Tuscaloosa is a city in and the
seatA county 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 CountyTuscaloosa County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama.It is named in honor of the pre-Choctaw chief Tuskaloosa.
In 2007, the population was estimated at 171,159.
In 2000, the population was 164,875....
in the west central part of the
U.S. stateA U.S. state is any one of 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government . Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile...
of
AlabamaAlabama is a state located in the southeastern region 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. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its...
. Located on the
Black Warrior RiverThe 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...
, it is the fifth-largest city in Alabama with an estimated population of 90,221 in 2008. Tuscaloosa is named after the
ChoctawThe Choctaw are a Native American people originally from the Southeastern United States . They are of the Muskogean linguistic group...
chieftain
Tuskaloosa. (His name meant Black Warrior.) He battled and was defeated by
Hernando de SotoHernando de Soto was a Spanish explorer 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.
Tuscaloosa is the home of the
University of AlabamaThe University of Alabama is a public coeducational university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA. Founded in 1831, UA is the flagship university of the University of Alabama System. Within Alabama, it is often called "the Capstone"...
. It is the regional center of industry, commerce, healthcare, and education for West Alabama. Tuscaloosa attracted international attention when
Mercedes-BenzMercedes-Benz is a German manufacturer of luxury automobiles, buses, coaches, 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. The University remains the dominant economic and cultural engine in the city.
Tuscaloosa is the principal city of the Tuscaloosa Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes Tuscaloosa,
GreeneGreene 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. As of 2000 the population was 9,974. Its county seat is Eutaw....
, and
HaleHale 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. Its county seat is Greensboro and it is part of the Tuscaloosa Metropolitan Statistical Area.- History :...
counties.
History
The area at the
Fall LineIn 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 RiverThe 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...
had long been well known to the various
IndianNative Americans in the United States is the phrase that describes indigenous peoples from North America now encompassed by the continental United States, including parts of Alaska and the island state of Hawaii. They comprise a large number of distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of...
tribeA 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 .Some theorists hold that...
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. A network of Indian trails converged upon the place, the same network that, in the first years of the 19th century, was followed by a few intrepid white frontiersmen to the area.
The pace of white settlement increased greatly after the
War of 1812The War of 1812, between the United States of America and the British Empire , lasted from 1812 to 1815. It was fought chiefly on the Atlantic Ocean and on the land, coasts and waterways of North America.There were several immediate stated causes for the U.S...
. A small assortment of log cabins soon arose near the large Creek village at the fall line of the river, which the new settlers named in honor of the legendary Chief Tuskaloosa of a
MuskogeanMuskogean is an indigenous language family of the Southeastern United States. Though there is an ongoing debate concerning their interrelationships, the Muskogean languages are generally divided into two branches, Eastern Muskogean and Western Muskogean...
-speaking tribe. In 1817,
AlabamaAlabama is a state located in the southeastern region 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. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its...
became a
territoryThe Territory of Alabama
[n] was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from August 15, 1817, until December 14, 1819, when it was admitted to the Union as the State of Alabama.- History :...
, and on December 13, 1819, the territorial legislature incorporated the town of Tuscaloosa, one day before
CongressThe United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States of America, consisting of two houses, the Senate and the House of Representatives. Both senators and representatives are chosen through direct election....
admitted Alabama to the
UnionThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
as a state.
From 1826 to 1846, Tuscaloosa was the
capital of Alabama. During this period, in 1831, the
University of AlabamaThe University of Alabama is a public coeducational university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA. Founded in 1831, UA is the flagship university of the University of Alabama System. Within Alabama, it is often called "the Capstone"...
was established. The town's population and economy grew rapidly until the departure of the capital to
MontgomeryMontgomery is the capital, second most populous city, and the fourth most populous metropolitan area in the Southern U.S. state of Alabama, and is the county seat of Montgomery County. It is located southeast of the center of the state, in the Gulf Coastal Plain. The city population was 201,568...
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 WarThe American Civil War , also known as the War Between the States and several other names, was a civil war in the United States of America. Eleven Southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America...
following Alabama's
secessionSecession is the act of withdrawing from an organization, union, or especially a political entity.-Secession theory:...
from the Union, several thousand men from Tuscaloosa fought in the
ConfederateThe Confederate States of America was a separatist political entity existing between 1861 to 1865, established by eleven southern slave states of the United States of America, each of which had previously declared their secession from the United States...
armies. During the last weeks of the War, a brigade of Union troops raiding the city burned the campus of the university. The larger town was also damaged in the battle and shared fully in the South's economic sufferings which followed the defeat.
In the 1890s the construction of a system of locks and dams on the Black Warrior River by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers opened up an inexpensive link to the Gulf seaport of
MobileMobile is the third most populous city in the Southern U.S. state of Alabama and is the county seat of Mobile County. It is located on the Mobile River and the central Gulf Coast of the United States. The population within the city limits was 198,915 during the 2000 census...
, 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 a strong national economy fueled a steady growth in Tuscaloosa which continued unabated for 100 years. Manufacturing plants of large firms such as
MichelinMichelin based in Clermont-Ferrand in the Auvergne région of France, is primarily a tyre manufacturer, currently either the world's second-largest or the largest...
and
JVC, usually referred to as JVC, is a Japanese 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
MercedesMercedes-Benz is a German manufacturer of luxury automobiles, buses, coaches, 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 oakThe Water Oak is an oak in the red oak group , native to the southeastern 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...
s planted in its downtown streets since the 1840s.
Geography and climate
Tuscaloosa is located at (33.206540, -87.534607).
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Tuscaloosa has a total area of 66.7
square mileThe square mile is an imperial and US unit of measure for an area equal to the area of a square of one statute mile.
s (172.8 km²), of which, 56.2 square miles (145.7 km²) of it is land and 10.5 square miles (27.1 km²) 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 RiverThe 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...
approximately 60 miles southwest of
BirminghamBirmingham is the largest city in the state of Alabama in the United States. It is the county seat of Jefferson County and includes part of Shelby County. According to a 2007 estimate, the city had a population of 229,800 The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, as of the 2008 census estimates,...
. The city occupies a unique location of
fall lineIn 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 RiverThe Tombigbee River is a tributary of the Mobile River, approximately 200 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
DemopolisDemopolis is the largest city in Marengo County, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 7,540.-History:Demopolis, the City of the People, was founded by a group of French expatriates, many of whom came to the United States after fleeing a slave rebellion on the sugar...
. 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
The area experiences a typical Southern subtropical climate with four distinct seasons. The
Gulf of MexicoThe Gulf of Mexico is the ninth largest body of water in the world. Considered a smaller part of the Atlantic Ocean, it is an ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United...
heavily influences the climate by supplying the region with warm, moist
airIn meteorology, an air mass is a large volume of air defined by its temperature and water vapor content. Air masses cover many hundreds or thousands of square miles, and adopt the characteristics of the surface below them. They are classified according to latitude and their continental or...
. During the
fallAutumn is one of the four temperate seasons. Autumn marks the transition from summer into winter, usually in March or September when the arrival of night becomes noticeably earlier.The equinoxes might be expected to be in the middle of their seasons, but temperature lag Autumn (also known as...
, 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 streamJet streams are fast flowing, narrow air currents found in the atmosphere of planets at the tropopause, the transition between the troposphere and the stratosphere . The major jet streams on earth are westerly winds...
. Notable exceptions occur during
hurricane seasonHurricane season refers to a period in a year when hurricanes usually form. For more information see: Tropical cyclone#Times.For a lists of past seasons, see:* The Atlantic hurricane season...
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 weatherSevere weather phenomena are weather conditions that are hazardous to human life and property.- Examples Include :Severe weather can occur under a variety of situations, but three characteristics are generally needed: a temperature or moisture boundary, moisture, and , instability in the...
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, that is, caused by the warm surface heating the air above. Severe
thunderstormA thunderstorm, also known as an electrical storm, a lightning storm, a hailstorm, or simply a storm is a form of weather characterized by the presence of lightning and its acoustic effect on the Earth's atmosphere known as thunder. The meteorologically-assigned cloud type associated with the...
s can bring damaging winds, large
hailHail is a form of solid precipitation which consists of balls or irregular lumps of ice, that are individually called hail stones. Hail stones on Earth consist mostly of water ice and measure between 5 and 150 millimeters in diameter, with the larger stones coming from severe and dangerous...
and occasionally
tornadoA tornado is a violent, dangerous, 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 destructive 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: weatherbase.com
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
censusA "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.In other words every 10 years...next one would be in 2010 The term is used mostly in connection with...
of 2000 there were 77,906 people, 31,381 households, and 16,945 families residing in the city. The
population densityPopulation density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans. It is a key term used in geography....
was 1,385.2 people per square mile (534.8/km²). There were 34,857 housing units at an average density of 619.8/sq mi (239.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 54.09%
WhiteRace 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-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 42.73%
BlackRace 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-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
or
African AmericanRace 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-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.16%
Native AmericanRace 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-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 1.49%
AsianRace 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-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.02%
Pacific IslanderRace 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-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.63% from
other racesRace 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-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 0.87% from two or more races. 1.40% of the population were
HispanicRace 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-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
or
LatinoRace 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-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
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 couplesMarriage is a social union or legal contract between individuals that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged by a variety of ways, depending on the culture or demographic...
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 incomePer 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. Per capita income is usually reported in units of currency per year...
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
Tuscaloosa has a strong-mayor variant
mayor-council form of governmentThe Mayor-Council government system, sometimes called the Mayor-Commission government system, is one of two variations of government used for the most part in modern representative municipal governments in the United States. It is also used in some other countries...
, led by a
mayor"Mayor" is a modern title used in many countries for the highest ranking officer in a municipal government....
and a seven-member
city councilA city council is the legislative body that governs a city, municipality or local government area.-Australia:Because of the differences in legislation between the States, the exact definition of a City Council may vary slightly...
. The mayor and council members are elected concurrently for four-year terms. The mayor is elected by the city at-large while council members are elected to single-member districts. Neither the mayor nor the members of the city council is term-limited. All elected offices are nonpartisan. Elections take place on the fourth Tuesday of August in years following presidential election years, with run-off elections taking place six weeks later if necessary. Terms begin immediately after election. The most recent municipal elections were held in 2009.
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 |
The mayor is the chief executive and administrative officer of the city. His main duty is to oversee the day-to-day operation of city departments pursuant to executing policy enacted by the city council or, in the absence of any council policy, his own discretion. His other duties include preparing an operating budget each year for approval by the city council and acting as ambassador of the city. The mayor also presides over city council meetings but votes only in case of ties. 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 act as the legislative body of the city. It is powered by state law to consider policy and enact law and to make appoints to city boards. The council also considers the budget proposed by the mayor for approval. The majority of work in the council is done by committee. These committees usually consisting three council members, one of whom will be chairman, and relevant non-voting city employees.
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 AttorneyIn many jurisdictions in the United States, a District Attorney is the appointed public official who represents the government in the prosecution of alleged offense criminals. The district attorney is the highest officeholder in the jurisdiction's legal department and supervises a staff of...
and the
Public DefenderA public defender is a lawyer employed by the government to represent those who are charged with a crime and cannot afford an attorney. In some states, public defenders also represent people being involuntarily committed to a mental health facility due to an alleged mental illness. Public...
, 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 BachusSpencer Thomas Bachus III , American politician, has been a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives since 1993, representing .- Early life and career:...
(
RThe Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the Grand Old Party or the GOP, despite being the younger of the two major parties. In the U.S...
) and
Artur DavisArtur Genestre Davis is an American politician who has been a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives since 2003, representing . It encompasses the counties of Choctaw, Sumter, Greene, Perry, Hale, Dallas, Wilcox, and Marengo...
(
DThe Democratic Party is one of the two major 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. In the U.S...
), respectively. In addition, Alabama's senior
senatorThe United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral United States Congress, the lower house being the House of Representatives. The composition and powers of the Senate and the House are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution . Each U.S state is represented by two senators,...
,
Richard ShelbyRichard Craig Shelby is the senior U.S. Senator from Alabama. Originally elected to the Senate as a Democrat, Shelby switched to the Republican Party in 1994 when it gained the majority in Congress.-Background:...
(
RThe Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the Grand Old Party or the GOP, despite being the younger of the two major parties. In the U.S...
), 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
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 AreaThe Tuscaloosa metropolitan 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...
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.
Tuscaloosa was ranked in the November 2009 issue of
Fortune Small BusinessFortune Small Business is a magazine published ten times each year. The publication is a joint venture by The Fortune Group at Time Inc. and American Express Small Business Services...
as one of the "50 Best Places to Launch a Small Business" (ranked #11 among metro areas with populations of 250,000 or less).
The city's industrial and manufacturing base includes a
GAF Materials CorporationGAF Materials Corporation is a company based in Wayne, New Jersey, that has roots dating back to the late 19th century. The GAF acroynym stands for General Aniline & Film. The company has historically been primarily focused on manufacturing of roofing materials for residential and commercial...
,
Nucor SteelNucor Corporation is one of the largest steel producers in the United States, and the largest of the "mini-mill" operators...
,
BFGoodrich Tire ManufacturingBFGoodrich is a brand of tires sold by Michelin. The rights to the name was sold by the company now known as Goodrich Corporation in 1988.-External links:*...
,
JVC America, usually referred to as JVC, is a Japanese international consumer and professional electronics corporation based in Yokohama, Japan which was founded in 1927...
, Phifer Wire among numerous other operations.
Another significant contributor to the manufacturing segment of the city's economy is the
Mercedes-Benz U.S. InternationalMercedes-Benz is a German manufacturer of luxury automobiles, buses, coaches, and trucks. It is currently a division of the parent company, Daimler AG , after previously being owned by Daimler-Benz...
assembly plant located on a site in Tuscaloosa County located near
VanceVance is a town in Bibb and Tuscaloosa Counties in the U.S. state of Alabama, just outside of the city of Tuscaloosa. It is most famous for the Mercedes-Benz plant, currently the only one in North America...
approximately 20 miles east of downtown. The plant began assembling the Mercedes-Benz
M-ClassThe Mercedes-Benz M-Class is a luxury mid-size sport utility vehicle , first offered in 1997 as a 1998 model, and built by the German automaker Mercedes-Benz. Gradually, the M-Class became a sales success in the United States and Mexico. In terms of size, it is slotted in between the smaller...
in 1997 and the
R-ClassThe R-Class is a multi-purpose vehicle offered by Daimler AG in 2006 model year under the Mercedes-Benz brand. It is the first full-sized multi-purpose vehicle ever produced by Mercedes-Benz...
Grand Sport TourerA grand tourer is a high-performance luxury automobile designed for long-distance driving. The most common format is a two-door coupé with either a two-seat or a 2+2 arrangement....
in 2005 and just recently began production with the
GL-ClassThe Mercedes-Benz GL-Class is a full-size crossover SUV built by the German carmaker Mercedes-Benz 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.
The Westervelt Company, a land resources and wildlife management company has its headquarters in Tuscaloosa. The company was formerly the Gulf State Paper Corporation, with headquarters in Tuscaloosa from 1927 until 2005 when it sold its pulp and paperboard operations to the Rock-Tenn Company of
Norcross, GeorgiaNorcross is a city in Gwinnett County, Georgia, United States. The city had a population of 8,410 in 2000. Census Estimates for 2005 show a population of 9,887.-History:Named after the Hon...
. Gulf States then restructured to form Westervelt.
Health-care and education serve as the cornerstone of Tuscaloosa's service sector, which includes the
University of AlabamaThe University of Alabama is a public coeducational university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA. Founded in 1831, UA is the flagship university of the University of Alabama System. Within Alabama, it is often called "the Capstone"...
, DCH Regional Medical Center, Bryce Hospital, the William D. Partlow Developmental Center, and the Tuscaloosa
VAThe United States Department of Veterans Affairs is a government-run military veteran benefit system with 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 MallUniversity Mall is the largest mall in western Alabama. It is located at the intersection of McFarland Blvd and Veterans' Memorial Parkway in Tuscaloosa, the busiest in the city....
and
McFarland MallMcFarland Mall is a regional shopping mall on U.S. Route 11 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Located at the interchange of Interstate 20/59 with U.S. Route 82 , it is in the southern section of the city...
, as a well as a large array of retail outlets and a 16-screen movie theater.
Education
Education is a vital component of the city as Tuscaloosa is home to several colleges and schools. The
University of AlabamaThe University of Alabama is a public coeducational university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA. Founded in 1831, UA is the flagship university of the University of Alabama System. Within Alabama, it is often called "the Capstone"...
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 CollegeStillman College is a historically black liberal arts college founded in 1876 and located in the West Tuscaloosa area of Tuscaloosa, Alabama.-Academics and demographics:...
, which opened in 1875, is a
historically BlackHistorically 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 collegeLiberal arts colleges are primarily colleges with an emphasis upon undergraduate study in the liberal arts. The Encyclopædia Britannica Concise defines "liberal arts" as a "college or university curriculum aimed at imparting general knowledge and developing general intellectual capacities, in...
that has approximately 1,200 students.
Additionally,
Shelton State Community CollegeShelton State Community College is a two-year community college located in Tuscaloosa, 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 SchoolPaul W. Bryant High School serves grades 9-12 and is located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, forming part of the Tuscaloosa City Schools. The school is named after former Alabama Crimson Tide football head coach Paul William "Bear" Bryant...
,
Central High SchoolCentral High School is a high school in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, enrolling grades 9-12. The school enrolls 630 students, and is one of three traditional high schools in the Tuscaloosa City School District along with Paul W. Bryant High School and Northridge High School...
and
Northridge High SchoolNorthridge 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. Northridge High offers technical, academic programs, as well as joint enrollment with Shelton State...
), and 2 specialty schools (the Tuscaloosa Center for Technology, a
vocational schoolA vocational school , providing vocational education, is a school in which students are taught the skills needed to perform a particular job...
, 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 SchoolHoly Spirit High School is a private, Roman Catholic high school in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. It is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Birmingham in Alabama. It is the only Catholic high school in the Tuscaloosa area.-Background:...
, 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.
Libraries and museums
The
Tuscaloosa Public LibraryThe Tuscaloosa Public Library is a city/county agency located in the city of Tuscaloosa, serving a population of over 171,000 in Tuscaloosa County in the state of Alabama, USA. The Library has 46,857 registered patrons that use the library on a regular basis—roughly 28% of the population of the...
is a joint 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 two branches in the city, the Main branch on Jack Warner Parkway and the Weaver-Bolden branch in western Tuscaloosa, and a third branch in suburban Taylorville (Brown branch).
Additionally, the University of Alabama, Stillman College and Shelton State Community College have campus libraries that are open for use to the public.
Museums in Tuscaloosa are located all over town, but are primarily concentrated in the downtown area or on the campus of UA. Museums that are downtown include CHOM: Children’s Hands-On Museum of Tuscaloosa
http://www.chomonline.org/, and the Murphy African-American Museum. The
Alabama Museum of Natural HistoryAlabama Museum of Natural History is the state's natural history museum, located on the campus of the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. It has collections for visitors to see the natural diversity of Alabama through exhibits from the Age of Dinosaurs, the Coal Age, and the Ice Age...
and the Paul W. Bryant Museum
http://bryantmuseum.ua.edu/, are located on the UA campus. The
Westervelt Warner Museum of American ArtThe Westervelt Warner is located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States. The Westervelt collection is the result of 40 years of collecting American art by Jack Warner. He founded the museum in 2003 after exhibiting portions of the collection elsewhere...
is located on the grounds of
NorthRiver Yacht ClubNorthRiver Yacht Club is a private golf club in Tuscaloosa, Alabama which officially opened in 1978. The course was originally designed by professional golfer Gary Player but was redesigned in 1999 by noted architect Bob Cupp...
in northern Tuscaloosa. Additional museums and galleries are found across the river in
NorthportNorthport is a city in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama, United States. According to 2005 Census Bureau estimates the population is 23,118. It is part of the Tuscaloosa, Alabama Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
. The Jones Archaeological Museum
http://moundville.ua.edu/moundmus.html, is located 15 miles south of Tuscaloosa in
MoundvilleMoundville is a town in Hale and Tuscaloosa Counties in the U.S. state of Alabama. At the 2000 census the population was 1,809. It is part of the Tuscaloosa Metropolitan Statistical Area. Moundville is known for its quintessential southern landscapes...
at the Moundville Archaeological Park
http://moundville.ua.edu/home.html.
Performing arts
Numerous performing arts organzations are active in the Tuscaloosa area. The Arts and Humanities Council of Tuscaloosa County is an association of various performing arts organizations in the Tuscaloosa area. Many are affiliated with UA or Shelton State Community college, but several are independent organizations. A full list of Arts Council members can be found
here.
A selcted list follows:
Facilities
The Frank Moody Music Building on the UA campus holds a 1000-seat Concert Hall and a 140-seat Recital Hall. The Concert Hall features a three-story-tall, 5,000-pipe Holtkamp organ. The Recital Hall features a Schlicker organ. Also on the UA campus, Rowand-Johnson Hall, holds the Marian Gallaway Theatre, a 305-seat
proscenium theaterA Proscenium theatre is a theatre space whose primary feature is a large frame or arch , which is located at or near the front of the stage...
and the Allen Bales Theatre, a 170-seat thrust theatre. Finally, Morgan Hall features a 600-seat auditorium.
The Sandra Hall-Ray Fine Arts Centre on the Shelton State campus holds the Bean-Brown Theatre, a 450-seat proscenium theater, and the 100-seat Alabama Power Foundation Recital Hall.
The
Bama TheatreSituated on the corner of Sixth Street and Greensboro Avenue in the heart of downtown Tuscaloosa, The Bama Theatre is the community's performing arts center...
is a 1094-seat proscenium theater located in downtown Tuscaloosa and is operated by the The Arts and Humanities Council. The Bama Theatre was built between 1937 and 1938 under the
New DealThe New Deal was the name that United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt gave to his complex package of economic programs 1933-36 with the goals of what historians call the 3 Rs, of giving Relief to the unemployed and badly hurt farmers, Reform of business and financial practices, and promoting...
-era
Public Works AdministrationThe United States Public Works Administration a New Deal government agency headed by Secretary of the Interior Harold L...
as a
movie palaceA 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...
. At the time of its construction in 1938, it was the only air-conditioned building in Tuscaloosa. The theatre 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 Theatre is the residence of the Tuscaloosa Children's Theatre Company and the Tuscaloosa Community Dancers. Additionally, its hosts the Arts Council's Cinema Nouveau movie series, which screens foreign and independent films. The Bama Theatre hosts a Jewish Film Festival in the spring, as well as several traveling film festivals. Additionally, the Bama Theatre has recently been serving as a concert venue, hosting recent performances by
Joan BaezJoan Chandos Baez is a folk singer and songwriter known for her highly individual vocal style...
,
Aimee MannAimee Mann is an American rock guitarist, bassist, singer, and noted songwriter. She has won a Grammy Award .-Early life:...
, the
Drive-By TruckersDrive-By Truckers are an alternative country and Southern rock band based in Athens, Georgia, though three out of five members are originally from The Shoals region of Northern Alabama...
,
Umphrey's McgeeUmphrey's McGee is an American progressive rock jam band originally from South Bend, Indiana, now based in Chicago whose music is often referred to as "progressive improvisation."...
,
Ryan AdamsDavid Ryan Adams is a Grammy Award-nominated American alt-country/rock singer-songwriter from Jacksonville, North Carolina....
,
Chuck LeavellChuck Leavell is an American 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...
and many other performing artists.
Nightlife
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-QueDreamland 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 franchised, opening restaurants in Birmingham, Montgomery, Huntsville, Mobile, Northport, 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, and Big Bad Wolves.
Events
Prior to each football game is a massive gathering at the UA Quad, where people gather starting on Friday for
tailgatingTailgating is the practice of driving on a road too closely behind another vehicle, such as less than the travel distance in two seconds or, equivalently, one vehicle-length for every 8 km/h of the current speed, at 60km/h it is about 33m...
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'sNorthport is a city in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama, United States. According to 2005 Census Bureau estimates the population is 23,118. It is part of the Tuscaloosa, Alabama Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
"Art Night."
Sports
Tuscaloosa is known for its collegiate athletics - particularly the
University of AlabamaThe University of Alabama is a public coeducational university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA. Founded in 1831, UA is the flagship university of the University of Alabama System. Within Alabama, it is often called "the Capstone"...
football team. The
Crimson TideThe Alabama Crimson Tide football program is a college football team that represents the University of Alabama . The team currently competes in NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the Southeastern Conference. The Crimson Tide is one of the most storied and decorated programs in NCAA history...
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 BowlThe Rose Bowl Game is an annual American college football bowl game, usually played on January 1 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California for 95 years. When New Year's Day falls on a Sunday, the game is then played on the following Monday. The Rose Bowl is nicknamed "The Granddaddy of Them All"...
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 DavisFor the baseball player, see Otis Davis Otis Crandall Davis is a former American athlete, winner of two gold medals at the 1960 Summer Olympics....
, 400-meter track world record holder and gold medalist at the
RomeRome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated municipality , with over 2.7 million residents in , while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat to be 3.46 million. The metropolitan area of Rome is estimated by OECD to have a population of 3.7 million...
1960 Summer OlympicsThe 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-History:The WBA was conceived in 2004, with seven teams scheduled to play. One of these, the Chattanooga Majic, did not start the season, and was replaced by the Bristol Crusaders....
team, the
Druid City DragonsThe 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. The team took its name to pay homage...
, was unveiled but eventually folded after one season.
Media
Tuscaloosa is part of the Birmingham-Tuscaloosa-Anniston
television marketA 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 and radio station 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 33WBMA-LP is the ABC television affiliate for Birmingham and central Alabama. Its transmitter is located in Birmingham, while its studio is in Hoover, a suburb of Birmingham....
is the
ABCThe American Broadcasting Company is an American television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. It first broadcast on television in 1948...
affiliate, WIAT 42 is the
CBSCBS Broadcasting Inc. is an American television network, one of television's original "big three", which also include NBC and ABC. Like NBC, CBS started out as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System...
affiliate,
WBRC 6WBRC channel 6 is the Fox-affiliated television station serving the Birmingham, Alabama designated market area. The station is owned by Raycom Media, and its transmitter is located atop Red Mountain in Birmingham. The station broadcasts on digital channel 50, although through the use of PSIP...
is the
FoxThe Fox Broadcasting Company , commonly referred to as Fox , is an American television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, from 2004 to 2009 Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the 18–49 demographic...
affiliate,
WVTM 13WVTM-TV is the NBC affiliate television station in the Birmingham-Anniston-Tuscaloosa, Alabama television market. The station is owned by Media General...
is the NBC affiliate,
WBIQ 10Alabama Public Television is a network of PBS member stations serving the US state of Alabama. The stations are licensed by the Alabama Educational Television Commission, which was created by the Alabama state legislature in 1953. The broadcast signals of the nine stations cover almost all of the...
is the PBS affiliate,
WTTO 21WTTO is the CW affiliate for the Birmingham/Anniston/Tuscaloosa, Alabama market. It broadcasts its digital signal on UHF channel 28, however through the use of PSIP technology, digital television receivers display WTTO's virtual channel as 21. It is licensed to Homewood, a Birmingham suburb...
is the
CWThe CW Television Network is a television network in the United States launched at the beginning of the 2006–2007 television season. It is a joint venture between CBS Corporation, the former owners of United Paramount Network , and Time Warner's Warner Bros., former majority owner of The WB...
affiliate, and
WABM 68WABM, channel 68, is the My Network TV affiliate for the Birmingham/Anniston/Tuscaloosa, Alabama television market. WABM is owned by Sinclair Broadcasting Group, which also owns the market's CW affiliate, WTTO. WABM broadcast in ATSC digital format on channel 36...
is the
MyNetworkTVMyNetworkTV is a television broadcast syndication service in the United States, owned by the Fox Entertainment Group, a division of News Corporation...
affiliate. Additionally,
WVUA 7WVUA-CA is a commercial television station owned by the Auxiliary Services Unit and Board of Trustees of the University of Alabama, affiliated with This TV. The station is licensed to Northport, Alabama; with studios on the University's campus in Tuscaloosa...
, 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 marketA 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 and radio station 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 RadioAlabama Public Radio is a network of public radio stations based in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, that serve western and northern Alabama with 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...
, 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 is a daily newspaper serving Tuscaloosa, 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...
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 newspapersAn alternative newspaper is a type of newspaper, usually published weekly or every other week, that eschews comprehensive coverage of general news in favor of stylized reporting, opinionated reviews and columns, investigations into edgy topics and magazine-style feature stories highlighting local...
while
The Crimson WhiteThe 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.
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
hospitalA 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 departmentThe 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 injuries, some of which may be...
at DCH operates a
trauma centerA trauma center is a hospital equipped to provide comprehensive emergency medical services to patients suffering traumatic injuries. Trauma centers were established as the medical establishment realized that traumatic injuries often require complex and multi-disciplinary treatment, including...
(it is not certified as an official trauma center by the
American College of SurgeonsThe 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.-Membership:...
, however) that serves all of west central
AlabamaAlabama is a state located in the southeastern region 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. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its...
and is one of the busiest in the state. The DCH Healthcare authority also operates Northport Medical Center in neighboring
NorthportNorthport is a city in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama, United States. According to 2005 Census Bureau estimates the population is 23,118. It is part of the Tuscaloosa, Alabama Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
.
Other major medical centers in Tuscaloosa include the 702-bed
Veterans AffairsThe United States Department of Veterans Affairs is a government-run military veteran benefit system with 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 Hospital.
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
highwayA highway is a main road for travel by the public between important destinations, such as cities and states. Highway designs vary widely and can range from a two-lane road without margins to a multi-lane, grade separated motorway. In English and U.S...
-grade roadways, including three federal highways (US 11, US 43, and US 82), three Alabama state highways (AL 69,
AL 215State Route 215, also known as SR-215, is a numbered state highway in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama. SR-215 partially follows the former routes of U.S. Highway 82 and U.S. Highway 11...
, and
AL 216State Route 216, also known as SR-216, is a numbered state highway in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama. SR-216 follows the former route of U.S. Highway 11 through eastern Tuscaloosa County...
) and two duplexed (conjoined) Interstates (
I-20Interstate 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...
and
I-59Interstate 59 is an Interstate Highway in the southern United States. Its southern terminus is near Slidell, Louisiana, a suburb of New Orleans, at an intersection with Interstate 10 and Interstate 12, its northern terminus is at Wildwood, Georgia, at an intersection with Interstate 24.The road's...
).
Interstate 359Interstate 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. The highway also serves as the route for U.S. Highway 11 and State Route 69. The highway continues...
spurs off from I-20/I-59 and heads northward, ending in downtown Tuscaloosa.
Greyhound Bus Lines provides passenger bus service to Tuscaloosa. Its station is located at 2520 Stillman Blvd in downtown Tuscaloosa. The
Tuscaloosa Transit AuthorityThe Tuscaloosa Transit Authority, or TTA, is a local, government-owned bus system based in Tuscaloosa, Alabama that commenced operation in 1971. The Tuscaloosa Transit Authority serves the city of Tuscaloosa and also operates the trolleys between the student entertainment districts downtown and The...
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 AirportTuscaloosa Regional Airport is a public airport located three miles northwest of the central business district of Tuscaloosa, a city in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama, United States. It is owned by the City of Tuscaloosa....
, 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
BirminghamBirmingham is the largest city in the state of Alabama in the United States. It is the county seat of Jefferson County and includes part of Shelby County. According to a 2007 estimate, the city had a population of 229,800 The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, as of the 2008 census estimates,...
, or the much larger and busier
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International AirportHartsfield–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, United States...
, located 210 miles away in
AtlantaAtlanta is the capital and most populous city in the state of Georgia, as well as the urban core of one of the fastest-growing metropolitan areas in the United States....
,
GeorgiaGeorgia is a state in the United States. One of the original Thirteen Colonies that revolted against British rule in the American Revolution, it had been the last of the Thirteen Colonies to be established, in 1733. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January...
.
AmtrakThe National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971 to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a blend of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union Station...
provides passenger rail service to Tuscaloosa though the
CrescentThe 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. Most of the route of the...
line, which connects the area to major cities along the east coast from New York to New Orleans. The
Amtrak stationThe Tuscaloosa Amtrak Station, located in Tuscaloosa, AL, is served by the passenger train The 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 RailwayThe Norfolk Southern Railway is a major Class I railroad in the United States, owned by the Norfolk Southern Corporation. With headquarters in Norfolk, Virginia, the company operates 21,500 route miles in 22 eastern states, the District of Columbia and the province of Ontario, Canada...
and
Alabama Southern RailroadThe 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.
KCSThe Kansas City Southern Railway , owned by Kansas City Southern Industries, is the smallest and second-oldest Class I railroad company still in operation. KCS was founded in 1887 and is currently operating in a region consisting of ten central U.S. states...
previously provided service to the area before leasing its lines 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
MobileMobile is the third most populous city in the Southern U.S. state of Alabama and is the county seat of Mobile County. It is located on the Mobile River and the central Gulf Coast of the United States. The population within the city limits was 198,915 during the 2000 census...
, on the coast of the
Gulf of MexicoThe Gulf of Mexico is the ninth largest body of water in the world. Considered a smaller part of the Atlantic Ocean, it is an ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United...
. Via the
Tenn-Tom WaterwayThe Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway is a 234-mile artificial waterway that provides a connecting link between the Tennessee and Tombigbee rivers...
, the city is connected to the
Ohio RiverThe 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
The University of Alabama is a public coeducational university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA. Founded in 1831, UA is the flagship university of the University of Alabama System. Within Alabama, it is often called "the Capstone"...
- 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.The Arboretum's primary emphasis is on Alabama's native flora and fauna...
- Paul W. Bryant Museum
The Paul W. 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"-Beginnings:...
- 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 franchised, opening restaurants in Birmingham, Montgomery, Huntsville, Mobile, Northport, and opened...
Notable residents
- Frank Lary
Frank Strong Lary is a former Major League Baseball pitcher for the Detroit Tigers , New York Mets , Milwaukee Braves , and Chicago White Sox ....
, from Tuscaloosa, professional baseball player 1954-1965 Mostly played for Detroit Nickname: The Yankee Killer
- 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 baseballMajor League Baseball is the highest level of play in North 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...
player
- Willie D. Burton
Willie D. Burton is an African-American production sound mixer, born in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. In 1988, he won the Academy Award for Sound for Bird and in 2006 for Dreamgirls. He was nominated for the same award in 1978 for The Buddy Holly Story, in 1980 for Altered States, in 1983 for WarGames, in...
, born in Tuscaloosa, sound technician in the film industry; Oscar winner Dreamgirls (film)Dreamgirls is a American musical film, directed by Bill Condon and jointly produced and released by DreamWorks Pictures and Paramount Pictures. The film debuted in three special road show engagements beginning December 15, 2006, with a nationwide release on December 25, 2006 and a home video...
2006 & Bird (film) 1988
- 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. As of 2008, he resides in the Alice M...
, folk artist and supercentenarian
- Tom Cherones
Tom Cherones is an American director and producer of several TV series.-Early life:He grew up in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, where his father operated a radio and TV repair shop. His grandfather was a Greek immigrant. From 1961 to 1965, he was a lieutenant in the United States Navy...
, from Tuscaloosa, University of Alabama alumnus, television producer and director of SeinfeldSeinfeld is an American television sitcom that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, lasting nine seasons, and is now in syndication. The eponymous series was created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld, with the latter starring as a fictionalized version of himself...
, NewsRadioNewsRadio is an American television sitcom. The show was created by executive producer Paul Simms, and was taped in front of a studio audience at CBS Studio Center. Some episodes were taped at Sunset Gower Studios...
, Desperate HousewivesDesperate Housewives is an American television comedy-drama series created by Marc Cherry, who also serves as show runner, and produced by ABC Studios and Cherry Productions. Executive producers, as of the fourth season, are Marc Cherry, Bob Daily, George W...
, others
- Sylvester Croom
Sylvester Croom, Jr. is the former football head coach at Mississippi State University and current running backs coach of the St. Louis Rams. He was the first African American head football coach in the Southeastern Conference...
, born in Tuscaloosa, the first African-American head football coach in the Southeastern ConferenceThe Southeastern Conference is a college athletic conference headquartered in , which operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I in athletic competitions; for football, it is part of the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision...
- Walter Flowers
Walter Flowers was an American Democratic politician who represented Alabama's 7th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from January 1969 to January 1979.-Private life:...
, raised in Tuscaloosa, former United States Congressman, served on the congressional committee that voted to impeach President Richard M. Nixon
- George Foster
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
- J. Whitfield Gibbons (scientist, author), raised in Tuscaloosa, he has written several books, incling "Their Blood Runs Cold" and also the Boy Scout Merit Badge Manual for reptiles and amphibians/>
- Major General William Crawford Gorgas
William Crawford Gorgas KCMG was a United States physician and 22nd Surgeon General of the U.S. 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 VGeorge V was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 1910 through World War I until his death in 1936...
- Vera Hall
Adell Hall Ward, known as Vera Hall, was an American folk singer. She grew up near Livingston, Alabama...
, born near Livingston, AL, but worked, occasionally lived in and married a man from Tuscaloosa; folk musician
- 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 , California Angels and New York Yankees . He batted and threw right-handed. After retiring, he managed the Pawtucket Red Sox and the Boston Red Sox...
, born in Tuscaloosa, major league baseball player
- Chuck Leavell
Chuck Leavell is an American 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...
, keyboardist, The Rolling Stones
- Robert Gibson
Robert Gibson may refer to:* Robert L. Gibson , American naval captain and NASA astronaut* Robert Gibson , American baseball player* Robert Gibson , Australian businessman...
, professional wrestler, best known for being 1/2 of the Rock'n'Roll Express owned a wrestling store here.
- Debra Marshall
Debra Gale Marshall is an American actress and former professional wrestling manager and WWE Diva. Arguably best known by her ring name, Debra, she gained recognition for her appearances with the World Wrestling Federation between 1998 and 2002...
, professional wrestler and diva with World Wrestling EntertainmentWorld Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is a publicly-traded, privately-controlled integrated media and sports entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
.
- Angel Martino
Angel Martino is a former American swimmer. Over her career, she won three relay Olympic gold medals and three Olympic bronze medals....
, born in Tuscaloosa, Olympic swimmer
- Lee Maye
Arthur Lee Maye was a Major League Baseball player. He played eleven seasons in the majors as an outfielder for the Milwaukee Braves , Houston Astros , Cleveland Indians , Washington Senators , and Chicago White Sox .Maye was also well-known as a Rhythm & Blues singer...
, born in Tuscaloosa, major league baseball player
- Andy Phillips
George Andrew "Andy" Phillips is a professional baseball infielder for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp. He has played for the New York Yankees, New York Mets, Cincinnati Reds and Chicago White Sox...
, born in Tuscaloosa, Pittsburgh PiratesThe Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions, in addition to the distinction of playing in the first modern World Series. The Pirates are also often...
baseball player
- 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
Julian Jawann "Tike" Redman is a Major League Baseball center fielder in the Milwaukee Brewers organization. His first year in the major leagues was...
, born in Tuscaloosa, major league baseballMajor League Baseball is the highest level of play in North 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...
player, Houston AstrosThe Houston Astros is a major league baseball team located in Houston, Texas. The Astros are a member of the Central Division. From 2000 to the present, the Astros have played their home games at Minute Maid Park . The Astros joined MLB under the name Colt .45s along with the New York Mets in...
- Richard C. Shelby, U.S. Senator, Chairman of the 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,...
and Chairman of the United States Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies
- 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 was an American blues singer and guitarist. According to the music journalist Tony Russell, "Shines was that rare being, a blues artist who overcame age and rustiness to make music that stood up beside the work of his youth...
, blues musician, born in Frazier, TN, died in Tuscaloosa
- 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. Stallworth played in six AFC championships, and went to four...
, born in Tuscaloosa, played football for the Pittsburgh SteelersThe Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are currently a member of the North Division 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 W. Thomas was a head 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 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. She was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on December 9, 2003 to replace outgoing Under Secretary Charlotte Beers...
, 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 Jemison Van de Graaff, was an American physicist and instrument maker, and professor of physics at Princeton University.-Biography:...
, born in Tuscaloosa, the designer of the Van de Graaff generatorA 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 on the top of the stand. Invented in 1929 by American physicist Robert J. Van de Graaff, the potential differences achieved in modern...
- Lurleen Wallace
Lurleen B. Wallace , born in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, was the Governor of Alabama from 1967 until her death in 1968. She was the first wife of Alabama Governor George Wallace, whom she succeeded as governor. She was Alabama's first, and to date, only female governor. She was also the first and so far...
, born in Tuscaloosa, former Governor of Alabama
- Dinah Washington
Dinah Washington was a blues, R&B and jazz singer. Despite dying at the early age of 39, Washington became one of the most influential vocalists of the twentieth century,. She is a 1986 inductee of the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame.-Early life:Washington was born Ruth Lee Jones in Tuscaloosa, Alabama...
, born in Tuscaloosa, blues, R&B and jazz singer
- D. J. White
Dewayne "D.J." White, Jr. is an American professional basketball player for the Oklahoma City Thunder of the NBA. His primary position is power forward but he also plays at center. He was selected with the 29th pick in the 2008 NBA Draft by the Detroit Pistons but his rights were traded to the...
, born in Tuscaloosa, basketball player for Indiana University
- Deontay Wilder
Deontay Wilder is an American heavyweight boxer best known for winning two major national titles in 2007 and for being the only American boxer to medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics.-Career:...
, 2008 Olympic bronze medalist and professional boxer
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