Birmingham is the biggest city within Alabama State. The city of Birmingham had a population of roughly 212,237 inhabitants according to the 2010 Census. The city of Birmingham is the county seat of Jefferson County. Around 1/4 of the population of the state is located in the Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area; according to the 2009 U.S. Census Bureau, the population was approximately 1,212,800.
The city was established during 1871, right after the American Civil War. It was formed by merging 3 pre-existing farm townships, one of which was the former Elyton. The city steadily grew from these roots and annexed a lot of its smaller neighbors to transform the area into a railroad and industrial center. The main businesses in the area at the time consisted of mining and production of steel, railroad and iron.
The city was named for Birmingham, amongst the major industrial cities in the UK. Nearly all of the original settlers who were responsible for founding the city of Birmingham were of English origin and ancestry. Birmingham was planned as a place where non-unionized, inexpensive labor from African-Americans was abundant from rural Alabama. A lot of these individuals were working at the city's steel mills and blast furnaces giving the city of Birmingham a competitive advantage over several industrial cities within the Midwest and Northwest.
The states largest employer is the University of Alabama at Birmingham or UAB. The university performs medical research and biotechnology, which are key economic factors for the city. Several of the other bigger companies include the Jefferson County Public Schools, the U.S. Government, Baptist Medical Centers and Bell South County Public Schools.
The city itself is actually amongst the largest banking centers in the United States. Steel production and processing continue to play a crucial role in the local economy. A lot of the USA's top steel manufacturers have operations within the city of Birmingham. There are also several insurance businesses located here. As well, the services industry is one more major business within the area.
Mercedes-Benz has an automobile plant, within the nearby district of Vance. Birmingham is among the states biggest tech centres. As opposed to the other south eastern cities, the city of Birmingham has the most engineering individuals per capita.
Birmingham is also the entertainment and cultural capital of Alabama, with several art galleries within the city. The Birmingham Museum of Art is the biggest art museum in the Southwest. The city is also home to Alabama's major opera, ballet and symphony orchestra including the Alabama Symphony Orchestra, Alabama Ballet, Opera Birmingham and Birmingham Concert Chorale.
The city of Birmingham hosts various cultural festivals including film events, music and regional heritage. There are screenings concentrated at the Alabama Theatre in the Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival. This gala brings filmmakers from across the globe to be able to have their films judged and viewed. Typically, this festival happens in the last weekend during the month of September at 8 places all-around the downtown core. The Taste of 4th Annual Jazz Festival is one more popular music festival that is celebrated at the end of September every year. This event coincides with the Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival. This all day festival showcases national and local jazz acts. There were around 6000 individuals who came to the 2007 festival. Another annual event which has been held ever since 2006 is the Birmingham Folk Festival. During 2008, this particular event moved to the Avondale Park. The festival featured 3 touring "headliner bands" along with 9 local bands in the year 2009.