Capital: Montgomery
Population: 4,447,100
Governor: Bob Riley (R, to January 2011)
Entered the Union: December 14, 1819 as the 22nd state
Motto: Audemus Jura Nostra Defendere (We Dare Defend Our Rights)
Nickname: The Heart of Dixie, The Cotton State, The Yellowhammer state
Flower: Camellia
Bird: Yellowhammer
Song: "Alabama"
Sports Teams: none
(sport listing policy)
Origin of Name: May come from Choctaw word meaning "thicket-clearers" or "vegetation-gatherers"
Major Industries: Paper, Chemicals, Rubber and Plastics
Historical Sites: Montgomery, founding site of the Confederate States of America in 1861, and later the site of the Montgomery bus boycotts in the 1950s and 1960s; Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in downtown Montgomery, where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., served as minister; the Tuskegee Institute, founded by Booker T. Washington in 1881
Points of Interest: Ivy Green, the birthplace of Helen Keller in Tuscambia; the Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville; and the White House of the Confederacy in Montgomery
Bordering States: Alabama borders Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, and Tennessee.
Source: State of Alabama
Population, 2006 estimate: 4,599,030
Population, percent change, April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2006: 3.4%
Population, 2000: 4,447,100
Persons under 5 years old, percent, 2006: 6.5%
Persons under 18 years old, percent, 2006: 24.2%
Persons 65 years old and over, percent, 2006: 13.4%
Female persons, percent, 2006: 51.5%
White persons, percent, 2006 (a): 71.2%
Black persons, percent, 2006 (a): 26.3%
American Indian and Alaska Native persons, percent, 2006 (a): 0.5%
Asian persons, percent, 2006 (a): 0.9%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, percent, 2006 (a): NA
Persons reporting two or more races, percent, 2006: 0.9%
Persons of Hispanic or Latino origin, percent, 2006 (b): 2.5%
White persons not Hispanic, percent, 2006: 69.0%
Living in same house in 1995 and 2000, pct 5 yrs old & over : 57.4%
Foreign born persons, percent, 2000: 2.0%
Language other than English spoken at home, pct age 5+, 2000: 3.9%
High school graduates, percent of persons age 25+, 2000 : 75.3%
Bachelor's degree or higher, pct of persons age 25+, 2000: 19.0%
Persons with a disability, age 5+, 2000 : 945,705
Mean travel time to work (minutes), workers age 16+, 2000: 24.8
Housing units, 2006: 2,110,154
Homeownership rate, 2000: 72.5%
Housing units in multi-unit structures, percent, 2000: 15.3%
Median value of owner-occupied housing units, 2000: $85,100
Households, 2000: 1,737,080
Persons per household, 2000 : 2.49
Median household income, 2004 : $37,062
Per capita money income, 1999: $18,189
Persons below poverty, percent, 2004: 16.1%
Source: U.S.Census Bureau
(a) Includes persons reporting only one race.
(b) Hispanics may be of any race, so also are included in applicable race categories.
Gross Domestic Product by State: 151,342
Private industries: 128,397
Agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting: 2,613
Crop and animal production (Farms): 1,940
Forestry, fishing, and related activities: 673
Mining: 2,663
Oil and gas extraction: 1,299
Mining, except oil and gas: 802
Support activities for mining: 562
Utilities: 4,004
Construction: 7,710
Manufacturing: 27,533
Durable goods: 16,258
Wood product manufacturing: 1,506
Nonmetallic mineral product manufacturing: 953
Primary metal manufacturing: 2,517
Fabricated metal product manufacturing: 2,423
Machinery manufacturing: 993
Computer and electronic product manufacturing: 991
Electrical equipment and appliance manufacturing: 712
Motor vehicle, body, trailer, and parts manufacturing: 3,309
Other transportation equipment manufacturing: 1,328
Furniture and related product manufacturing: 994
Miscellaneous manufacturing: 531
Nondurable goods: 11,275
Food product manufacturing: 1,821
Textile and textile product mills: 1,392
Apparel manufacturing: 694
Paper manufacturing: 2,811
Printing and related support activities: 326
Petroleum and coal products manufacturing: 659
Chemical manufacturing: 2,550
Plastics and rubber products manufacturing: 1,022
Wholesale trade: 8,617
Retail trade: 12,087
Transportation and warehousing, excluding Postal Service: 4,232
Air transportation: 72
Rail transportation: 614
Water transportation: 65
Truck transportation: 2,104
Transit and ground passenger transportation: 63
Pipeline transportation: 99
Other transportation and support activities: 802
Warehousing and storage: 412
Information: 4,588
Publishing including software: 724
Motion picture and sound recording industries: 40
Broadcasting and telecommunications: 3,646
Information and data processing services: 178
Finance and insurance: 7,752
Federal Reserve banks, credit intermediation and related services: 4,802
Securities, commodity contracts, investments: 447
Insurance carriers and related activities: 2,465
Funds, trusts, and other financial vehicles: 38
Real estate and rental and leasing: 14,293
Real estate: 13,102
Rental and leasing services and lessors of intangible assets: 1,191
Professional and technical services: 8,498
Legal services: 1,835
Computer systems design and related services: 1,529
Other professional, scientific and technical services: 5,134
Management of companies and enterprises: 1,095
Administrative and waste services: 3,568
Administrative and support services: 3,285
Waste management and remediation services: 283
Educational services: 712
Health care and social assistance: 10,640
Ambulatory health care services: 6,641
Hospitals and nursing and residential care facilities: 3,360
Social assistance: 638
Arts, entertainment, and recreation: 570
Performing arts, museums, and related activities: 201
Amusement, gambling, and recreation: 369
Accommodation and food services: 3,436
Accommodation: 546
Food services and drinking places: 2,890
Other services, except government: 3,787
Government: 22,945
Federal civilian: 5,420
Federal military: 2,476
State and local: 15,049
Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis
Longitude: 84° 51' W to 88° 28' W
Latitude: 30° 13' N to 35° N
Length / Width: Alabama is 330 miles long and 190 miles wide at its most distant points.
Geographic Center: The geographic center of Alabama is located in Chilton County, 12 miles SW of Clanton.
Borders: Alabama is bordered by Tennessee on the north, Georgia on the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico on the south and Mississippi on the west.
Total Area: Alabama covers 52,423 square miles, making it the 30th largest of the 50 states.
Land Area: 50,750 square miles of Alabama are land areas.
Water Area: 1,673 square miles of Alabama are covered by water.
Highest Point: The highest point in Alabama is Cheaha Mountain at 2,407 feet above sea level. Cheaha Mountain, from the Creek Indian word meaning "high place" is located in Lineville, Alabama. Visit Cheaha Mountain State Park.
Lowest Point: The lowest point in Alabama is sea level where Alabama meets the Gulf of Mexico.
Mean Elevation: The Mean Elevation of the state of Alabama is 500 feet above sea level.
Major Rivers: Tombigbee River, Alabama River, Tennessee River, Chattahoochee River. You may view a large map of Alabama that will show you the major rivers.
Major Lakes: Guntersville Lake, Wilson Lake, Martin Lake, West Point Lake, Lewis Smith Lake
Source: U.S. Geological Survey
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