Birmingham, Alabama

Birmingham, Alabama

Geography

Birmingham is located at 33°31'29" North, 86°48'46" West (33.524755, -86.812740){{GR|1}}.

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Birmingham occupies Jones Valley, flanked by long parallel mountain ridges (the tailing ends of the Appalachian foothills) running from north-east to south-west. The valley is drained by small creeks (Village Creek, Valley Creek) which flow into the Black Warrior River. More importantly, the valley was bisected by the principal railroad corridor, along which most of the early manufacturing operations began.

Related Topics:
Appalachian - Black Warrior River

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Red Mountain lies immediately south of downtown. Birmingham's television and radio broadcast towers are lined up along this prominent ridge. The area "Over the Mountain", including Shades Valley and Shades Mountain and beyond, was largely shielded from the industrial smoke and rough streets of the industrial city. This is the setting for Birmingham's more affluent suburbs of Mountain Brook, Homewood, Vestavia Hills, and Hoover. South of Shades Valley is the Cahaba River basin.

Related Topics:
Red Mountain - Mountain Brook - Homewood - Vestavia Hills - Hoover - Cahaba River

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Sand Mountain, a smaller ridge, flanks the city to the north and divides Jones Valley from much more rugged land to the north. The Louisville and Nashville railroad enters the Valley through Boyles Gap, a prominent gap in the long low ridge.

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Ruffner Mountain, located due east of the heart of the city, is home to Ruffner Mountain Nature Center, one of the largest urban nature reserves in the United States.

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According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 393.5 km² (151.9 mi²). 388.3 km² (149.9 mi²) of it is land and 5.3 km² (2.0 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 1.34% water.

Related Topics:
U.S. Census Bureau - Km² - Mi²

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