Tuscaloosa, Alabama

Tuscaloosa, Alabama

population 91,600
location Northwest of Alabama
surface 182 km²
epithet The Druid City, Athens of Alabama
city ​​foundation December 13, 1819

The fifth largest city in the state of Alabama lies on the banks of the Black Warrior River and is the center of a metropolitan area with about 230,000 inhabitants. Tuscaloosa is known beyond its regional borders as the location of the University of Alabama and as the site where Mercedes-Benz opened its first factory on North American soil in 1997.

The history of Tuscaloosa begins about 12,000 years ago, from which time the first traces of Paleo-Indians in the south of the USA have been found. The indigenous populated much of today’s Alabama until they were driven out of their homes in the early 19th century, after the number of white settlers had continued to increase. Tuscaloosa was granted city rights in December 1819, the day before Alabama became a US state. From 1826 to 1846, the city was the capital of the new state and at that time, with the founding of the University of Alabama, the foundation was laid for future growth. During the American Civil War, the city was largely destroyed by Union troops. In June 1963, Tuscaloosa achieved international fame when former Governor Alabama’s George Wallace posed at the front door of the University of Alabama to deny black students the opportunity to enroll. In April 2011, Alabama was hit by a severe tornado that claimed 44 lives in Tuscaloosa alone and destroyed large parts of the city.

Tornadoes and also hurricanes can occasionally occur in this region. Apart from such extreme weather, Tuscaloosa has a subtropical climate. Snowfall is rare, with precipitation mostly falling between December and March as rain with average temperatures around 7 ° C. Between June and September, temperatures above 30 ° C are quite common.

While the construction of the Mercedes-Benz plant has attracted a lot of attention and, thanks to the location of suppliers and service providers, has given the city a multitude of new jobs, the University of Alabama continues to be the city’s largest employer, and in many ways Regard the determining factor. The more than 33,000 enrolled students ensure that the average age of the population is only 28 years and the Tuscaloosa despite its comparatively small size has a vibrant nightlife scene, which is particularly evident in the bars and restaurants along the University Boulevard, the referred to as “The Strip”.

The 35 meter high bell tower called Denny Chimes on the campus of the University, built in 1929 in Art Deco style and so named after a longtime university pres >Gorgas-Manly Historic District are summarized. The buildings are all from the second half of the 19th century. In this section of the campus called the Quad, before the games of the football team, countless fans come together to cheer for the game together.

The importance of the University of Alabama football team for this city is best experienced when the “Crimson T >Bryant-Denny Stadium is not rare to the last place, that is, with more than 101,000 people. The stadium was built in 1929 and has been extended and modernized many times over the decades. The stadium can be visited Monday to Friday at 11 clock in a guided tour, which, however, a reservation is required. To learn more about the tradition and importance of football for Tuscaloosa and the region, visit the Paul W. Bryant Museum on the campus, which has been the history of the university’s sports program since its inception in 1985.

In addition to sports, the University of Alabama has a lot to offer in terms of education and culture. For example, the traditional Alabama Museum of Natural History is located on the UA campus. The science museum looks back on more than 180 years of history; It is the oldest museum in Alabama. The exhibition includes sections on various scientific disciplines, including geology and zoology. With this cross-section, the museum provides a comprehensive view of the natural history of the region since the time of the dinosaurs. The university is also the home of several theater groups with regular performances, several stages with different auditorium capacities are available. Another performance venue is the Bama Theater (600 Greensboro Avenue), which was originally built in 1937 as a movie theater and has been a versatile stage since a major refurbishment in the 1970s, where, for example, a children’s theater is performed.

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Christina Cherry
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