Birmingham| Birmingham Area Information |
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The Greater Birmingham metropolitan area covers a five-county area and 3,358 square miles. The population is 933,318, and growing rapidly, especially in the areas south of the city. Birmingham is easily accessible, and airlines serving the city are American, Delta, Northwest, Southwest,United, USAir, L’Express and TWA. More than 120 flights arrive and depart for all major cities from the Birmingham Airport. Airplane charters and leasing, auto rental and air cargo service are also available at the Birmingham terminal, where a $125 million expansion and renovation project was recently completed. Birmingham is served by Greyhound Bus Lines and the Birmingham-Jefferson Transit Authority provides in-town routes and maintains the trolley-style D.A.R.T. buses throughout the downtown area. Daily rail service is provided by Amtrak originating in New York City and New Orleans, with connections in Birmingham and Mobile Alabama Interstates that run through Birmingham are I-20, I-59, I-65, and I-459.  The University of Alabama at Birmingham is the city’s largest employer with more than 12,000 full-time employees, though the area boasts two other universities, two colleges, four junior colleges, three technical schools, three religious training schools, and four business schools. There is a very large medical and research community in Birmingham. The medical center at UAB is recognized internationally. Birmingham has a very active arts community with the Birmingham Museum of Art, the Alabama Symphony Orchestra, the State of Alabama Ballet, and several civic and private theatre companies, including Children’s Theater, which hosts more children annually than any other children’s theater group in the U.S. The world’s oldest continuing arts festival is held in Birmingham every spring with the Festival of Arts, saluting a different country each year. Birmingham’s popular City Stages brings in dozens of well-known musicians for three days of celebration in downtown’s Linn Park every June. The city has one daily newspaper, The Birmingham News, as well as various weekly and monthly publications. Seven television stations serve the greater Birmingham area: three network affiliates, three independent stations, and one educational (PBS) station. Approximately 23 radio stations, 15 AM and 8 FM, offer a variety of formats. |