Birmingham, Alabama

**Birmingham** is the second- or third-most populous city in the U.S. state of Alabama, with about 196,000 people living in it. It is the county seat of Jefferson County. Its metropolitan area is the biggest in Alabama with more than 1.1 million people living in it. The city has an area of about  and an elevation of  above sea level.

## History

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

### Confederate monuments

The cornerstone of the Monument plinth was laid during the 1894 Reunion of United Confederate Veterans on Confederate Decoration Day, April 26. and contained a Bible and Confederate flag.

The Confederate Soldiers and Sailors Monument was erected in 1905. While the George Floyd protests were happening, it was removed by the city on June 1, 2020, which violated (broke) the Alabama Memorial Preservation Act of 2017, a law passed specifically to prevent them removing of this monument. It was the most prominent Confederate monument in the state. The Alabama Attorney General has filed suit (sued) against the city of Birmingham for violating the statute. The city could be fined $25,000 for the violation but cannot be forced to put the moment back. Mayor Randall Woodfin said the fine would be much more affordable than the cost of continued unrest in the city.

## Birmingham Sunday

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

## Infobox (settlement)

- **name**: Birmingham, Alabama
- **settlement type**: City
- **nickname**: "The Magic City", "Pittsburgh of the South"
- **imagesize**: 280px
- **image caption**: Right to left, from top: Downtown, Vulcan statue, 16th Street Baptist Church, City Hall, Alabama Theatre, and the Birmingham Museum of Art
- **image flag**: Flag_of_Birmingham,_Alabama.svg
- **image blank emblem**: Logo of Birmingham, Alabama.svg
- **blank emblem type**: Logo
- **image map**: Jefferson_County_Alabama_Incorporated_and_Unincorporated_areas_Birmingham_Highlighted.svg
- **mapsize**: 250px
- **map caption**: Location in Jefferson County, Alabama, Jefferson County, Alabama
- **named for**: Birmingham, United Kingdom
- **pushpin map**: USA
- **pushpin map caption**: Location in the United States
- **subdivision type**: List of sovereign states, Country
- **subdivision type1**: U.S. state, State
- **subdivision type2**: List of counties in Alabama, Counties
- **subdivision name**: United States
- **subdivision name1**: Alabama
- **subdivision name2**: Jefferson County, Alabama, Jefferson, Shelby County, Alabama, Shelby
- **government type**: Mayor – Council
- **leader title**: Mayor
- **leader name**: Randall Woodfin (Democratic Party (United States), D)
- **established title**: Incorporated
- **established date**: December 19, 1871
- **unit pref**: Imperial
- **area total sq mi**: 149.54
- **area total km2**: 387.31
- **area land sq mi**: 147.02
- **area land km2**: 380.77
- **area water sq mi**: 2.52
- **area water km2**: 6.53
- **elevation ft**: 597
- **population total**: 200733
- **population as of**: 2020 United States census, 2020
- **population est**: 196357
- **pop est as of**: 2024
- **population rank**: List of United States cities by population, 124th in the United States
List of municipalities in Alabama, 2nd in Alabama
- **population density sq mi**: 1365.37
- **population density km2**: 527.17
- **population urban**: 774,956 (List of United States urban areas, US: 58th)
- **population density urban km2**: 587.5
- **population density urban sq mi**: 1,521.7
- **population metro**: 1180631 (List of metropolitan statistical areas, 47th)
- **postal code type**: ZIP Codes
- **postal code**: 35201-35224, 35226, 35228-35229, 35231-35238, 35242-35244, 35246, 35249, 35253-35255, 35259-35261, 35266, 35270, 35282-35283, 35285, 35287-35288, 35290-35298
- **area codes**: Area codes 205 and 659, 205, 659
- **pushpin label**: Birmingham
- **pushpin relief**: yes
- **timezone**: Central Time Zone (North America), CST
- **utc offset**: −6
- **timezone dst**: CDT
- **utc offset dst**: −5
- **blank2 name**: Federal Information Processing Standard, FIPS code
- **blank2 info**: 01-07000
- **blank3 name**: Geographic Names Information System, GNIS feature ID
- **blank3 info**: 2403868