Cobra GPS | Delphi GPS | Garmin GPS | Lowrance GPS | Magellan GPS | Navman GPS | Pharos GPS | Pioneer GPS | Sony GPS | Tomtom GPS

Alabama Travel Guide Information about Alabama

Aiptek Camcorders | Canon Camcorders | JVC Camcorders | Panasonic Camcorders | Samsung Camcorders | Sanyo Video Cameras | Sony Camcorders

Just 250 miles from north to south, Alabama ranges from the fast-flowing rivers, waterfalls and lakes of the Appalachian foothills to the subtropical bayous and white beaches of the Gulf Coast. Most of its industry is concentrated in the north, around rejuvenated Birmingham, and Huntsville, first home of the nation's space program. The sun-scorched farmlands of middle Alabama envelop sober Montgomery, the state capital. Alabama's narrow share of the Gulf coastline is blessed with an abundance of fine white-sand beaches, laundered by clear blue waters. The coast veers sharply inward to the port city of Mobile, featuring hundreds of antebellum buildings in a tree-shaded center. Away from the water's edge, agriculture, dominated by pecan, peach and watermelon growing, flourishes on the gently sloping coastal plain. Northern Alabama, on the trailing edges of the Appalachians, is brightened up by the mountain lakes, rivers and canyons of the Tennessee River Valley . The area's first white settlers were small farmers who had little in common with the big plantation owners further south, and attempted to dissociate from the Confederacy during the Civil War. Substantial postwar mineral finds led to an industrial boom that peaked in the early Thirties. Destinations by City in Alabama Abbeville Albertville Alexander City Andalusia Anniston Athens Atmore Attalla Auburn Bay Minette Bayou La Batre Bessemer Birmingham Boaz Brent Brewton Calera Camden Childersburg Clanton Collinsville Cottondale Cullman Daleville Daphne Decatur Demopolis Dothan Enterprise Eufaula Evergreen Fairfield Fairhope Florence Foley Fort Payne Fultondale Gadsden Gardendale Greenville Grove Hill Gulf Shores Guntersville Hamilton Hartselle Heflin Homewood Hoover Hope Hull Huntsville Irondale Jackson Jacksonville Jasper Lanett Leeds Lima Lincoln Livingston Madison Millbrook Mobile Monroeville Montgomery Moody Moulton Muscle Shoals Northport Oneonta Opelika Opp Orange Beach Oxford Ozark Pelham Pell City Phenix City Point Clear Prattville Priceville Rainsville Riverside Roanoke Russellville Saraland Scottsboro Selma Sheffield Shorter Stevenson Sylacauga Talladega Troy Trussville Tuscaloosa Tuscumbia Vance Vestavia Hills West Beach York Southern Alabama - memorably depicted in Harper Lee's child's-eye view of racial conflict, To Kill a Mockingbird - still consists mostly of small, sleepy, God-fearing rural communities. Only state capital Montgomery, with a population of just over 200,000, achieves metropolitan status. It lies in the heart of the Black Belt, originally named for the rich loamy soil, but these days more usually taken to refer to the region's ethnic make-up. Cotton was the major earner here until the boll weevil infestation of 1915. Now it has been supplanted (officially) by soybeans, corn and peanuts. Considering its rural nature, public transportation is relatively good in Alabama. Daily Amtrak trains from New York and Atlanta to New Orleans stop at Anniston, Birmingham and Tuscaloosa, while the line from Jacksonville to New Orleans passes through Mobile; Amtrak buses connect Birmingham and Mobile by way of Montgomery, and Greyhound serves the major towns and cities. Mobile, Montgomery, Huntsville and Birmingham all have small airports. American Tourister | Delsey luggage | Dockers luggage | Lewis N Clark | Pierre Cardin luggage | Samsonite luggage | Travelpro luggage | Victorinox luggage

sitemap