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Tuscaloosa, Alabama

 
Tuscaloosa, Alabama

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Tuscaloosa, Alabama



 
 
Tuscaloosa is a city in west central Alabama
Alabama

Alabama is a state located in the Southern United States of the United States of America. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west....
 in the southern United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
. Located on the Black Warrior River
Black Warrior River

The Black Warrior River is a tributary of the Tombigbee River, approximately 178 mi long, in west central Alabama in the United States. It drains an area of 6,275 sq mi with its upper watershed encompassing a forested area of high bluffs at the extreme southern end of the Appalachian Mountains north and west of the city of Birmingham, Alaba...
, it is the seat
County seat

A county seat or parish seat is a term for an administrative center for a county or civil parish, primarily used in the United States. In the Northeast United States, the statutory term often is shire town, but colloquially county seat is the term in use there....
 of Tuscaloosa County
Tuscaloosa County, Alabama

Tuscaloosa County is a county of the United States U.S. state of Alabama.It is named in honor of the pre-Choctaw chief Chief Tuskaloosa. In 2007, the population was estimated at 171,159....
 and the fifth-largest city in Alabama with a population of 83,052 (2006 U.S. Census Bureau Estimate). Tuscaloosa is named after the Choctaw
Choctaw

The Choctaw are a Native Americans in the United States people originally from the Southeastern United States . They are of the Muskogean languages group....
 chieftain Tuskaloosa (which means Black Warrior in that language), who battled and was defeated by Hernando de Soto
Hernando de Soto (explorer)

Hernando de Soto was a Spanish people Exploration and conquistador who, while leading the first European expedition deep into the territory of the modern-day United States, was the first European to discover the Mississippi River....
 in 1540 in the Battle of Mauvila
Hernando de Soto (explorer)

Hernando de Soto was a Spanish people Exploration and conquistador who, while leading the first European expedition deep into the territory of the modern-day United States, was the first European to discover the Mississippi River....
.

Best known as the home of The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa is also the center of industry, commerce, healthcare, and education for the region commonly known as West Alabama.






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Tuscaloosa is a city in west central Alabama
Alabama

Alabama is a state located in the Southern United States of the United States of America. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west....
 in the southern United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
. Located on the Black Warrior River
Black Warrior River

The Black Warrior River is a tributary of the Tombigbee River, approximately 178 mi long, in west central Alabama in the United States. It drains an area of 6,275 sq mi with its upper watershed encompassing a forested area of high bluffs at the extreme southern end of the Appalachian Mountains north and west of the city of Birmingham, Alaba...
, it is the seat
County seat

A county seat or parish seat is a term for an administrative center for a county or civil parish, primarily used in the United States. In the Northeast United States, the statutory term often is shire town, but colloquially county seat is the term in use there....
 of Tuscaloosa County
Tuscaloosa County, Alabama

Tuscaloosa County is a county of the United States U.S. state of Alabama.It is named in honor of the pre-Choctaw chief Chief Tuskaloosa. In 2007, the population was estimated at 171,159....
 and the fifth-largest city in Alabama with a population of 83,052 (2006 U.S. Census Bureau Estimate). Tuscaloosa is named after the Choctaw
Choctaw

The Choctaw are a Native Americans in the United States people originally from the Southeastern United States . They are of the Muskogean languages group....
 chieftain Tuskaloosa (which means Black Warrior in that language), who battled and was defeated by Hernando de Soto
Hernando de Soto (explorer)

Hernando de Soto was a Spanish people Exploration and conquistador who, while leading the first European expedition deep into the territory of the modern-day United States, was the first European to discover the Mississippi River....
 in 1540 in the Battle of Mauvila
Hernando de Soto (explorer)

Hernando de Soto was a Spanish people Exploration and conquistador who, while leading the first European expedition deep into the territory of the modern-day United States, was the first European to discover the Mississippi River....
.

Best known as the home of The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa is also the center of industry, commerce, healthcare, and education for the region commonly known as West Alabama. Tuscaloosa attracted international attention when Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes-Benz is a German manufacturer of automobiles, buses, coach es, and trucks. It is currently a division of the parent company, Daimler AG , after previously being owned by Daimler-Benz....
 announced it would build its first automotive assembly plant in North America in Tuscaloosa County. Nevertheless, the University remains the dominant economic and cultural engine in the city.

Tuscaloosa, its neighbor Northport
Northport, Alabama

Northport is a city in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama, Alabama, United States. According to 2005 Census Bureau estimates the population is 21,216. It is part of the Tuscaloosa, Alabama Tuscaloosa metropolitan area....
, and the surrounding suburban communities form the core of the Tuscaloosa Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes Tuscaloosa, Greene
Greene County, Alabama

Greene County is the least populous county in the U.S. state of Alabama. Its name is in honor of Revolutionary War General Nathanael Greene of Rhode Island....
, and Hale
Hale County, Alabama

Hale County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama. It is named in honor of Confederate Colonel Stephen F. Hale. As of 2000 the population was 17,185....
 counties.

History

The area at the Fall Line
Fall line

In geomorphology, a fall line marks the area where an upland region and a coastal plain meet. Technically, a fall line is an unconformity. A fall line is typically prominent when crossed by a river, for there will often be rapids or waterfalls....
 shoals of what would later be known as the Black Warrior River
Black Warrior River

The Black Warrior River is a tributary of the Tombigbee River, approximately 178 mi long, in west central Alabama in the United States. It drains an area of 6,275 sq mi with its upper watershed encompassing a forested area of high bluffs at the extreme southern end of the Appalachian Mountains north and west of the city of Birmingham, Alaba...
 had long been well known to the various Indian
Native Americans in the United States

Native Americans in the United States are the Indigenous peoples of the Americas from the regions of North America now encompassed by the continental United States United States, including parts of Alaska and the island state of Hawaii....
 tribe
Tribe

A tribe, viewed historically or developmentally, consists of a social group existing before the development of, or outside of, states.Many anthropologists use the term to refer to societies organized largely on the basis of kinship, especially corporate descent groups ....
s whose shifting fortunes brought them to West Alabama. The river shoals at Tuscaloosa represented the southernmost site on the river which could be forded under most conditions. Inevitably, a network of Indian trails converged upon the place, the same network which, in the first years of the 19th century began to lead a few intrepid white frontiersmen to the area. The pace of white settlement increased greatly after the War of 1812
War of 1812

The War of 1812, between the United States of America and the British Empire , was fought from 1812 to 1815.There were several immediate stated causes for the U.S....
, and a small assortment of log cabins soon arose near the large Creek village at the fall line of the river, which the settlers named in honor of the legendary Chief Tuskaloosa of a Muskogean
Muskogean languages

Muskogean is an indigenous language family of the Southeastern United States. The Muskogean languages are generally divided into two rough branches, Eastern and Western, though these distinctions are the subject of some debate....
-speaking tribe. In 1817, Alabama
Alabama

Alabama is a state located in the Southern United States of the United States of America. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west....
 became a territory
Alabama Territory

The Alabama Territory was a historic, organized territory of the United States that was formed from the eastern portion of the Mississippi Territory, split in half....
, and on December 13, 1819, the territorial legislature incorporated the town of Tuscaloosa, exactly one day before Congress
United States Congress

The United States Congress is the Bicameralism legislature of the Federal government of the United States of the United States of America, consisting of two houses, the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives....
 admitted Alabama to the Union
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 as a state.

From 1826 to 1846 Tuscaloosa was the capital
State capital

In countries with federation constitutions divided into administrative division known as state , the state capital is the administrative center of a state....
 of Alabama. During this period, in 1831, The University of Alabama was established. The town's population and economy grew rapidly until the departure of the capital to Montgomery
Montgomery, Alabama

Montgomery is the Capital , second most populous city, and the fourth most populous metropolitan area in the Southern United States United States state of Alabama, and is the county seat of Montgomery County, Alabama....
 caused a rapid decline in population. Establishment of the Bryce State Hospital for the Insane in Tuscaloosa in the 1850s helped restore the city's fortunes. During the Civil War
American Civil War

The American Civil War , also known as the War Between the States and several Naming the American Civil War, was a civil war in the United States....
 following Alabama's secession
Secession

Secession is the act of withdrawing from an organization, union, or especially a political entity. It is not to be confused with succession, the act of following in order or sequence....
 from the Union, several thousand men from Tuscaloosa fought in the Confederate
Confederate States of America

The Confederate States of America formed as the government set up from 1861 to 1865 by eleven Southern United States U.S. state of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S....
 armies. During the last weeks of the War, a brigade of Union troops raiding the city burned the campus of The University of Alabama. Tuscaloosa, too, suffered much damage from the battle and shared fully in the South's economic sufferings which followed the defeat. The construction of a system of locks and dams on the Black Warrior River by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in the 1890s opened up an inexpensive link to the Gulf seaport of Mobile
Mobile, Alabama

Mobile is the third most populous city in the Southern United States United States state of Alabama and is the county seat of Mobile County, Alabama....
, stimulating especially the mining and metallurgical industries of the region. By the advent of the 20th Century, the growth of the University of Alabama and the mental health-care facilities in the city, along with strong national economy fueled a steady growth in Tuscaloosa which continued unabated for 100 years. Manufacturing plants of large firms such as Michelin
Michelin

Michelin based in Clermont-Ferrand in the Auvergne r?gion of France, is primarily a tire manufacturer, currently the world's second largest....
 and JVC
JVC

, usually referred to as JVC, is an international consumer and professional electronics corporation based in Yokohama, Japan which was founded in 1927....
 located in town during the latter half of the 20th Century. However, it was the announcement of the addition of the Mercedes
Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes-Benz is a German manufacturer of automobiles, buses, coach es, and trucks. It is currently a division of the parent company, Daimler AG , after previously being owned by Daimler-Benz....
 facility in 1993 that best personified the new era of economic prosperity for Tuscaloosa.

Tuscaloosa is known as the "Druid City" because of the numerous Water oak
Water oak

The Water Oak is an oak in the List of Quercus species#Section Lobatae group , native to the Southeastern United States United States, from southern Delaware and south to the coastal areas of Maryland, Virginia, the piedmont of North Carolina, all of South Carolina, most of Georgia , all of Alabama, Mississippi, central Florida, and westwar...
s planted in its downtown streets since the 1840s.

Geography and climate

Black Warrior River
Tuscaloosa is located at (33.206540, -87.534607).

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Tuscaloosa has a total area of 66.7 square mile
Square mile

The square mile is an Imperial system and US customary system of measure for an area equal to the area of a square of one mile. It should not be confused with miles square, which refers to the number of miles on each side squared....
s (172.8 km˛), of which, 56.2 square miles (145.7 km˛) of it is land and 10.5 square miles (27.1 km˛) of it (15.68%) is water. Most of water within the city limits is in Lake Tuscaloosa, which is entirely in the city limits, and the Black Warrior River.

Tuscaloosa is situated on the Black Warrior River
Black Warrior River

The Black Warrior River is a tributary of the Tombigbee River, approximately 178 mi long, in west central Alabama in the United States. It drains an area of 6,275 sq mi with its upper watershed encompassing a forested area of high bluffs at the extreme southern end of the Appalachian Mountains north and west of the city of Birmingham, Alaba...
 approximately 60 miles southwest of Birmingham
Birmingham, Alabama

Birmingham is the largest city in the United States state of Alabama and is the county seat of Jefferson County, Alabama. It also includes part of Shelby County, Alabama....
. The city occupies a unique location of fall line
Fall line

In geomorphology, a fall line marks the area where an upland region and a coastal plain meet. Technically, a fall line is an unconformity. A fall line is typically prominent when crossed by a river, for there will often be rapids or waterfalls....
 of the Black Warrior River on the boundary between the Appalachian Highland and the Gulf Coastal Plain approximately 311 km (120 mi.) upriver from the river's confluence with the Tombigbee River
Tombigbee River

The Tombigbee River is a tributary of the Mobile River, approximately 400 mi long, in the U.S. states of Mississippi and Alabama. It is one of two major rivers, along with the Alabama River, that unite to form the short Mobile River before it empties into Mobile Bay on the Gulf of Mexico....
 in Demopolis
Demopolis, Alabama

Demopolis is the largest city in Marengo County, Alabama, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 7,540....
. Consequently, the geography of the area around Tuscaloosa is quite diverse, being hilly and forested to the northeast and low-lying and marshy to the southwest.

Climate

Snow in Tuscaloosa
The area experiences a typical Southern subtropical climate with four distinct seasons. The Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico

The Gulf of Mexico is the ninth largest body of water in the world. Considered a smaller part of the Atlantic Ocean, it is an oceanic basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba....
 heavily influences the climate by supplying the region with warm, moist air
Air mass

In meteorology, an air mass is a large volume of air that have characteristics of temperature and water vapor content. Air masses cover many hundreds or thousands of square miles, and slowly change in accordance with the surface below them....
. During the fall
Autumn

Autumn is one of the four temperate seasons. Autumn marks the transition from summer into winter, usually in late September or late March when the arrival of night becomes noticeably earlier....
, winter, and spring seasons, the interaction of this warm, moist air with cooler, drier air from the North along fronts create precipitation. These fronts usually move from west to east as they track along the jet stream
Jet stream

Jet streams are fast flowing, narrow thermal winds found at the tropopause, the transition between the troposphere and the stratosphere ,and are located at 10-15 kilometers above the surface of the Earth....
. Notable exceptions occur during hurricane season
Hurricane season

Hurricane season refers to a period in a year when tropical cyclone usually form. For more information see: Tropical cyclone#Times.For a lists of past seasons, see:...
 where storms may move from due south to due north or even from east to west during land-falling hurricanes. The interaction between low- and high-pressure air masses is most pronounced during the severe weather
Severe weather

Severe weather phenomena are weather conditions that are hazardous to human life and property....
 seasons in the spring and fall. During the summer, the jet streams flows well to the north of the southeastern U.S., and most precipitation is consequently convectional
Precipitation (meteorology)

File:MeanMonthlyP.gifIn meteorology, precipitation is any product of the condensation of Atmosphere water vapor that is deposited on the earth's surface....
, that is, caused by the warm surface heating the air above. Severe thunderstorm
Thunderstorm

File:FoggDam-NT.jpgA thunderstorm, also known as an electrical storm or a lightning storm, is a form of weather characterized by the presence of lightning and its effect: thunder....
s can bring damaging winds, large hail
Hail

Hail is a form of Precipitation which consists of balls or irregular lumps of ice . Hailstones on Earth usually consist mostly of ice and measure between 5 and 150 millimeters in diameter, with the larger stones coming from severe thunderstorms....
 and occasionally tornado
Tornado

A tornado is a violent, rotating column of air which is in contact with both the surface of the earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud....
es. A violent F4 tornado struck Tuscaloosa County in December 2000, killing eleven people. Tuscaloosa City was struck by an F2 Tornado in January 1997 which resulted in the death of one person.

Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high
°F (°C)
58
(15)
61
(16)
67
(20)
77
(26)
84
(28)
91
(33)
93
(34)
93
(34)
87
(30)
78
(25)
66
(19)
58
(15)
76
(24.4)
Average low
°F (°C)
35
(2)
38
(4)
43
(6)
51
(10)
59
(15)
67
(20)
70
(21)
69
(21)
63
(17)
51
(11)
39
(4)
35
(2)
52 (11.1)
Average rainfall: inches/mm 5 /
127
5.5
140
6.1
155
4.3
110
4.4
113
3.4
168
4.0
102
3.0
76
3.3
84
2.7
69
3.9
99
4.7
119
50.3 /
1278
Source:

Winter lasts from mid-December to late-February; temperatures range from the mid-20s to the mid-50s. On average, the low temperature falls at freezing or below about 50 days a year. While rain is abundant (an average 5.09 in. per month from Dec.-Feb.), measurable snowfall is rare; the average annual snowfall is about 0.6 inches. Spring usually lasts from late-February to mid-May; temperatures range from the mid-50s to the low-80s and monthly rainfall amounts average about 5.05 in. (128 mm) per month. Summers last from mid-May to mid-September; temperatures range from the upper-60s to the mid-90s, with temperatures above 100°F (37.8°C) not uncommon, and average rainfall dip slightly to 3.97 in. (101 mm) per month. Autumn, which spans from mid-September to early-December, tends to be similar to Spring terms of temperature and precipitation.

The highest temperature to have been recorded at the Tuscaloosa Regional Airport was 107.0°F (41.7°C) on July 29, 1952 & August 10, 2007, while the lowest recorded temperature was -1.0°F (-18.3°C) on January 21, 1985.

Demographics

As of the census
Census

A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population....
 of 2000 there were 77,906 people, 31,381 households, and 16,945 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density

Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans....
 was 1,385.2 people per square mile (534.8/km˛). There were 34,857 housing units at an average density of 619.8/sq mi (239.3/km˛). The racial makeup of the city was 54.09% White
Race (United States Census)

Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , are Self-concept data items in which residents choose the Race in the United States or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are of Hispanic or Latino origin ....
, 42.73% Black
Race (United States Census)

Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , are Self-concept data items in which residents choose the Race in the United States or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are of Hispanic or Latino origin ....
 or African American
Race (United States Census)

Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , are Self-concept data items in which residents choose the Race in the United States or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are of Hispanic or Latino origin ....
, 0.16% Native American
Race (United States Census)

Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , are Self-concept data items in which residents choose the Race in the United States or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are of Hispanic or Latino origin ....
, 1.49% Asian
Race (United States Census)

Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , are Self-concept data items in which residents choose the Race in the United States or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are of Hispanic or Latino origin ....
, 0.02% Pacific Islander
Race (United States Census)

Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , are Self-concept data items in which residents choose the Race in the United States or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are of Hispanic or Latino origin ....
, 0.63% from other races
Race (United States Census)

Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , are Self-concept data items in which residents choose the Race in the United States or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are of Hispanic or Latino origin ....
, and 0.87% from two or more races. 1.40% of the population were Hispanic
Race (United States Census)

Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , are Self-concept data items in which residents choose the Race in the United States or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are of Hispanic or Latino origin ....
 or Latino
Race (United States Census)

Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , are Self-concept data items in which residents choose the Race in the United States or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are of Hispanic or Latino origin ....
 of any race.

There were 31,381 households out of which 23.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.0% were married couples
Marriage

Marriage is a social, spirituality, or law union of individuals. This union may also be called matrimony, while the ceremony that marks its beginning is usually called a wedding and the married status created is sometimes called wedlock....
 living together, 15.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 46.0% were non-families. 35.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 2.93. In the city the population was spread out with 19.8% under the age of 18, 24.5% from 18 to 24, 25.4% from 25 to 44, 18.5% from 45 to 64, and 11.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 28 years. For every 100 females there were 90.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.9 males. The median income for a household in the city was $27,731, and the median income for a family was $41,753. Males had a median income of $31,614 versus $24,507 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income

Per capita income means how much each individual receives, in monetary terms, of the yearly income generated in the country. This is what each citizen is to receive if the yearly national income is divided equally among everyone....
 for the city was $19,129. About 14.2% of families and 23.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.3% of those under age 18 and 13.4% of those age 65 or over.

Government and politics

Tuscaloosa has a strong-mayor variant mayor-council form of government, led by a mayor and a seven-member city council
City council

A city council is a form of local government, usually covering a city or other urban area, such as a town. The system of government has roots back at least to the Roman Empire....
. The mayor is elected by the city at-large and serves four-year terms. Council members are elected to single-member districts every four years as well. Neither the mayor nor the members of the city council is term-limited. All elected offices are nonpartisan.

The mayor administers the day-to-day operations of the city, including overseeing the various city departments, over whom he has hiring and firing power. The mayor also acts as ambassador of the city. The mayor sits in city council meetings and has a tie-breaking vote. The current Mayor of Tuscaloosa is Walter Maddox, who was elected to office in September 2005. Prior to Maddox, Alvin A. DuPont had served as mayor for 24 years.

The city council is a legislative body that considers policy and passes law. The council also passes the budget for mayoral approval. Any resolution passed by the council is binding law. The majority of work in the council is done by committee, a usually consisting of a chairman, two other council members, and relevant non-voting city employees.

Current City Council Members
District Representative Serving Since
1 Bobby E. Howard 2005
2 Harrison Taylor 1993
3 Cynthia Lee Almond 2005
4 Lee Garrison 1997
5 Kip Tyner 1997
6 Bob Lundell 2005
7 William Tinker, III 2005


Tuscaloosa, as the largest county seat in western Alabama, serves a hub of state and federal government agencies. In addition to the customary offices associated with the county courthouse, namely two District Court Judges, six Circuit Court Judges, the District Attorney
District attorney

In many jurisdictions in the United States, a district attorney is the local public official who represents the government in the Prosecutor of alleged criminals....
 and the Public Defender
Public defender

A public defender is a lawyer who works full time representing criminal defendants, or mental health clients that are not criminals but that are involuntarily held who cannot afford to hire an attorney....
, several Alabama state government agencies have regional offices in Tuscaloosa, such as the Alabama Department of Transportation and the Alabama State Troopers (the state police). Also, several federal agencies operate bureaus out of the Federal Courthouse in Tuscaloosa.

Tuscaloosa is located partially in both the 6th and 7th Congressional Districts, which are represented by Spencer Bachus
Spencer Bachus

Spencer Thomas Bachus III , United States politician, has been a Republican Party member of the United States House of Representatives since 1993, representing ....
 (R
Republican Party (United States)

The Republican Party is one of the two major party contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party . It is often called the Grand Old Party or the GOP....
) and Artur Davis
Artur Davis

Artur Genestre Davis is an United States politician who has been a United States Democratic Party member of the United States House of Representatives since 2003, representing ....
 (D
Democratic Party (United States)

The Democratic Party is one of two major party contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party . It is the oldest political party in continuous operation in the United States and it is one of the oldest parties in the world....
), respectively. In addition, Alabama's senior senator
United States Senate

The United States Senate is the upper house of the Bicameralism United States Congress, the lower house being the United States House of Representatives....
, Richard Shelby
Richard Shelby

Richard Craig Shelby , sometimes known as Dick Shelby, is the senior United States Senate from Alabama. Originally elected to the United States Senate as a United States Democratic Party, Shelby switched to the United States Republican Party in 1994 when it gained the majority in United States Congress....
 (R
Republican Party (United States)

The Republican Party is one of the two major party contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party . It is often called the Grand Old Party or the GOP....
), is a resident of Tuscaloosa.

On the state level, the city is split among the 5th, 21st, and 24th Senate districts and 62nd, 63rd, and 70th House districts in the Alabama State Legislature.

Economy

Tuscaloosa Black Warrior River
Despite its image as a college town, Tuscaloosa boasts a diversified economy based on all sectors of manufacturing and service. Twenty-five percent of the labor force in the Tuscaloosa Metropolitan Statistical Area
Tuscaloosa metropolitan area

The Tuscaloosa Metropolitan Statistical Area, as defined by the United States Census Bureau, is an area consisting of three counties in west central Alabama, anchored by the city of Tuscaloosa, Alabama....
 is employed by the federal, state, and local government agencies. 16.7% is employed in manufacturing; 16.4% in retail trade and transportation; 11.6% in finance, information, and private enterprise; 10.3% in mining and construction; and 9.2% in hospitality. Education and healthcare account for only 7.2% of the area workforce with the remainder employed in other services.

The city's industrial base includes , Nucor Steel Tuscaloosa, BF Goodrich Tire Manufacturing (a division of Michelin
Michelin

Michelin based in Clermont-Ferrand in the Auvergne r?gion of France, is primarily a tire manufacturer, currently the world's second largest....
), JVC America
JVC

, usually referred to as JVC, is an international consumer and professional electronics corporation based in Yokohama, Japan which was founded in 1927....
, , and the Gulf States Paper Corporation. Another significant contributor to Tuscaloosa's economy is the located on a site in Tuscaloosa County located near Vance
Vance, Alabama

Vance is a town in Bibb County, Alabama and Tuscaloosa County, Alabama Counties in the U.S. state of Alabama, just outside of the city of Tuscaloosa, Alabama....
. The plant began assembling the Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes-Benz is a German manufacturer of automobiles, buses, coach es, and trucks. It is currently a division of the parent company, Daimler AG , after previously being owned by Daimler-Benz....
 M-Class
Mercedes-Benz M-Class

The Mercedes-Benz M-Class is a mid-size sport utility vehicle with light off-road capability, first offered in 1997 as a 1998 model, and built by the Germany automaker Mercedes-Benz....
 in 1997 and the R-Class
Mercedes-Benz R-Class

The R-Class is a multi-purpose vehicle offered by Daimler AG in 2006 model year under the Mercedes-Benz brand. It is the first minivan ever produced by Mercedes-Benz, although it does not have sliding doors, which many consumers, particularly Americans, associate with minivans....
 Grand Sport Tourer
Grand tourer

File:1962 Ferrari 250 GTO 34 2.jpgA grand tourer is a high-performance luxury automobile designed for long-distance driving. The most common format is a two-door coup? with either a two-seat or a 2 plus 2 arrangement....
 in 2005 and just recently began production with the GL-Class
Mercedes-Benz GL-Class

The Mercedes-Benz GL-Class is a Full-size car Sport utility vehicle built by the German carmaker since 2006. The GL-Class debuted at the 2006 North American International Auto Show....
. Plants that supply components to Mercedes-Benz also make their home in Tuscaloosa and add to the economic strength of the city. Health-care and education serve as the cornerstone of Tuscaloosa's service sector, which includes the University of Alabama
University of Alabama

The University of Alabama is a state university coeducational university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Alabama, United States. Founded in 1831, UA is the flagship university of the University of Alabama System....
, DCH Regional Medical Center, Bryce State Mental Hospital
Bryce State Mental Hospital

Bryce State Mental Hospital opened in 1861 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States of America, is Alabama's oldest and largest inpatient psychiatric facility....
, the William D. Partlow Developmental Center, and the Tuscaloosa VA
United States Department of Veterans Affairs

The United States Department of Veterans Affairs is a government-run military veteran benefit system with United States Cabinet-level status. It is responsible for administering programs of veterans? benefits for veterans, their families, and survivors....
 Medical Center.

The city is home to the region's two largest malls, University Mall
University Mall (Tuscaloosa, Alabama)

University Mall is the largest mall in western Alabama. It is located at the intersection of McFarland Blvd and Veterans' Memorial Parkway in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, the busiest in the city....
 and McFarland Mall, as a well as a large array of retail outlets and a 16-screen movie theater.

Education

Ua Denny Chimes
Education is a vital component of the city as Tuscaloosa is home to several colleges and schools. The University of Alabama
University of Alabama

The University of Alabama is a state university coeducational university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Alabama, United States. Founded in 1831, UA is the flagship university of the University of Alabama System....
 is the dominant institution of higher learning. Enrolling approximately 27,000 students, UA has been a part of Tuscaloosa's identity since it opened its doors in 1831. Stillman College
Stillman College

Stillman College is a historically black colleges and universities liberal arts college founded in 1876 and located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Alabama....
, which opened in 1875, is a historically Black
Historically Black Colleges and Universities

Historically black colleges and universities are institutions of higher education in the United States that were established before 1964 with the intention of serving the black community....
 liberal arts college
Liberal arts college

Liberal arts colleges are primarily colleges with an emphasis upon undergraduate study in the liberal arts. The Encyclop?dia Britannica Concise defines "liberal arts" as a "college or university curriculum aimed at imparting general knowledge and developing general intellectual capacities, in contrast to a professional, vocational educati...
 that has approximately 1,200 students. Well known internet star Jamarcus Sanders
Jamarcus Sanders

Jamarcus Sanders is an United States of America television show host. Sanders is the heir of Williams Free Clinic. Currently he is featured as the host of "The Jamarcus Sanders! Show" and co-hosts "Blake J Presents Word Up"....
 attended Central High School there.

Additionally, Shelton State Community College
Shelton State Community College

Shelton State Community College is a two-year community college located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Alabama. Operated by the Alabama State Department of Postsecondary Education, Shelton is one of the largest two-year colleges in the state....
, one of the largest in Alabama, is located in the city. The school enrolls 8,000 students from all backgrounds and income levels. The majority of Shelton State students are "traditional" students. They are usually either first-time college students earning associate degrees for transfer to four-year institutions after graduation, or UA and Stillman students enrolled in entry-level classes that they cannot or do not want to take at their home institutions.

The Tuscaloosa City School System serves the city. It is overseen by the Tuscaloosa City Board of Education, which is composed of eight members elected by district and a chairman elected by a citywide vote. The Board appoints a Superintendent to manage the day-to-day operations of the system. Operating with a $100 million budget, the system enrolls approximately 10,300 students. The system consists of 19 schools: 12 elementary schools, 3 middle schools, 3 high schools (Paul W. Bryant High School, Central High School
Central High School (Tuscaloosa, Alabama)

for schools of the same nameCentral High School is a high school in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Alabama, enrolling Educational stages ninth grade-twelfth grade....
 and Northridge High School
Northridge High School (Alabama)

Northridge High School is a public high school in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States, enrolling 1078 students in grades 9?12. It is one of three high schools in the Tuscaloosa City School District....
), and 2 specialty schools (the Tuscaloosa Center for Technology, a vocational school
Vocational school

A vocational school , providing vocational education, is a school in which students are taught the skills needed to perform a particular job. Traditionally, vocational schools have not existed to further education in the sense of liberal arts, but rather to teach only job-specific skills, and as such have been better considered to be institut...
, and Oak Hill School for special needs students). In 2002, the system spent $6,313 per pupil, the 19th highest amount of the 120 school systems in the state.

Tuscaloosa is also served by several private schools, both secular and religious, including Tuscaloosa Academy, American Christian Academy, Holy Spirit Catholic High School
Holy Spirit High School (Tuscaloosa, Alabama)

Holy Spirit High School is a private school, Roman Catholic high school in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. It is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Birmingham in Alabama....
, Open Door Christian School, the Capitol School, and Tuscaloosa Christian School (in neighboring Cottondale).

Since 1923, the state-run William D. Partlow Developmental Center has served the mentally retarded, offering these citizens a public education as well as seeing to their other needs.

Culture

Tuscaloosa is home to a variety of cultural sites and events reflective of its historical and modern role in Alabama and the Southeast in general. Many of these cultural events are sponsored by The University of Alabama. Numerous performing arts groups and facilities, historical sites, and museums dedicated to subjects as varying as American art and collegiate football dot the city. The nightlife is one of the highlights of the city with popular venues such as The Houndstooth, Egans, Gallette's, 4th and 23rd, and Innisfree Irish Pub being classic staples of social life. During football season the area known as "the strip" pulsates with students, alumni, locals and visitors.

Eateries in Tuscaloosa range from the classy Cypress Inn to a wonderfully shabby steak house, Nick's in the Sticks. Downtown offers Italian cuisine at Cafe Venice or Depalma's; those seeking biscuits and grits can have their fill at the Waysider, a landmark filled with Crimson Tide paraphernalia, or across the river at Northport's City Cafe or Northport Diner. Slabs of ribs are available at various locations, including the Dreamland Drive-Inn Bar-B-Que
Dreamland Bar-B-Que

Dreamland Bar-B-Que is a barbecue restaurant chain based in Alabama. It was founded by "Big Daddy" John Bishop in the Jerusalem Heights neighborhood of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, in 1958, but has since Franchising, opening restaurants in Birmingham, Alabama, Montgomery, Alabama, Huntsville, Alabama, Mobile, Alabama, Northport, Alabama, and opened...
. This world-famous icon has been featured in many magazines, newspapers and on ESPN. Their slogan proclaims, "There ain't nothing like 'em nowhere." There are numerous other less-famous BBQ locations — including Archibald's, Woodrow's, Bottomfeeders, Big Bad Wolves, and Foxfire.

The Tuscaloosa Public Library
Tuscaloosa Public Library

The Tuscaloosa Public Library is a city/county agency located in the city of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, serving a population of over 171,000 in Tuscaloosa County in the state of Alabama, USA....
 is a city/county agency with nearly 200,000 items on catalog. A total of 46,857 registered patrons use the library on a regular basis — roughly 28 % of the population of the county. There are currently three branches: the Main Branch on Jack Warner Parkway, the Weaver-Bolden Branch, and the Brown Branch in Taylorville.

Most of the museums in Tuscaloosa are found downtown or on the campus of the University. Downtown is the home of and the Murphy African-American Museum. The Alabama Museum of Natural History
Alabama Museum of Natural History

Alabama Museum of Natural History is the state's natural history museum, located on the campus of the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Alabama....
 and the are located on The University campus. The is located in northern Tuscaloosa at Jack Warner's NorthRiver Yacht Club
NorthRiver Yacht Club

NorthRiver Yacht Club, located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA, is an invitation-only private golf club which opened in 1978. The course was originally designed by professional golfer Gary Player but was redesigned in 1999 by noted architect Bob Cupp....
. and the are located 15 miles south of Tuscaloosa in Moundville
Moundville, Alabama

Moundville is a town in Hale County, Alabama and Tuscaloosa County, Alabama Counties in the U.S. state of Alabama. At the 2000 census the population was 1,809....
.

Performance arts groups in Tuscaloosa include:
  • String Quartet Society of Tuscaloosa
  • Tuscaloosa Symphony Orchestra
    Tuscaloosa Symphony Orchestra

    The Tuscaloosa Symphony Orchestra is an orchestra based in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Alabama. Koreans Maestro Shinik Hahm is its current music director chair....
  • Tuscaloosa Winds
  • Tuscaloosa Children's Theatre
  • Tuscaloosa Community Dancers
  • Tuscaloosa Community Singers
  • Dance Alabama!
  • Alabama Repertory Dance Theatre
  • UA Theatre and Dance
  • OperAlaBAMA


The Bama Theatre was one of the last movie palace
Movie palace

A movie palace or picture palace is a term used to refer to the grand cinemas of the 1910s to early 1960s.There are three building types in particular which can be subsumed under the label movie palace....
s built in the South. At the time of its construction in 1938, it was the only air-conditioned building in Tuscaloosa. The theater was renovated as a performing arts center in 1976 and housed the Tuscaloosa Symphony Orchestra and Theatre Tuscaloosa troupe until those groups moved into their own facilities. Today, the Bama is home to the Tuscaloosa Children's Theatre Company in addition to showing foreign and independent films in its Cinema Nouveau series. It also hosts a Jewish Film Festival in the spring.

The Tuscaloosa Symphony Orchestra currently resides at the Moody Music Building on The University of Alabama campus while Theatre Tuscaloosa makes its home at the Bean-Brown Theater at Shelton State Community College.

The Tuscaloosa Winds is a community and campus concert band composed of over 100 community members, university professors, university students, and other interested musicians. The band is sponsored by The University of Alabama and resides at the Moody Music Building.

Other performance facilities in Tuscaloosa include the Marian Gallaway Theatre (305-seat, proscenium theater), the Allen Bales Theatre (170-seat, studio theater), and Morgan Auditorium on the campus of The University of Alabama.

Events

Prior to each football game is a massive gathering at the UA Quad, where people gather starting on Friday for tailgating
Tailgating

Tailgating is the practice of driving on a road too closely behind another vehicle, such as less than the Two-second rule or, equivalently, one vehicle-length for every 8 km/h of the current speed....
 and the University of Alabama holds pep rallies on the Gorgas library steps. The Quad has hosted ESPN's Gameday several times and also is a place to meet Alabama football legends on game day and perform the "Elephant Stomp" to Bryant-Denny Stadium with the Alabama mascot "Big Al" and the Million Dollar Band.

On the first Thursday of each month, the Tuscaloosa art galleries open their doors for "Art and Soul" — highlighting local artists. There is a shuttle service that runs between this event and Northport's
Northport, Alabama

Northport is a city in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama, Alabama, United States. According to 2005 Census Bureau estimates the population is 21,216. It is part of the Tuscaloosa, Alabama Tuscaloosa metropolitan area....
 "Art Night."

Sports

Tuscaloosa is known for its collegiate athletics - particularly the University of Alabama
University of Alabama

The University of Alabama is a state university coeducational university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Alabama, United States. Founded in 1831, UA is the flagship university of the University of Alabama System....
 football team. The Crimson Tide
Alabama Crimson Tide football

The Alabama Crimson Tide football program is a college football team that represents the University of Alabama . The team currently competes in NCAA Division I FBS National Football Championship as a member of the Southeastern Conference....
 is one of the most storied programs in the history of college football. In the 1925 football season, an underrated University of Alabama Crimson Tide football team played in the first of many Rose Bowl
Rose Bowl Game

The Rose Bowl Game is an annual United States college football bowl game, usually played on January 1 at the Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, California for 95 years....
s, defeating Washington 20 - 19 and giving the Tide the first of 12 national championships. The Tide's 12 national titles are the most recognized by any university in college football history. The Crimson Tide also has the most SEC championships, the most bowl appearances and the most bowl wins of any team in college football.

The University of Alabama also currently fields championship–caliber teams in baseball, men's basketball, women's gymnastics, and women's softball. These teams play in athletics facilities on the University campus, including Bryant-Denny Stadium (capacity of 92,000+), Coleman Coliseum (formerly Memorial Coliseum), Sewell-Thomas Baseball Stadium, Alabama Softball Complex, and the Ol' Colony Golf Complex.

Stillman College fields teams in football, basketball, and other sports. In the past decade, Stillman has gone through a renaissance of renovations, including a new football stadium.

Shelton State fields men's and women's basketball, baseball, and softball teams, each with on-campus facilities.

Tuscaloosa is also the birthplace of Otis Davis
Otis Davis

For the baseball player, see Otis Davis Otis Crandall Davis is a former United States of America athletics , winner of two gold medals at the 1960 Summer Olympics....
, 400-meter track world record holder and gold medalist at the Rome
Rome

Rome is the capital city of Italy and Lazio, and is Italy's largest and most populous city, with 2,724,347 residents in an urban area of some ....
 1960 Summer Olympics
1960 Summer Olympics

The 1960 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Rome, Italy, in 1960....
.

In 2006, a World Basketball Association
World Basketball Association

The World Basketball Association is a professional men's spring basketball league....
 team, the Druid City Dragons
Druid City Dragons

The Druid City Dragons were a World Basketball Association franchise in Tuscaloosa, Alabama that played during the 2006 season.The team was officially announced as Tuscaloosa's first professional basketball game at a press conference on Thursday, April 20, 2006....
, was unveiled but eventually folded after one season.

Media

Tuscaloosa is part of the Birmingham-Tuscaloosa-Anniston television market
Media market

A media market, broadcast market, media region, designated market area , Television Market Area or simply market is a region where the population can receive the same television station and radio broadcasting offerings, and may also include other types of media including newspapers and Internet content....
, which is the 40th largest in the nation. All major networks have a presence in the market. WCFT 33
WBMA-LP

WBMA-LP is the American Broadcasting Company television affiliate for Birmingham, Alabama and central Alabama. Its transmitter is located in Birmingham, while its studio is in Hoover, Alabama, a suburb of Birmingham....
 is the ABC affiliate, WIAT 42 is the CBS
CBS

CBS Broadcasting Inc. is an American radio network and television network. The name is derived from the initials of Columbia Broadcasting System, its former legal name....
 affiliate, WBRC 6
WBRC

WBRC, channel 6 is a television station in Birmingham, Alabama. WBRC is owned by Raycom Media, which in turn is owned by the Retirement Systems of Alabama, and is affiliated with the Fox Broadcasting Company....
 is the Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company

The Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox and stylized as FOX, is an United States television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation....
 affiliate, WVTM 13
WVTM-TV

WVTM-TV is the NBC affiliate television station in the Birmingham, Alabama-Anniston, Alabama-Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Alabama television market. The station is owned by Media General....
 is the NBC affiliate, WBIQ 10
Alabama Public Television

Alabama Public Television is a TV network of Public Broadcasting Service member stations serving the US state of Alabama. The stations are licensed by the Alabama Educational Television Commission, which was created by the Alabama General Assembly in 1953....
 is the PBS affiliate, WTTO 21
WTTO

WTTO is the The CW Television Network affiliate for the Birmingham, Alabama/Anniston, Alabama/Tuscaloosa, Alabama market. It broadcasts its digital signal on Ultra high frequency channel 28, however through the use of Program and System Information Protocol technology, digital television receivers display WTTO's virtual channel as 21....
 is the CW
The CW Television Network

The CW Television Network is a television network in the United States launched at the beginning of the 2006-07 United States network television schedule....
 affiliate, and WABM 68
WABM

WABM, channel 68, is the My Network TV affiliate for the Birmingham, Alabama/Anniston, Alabama/Tuscaloosa, Alabama television market. WABM is owned by Sinclair Broadcasting Group, which also owns the market's The CW Television Network affiliate, WTTO....
 is the MyNetworkTV
MyNetworkTV

MyNetworkTV is a television network in the United States, owned by the Fox Entertainment Group, a division of News Corporation. It is the lowest-rated of the six major US English-language commercial broadcast networks....
 affiliate. Additionally, WVUA 7
WVUA-CA

WVUA-CA is a low-power television station owned and operated by the University of Alabama, affiliated with the America One and ShopNBC networks....
, an independent station, is operated by the University of Alabama. The Tuscaloosa City School system is home to a student television production program: Bryant-Central-Northridge Television (BCN-TV)

Tuscaloosa is the 234th largest radio market
Media market

A media market, broadcast market, media region, designated market area , Television Market Area or simply market is a region where the population can receive the same television station and radio broadcasting offerings, and may also include other types of media including newspapers and Internet content....
 in the nation. In January 2007, of the top-ten-rated radio stations, two were urban, three were country, two were contemporary, and one each was gospel, oldies, and talk radio.

Tuscaloosa serves as home base to Alabama Public Radio
Alabama Public Radio

Alabama Public Radio is a network of public radio stations based in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, that serve western and northern Alabama with European classical music, folk music, jazz, and nostalgic music programs, as well as news and feature programs from the National Public Radio, Public Radio International, and American Public Media networks....
, the state's largest public radio network. APR's main studios are housed at the University of Alabama, and the flagship signal, WUAL-FM, originates from a transmitter south of town. WUAL serves Tuscaloosa, portions of the Birmingham metro area and several counties of west-central Alabama.

The Tuscaloosa News
The Tuscaloosa News

The Tuscaloosa News is a daily newspaper serving Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Alabama, USA, and the surrounding area in west central Alabama.The newspaper is a member of the New York Times Regional Media Group, a subsidiary of the New York Times Company, through the corporate entity of NYT Holdings, Inc., an Alabama corporation....
 is the major daily newspaper serving the city. The Tuscaloosa News also publishes Tuscaloosa Magazine. Its offices are located west of downtown on a bluff overlooking the Black Warrior River. The Planet Weekly is an alternative weekly newspapers
Alternative weekly

An alternative newspaper is a type of newspaper that eschews comprehensive coverage of general news in favor of opinionated reviews and columnists, Investigative journalism into edgy topics and magazine-style feature stories highlighting local people and culture....
 while The Crimson White
The Crimson White

The Crimson White, known colloquially as "The CW," is the student-run newspaper of the University of Alabama. It is published four times a week -- every weekday except Tuesday -- throughout the fall and spring semesters and weekly during the summer semester....
 is the independent, student-run newspaper of the University of Alabama. The prestigious literary magazine "The Black Warrior Review" was founded by graduate students of the University's Creative Writing program in 1974, and is still published out of Tuscaloosa. Several other smaller magazines and newsletters are published and distributed locally, such as Destination Tuscaloosa magazine.

Infrastructure


Health and medicine


DCH Regional Medical Center is the main medical facility in Tuscaloosa. Operated by the publicly-controlled DCH Healthcare Authority, the 610-bed hospital
Hospital

A hospital is an institution for health care providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment, and often but not always providing for longer-term patient stays....
 opened in 1916 as the Druid City Infirmary. The emergency department
Emergency department

The emergency department , sometimes termed the emergency room , emergency ward , accident & emergency department or casualty department is a hospital or primary care department that provides initial treatment to patients with a broad spectrum of illnesses and injury, some of which may be Medical emergency and requiri...
 at DCH operates a trauma center
Trauma center

A trauma center is a hospital equipped to provide comprehensive emergency medical services to patients suffering Physical trauma injuries. Trauma centers were established as the medical establishment realized that traumatic injuries often require complex and multi-disciplinary treatment, including surgery in order to give the victim the best...
 (it is not certified as an official trauma center by the American College of Surgeons
American College of Surgeons

The American College of Surgeons is an educational association of surgeons created in 1913. to improve the quality of care for the surgical patient by setting high standards for surgical education and practice....
, however) that serves all of west central Alabama
Alabama

Alabama is a state located in the Southern United States of the United States of America. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west....
 and is one of the busiest in the state. The DCH Healthcare authority also operates Northport Medical Center in neighboring Northport
Northport, Alabama

Northport is a city in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama, Alabama, United States. According to 2005 Census Bureau estimates the population is 21,216. It is part of the Tuscaloosa, Alabama Tuscaloosa metropolitan area....
.

Other major medical centers in Tuscaloosa include the 702-bed Veterans Affairs
United States Department of Veterans Affairs

The United States Department of Veterans Affairs is a government-run military veteran benefit system with United States Cabinet-level status. It is responsible for administering programs of veterans? benefits for veterans, their families, and survivors....
 Medical Center-Tuscaloosa and the 422-bed Bryce State Mental Hospital
Bryce State Mental Hospital

Bryce State Mental Hospital opened in 1861 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States of America, is Alabama's oldest and largest inpatient psychiatric facility....
.

Transportation

Tuscaloosa is connected to other parts of the country and the world via air, rail, road and sea. The city lies at the intersection of several highway
Highway

A highway is a main road intended for travel by the public between important destinations, such as city and towns. Highway designs vary widely and can range from a two-lane road without margins to a multi-lane, grade separated freeway....
-grade roadways, including three federal highways (US 11, US 43, and US 82), three Alabama state highways (AL 69, AL 215
State Route 215 (Alabama)

State Route 215, also known as SR-215, is a numbered highway located entirely within Tuscaloosa County, Alabama, barely leaving the city limits of Tuscaloosa, Alabama....
, and AL 216
State Route 216 (Alabama)

State Route 216, also known as SR-216, is a numbered state highway in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama, Alabama. SR-216 follows the former route of U.S....
) and two duplexed (conjoined) Interstates (I-20
Interstate 20

Interstate 20 is a major east-west Interstate Highway in the southeastern United States. I-20 runs 1,535 miles from near Kent, Texas, at Interstate 10 to Florence, South Carolina, at Interstate 95 in South Carolina....
 and I-59
Interstate 59

Interstate 59 is an Interstate Highway in the southern United States. Its southern terminus is near Slidell, Louisiana, a suburb of New Orleans, Louisiana, at an intersection with Interstate 10 and Interstate 12, its northern terminus is at Wildwood, Georgia, at an intersection with Interstate 24....
). Interstate 359
Interstate 359

Interstate 359 is a spur from Interstate 20 and Interstate 59 that provides access to Tuscaloosa, Alabama. It runs for 2.3 miles from Interstate 59 north to 15th Street in downtown Tuscaloosa....
 spurs off from I-20/I-59 and heads northward, ending just shy of the Black Warrior River in downtown Tuscaloosa.

Greyhound Bus Lines provides passenger bus service to Tuscaloosa. It's station in located at 2520 Stillman Blvd in downtown Tuscaloosa. The Tuscaloosa Transit Authority
Tuscaloosa Transit Authority

The Tuscaloosa Transit Authority, or TTA, is a local, government-owned bus system based in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Alabama that commenced operation in 1971....
 operates the Tuscaloosa Trolley System. The Tuscaloosa Trolley provides local public bus transportation with four fixed routes that operate Monday through Friday from 5:00AM to 6:00PM. The trolley's paint job is an illusion; it is a El Dorado Transmark RE bus, painted to look like a trolley.

The Tuscaloosa Regional Airport
Tuscaloosa Regional Airport

Tuscaloosa Regional Airport is a public airport located three miles northwest of the central business district of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, a city in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama, United States....
, on the north side of the Black Warrior River west of downtown Northport, is equipped with two lighted runways (6499' and 4001') and provides full facilities for the general aviation which the airport mainly serves. The airport also supports private jetcraft, but passengers of commercial aircraft from Tuscaloosa embark at either the Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport, located 53 miles away on the east side of downtown Birmingham
Birmingham, Alabama

Birmingham is the largest city in the United States state of Alabama and is the county seat of Jefferson County, Alabama. It also includes part of Shelby County, Alabama....
, or the much larger and busier Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport , known locally as Atlanta Airport, Hartsfield Airport, and Hartsfield-Jackson, is located seven miles south of the central business district of Atlanta, Georgia, Georgia , United States....
, located 210 miles away in Atlanta
Atlanta, Georgia

Atlanta is the Capital and most populous city in Georgia , as well as the 33rd largest city in the United States of America with a population of 519,145....
, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)

Georgia is a U.S. state in the United States and was one of the original Thirteen Colonies that revolted against United Kingdom rule in the American Revolution....
.

Amtrak
Amtrak

The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971 to provide Inter-city rail train#Passenger trains service in the United States....
 provides passenger rail service to Tuscaloosa though the Crescent
Crescent (Amtrak)

The Crescent is a passenger train operated by Amtrak in the eastern part of the United States. It runs daily from Pennsylvania Station in New York City to New Orleans Union Passenger Terminal in New Orleans, Louisiana as train 19 and returns on the same route as train 20....
 line, which connects the area to major cities along the east coast from New York to New Orleans. The Amtrak station
Tuscaloosa (Amtrak station)

The Tuscaloosa Amtrak Station, located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Alabama, is served by the passenger train Crescent . The street address is 2105 Greensboro Avenue, near the intersection of Greensboro and Hargrove Road, one mile south of downtown Tuscaloosa....
 is situated at 2105 Greensboro Avenue, one mile south of downtown. Norfolk Southern Railway
Norfolk Southern Railway

The Norfolk Southern Railway is a major Class I railroad in the United States, owned by the Norfolk Southern Corporation. The company operates 21,500 route miles in 22 eastern states, the District of Columbia and the province of Ontario, Canada....
 and Alabama Southern Railroad
Alabama Southern Railroad

The Alabama Southern Railroad is a class III railroad that operates in the southern United States.ABS is one of several short line railroads owned by the Watco Companies....
 provide freight services to the area. KCS
Kansas City Southern Railway

The Kansas City Southern Railway , owned by Kansas City Southern Industries, is the smallest and second-oldest Class I railroad company still in operation....
 previously provided service to the area before leasing its lines to to Watco in July 2005.

The Army Corps of Engineers has maintained a system of locks and dams along the Black Warrior River for over a century to allow navigability all the way up to Birmingham. Barge traffic thus routinely runs through Tuscaloosa to the Alabama State Docks at Mobile
Mobile, Alabama

Mobile is the third most populous city in the Southern United States United States state of Alabama and is the county seat of Mobile County, Alabama....
, on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico

The Gulf of Mexico is the ninth largest body of water in the world. Considered a smaller part of the Atlantic Ocean, it is an oceanic basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba....
. Via the Tenn-Tom Waterway
Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway

The Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway is a 234-mile artificial waterway that provides a connecting link between the Tennessee River and Tombigbee River rivers....
, the city is connected to the Ohio River
Ohio River

The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. It is approximately 981 miles long and is located in the eastern United States....
 valley and beyond.

Points of interest

  • University of Alabama
    University of Alabama

    The University of Alabama is a state university coeducational university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Alabama, United States. Founded in 1831, UA is the flagship university of the University of Alabama System....
  • University of Alabama Arboretum
    University of Alabama Arboretum

    The University of Alabama Arboretum is a 60 acre arboretum located near the intersection of Veterans Memorial Parkway and Pelham Loop Road in Tuscaloosa, Alabama....
  • Paul W. Bryant Museum
    Paul W. Bryant Museum

    The Bear Bryant Museum is located on the campus of the University of Alabama, in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Founded in 1985, the museum was opened in 1988 to "house the history of Alabama football, with special emphasis on the legendary coach"...
  • Dreamland Bar-B-Que
    Dreamland Bar-B-Que

    Dreamland Bar-B-Que is a barbecue restaurant chain based in Alabama. It was founded by "Big Daddy" John Bishop in the Jerusalem Heights neighborhood of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, in 1958, but has since Franchising, opening restaurants in Birmingham, Alabama, Montgomery, Alabama, Huntsville, Alabama, Mobile, Alabama, Northport, Alabama, and opened...
  • The Shirt Shop


Notable residents

  • Ollie Brown
    Ollie Brown

    Ollie Lee "Downtown" Brown was a Major League Baseball Outfielder from to . He began his career playing for the San Francisco Giants and was the first draft choice for the expansion San Diego Padres in 1968....
    , born in Tuscaloosa, major league baseball
    Major League Baseball

    Major League Baseball is the highest level of play in American professional baseball. Specifically, Major League Baseball refers to the organization that operates the National League and the American League, by means of a joint organizational structure that has developed gradually between them since 1903 ....
     player
  • Willie D. Burton
    Willie D. Burton

    Willie D. Burton is an African-American sound editor, born in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. In 1988, he won the Academy Award for Sound for Bird and in 2006 for Dreamgirls ....
    , born in Tuscaloosa, sound technician in the film industry. Oscar winner Dreamgirls (film)
    Dreamgirls (film)

    Dreamgirls is a 2006 in film Cinema of the United States musical film, directed by Bill Condon and jointly produced and released by DreamWorks and Paramount Pictures....
     2006 & Bird (film) 1988.
  • Frank Calloway
    Frank Calloway

    Frank Calloway is a self-taught artist from the United States. Since being diagnosed with schizophrenia in 1952, he has lived in a series of mental health centers....
    , folk artist and supercentenarian
  • Tom Cherones
    Tom Cherones

    Tom Cherones is a television director and Television producer of several TV series....
    , from Tuscaloosa, University of Alabama alumnus, television producer and director of Seinfeld
    Seinfeld

    Seinfeld is an Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award-winning Television in the United States Situation comedy that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, lasting nine seasons, and is now in Broadcast syndication....
    , NewsRadio
    NewsRadio

    NewsRadio is an United States Situation comedy, originally broadcast from 1995 in television to 1999 in television on NBC.The show was created by executive producer Paul Simms and taped in front of a studio audience at CBS Studio Center....
    , Desperate Housewives
    Desperate Housewives

    Desperate Housewives is an American television comedy-drama series, created by Marc Cherry, who also serves as show runner, and produced by ABC Studios and Marc Cherry....
    , others
  • Sylvester Croom
    Sylvester Croom

    Sylvester Croom, Jr. was the former college football head coach at Mississippi State University and current running backs coach of the St. Louis Rams....
    , born in Tuscaloosa, the first African-American head football coach in the Southeastern Conference
    Southeastern Conference

    The Southeastern Conference is a college athletic conference headquartered in , which operates in the Southern United States part of the United States....
  • Walter Flowers
    Walter Flowers

    Walter Flowers was an United States Democratic Party politician who represented Alabama's 7th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from January 1969 to January 1979....
    , raised in Tuscaloosa, former United States Congressman, served on the congressional committee that voted to impeach President Richard M. Nixon.
  • George Foster
    George Foster (baseball player)

    George Arthur Foster is a former left fielder and right-handed batter in Major League Baseball who played for the San Francisco Giants, Cincinnati Reds, New York Mets and Chicago White Sox from 1969-1986....
    , born in Tuscaloosa, major league baseball player
  • Major General William Crawford Gorgas
    William C. Gorgas

    William Crawford Gorgas Order of St Michael and St George was a United States physician and 22nd Surgeons General of the United States Army of the United States Army ....
    , Surgeon General of the U.S. Army, best known for his work in abating the transmission of yellow fever, received a knighthood from King George V
    George V of the United Kingdom

    George V was the first British monarch belonging to the House of Windsor, which he created from the British branch of the German House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha....
  • Vera Hall
    Vera Hall

    Adell Hall Ward, known as Vera Hall, was an United States folk singer. She grew up near Livingston, Alabama. Hall was married to a coal miner named Nash Riddle and she gave birth to her first child, Minnie Ada, in 1917....
    , born near Livingston, AL, but worked, occasionally lived in and married a man from Tuscaloosa; folk musician
  • Butch Hobson
    Butch Hobson

    Clell Lavern "Butch" Hobson, Jr. is a former third baseman and manager in Major League Baseball. Hobson played for the Boston Red Sox , Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and New York Yankees ....
    , born in Tuscaloosa, major league baseball player
  • Chuck Leavell
    Chuck Leavell

    Chuck Leavell is an United States pianist and keyboardist, who was a member of The Allman Brothers Band during the height of their popularity, a founding member of the jazz-rock combo Sea Level , a frequently-employed session musician, and later, the keyboardist for Eric Clapton and The Rolling Stones....
    , keyboardist, The Rolling Stones
  • Debra Marshall
    Debra Marshall

    Debra Gale Marshall is an United States actress and former professional wrestling Manager and WWE Diva. Arguably best known by her ring name, Debra, she gained recogition for her appearances with the World Wrestling Entertainment between 1998 and 2002....
    , professional wrestler and diva with World Wrestling Entertainment
    World Wrestling Entertainment

    World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is a publicly traded, privately controlled integrated arts and sports entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales....
    .
  • Angel Martino
    Angel Martino

    Angel Martino is a former United States swimming. Over her career, she won three relay Olympic Games gold medals and three Olympic bronze medals....
    , born in Tuscaloosa, Olympic swimmer
  • Lee Maye, born in Tuscaloosa, major league baseball player
  • Ishita Mukerji, born in Tuscaloosa, biophysicist. Currently associate professor at Wesleyan University
    Wesleyan University

    Wesleyan University is a private university Liberal arts colleges in the United States founded in 1831 and located in Middletown, Connecticut, Connecticut....
    .
  • William O. Mullins, born in Tuscaloosa, Vice-President of North American Philips Consumer Electronics
  • Cedric Norman, raised in Tuscaloosa since the age 7. Professional Track and Field Athlete, placed 4th at the 2008 USA Olympic Team Trials. 3x NCAA All-American at the University of Southern Mississippi.
  • Andy Phillips
    Andy Phillips

    George Andrew "Andy" Phillips is a Major League Baseball infielder in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization. He has played for the New York Yankees, New York Mets, and Cincinnati Reds....
    , born in Tuscaloosa, Pittsburgh Pirates
    Pittsburgh Pirates

    The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania. They play in the National League Central of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions and played in the first one....
     baseball player
  • Howell Raines
    Howell Raines

    Howell Hiram Raines was Executive Editor of The New York Times from 2001 until he left in 2003 in the wake of the Jayson Blair scandal. He is the father of Jeff Raines, one of the founding members of the rock band, Galactic....
    , lived in Tuscaloosa, Pulitzer Prize winner, former Executive Editor of The New York Times
  • Tike Redman
    Tike Redman

    Julian Jawann "Tike" Redman is a Major League Baseball center fielder who is currently a free agent. His first year in the major leagues was . His entire career up until his acquisition by the New York Mets was spent with the Pittsburgh Pirates....
    , born in Tuscaloosa, major league baseball
    Major League Baseball

    Major League Baseball is the highest level of play in American professional baseball. Specifically, Major League Baseball refers to the organization that operates the National League and the American League, by means of a joint organizational structure that has developed gradually between them since 1903 ....
     player, Houston Astros
    Houston Astros

    The Houston Astros are a professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros are a member of the National League Central of Major League Baseball's National League....
  • Richard C. Shelby, U.S. Senator, Chairman of the United States Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs
    United States Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs

    The United States Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs has jurisdiction over matters related to: banks and banking, price controls, deposit insurance, export promotion and controls, federal monetary policy, financial aid to commerce and industry, issuance of redemption of notes, currency and coinage, public and private hous...
     and Chairman of the United States Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies.
  • Shannon Shorr
    Shannon Shorr

    Shannon Shorr is a professional poker player from Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Shorr grew up in Birmingham, where he was a baseball player at Shades Valley High School....
    , professional poker player.
  • Johnny Shines
    Johnny Shines

    Johnny Shines was an United States blues singer and guitarist.He was born John Ned Shines in Frayser, Memphis, Tennessee. He spent most of his childhood in Memphis, Tennessee playing slide guitar at an early age in local ?jukes? and for tips on the streets....
    , born in Frazier, TN, died in Tuscaloosa; blues musician.
  • John Stallworth
    John Stallworth

    Johnny Lee Stallworth, Born July 15, 1952, in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, is a retired wide receiver who played for the Pittsburgh Steelers. He played college football at Alabama A&M, becoming the Steelers' fourth-round draft pick in 1974....
    , born in Tuscaloosa, played football for the Pittsburgh Steelers
    Pittsburgh Steelers

    The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania. They are currently a member of the AFC North of the American Football Conference in the National Football League) ....
    . He played in six AFC championships and went to four Super Bowls.
  • Frank Thomas
    Frank Thomas (football coach)

    Frank W. Thomas was a head American football coach at the collegiate level, primarily for the University of Alabama from 1932 to 1946. During his tenure, he compiled a 115-24-7 record and won two national championships , all while his teams allowed an average of just 6.3 points per game....
    , University of Alabama football coach
  • Margaret Tutwiler
    Margaret D. Tutwiler

    Margaret DeBardeleben Tutwiler is a former Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs at the US State Department, serving from December 16, 2003 to June 30, 2004....
    , former resident of Tuscaloosa, served in three presidential administrations, former Ambassador to the Kingdom of Morocco, Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs in the State Department
  • Robert J. Van de Graaff
    Robert J. Van de Graaff

    Robert Jemison Van de Graaff, was an United States physicist and instrument maker, and professor of physics at Princeton University....
    , born in Tuscaloosa, the designer of the Van de Graaff generator
    Van de Graaff generator

    A Van de Graaff generator is an Electrostatic generator which uses a moving belt to accumulate very high electrostatically stable voltages on a hollow metal globe....
  • Lurleen Wallace
    Lurleen Wallace

    Lurleen Brigham Wallace , born in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, was the List of Governors of Alabama from 1967 until her death in 1968. She was the first wife of Alabama List of Governors of Alabama George Wallace, whom she succeeded as governor....
    , born in Tuscaloosa, former Governor of Alabama
  • Dinah Washington
    Dinah Washington

    Dinah Washington was a blues, R&B and jazz singer. Because of her strong voice and emotional singing, she is known as the "Queen of the Blues"....
    , born in Tuscaloosa, blues, R&B and jazz singer
  • D. J. White
    D. J. White

    Dewayne White, Jr. is an United States professional basketball player for the Oklahoma City Thunder of the National Basketball Association....
    , born in Tuscaloosa, basketball player for Indiana University


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