Birmingham is the county seat of Jefferson County , Alabama's most populous county. Birmingham serves as an important regional hub and is associated with the Deep South , Piedmont , and Appalachian regions of the nation. Birmingham was founded in , during the postβ Civil War Reconstruction period , through the merger of three pre-existing farm towns, notably, Elyton. It grew from there, annexing many more of its smaller neighbors, into an industrial and railroad transportation center with a focus on mining, the iron and steel industry , and railroading.
Birmingham was named after Birmingham in Warwickshire , England , one of the UK 's major industrial cities. Most of the original settlers who founded Birmingham were of English ancestry. From its founding through the end of the s, Birmingham was a primary industrial center of the South. The pace of Birmingham's growth during the period from through earned its nicknames The Magic City and The Pittsburgh of the South. Much like Pittsburgh , Birmingham's major industries were iron and steel production, plus a major component of the railroading industry, where rails and railroad cars were both manufactured in Birmingham.
In the field of railroading, the two primary hubs of railroading in the Deep South were nearby Atlanta and Birmingham, beginning in the s and continuing through to the present day.
The economy diversified during the later half of the twentieth century. Though the manufacturing industry maintains a strong presence in Birmingham, other businesses and industries such as banking , telecommunications , transportation, electrical power transmission, medical care, college education , and insurance have risen in stature. Mining in the Birmingham area is no longer a major industry with the exception of coal mining. Birmingham ranks as one of the most important business centers in the Southeastern United States and is also one of the largest banking centers in the US.
In addition, the Birmingham area serves as headquarters to two Fortune companies: Regions Financial and Vulcan Materials Company , [ 7 ] along with multiple other Fortune companies. In the University of Alabama at Birmingham was established, one of three main campuses of the University of Alabama System. Birmingham is also home to two private institutions: Samford University and Miles College. Birmingham was also home to Birmingham-Southern College , before its closure in Birmingham also has two community colleges: Jefferson State Community College , with enrollment of 8, plus is the largest in Alabama, and Lawson State Community College with enrollment of approximately 4, Between these colleges and universities, the Birmingham area has major colleges of medicine, dentistry, optometry, pharmacy, law, engineering, and nursing.
