Birmingham although not the capital of Alabama is still the largest city in the state. Greater Birmingham, another part of this city is an important industrial center of USA, where the majority of the population of Alabama is based. Birmingham is the county seat of the county of Jefferson. It is also one of America's newer cities and one of the rare ones which had been built post the Civil War with an aim to make it as industrially successful as the UK city of Birmingham and hence the similarity in the name. Since its establishment in 1871 the industry of the place had been centered around iron and steel. Since the arrival of the 20 th century other businesses like insurance, biotechnology, medicine and banking also started developing in the area and it has been one of the most developed cities in USA. Today banking is the most successful sector in the city of Birmingham. The industrial development in the place has turned it into one of the most comfortable cities in the USA.
Enveloped in natural beauty, Birmingham lies amidst picturesque mountain ridges in the Jones Valley which runs down into the Black Warrior River . The Red Mountains lie to the south of Birmingham wherein lie the more affluent neighborhoods of the city.
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This area also includes the Shades Valley wherein lies the Cahaba River basin which houses one of the most diverse river ecosystems.The Sand Mountain which lies to the north of Birmingham divides the Jones Valley to create the Boyles Gap through which enters the Louisville and Nashville Railroads. In the east where lies the Ruffner Mountains lies one of the largest urban nature reserves called the Ruffner Mountain Nature Center. The city spans across a total area of 393.5 square kilometers. Birmingham experiences a sub-tropical climate where humidity levels are quite high and rainfall is pretty abundant. Storms and hurricanes are not unusual in the city.
The city has a mayor-council form of government and the economy is now greatly dependent on the banking sector which has gained popularity worldwide. Some famous tourist attractions of Birmingham are the City Stages, Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival, Alabama Theater, Southern Heritage Festival, Do Dah Day, The Schaeffer Eye Center Crawfish Boil, Alabama Bound, Birmingham Public Library. Besides these classic attractions there are various others to hold the gaze of the visitor.
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