama|death penalty rate]] in the country. In some years, it imposes more death sentences than does Texas, a state which has a population five times larger.<ref name="npr.org"/> However, executions per capita are significantly higher in Texas.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/stories/state-execution-rates|title=State Execution Rates (through 2020)|website=Death Penalty Information Center|access-date=December 14, 2019|archive-date=February 7, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210207020714/https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/stories/state-execution-rates|url-status=live}}</ref> Some of its cases have been highly controversial; the U.S. Supreme Court has overturned<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.eji.org/us-supreme-court-reverses-alabama-death-penalty-case-christopher-floyd-racially-biased-jury-selection |title=Supreme Court Reverses Another Alabama Death Penalty Case |date=June 21, 2016 |website=EJI |access-date=August 3, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160820093442/http://www.eji.org/us-supreme-court-reverses-alabama-death-penalty-case-christopher-floyd-racially-biased-jury-selection |archive-date=August 20, 2016 |url-status=dead}}</ref> 24 convictions in death penalty cases.{{citation needed|date=March 2017}} It was the only state to allow judges to override jury decisions in whether or not to use a death sentence; in 10 cases judges overturned sentences of [[Life imprisonment|life imprisonment without parole]] that were voted unanimously by juries.<ref name="npr.org">{{cite news |author=Rebecca Buckwalter-Poza |url=https://www.npr.org/2014/07/25/335418230/with-judges-overriding-death-penalty-cases-alabama-is-an-outlier |title=With Judges Overriding Death Penalty Cases, Alabama Is An Outlier |newspaper=NPR |date=July 27, 2014 |access-date=July 21, 2016 |archive-date=July 3, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180703220906/https://www.npr.org/2014/07/25/335418230/with-judges-overriding-death-penalty-cases-alabama-is-an-outlier |url-status=live}}</ref> This judicial authority was removed in April 2017.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.al.com/news/birmingham/index.ssf/2017/04/post_317.html |title=Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey signs bill: Judges can no longer override juries in death penalty cases |website=Al.com |date=April 12, 2017 |access-date=December 13, 2017 |archive-date=December 1, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201035444/http://www.al.com/news/birmingham/index.ssf/2017/04/post_317.html |url-status=live}}</ref>

On May 14, 2019, Alabama passed the [[Human Life Protection Act]], banning abortion at any stage of pregnancy unless there is a "serious health risk", with no exceptions for rape and [[incest]]. The law subjects doctors who perform abortions with 10 to 99 years imprisonment.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/may/14/abortion-bill-alabama-passes-ban-six-weeks-us-no-exemptions-vote-latest |title=Alabama abortion ban: Republican senate passes most restrictive law in US |last=York |first=Erin Durkin Jessica Glenza in New |date=May 15, 2019 |work=The Guardian |access-date=May 15, 2019 |issn=0261-3077 |archive-date=May 15, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190515023534/https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/may/14/abortion-bill-alabama-passes-ban-six-weeks-us-no-exemptions-vote-latest |url-status=live}}</ref> The law was originally supposed to take effect the following November, but on October 29, 2019, U.S. District Judge [[Myron H. Thompson|Myron Thompson]] blocked the law from taking effect due to it being in conflict with the 1973 [[Supreme Court of the United States|U.S. Supreme Court]] case ''[[Roe v. Wade]]''.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Chandler |first1=Kim |title=Federal judge blocks Alabama's strict abortion ban |url=https://apnews.com/dae2aa0b0796432daa146bbc6128643b |publisher=Associated Press |access-date=November 9, 2019 |location=Montgomery |date=October 29, 2019 |archive-date=November 8, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191108185459/https://apnews.com/dae2aa0b0796432daa146bbc6128643b |url-status=live}}</ref> On June 24, 2022, after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned ''Roe v. Wade'' in ''[[Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization]]'', Judge Thompson lifted the injunction, allowing the law to go into effect.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/waaytv.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/d/ad/dad08b38-f403-11ec-b63f-6308c50f258e/62b62b6dda8ef.pdf.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/waaytv.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/d/ad/dad08b38-f403-11ec-b63f-6308c50f258e/62b62b6dda8ef.pdf.pdf |archive-date=October 9, 2022 |url-status=live |title=YASHICA ROBINSON vs STEVEN MARSHALL Court Docket |website=bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com}}</ref>

Alabama is one of the few states that does not allow the creation of state lotteries.<ref>Alabama Law, Article IV, §65</ref>

=== Taxes ===
Taxes are collected by the Alabama Department of Revenue.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://revenue.alabama.gov/ |title=Alabama Department of Revenue |publisher=Alabama Department of Revenue |access-date=January 3, 2020 |archive-date=January 3, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200103043604/https://revenue.alabama.gov/ |url-status=live}}</ref> Alabama levies a 2%, 4%, or{{spaces}}5% [[State income tax|personal income tax]], depending on the amount earned and filing status.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://taxfoundation.org/publications/state-individual-income-tax-rates-and-brackets/ |title=State Individual Income Tax Rates and Brackets for 2021 |first=Katherine |last=Loughead |publisher=[[Tax Foundation]] |date=February 17, 2021 |access-date=January 19, 2022 |archive-date=January 18, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220118042724/https://taxfoundation.org/publications/state-individual-income-tax-rates-and-brackets/ |url-status=live}}</ref> Taxpayers are allowed to deduct their [[Income tax in the United States|federal income tax]] from their Alabama state tax, even if taking the [[standard deduction]]; those who itemize can also deduct [[Federal Insurance Contributions Act tax|FICA]] (the Social Security and Medicare tax).<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.thebalance.com/deducting-federal-income-taxes-on-your-state-return-3193248 |title=States That Allow You to Deduct Federal Income Taxes |first=TONYA |last=MORENO |work=[[Dotdash]] |date=May 27, 2021 |access-date=January 19, 2022 |archive-date=January 19, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220119055340/https://www.thebalance.com/deducting-federal-income-taxes-on-your-state-return-3193248 |url-status=live}}</ref>

The state's general sales tax rate is 4%.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://revenue.alabama.gov/sales-use/taxes-administered/sales-tax/ |title=Sales Tax |publisher=Alabama Department of Revenue |access-date=January 19, 2022 |archive-date=January 19, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220119015045/https://revenue.alabama.gov/sales-use/taxes-administered/sales-tax/ |url-status=live}}</ref> Sales tax rates for cities and counties are also added to purchases.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://revenue.alabama.gov/sales-use/tax-rates/city-and-county-tax-rates/ |title=City and County Tax Rates |publisher=Alabama Department of Revenue |access-date=January 19, 2022 |archive-date=January 19, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220119055340/https://revenue.alabama.gov/sales-use/tax-rates/city-and-county-tax-rates/ |url-status=live}}</ref> For example, the total sales tax rate in [[Mobile County, Alabama]] is 10% and there is an additional restaurant tax of 1%, which means a diner in [[Mobile County, Alabama]] would pay an 11% tax on a meal.

In 2020, sales and excise taxes in Alabama accounted for 38% of all state and local revenue.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://rss.alabamanewscenter.com/2021/01/08/alabama-collected-record-12-2b-revenues-in-2020/ |title=Alabama collected record $12.2B revenues in 2020 |first=Chuck |last=Chandler |work=Alabama News Center |date=January 8, 2021 |access-date=January 19, 2022 |archive-date=January 19, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220119055339/https://rss.alabamanewscenter.com/2021/01/08/alabama-collected-record-12-2b-revenues-in-2020/ |url-status=live}}</ref> Only Alabama, [[Mississippi]], and [[South Dakota]] tax groceries at the full state sales tax rate.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.cbpp.org/research/state-budget-and-tax/states-that-still-impose-sales-taxes-on-groceries-should-consider |title=States That Still Impose Sales Taxes on Groceries Should Consider Reducing or Eliminating Them |first1=Eric |last1= Figueroa |first2=Julian |last2=Legendre |publisher= [[Center on Budget and Policy Priorities]] |date=April 1, 2020 |access-date=January 19, 2022 |archive-date=January 31, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210131124324/https://www.cbpp.org/research/state-budget-and-tax/states-that-still-impose-sales-taxes-on-groceries-should-consider |url-status=live}} {{update inline|date=May 2024}}</ref>

The corporate income tax rate in Alabama is 6.5%. The overall federal, state, and local tax burden in Alabama ranks the state as the second least tax-burdened state in the country.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://taxfoundation.org/state/alabama/ |title=Taxes In Alabama |publisher=[[Tax Foundation]] |access-date=January 19, 2022 |archive-date=January 19, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220119055341/https://taxfoundation.org/state/alabama/ |url-status=live}}</ref> [[Property tax]]es of .40% of assessed value per year, are the second-lowest in the U.S., after Hawaii.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/brendarichardson/2020/04/09/residents-pay-the-lowest-property-taxes-in-these-states/ |title=Residents Pay The Lowest Property Taxes In These States |first=Brenda |last=Richardson |work=[[Forbes]] |date=April 9, 2020 |url-access=limited |access-date=January 19, 2022 |archive-date=January 19, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220119055340/https://www.forbes.com/sites/brendarichardson/2020/04/09/residents-pay-the-lowest-property-taxes-in-these-states/ |url-status=live}}</ref> The state constitution currently requires a voter referendum to raise property taxes.

Historically, an Alabama excise tax "on the storage, use or other consumption in this state of tangible personal property purchased at retail for storage, use or other consumption in this state" was the focus of a 1941 [[Supreme Court of the United States|U S Supreme Court]] ruling, ''Curry v United States''.<ref>{{ussc|314|14|1941}}</ref>

=== County and local governments ===
{{See also|List of counties in Alabama}}
{{Alabama County Labelled Map|align=right|width=300}}

Alabama has 67 [[county (United States)|counties]]. Each county has its own elected legislative branch, usually called the county commission. It also has limited executive authority in the county. Because of the constraints of the Alabama Constitution, which centralizes power in the state legislature, only seven counties (Jefferson, Lee, Mobile, Madison, Montgomery, Shelby, and Tuscaloosa) in the state have limited [[home rule]]. Instead, most counties in the state must lobby the Local Legislation Committee of the state legislature to get simple local policies approved, ranging from waste disposal to land use zoning.

The state legislature has retained power over local governments by refusing to pass a constitutional amendment establishing home rule for counties, as recommended by the 1973 Alabama Constitutional Commission.<ref name="home"/> Legislative delegations retain certain powers over each county. United States Supreme Court decisions in ''Baker v. Carr'' (1964) required that both houses have districts established on the basis of population, and redistricted after each census, to implement the principle of "one man, one vote". Before that, each county was represented by one state senator, leading to under-representation in the state senate for more urbanized, populous counties. The rural bias of the state legislature, which had also failed to redistrict seats in the state house, affected politics well into the 20th century, failing to recognize the rise of industrial cities and urbanized areas.

"The lack of home rule for counties in Alabama has resulted in the proliferation of local legislation permitting counties to do things not authorized by the state constitution. Alabama's constitution has been amended more than 700 times, and almost one-third of the amendments are local in nature, applying to only one county or city. A significant part of each legislative session is spent on local legislation, taking away time and attention of legislators from issues of statewide importance."<ref name="home">{{Cite web |url=http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h-1153 |title=Home Rule |first=Albert P. |last=Brewer |publisher=[[Encyclopedia of Alabama]] |access-date=February 4, 2015 |archive-date=February 3, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150203220653/http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h-1153 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Alabama is an [[alcoholic beverage control state]], meaning the state government holds a monopoly on the sale of alcohol. The [[Alabama Alcoholic Beverage Control Board]] controls the sale and distribution of alcoholic beverages in the state. A total of 25 of the 67 counties are "[[Dry county|dry counties]]" which ban the sale of alcohol, and there are many dry municipalities in counties which permit alcohol sales.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://alabcboard.gov/licensing-compliance/wet-cities |title=Wet Cities |publisher=Alabama ABC Board |access-date=January 19, 2022 |archive-date=January 19, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220119055341/https://alabcboard.gov/licensing-compliance/wet-cities |url-status=live}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Rank !! County !! Population{{break}}(2019 Estimate) !! Population{{break}}(2010 Census) !! Seat !! Largest city
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 1
| [[Jefferson County, Alabama|Jefferson]]
| style="text-align:center;"| 658,573
| style="text-align:center;"| 658,158
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Birmingham, Alabama|Birmingham]]
| style="text-align:center;"| Birmingham
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2
| [[Mobile County, Alabama|Mobile]]
| style="text-align:center;"| 413,210
| style="text-align:center;"| 412,992
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Mobile, Alabama|Mobile]]
| style="text-align:center;"| Mobile
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 3
| [[Madison County, Alabama|Madison]]
| style="text-align:center;"| 372,909
| style="text-align:center;"| 334,811
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Huntsville, Alabama|Huntsville]]
| style="text-align:center;"| Huntsville
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 4
| [[Montgomery County, Alabama|Montgomery]]
| style="text-align:center;"| 226,486
| style="text-align:center;"| 229,363
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Montgomery, Alabama|Montgomery]]
| style="text-align:center;"| Montgomery
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 5
| [[Shelby County, Alabama|Shelby]]
| style="text-align:center;"| 217,702
| style="text-align:center;"| 195,085
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Columbiana, Alabama|Columbiana]]
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Hoover, Alabama|Hoover]] (part){{break}}[[Alabaster, Alabama|Alabaster]]
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 6
| [[Baldwin County, Alabama|Baldwin]]
| style="text-align:center;"| 223,234
| style="text-align:center;"| 182,265
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Bay Minette, Alabama|Bay Minette]]
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Daphne, Alabama|Daphne]]
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 7
| [[Tuscaloosa County, Alabama|Tuscaloosa]]
| style="text-align:center;"| 209,355
| style="text-align:center;"| 194,656
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Tuscaloosa, Alabama|Tuscaloosa]]
| style="text-align:center;"| Tuscaloosa
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 8
| [[Lee County, Alabama|Lee]]
| style="text-align:center;"| 164,542
| style="text-align:center;"| 140,247
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Opelika, Alabama|Opelika]]
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Auburn, Alabama|Auburn]]
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 9
| [[Morgan County, Alabama|Morgan]]
| style="text-align:center;"| 119,679
| style="text-align:center;"| 119,490
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Decatur, Alabama|Decatur]]
| style="text-align:center;"| Decatur
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 10
| [[Calhoun County, Alabama|Calhoun]]
| style="text-align:center;"| 113,605
| style="text-align:center;"| 118,572
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Anniston, Alabama|Anniston]]
| style="text-align:center;"| Anniston
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 11
| [[Houston County, Alabama|Houston]]
| style="text-align:center;"| 105,882
| style="text-align:center;"| 101,547
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Dothan, Alabama|Dothan]]
| style="text-align:center;"| Dothan
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 12
| [[Etowah County, Alabama|Etowah]]
| style="text-align:center;"| 102,268
| style="text-align:center;"| 104,303
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Gadsden, Alabama|Gadsden]]
| style="text-align:center;"| Gadsden
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 13
| [[Limestone County, Alabama|Limestone]]
| style="text-align:center;"| 98,915
| style="text-align:center;"| 82,782
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Athens, Alabama|Athens]]
| style="text-align:center;"| Athens
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 14
| [[Marshall County, Alabama|Marshall]]
| style="text-align:center;"| 96,774
| style="text-align:center;"| 93,019
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Guntersville, Alabama|Guntersville]]
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Albertville, Alabama|Albertville]]
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 15
| [[Lauderdale County, Alabama|Lauderdale]]
| style="text-align:center;"| 92,729
| style="text-align:center;"| 92,709
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Florence, Alabama|Florence]]
| style="text-align:center;"| Florence
|}

=== Politics ===
During Reconstruction following the American Civil War, Alabama was occupied by federal troops of the [[Third Military District]] under [[John Pope (military officer)|General John Pope]]. In 1874, the political coalition of white Democrats known as the [[Redeemers]] took control of the state government from the Republicans, in part by suppressing the black vote through violence, fraud, and intimidation. After 1890, a coalition of White Democratic politicians passed laws to segregate and disenfranchise African American residents, a process completed in provisions of the 1901 constitution. Provisions which disenfranchised blacks resulted in excluding many poor Whites. By 1941 more Whites than Blacks had been disenfranchised: 600,000 to 520,000. The total effects were greater on the black community, as almost all its citizens were disfranchised and relegated to separate and unequal treatment under the law.

From 1901 through the 1960s, the state did not redraw election districts as population grew and shifted within the state during urbanization and industrialization of certain areas. As counties were the basis of election districts, the result was a rural minority that dominated state politics through nearly three-quarters of the century, until a series of federal court cases required redistricting in 1972 to meet equal representation. Alabama state politics gained nationwide and international attention in the 1950s and 1960s during the civil rights movement, when whites bureaucratically, and at times violently, resisted protests for electoral and social reform. Governor George Wallace, the state's only four-term governor, was a controversial figure who vowed to maintain segregation. Only after passage of the federal Civil Rights Act of 1964<ref name="cra64" /> and Voting Rights Act of 1965 did African Americans regain the ability to exercise suffrage, among other civil rights. In many jurisdictions, they continued to be excluded from representation by at-large electoral systems, which allowed the majority of the population to dominate elections. Some changes at the county level have occurred following court challenges to establish [[single-member district]]s that enable a more diverse representation among county boards.

In 2007, the Alabama Legislature passed, and Republican governor [[Bob Riley]] signed a resolution expressing "profound regret" over slavery and its lingering impact. In a symbolic ceremony, the bill was signed in the [[Alabama State Capitol]], which housed Congress of the Confederate States of America.<ref>{{Cite news |first=Phillip |last=Rawls |title=Alabama offers an apology for slavery |work=The Virginian Pilot |date=June 1, 2007}}</ref> In 2010, Republicans won control of both houses of the legislature for the first time in 136 years.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2010/11/gop_takes_alabama_legislature.html |title=GOP takes control of Alabama Legislature after 136 years |last=White |first=David |date=November 2, 2010 |work=[[The Birmingham News]] |access-date=July 9, 2018 |archive-date=July 9, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180709153753/http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2010/11/gop_takes_alabama_legislature.html |url-status=live}}</ref>

{{as of|2023|February|}}, there are a total of 3,707,233 registered voters, with 3,318,679 active, and the others inactive in the state.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://sos.alabama.gov/alabama-votes/voter/election-data |title=Elections Data Downloads |publisher=Alabama Secretary of State |access-date=March 2, 2023 |archive-date=December 8, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171208174821/http://sos.alabama.gov/alabama-votes/voter/election-data |url-status=live}}</ref>

The 2023 ''American Values Atlas'' by [[Public Religion Research Institute]] found that a majority of Alabama residents support [[Same-sex marriage in the United States|same-sex marriage]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Staff |date=February 24, 2023 |title=American Values Atlas: Approval of Same-Sex Marriage in Alabama |url=https://ava.prri.org/#lgbt/2022/States/lgbt_ssm/m/US-AL |access-date=April 12, 2023 |website=[[Public Religion Research Institute]] |archive-date=April 4, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170404161714/https://ava.prri.org/#lgbt/2022/States/lgbt_ssm/m/US-AL |url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Elections ===
{{Main|Elections in Alabama}}
[[File:Doug Jones Biden Event.jpg|thumb|Senator [[Doug Jones (politician)|Doug Jones]] won a [[2017 United States Senate special election in Alabama|special election]] in 2017.]]

==== State elections ====
With the disfranchisement of Blacks in 1901, the state became part of the "[[Solid South]]", a system in which the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]] operated as effectively the only viable political party in every Southern state. For nearly a hundred years local and state elections in Alabama were decided in the Democratic Party [[Partisan primary|primary]], with generally only token [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] challengers running in the general election. Since the mid- to late 20th century, however, white conservatives started shifting to the Republican Party. In Alabama, majority-white districts are now expected to regularly elect Republican candidates to federal, state and local office.

Members of the nine seats on the [[Supreme Court of Alabama]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2009/05/sue_bell_cobb_considering_runn.html |title=Sue Bell Cobb considering running for governor |website=The Birmingham News |date=May 2, 2009 |access-date=August 7, 2009 |archive-date=May 6, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090506035723/http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2009/05/sue_bell_cobb_considering_runn.html |url-status=live}}</ref> and all ten seats on the state appellate courts are elected to office. Until 1994, no Republicans held any of the court seats. In that general election, the then-incumbent chief justice, [[Ernest C. Hornsby]], refused to leave office after losing the election by approximately 3,000 votes to Republican [[Perry Hooper Sr.|Perry O. Hooper Sr.]]<ref>{{Cite web|date=April 26, 2016|title=Chief Justice Perry Hooper remembered as GOP pioneer|url=https://www.al.com/news/2016/04/alabama_chief_justice_perry_ho.html|access-date=April 2, 2021|website=al|archive-date=June 13, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210613164025/https://www.al.com/news/2016/04/alabama_chief_justice_perry_ho.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Hornsby sued Alabama and defiantly remained in office for nearly a year before finally giving up the seat after losing in court.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Courting Votes in Alabama|last=Johnson|first=Winthrop|publisher=Prescott Press, Inc.|year=1999|isbn=0-933451-41-5|location=Lafayette, Louisiana|page=250}}</ref> The Democrats lost the last of the nineteen court seats in August 2011 with the resignation of the last Democrat on the bench.

In the early 21st century, Republicans hold all seven of the statewide elected executive branch offices. Republicans hold six of the eight elected seats on the [[Alabama State Board of Education]]. In 2010, Republicans took large majorities of both chambers of the state legislature, giving them control of that body for the first time in 136 years. The last remaining statewide Democrat, who served on the Alabama Public Service Commission, was defeated in 2012.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.psc.state.al.us/commissioners.htm |title=Commissioners |publisher=Psc.state.al.us |access-date=August 7, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090718210525/http://www.psc.state.al.us/commissioners.htm |archive-date=July 18, 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=Special |url=http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2008/11/lucy_baxley_wins_alabama_publi.html |title=Lucy Baxley wins Alabama Public Service Commission presidency, but recount possible |publisher=Birmingham News via al.com |date=November 5, 2008 |access-date=August 7, 2009 |archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20090802212747/http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2008/11/lucy_baxley_wins_alabama_publi.html |archive-date=August 2, 2009 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=Jeff Amy |url=http://blog.al.com/live/2010/11/public_service_commission.html |title=Public Service Commission: Twinkle Cavanaugh, Terry Dunn join GOP sweep |publisher=al.com |access-date=June 1, 2011 |archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20120306232802/http://blog.al.com/live/2010/11/public_service_commission.html |archive-date=March 6, 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

Only three Republican lieutenant governors have been elected since the end of Reconstruction, when Republicans generally represented Reconstruction government, including the newly emancipated freedmen who had gained the franchise. The three GOP lieutenant governors are [[Steve Windom]] (1999–2003), [[Kay Ivey]] (2011–2017), and [[Will Ainsworth]] (2019–present).

==== Local elections ====
Many local offices (county commissioners, boards of education, tax assessors, mayors, etc.) in the state are still held by Democrats.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mayor's Office {{!}} City of Montgomery, AL |url=https://www.montgomeryal.gov/government/city-government/mayor-s-office |access-date=April 16, 2023 |website=www.montgomeryal.gov |language=en |archive-date=April 16, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230416204527/https://www.montgomeryal.gov/government/city-government/mayor-s-office |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Mayor |url=https://www.tuscaloosa.com/government/mayor |access-date=April 16, 2023 |website=City of Tuscaloosa |language=en |archive-date=April 16, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230416204526/https://www.tuscaloosa.com/government/mayor |url-status=live}}</ref> Many metropolitan and suburban counties have voters who are majority Democrats, resulting in local elections being decided in the Democratic primary. Similarly most rural counties are majority-Republican and elections are effectively decided in the Republican Primary. However, since local governments in Alabama are weaker than in other parts of the country, Republicans have the upper hand in government.

Alabama's 67 county sheriffs are elected in partisan, at-large races, and Republicans retain the vast majority of those posts. The current split is 18 [[Alabama Democratic Party|Democrats]], and 49 [[Alabama Republican Party|Republicans]] as of 2023. However, most of the Democratic sheriffs preside over urban and more populated counties. The majority of Republican sheriffs have been elected in the more rural counties with lower population. The state of Alabama has and 11 African-American sheriffs.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sheriffs Directory – Alabama Sheriffs Association – Alabama |url=https://www.alabamasheriffs.com/sheriffs-directory |access-date=April 16, 2023 |website=www.alabamasheriffs.com |archive-date=May 30, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230530115854/https://www.alabamasheriffs.com/sheriffs-directory |url-status=live}}</ref>

==== Federal elections ====
The state's two [[United States Senate|U.S. senators]] are [[Katie Britt]] and [[Tommy Tuberville]], both of whom are Republican. In the [[United States House of Representatives|U.S. House of Representatives]], the state is represented by seven members, six of whom are Republicans ([[Jerry Carl]], [[Mike Rogers (Alabama politician)|Mike Rogers]], [[Robert Aderholt]], [[Dale Strong]], [[Barry Moore (American politician)|Barry Moore]], and [[Gary Palmer (politician)|Gary Palmer]]) and one Democrat [[Terri Sewell]], who represents the Black Belt as well as most of the predominantly black portions of Birmingham, Tuscaloosa and Montgomery.

== Education ==
{{Main|Education in Alabama}}

=== Primary and secondary education ===
[[File:Vestavia Hills High School.jpg|thumb|right|[[Vestavia Hills High School]] in the suburbs of Birmingham]]

Public primary and secondary education in Alabama is under the purview of the Alabama State Board of Education as well as local oversight by 67 county school boards and 60 city boards of education. Together, 1,496 individual schools provide education for 744,637 elementary and secondary students.<ref name="qfacts">{{cite web |url=http://www.alsde.edu/sec/comm/Pages/quickfacts-item.aspx?FilterField1=ID&FilterValue1=7 |title=Alabama Education Quick Facts 2012–13 |access-date=April 29, 2014 |format=PDF |archive-date=April 29, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140429203418/http://www.alsde.edu/sec/comm/Pages/quickfacts-item.aspx?FilterField1=ID&FilterValue1=7 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Public school funding is appropriated through the Alabama Legislature through the Education Trust Fund. In FY 2006–2007, Alabama appropriated $3,775,163,578 for primary and secondary education. That represented an increase of $444,736,387 over the previous fiscal year. In 2007, more than 82 percent of schools made adequate yearly progress (AYP) toward student proficiency under the National [[No Child Left Behind Act|No Child Left Behind]] law, using measures determined by the state of Alabama.

While Alabama's public education system has improved in recent decades, it lags behind in achievement compared to other states. According to U.S. Census data (2000), Alabama's high school graduation rate (75%) is the fourth lowest in the U.S. (after [[Kentucky]], [[Louisiana]] and Mississippi).<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/prod/2003pubs/c2kbr-24.pdf |title=Educational Attainment : 2000 : Census 2000 Brief |website=Census.gov |access-date=December 29, 2016 |archive-date=April 16, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190416222303/https://www.census.gov/prod/2003pubs/c2kbr-24.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> The largest educational gains were among people with some college education but without degrees.<ref>[http://www.censusscope.org/us/s1/chart_education.html Education Statistics] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080513164857/http://www.censusscope.org/us/s1/chart_education.html |date=May 13, 2008}}. CensusScope.org</ref> According to National Assessment of Educational Progress (NEAP), Alabama ranks 39 in reading and 40 in math among fourth-grade students in the rankings from 2022.<ref>[https://www.nationsreportcard.gov/profiles/stateprofile/overview/NP?cti=PgTab_ScoreComparisons&chort=1&sub=RED&sj=NP&fs=SubjectLabel&st=MN&year=2022R3&sg=Gender%3A%20Male%20vs.%20Female&sgv=Difference&ts=Single%20Year&tss=-2022R3&sfj=NP]</ref>

Generally prohibited in the West at large, [[school corporal punishment]] is not unusual in Alabama, with 27,260 public school students [[paddle (spanking)|paddled]] at least one time, according to government data for the 2011–2012 school year.{{efn|This figure refers to only the number of students paddled, and does not refer to the number of instances of corporal punishment, which would be higher.}}<ref name="CORPUN_US_SCHOOL" /> The rate of school corporal punishment in Alabama is surpassed by only Mississippi and Arkansas.<ref name="CORPUN_US_SCHOOL">{{cite web |url=http://corpun.com/counuss.htm |title=Corporal punishment in US schools |publisher=[[World Corporal Punishment Research]] |last=Farrell |first=Colin |date=February 2016 |access-date=April 4, 2016 |archive-date=April 3, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160403071606/http://www.corpun.com/counuss.htm |url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Colleges and universities ===
{{Main|List of colleges and universities in Alabama}}
[[File:Harrison-plaza2.jpg|thumb|left|Harrison Plaza at the [[University of North Alabama]] in Florence. The school was chartered as LaGrange College by the [[Alabama Legislature]] in 1830.]]

Alabama's programs of higher education include 14 four-year public universities, two-year community colleges, and 17 private, undergraduate and graduate universities. In the state are four medical schools (as of fall 2015) [[University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine|UAB Heersink School of Medicine]], University of South Alabama and [[Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine]] and The Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine—Auburn Campus), two veterinary colleges (Auburn University and [[Tuskegee University]]), a dental school ([[UAB School of Dentistry]], an optometry college (UAB School of Optometry), two pharmacy schools (Auburn University and [[Samford University]]), and five law schools ([[University of Alabama School of Law]], [[Birmingham School of Law]], [[Cumberland School of Law]], [[Miles Law School]], and the [[Thomas Goode Jones School of Law]]). Public, post-secondary education in Alabama is overseen by the [[Alabama Commission on Higher Education]] and the Alabama Department of Postsecondary Education. Colleges and universities in Alabama offer degree programs from two-year associate degrees to a multitude of doctoral level programs.<ref name="ache">{{cite web |publisher=Alabama Commission on Higher Education |title=Directory of Alabama Colleges and Universities |url=http://www.ache.alabama.gov/Colleges&Universities/Directory.htm |access-date=July 28, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131011002457/http://www.ache.alabama.gov/Colleges%26Universities/Directory.htm |archive-date=October 11, 2013}}</ref>

[[File:William J. Samford Hall.jpg|thumb|right|William J. Samford Hall at [[Auburn University]]]]
The largest single campus is the University of Alabama, located in Tuscaloosa, with 37,665 enrolled for fall 2016.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ua.edu/about/quickfacts |title=The University of Alabama |website=www.ua.edu |access-date=July 5, 2017 |archive-date=November 11, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201111170505/https://www.ua.edu/about/quickfacts |url-status=live}}</ref> Troy University was the largest institution in the state in 2010, with an enrollment of 29,689 students across four Alabama campuses ([[Troy, Alabama|Troy]], [[Dothan, Alabama|Dothan]], Montgomery, and [[Phenix City, Alabama|Phenix City]]), as well as sixty learning sites in seventeen other states and eleven other countries. The oldest institutions are the public [[University of North Alabama]] in Florence and the Catholic Church-affiliated [[Spring Hill College]] in Mobile, both founded in 1830.<ref name="una">{{cite web |url=http://www.una.edu/makinghistory/ |title=History in the making |publisher=University of North Alabama |access-date=July 22, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110812155526/http://www.una.edu/makinghistory/ |archive-date=August 12, 2011 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="shc">{{cite web |url=http://www.shc.edu/about-shc/employment/hiring/the-mission-statement-of-spring-hill-college/ |title=The Mission Statement of Spring Hill College: History |publisher=Spring Hill College |access-date=July 22, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110723213128/http://www.shc.edu/about-shc/employment/hiring/the-mission-statement-of-spring-hill-college/ |archive-date=July 23, 2011 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

Accreditation of academic programs is through the [[Southern Association of Colleges and Schools]] (SACS) as well as other subject-focused national and international accreditation agencies such as the [[Association for Biblical Higher Education]] (ABHE),<ref>{{cite web |url=http://directory.abhe.org/default.aspx?status=Member |title=Members |publisher=Association for Biblical Higher Education |access-date=June 24, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110810144128/http://directory.abhe.org/default.aspx?status=Member |archive-date=August 10, 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref> the [[Council on Occupational Education]] (COE),<ref>{{cite web |title=Membership Directory |url=http://www.council.org/forms/acc_membership.pdf |publisher=Council on Operational Education |access-date=August 5, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110725200522/http://www.council.org/forms/acc_membership.pdf |archive-date=July 25, 2011 |date=November 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref> and the [[Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools]] (ACICS).<ref>{{cite web |title=ACICS Website Directory |url=http://www.acics.org/uploadedFiles/Publications/7_20_09.pdf |publisher=Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools |access-date=August 5, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110724223614/http://www.acics.org/uploadedFiles/Publications/7_20_09.pdf |archive-date=July 24, 2011 |date=July 20, 2009 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

According to the 2024 ''[[U.S. News & World Report]]'', Alabama had three universities ranked in the top 100 Public Schools in America ([[Auburn University]] at 47, [[University of Alabama at Birmingham]] (UAB) at 76, and [[University of Alabama]] at 91).<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/al?schoolType=national-universities&ranking=top-public&_sort=rank&_sortDirection=asc|title=2024 Best Colleges in Alabama |website=U.S. News & World Report |access-date=June 18, 2024}}</ref>

According to the 2024 ''U.S. News & World Report'', Alabama had four [[College and university rankings|tier one]] universities (Auburn University, University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), [[University of Alabama]] and [[University of Alabama in Huntsville]]).<ref>[http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/rankings/national-universities/page+29 National University Rankings |Top National Universities |US News Best Colleges] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130608080824/http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/rankings/national-universities/page+29 |date=June 8, 2013}}. ''U.S. News & World Report''. Retrieved on July 12, 2013.</ref>

== Media ==
{{See also|:Category:Mass media in Alabama|List of newspapers in Alabama}}

Major newspapers include ''[[The Birmingham News|Birmingham News]]'', Mobile ''[[Press-Register]]'', and ''[[Montgomery Advertiser]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Alabama-state |title=Alabama |website=Encyclopædia Britannica |access-date=March 24, 2017 |archive-date=March 20, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170320124331/https://www.britannica.com/place/Alabama-state |url-status=live}}</ref>

Major television network affiliates in Alabama include:
{{div col start}}
* [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]
 [[WBMA-LD|WGWW]] 40.2 ABC, Anniston
 [[WBMA-LD|WBMA 58]]/[[WABM|WABM 68.2]] ABC, Birmingham
 [[WDHN]] 18 ABC, Dothan
 [[WAAY-TV|WAAY]] 31 ABC, Huntsville
 [[WEAR-TV|WEAR]] 3 ABC Pensacola, Florida/Mobile
 [[WNCF]] 32 ABC, Montgomery
 [[WBMA-LD|WDBB]] 17.2 ABC, Tuscaloosa
* [[CBS]]
 [[WIAT]] 42 CBS, Birmingham
 [[WTVY (TV)|WTVY]] 4 CBS, Dothan
 [[WHNT]] 19 CBS, Huntsville
 [[WKRG]] 5 CBS, Mobile
 [[WAKA]] 8 CBS, Selma/Montgomery
* [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]]
 [[WBRC]] 6 FOX, Birmingham
 [[WZDX]] 54 FOX, Huntsville
 [[WALA]] 10 FOX, Mobile
 [[WCOV-TV|WCOV]] 20 FOX, Montgomery
 [[WDFX-TV|WDFX]] 34 FOX, Ozark/Dothan
* [[NBC]]
 [[WVTM]] 13 NBC, Birmingham
 [[WRGX-LD|WRGX]] 23 NBC, Dothan
 [[WAFF (TV)|WAFF]] 48 NBC, Huntsville
 [[WPMI]] 15 NBC, Mobile
 [[WSFA]] 12 NBC, Montgomery
* [[PBS]]/[[Alabama Public Television]]
 WBIQ 10 PBS, Birmingham
 WIIQ 41 PBS, Demopolis
 WDIQ 2 PBS, Dozier
 WFIQ 36 PBS, Florence
 WHIQ 25 PBS, Huntsville
 WGIQ 43 PBS, Louisville<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.stationindex.com/tv/callsign/WGIQ |title=APT—WGIQ Channel 43 Television |website=stationindex.com |access-date=May 12, 2017 |archive-date=May 25, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170525200313/http://www.stationindex.com/tv/callsign/WGIQ |url-status=live}}</ref>
 WEIQ 42 PBS, Mobile
 WAIQ 26 PBS, Montgomery
 WCIQ 7 PBS, Mount Cheaha
* [[The CW]]
 [[WTTO]] 21, Homewood/Birmingham
 [[WTVY (TV)|WTVY]] 4.3, Dothan
 [[WHDF]] 15, Florence/Huntsville
 [[WFNA (TV)|WFNA]] 55, Gulf Shores/Mobile/Pensacola, FL
 [[WDBB]] 17, Tuscaloosa
 [[WBMM]] 22, Tuskegee/Montgomery
{{div col end}}

== Culture ==
{{Expand section|date=March 2017}}

=== Literature ===
{{Main|Alabama literature}}
Alabama literature is characterized by themes of race and issues of gender and war, and is influenced by events such as the [[American Civil War]], the [[Reconstruction era]], the [[Civil Rights Movement]], and the [[Vietnam War]]. Some notable examples of Alabama literature include Harper Lee's ''[[To Kill A Mockingbird]]'', Winston Groom's ''[[Forrest Gump (novel)|Forrest Gump]]'', Fannie Flagg's ''[[Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistlestop Cafe]]'', and the biographies of [[Rosa Parks]] and [[Martin Luther King Jr.]]

=== Sports ===
[[File:Bryant–Denny Stadium, Tuscaloosa AL, North view 20160714 1.jpg|thumb|right|[[Bryant–Denny Stadium]] at the [[University of Alabama]] in Tuscaloosa]]
[[File:RegionsFieldBham.png|thumb|[[Regions Field]] in Birmingham]]
[[File:Aerial view of Von Braun Center.jpg|thumb|[[Von Braun Center]] in Huntsville]]
[[File:Birmingham–Jefferson Convention Complex, Legacy Arena tennis.jpg|thumb|[[Birmingham–Jefferson Convention Complex]] in Birmingham]]

==== Professional sports ====
{{Main|List of professional sports teams in Alabama}}

Alabama has several professional and semi-professional sports teams, including three [[minor league baseball]] teams.
{| class="sortable wikitable"
|-
! Club
! City
! Sport
! League
! Venue
|-
| [[AFC Mobile]]
| [[Mobile, Alabama|Mobile]]
| Soccer
| [[Gulf Coast Premier League]]
| Archbishop Lipscomb Athletic Complex
|-
| [[Birmingham Bulls (SPHL)|Birmingham Bulls]]
| [[Pelham, Alabama|Pelham]]
| [[Ice hockey]]
| [[Southern Professional Hockey League]]
| [[Pelham Civic Center]]
|-
| [[Birmingham Legion FC]]
| [[Birmingham, Alabama|Birmingham]]
| Soccer
| [[USL Championship]]
| [[PNC Field (Birmingham, Alabama)|PNC Field]]
|-
| [[Birmingham Barons]]
| Birmingham
| Baseball
| [[Southern League (1964–present)|Southern League]] (Double-A)
| [[Regions Field]]
|-
| [[Birmingham Stallions (2022)|Birmingham Stallions]]
| Birmingham
| [[American Football|Football]]
| [[United Football League (2024)|United Football League]]
| [[Protective Stadium]]
|-
| [[Huntsville Havoc]]
| [[Huntsville, Alabama|Huntsville]]
| Ice hockey
| Southern Professional Hockey League
| [[Von Braun Center]]
|-
| [[Montgomery Biscuits]]
| [[Montgomery, Alabama|Montgomery]]
| Baseball
| Southern League (Double-A)
| [[Montgomery Riverwalk Stadium]]
|-
| [[Rocket City Trash Pandas]]
| [[Madison, Alabama|Madison]]
| Baseball
| Southern League (Double-A)
| [[Toyota Field (Madison, Alabama)|Toyota Field]]
|-
| [[Tennessee Valley Tigers]]
| Huntsville
| Football
| [[Independent Women's Football League]]
| [[Milton Frank Stadium]]
|}

The [[Talladega Superspeedway]] motorsports complex hosts a series of [[NASCAR]] events. It has a seating capacity of 143,000 and is the thirteenth largest stadium in the world and sixth largest stadium in America. Also, the [[Barber Motorsports Park]] has hosted [[IndyCar Series]] and [[Rolex Sports Car Series]] races.

The [[ATP Birmingham]] was a [[World Championship Tennis]] tournament held from 1973 to 1980.

Alabama has hosted several professional golf tournaments, such as the 1984 and 1990 [[PGA Championship]] at [[Shoal Creek Golf and Country Club|Shoal Creek]], the [[Barbasol Championship]] ([[PGA Tour]]), the [[Mobile LPGA Tournament of Champions]], [[Airbus LPGA Classic]], and [[Yokohama Tire LPGA Classic]] ([[LPGA Tour]]), and [[The Tradition]] ([[Champions Tour]]).

==== College sports ====
College football is extremely popular in Alabama, particularly the University of Alabama [[Alabama Crimson Tide|Crimson Tide]] and Auburn University [[Auburn Tigers|Tigers]], rivals in the [[Southeastern Conference]]. Alabama averages over 100,000 fans per game and Auburn averages over 80,000—both numbers among the top twenty in the nation.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://247sports.com/LongFormArticle/College-football-Top-10-teams-by-average-home-game-attendance-during-2021-season--179922401/ |title=College football: Top 10 teams by average home game attendance during 2021 season |first=DEAN |last=STRAKA |work=[[247Sports.com]] |date=January 5, 2022 |access-date=January 19, 2022 |archive-date=January 9, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220109165538/https://247sports.com/LongFormArticle/College-football-Top-10-teams-by-average-home-game-attendance-during-2021-season--179922401/ |url-status=live}}</ref> Bryant–Denny Stadium is the home of the Alabama football team, and has a [[seating capacity]] of 101,821,<ref>{{cite web |title=Bryant–Denny Stadium |url=https://rolltide.com/sports/2016/6/10/facilities-bryant-denny-html.aspx |website=RollTide.com |publisher=[[University of Alabama]] |access-date=January 19, 2022 |archive-date=January 5, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220105213939/https://rolltide.com/sports/2016/6/10/facilities-bryant-denny-html.aspx |url-status=live}}</ref> and is the fifth largest stadium in America.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.worldstadiums.com/stadium_menu/stadium_list/100000.shtml |title=Stadium List: 100 000+ Stadiums |publisher=World Stadiums |access-date=February 10, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061023205044/http://www.worldstadiums.com/stadium_menu/stadium_list/100000.shtml |archive-date=October 23, 2006 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Jordan-Hare Stadium is the home field of the Auburn football team and seats up to 87,451.<ref>{{cite web |title=Jordan-Hare Stadium |url=https://auburntigers.com/facilities/jordan-hare-stadium/11 |publisher=[[Auburn University]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130801135500/http://www.auburntigers.com/facilities/jordan_hare_stadium.html |archive-date=August 1, 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

[[Protective Stadium]] is home of the [[UAB Blazers]] football program and the [[Birmingham Bowl]]. It seats 45,000.<ref>{{cite web |last=Short |first=Cody |date=October 1, 2021 |title=Legion Field |url=https://wbhm.org/2021/a-new-stadium-has-been-a-35-year-conversation-in-birmingham-its-finally-here/amp/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211007141807/https://wbhm.org/2021/a-new-stadium-has-been-a-35-year-conversation-in-birmingham-its-finally-here/amp/ |archive-date=October 7, 2021 |access-date=January 22, 2022 |website=WBHM}}</ref> [[Ladd–Peebles Stadium]] in Mobile is the home of the University of South Alabama football team, and serves as the home of the NCAA [[Senior Bowl]], [[LendingTree Bowl]], and Alabama-Mississippi All Star Classic; the stadium seats 40,646.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://laddpeebles.com/ |title=Welcome to Ladd Peebles Stadium |publisher=[[Ladd–Peebles Stadium]] |access-date=January 19, 2022 |archive-date=January 19, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220119060843/https://laddpeebles.com/ |url-status=live}}</ref> In 2009, Bryant–Denny Stadium and Jordan-Hare Stadium became the homes of the [[Alabama High School Athletic Association]] state football championship games, after previously being held at Legion Field in Birmingham.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.al.com/sentell/2009/04/super_6_byebye_birmingham.html |title=Super 6 leaving Birmingham for Bryant-Denny, Jordan-Hare stadiums &#124; al.com |first=Jeff |last=Sentell |work=[[The Birmingham News]] |date=April 8, 2009 |access-date=January 19, 2022 |archive-date=January 19, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220119055340/https://www.al.com/sentell/2009/04/super_6_byebye_birmingham.html |url-status=live}}</ref>

== Transportation ==
{{Main|Transportation in Alabama}}
[[File:Montgomery Regional Airport New Terminal.JPG|thumb|Terminal at the [[Montgomery Regional Airport]] in Montgomery]]
[[File:I20I59Birmingham.JPG|thumb|[[Interstate 59]] (co-signed with [[Interstate 20]]) approaching [[Interstate 65]] in downtown Birmingham]]
[[File:Mobile Alabama harbor aerial view.jpg|thumb|Aerial view of the port of Mobile]]

=== Aviation ===
{{Main|Aviation in Alabama}}

Major airports with sustained operations in Alabama include [[Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport]] (BHM), [[Huntsville International Airport]] (HSV), [[Dothan Regional Airport]] (DHN), [[Mobile Regional Airport]] (MOB), [[Montgomery Regional Airport]] (MGM), [[Northwest Alabama Regional Airport]]<!--no longer Muscle Shoals Aux--> (MSL) and [[Northeast Alabama Regional Airport]] (GAD).

=== Rail ===
{{Alabama rail network}}
For rail transport, [[Amtrak]] schedules the ''[[Crescent (train)|Crescent]]'', a daily passenger train, running from New York to New Orleans with station stops at [[Anniston station|Anniston]], [[Birmingham station (Alabama)|Birmingham]], and [[Tuscaloosa station|Tuscaloosa]].

=== Roads ===
Alabama has six major interstate routes: [[Interstate 65 in Alabama|Interstate 65]] (I-65) travels north–south roughly through the middle of the state; [[Interstate 20 in Alabama|I-20]]/[[Interstate 59 in Alabama|I-59]] travel from the central west Mississippi state line to Birmingham, where I-59 continues to the north-east corner of the state and I-20 continues east towards [[Atlanta]]; [[Interstate 85 in Alabama|I-85]] originates in Montgomery and travels east-northeast to the Georgia state line, providing a main thoroughfare to Atlanta; and [[Interstate 10 in Alabama|I-10]] traverses the southernmost portion of the state, traveling from west to east through Mobile. [[Interstate 22 in Alabama|I-22]] enters the state from Mississippi and connects Birmingham with [[Memphis, Tennessee]]. In addition, there are currently five auxiliary interstate routes in the state: [[Interstate 165 (Alabama)|I-165]] in Mobile, [[Interstate 359|I-359]] in Tuscaloosa, [[Interstate 459|I-459]] around Birmingham, [[Interstate 565|I-565]] in Decatur and Huntsville, and [[Interstate 759|I-759]] in Gadsden. A sixth route, [[Interstate 685 (Alabama)|I-685]], will be formed when I-85 is rerouted along a new southern bypass of Montgomery. A proposed northern bypass of Birmingham will be designated as [[Interstate 422|I-422]]. Since a direct connection from I-22 to I-422 will not be possible, [[Interstate 222|I-222]] has been proposed, as well.

Several U.S. Highways also pass through the state, such as [[U.S. Route 11 in Alabama|U.S. Route 11]] (US-11), [[U.S. Route 29 in Alabama|US-29]], [[U.S. Route 31 in Alabama|US-31]], [[U.S. Route 43 in Alabama|US-43]], [[U.S. Route 45 in Alabama|US-45]], [[U.S. Route 72 in Alabama|US-72]], [[U.S. Route 78 in Alabama|US-78]], [[U.S. Route 80 in Alabama|US-80]], [[U.S. Route 82 in Alabama|US-82]], [[U.S. Route 84 in Alabama|US-84]], [[U.S. Route 90 in Alabama|US-90]], [[U.S. Route 98 in Alabama|US-98]], [[U.S. Route 231 in Alabama|US-231]], [[U.S. Route 278 in Alabama|US-278]], [[U.S. Route 280 in Alabama|US-280]], [[U.S. Route 331 in Alabama|US-331]], [[U.S. Route 411 in Alabama|US-411]], and [[U.S. Route 431 in Alabama|US-431]].

There are four toll roads in the state: Montgomery Expressway in Montgomery; Northport/Tuscaloosa Western Bypass in Tuscaloosa and [[Northport, Alabama|Northport]]; Emerald Mountain Expressway in Wetumpka; and Beach Express in [[Orange Beach, Alabama|Orange Beach]].

=== Ports ===
The [[Port of Mobile]], Alabama's only saltwater port, is a large seaport on the Gulf of Mexico with inland waterway access to the [[Midwestern United States|Midwest]] by way of the [[Tennessee–Tombigbee Waterway]]. The Port of Mobile was ranked 12th by tons of traffic in the United States during 2009.<ref name="tonstraffic">{{cite web |title=Table 1086. Top U.S. Ports by Tons of Traffic: 2009 |website=U.S. Army Corps of Engineers |url=https://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2012/tables/12s1087.pdf |access-date=July 22, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121019042444/http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2012/tables/12s1087.pdf |archive-date=October 19, 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The newly expanded [[Container port|container terminal]] at the Port of Mobile was ranked as the 25th busiest for container traffic in the nation during 2011.<ref name="containers">{{cite web |title=U.S. Waterborne Container Traffic by Port/Waterway in 2011 (Loaded and Empty TEUS) |website=U.S. Army Corps of Engineers |url=http://www.navigationdatacenter.us/wcsc/by_porttons11.html |access-date=July 22, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131103145509/http://www.navigationdatacenter.us/wcsc/by_porttons11.html|archive-date=November 3, 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> The state's other ports are on rivers with access to the Gulf of Mexico.

Water ports of Alabama, listed from north to south:
{| class="wikitable"
|+
! Port name
! Location
! Connected to
|-
| Port of Florence ||[[Florence, Alabama|Florence]]/[[Muscle Shoals, Alabama|Muscle Shoals]], on [[Pickwick Lake]] || [[Tennessee River]]
|-
| [[Port of Decatur]] || [[Decatur, Alabama|Decatur]], on [[Wheeler Lake]] || Tennessee River
|-
| Port of Demopolis ||[[Demopolis, Alabama|Demopolis]], on [[Tombigbee River]] || [[Tennessee–Tombigbee Waterway]]
|-
| Port of Guntersville ||[[Guntersville, Alabama|Guntersville]], on [[Lake Guntersville]] || Tennessee River
|-
| Port of Birmingham || [[Birmingham, Alabama|Birmingham]], on [[Black Warrior River]] || Tennessee–Tombigbee Waterway
|-
| Port of Tuscaloosa || [[Tuscaloosa, Alabama|Tuscaloosa]], on Black Warrior River || Tennessee–Tombigbee Waterway
|-
| Port of Montgomery || [[Montgomery, Alabama|Montgomery]], on [[R.E. "Bob" Woodruff Lake|Woodruff Lake]] || [[Alabama River]]
|-
| [[Port of Mobile]] || [[Mobile, Alabama|Mobile]], on [[Mobile Bay]] || [[Gulf of Mexico]]
|}
{{clear}}

== See also ==
{{Portal|Alabama|United States}}
* [[Index of Alabama-related articles]]
* [[Outline of Alabama]] — organized list of topics about Alabama
* [[USS Alabama|USS ''Alabama'']], 7 ships
{{Clear}}

== Notes ==
=== Subnotes ===
{{reflist|group=subnote}}

=== Other notes ===
{{notelist}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== Further reading ==
{{for|a detailed bibliography|History of Alabama}}
* Atkins, Leah Rawls, Wayne Flynt, William Warren Rogers, and David Ward. ''Alabama: The History of a Deep South State'' (1994).
* Flynt, Wayne. ''Alabama in the Twentieth Century'' (2004).
* Owen Thomas M. ''History of Alabama and Dictionary of Alabama Biography'' (4 vols, 1921).
* Jackson, Harvey H. ''Inside Alabama: A Personal History of My State'' (2004).
* Mohl, Raymond A. "Latinization in the Heart of Dixie: Hispanics in Late-twentieth-century Alabama" ''[[Alabama Review]]'' (2002, 55(4): 243–274). {{ISSN|0002-4341}}
* Peirce, Neal R. ''The Deep South States of America: People, Politics, and Power in the Seven Deep South States'' (1974).
* Williams, Benjamin Buford. ''A Literary History of Alabama: The Nineteenth Century'' (1979).
* WPA ''Guide to Alabama'' (1939).

== External links ==
{{Sister project links|voy=Alabama|Alabama|s=Portal:Alabama}}
* {{official website|https://www.alabama.gov/}}
* [https://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/states/alabama/index.html Alabama State Guide, from the Library of Congress]
* [https://digitalalabama.com Your Not So Ordinary Alabama Tourist Guide] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201205174525/https://digitalalabama.com/ |date=December 5, 2020}}
* [http://www.archives.state.al.us/aaa.html All About Alabama] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170906181733/http://www.archives.state.al.us/aaa.html |date=September 6, 2017}}, at the [[Alabama Department of Archives and History]]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20090107053602/http://www.legislature.state.al.us/CodeofAlabama/1975/coatoc.htm Code of Alabama 1975]
* [http://www.usgs.gov/state/state.asp?State=AL USGS real-time, geographic, and other scientific resources of Alabama] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070106165755/http://www.usgs.gov/state/state.asp?State=AL |date=January 6, 2007}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070823032917/http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/01000.html Alabama QuickFacts] from the U.S. Census Bureau
* [http://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/state-fact-sheets/state-data.aspx?StateFIPS=01&StateName=Alabama Alabama State Fact Sheet]
* {{OSM relation|161950}}

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{{s-bef|before=[[Illinois]]}}
{{s-ttl |title=[[List of U.S. states by date of admission to the Union]]|years=Admitted on December 14, 1819 (22nd)}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Maine]]}}
{{s-end}}
{{Navboxes
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