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'''Tuscaloosa''' is a city in west central [[Alabama]] in the southern [[United States]]. On the [[Black Warrior River]], it is the [[county seat|seat]] of [[Tuscaloosa County, Alabama|Tuscaloosa County]]{{GR|6}} and the fifth-largest city in Alabama with a population of 79,294 ([[2003]] [[U.S. Census Bureau]] Estimate). Tuscaloosa is named after the Choctaw cheiftan Tuskalusa (which means ''Black Warrior'' in the language), who battled and was defeated by by [[Hernando de Soto (explorer)|Hernando de Soto]] in [[1540]] in the [[Hernando de Soto (explorer)#1540 - To the North, The battle of Mauvila|Battle of Mauvila]].
Best known as the home of the [[University of Alabama]], Tuscaloosa is also the center of industry, commerce, healthcare, and education for the region commonly known as '''West Alabama'''. Tuscaloosa gained national noteriety when what is now [[Daimler-Chrysler]] announced it would build its first [[Mercedes-Benz]] automotive assembly plant in North America in Tuscaloosa. Nevertheless, the University remains the dominant economic and cultural engine in the city. The city is well-known for all things associated with Southern football.
== History ==
{{TOCleft}}
The area at the [[fall line]] of what would be later known as the [[Black Warrior River]] had long been well known to the various [[Native Americans in the United States|Indian]] [[tribes]] whose shifting fortunes brought them to West Alabama. The river shoals at Tuscaloosa represented the southernmost site on the river which could be forded under most conditions. Inevitably, a network of Indian trails converged upon the place, the same network which, in the first years of the [[19th Century]] began to lead a few intrepid white frontiersmen to the area.
The pace of white settlement increased greatly after the [[War of 1812]], and a small assortment of log cabins soon arose near the large [[Creek (people)|Creek]] village at the fall line of the river, which the settlers named in honor of the legendary Chief Tuskalusa. In [[1817]], [[Alabama]] became a [[Alabama Territory|territory]], and on [[December 13]], [[1819]], the territorial legislature incorporated the town of Tuscaloosa, exactly one day before [[United States Congress|Congress]] admitted Alabama to the [[United States|Union]] as a [[State (United States)|state]].
[[Image:Bryce Hospital Tuscaloosa Alabama USA.jpg|thumb|300px|Bryce Hospital, which opened in 1861]]
From [[1826]] to [[1846]] Tuscaloosa was the [[state capital|capital]] of Alabama. During this period, in [[1831]], the [[University of Alabama]] was established. The town's population and economy grew rapidly until the departure of the capital to [[Montgomery, Alabama|Montgomery]] caused a rapid decline in population. Establishment of the Bryce State Hospital for the Insane in Tuscaloosa in the 1850s helped restore the city's fortunes. During the [[American Civil War|Civil War]] following Alabama's [[secession]] from the Union, several thousand men from Tuscaloosa fought in the [[Confederate States of America|Confederate]] armies. During the last weeks of the War, a brigade of Union troops raiding the city burned the campus of the University of Alabama. Tuscaloosa, too, suffered much damage from the battle and shared fully in the South's economic sufferings which followed the defeat.
The construction of a system of locks and dams on the Black Warrior River by the [[U.S. Army Corps of Engineers]] in the [[1890s]] opened up an inexpensive link to the Gulf seaport of [[Mobile, Alabama|Mobile]], stimulating especially the mining and metallurgical industries of the region. By the advent of the [[Twentieth Century|20th Century]], the growth of the University of Alabama and the mental healthcare facilities in the city, along with strong national economy fueled a steady growth in Tuscaloosa which continued unabated for 100 years. Manufacturing plants of large firms such as [[Michelin]] and [[JVC]] located in town during the latter half of the 20th Century. However, it was the announcement of the addition of the [[Mercedes-Benz|Mercedes]] facility in 1993 that best personifed the new era of economic prosperity for Tuscaloosa.
== Geography ==
[[Image:ALMap-doton-Tuscaloosa.PNG|right|Location of Tuscaloosa, Alabama]]
According to the [[U.S. Census Bureau]], Tuscaloosa has a total area of 172.8 [[square kilometer|km²]] (66.7 [[square mile|mi²]]). 145.7 km² (56.2 mi²) of it is land and 27.1 km² (10.5 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 15.68% water.
Tuscaloosa is located at 33°12'24" North, 87°32'5" West (33.206540, 87.534607){{GR|1}}, approximately 60 miles southwest of [[Birmingham, Alabama|Birmingham]].
The city occupies a unique ___location at the [[fall line]] of the [[Black Warrior River]] on the boundary between the Appalachian Highland and the Gulf Coastal Plain approximately 311 km (120 mi.) upriver from the river's confluence with the [[Tombigbee River]] in [[Demopolis, Alabama|Demopolis]]. Consequently, the geography of the area around Tuscaloosa is quite diverse, being hilly and forested to the northeast and low-lying and marshy to the southwest.
[[Image:Black_Warrior_River.jpg|188px|thumb|The [[Black Warrior River]] at Tuscaloosa in [[2004]]]]
== Demographics ==
As of the [[census]]{{GR|2}} of [[2000]] there are 77,906 people, 31,381 households, and 16,945 families residing in the city. The [[population density]] is 534.8/km² (1,385.2/mi²). There are 34,857 housing units at an average density of 239.3/km² (619.8/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 54.09% [[Race (U.S. census)|White]], 42.73% [[Race (U.S. census)|Black]] or [[Race (U.S. census)|African American]], 0.16% [[Race (U.S. census)|Native American]], 1.49% [[Race (U.S. census)|Asian]], 0.02% [[Race (U.S. census)|Pacific Islander]], 0.63% from [[race (U.S. census)|other races]], and 0.87% from two or more races. 1.40% of the population are [[Race (U.S. census)|Hispanic]] or [[Race (U.S. census)|Latino]] of any race.
There are 31,381 households out of which 23.9% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.0% are [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 15.7% have a female householder with no husband present, and 46.0% are non-families. 35.2% of all households are made up of individuals and 9.3% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.22 and the average family size is 2.93.
In the city the population is spread out with 19.8% under the age of 18, 24.5% from 18 to 24, 25.4% from 25 to 44, 18.5% from 45 to 64, and 11.8% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 28 years. For every 100 females there are 90.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 87.9 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $27,731, and the median income for a family is $41,753. Males have a median income of $31,614 versus $24,507 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the city is $19,129. 23.6% of the population and 14.2% of families are below the [[poverty line]]. Out of the total population, 25.3% of those under the age of 18 and 13.4% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
== Government and Politics ==
Tuscaloosa has strong-mayor variant [[mayor-council government|mayor-council]] form of government, lead by a [[mayor]] and a seven-member [[city council]]. The mayor is elected by the city at-large and serve four-year terms. Council members are elected to single-member districts every four years as well. Neither the mayor nor the members of the city council is term-limited. All elected offices are nonpartisan.
The mayor administers the day-to-day operations of the city, including overseeing the various city departments, over whom he has hiring and firing power. The mayor also acts as ambassador of the city. The mayor sits in city council meetings and has a tie-breaking vote. The current Mayor of Tuscaloosa is Walt Maddox who was elected to office is September 2005. Prior to Maddox, Al DuPont had served as mayor for 24 years.
The city council is a legislative body that considers policy and passes law. The council also passes the budget for mayoral approval. Any resolution passed by the council is binding law. The majority of work in the council is done by committee, a usually consisting of a chairman, two other council members, and relevent non-voting city employees. The current members of the city council are:
* District 1 - Bobby E. Howard
* District 2 - Harrison Taylor
* District 3 - Cynthia Lee Almond
* District 4 - Lee Garrison
* District 5 - Kip Tyner
* District 6 - Bob Lundell
* District 7 - William Tinker, III
== Economy ==
Tuscaloosa boasts a highly diversied economy. Approximately twenty-seven percent of the workplace is employed by government, which includes major health care and education related employment; twenty-two percent in retail and wholesale trade; sixteen percent in manufacturing; nineteen percent in services; and the balance of the workforce spread among construction, transportation, finance, insurance, real estate and public services. As a consequence of its diverse econonmy, Tuscaloosa has a very low rate of unemployment, one of the lowest in Alabama at around 3%.
The city's industrial base includes Uniroyal Goodrich Tire Manufacturing (a division of [[Michelin]]), [[JVC|JVC America]], Phifer Wire Products, Gulf States Paper Corporation, and the [http://www.mbusi.com/ Mercedes-Benz U.S. International, Inc., assembly plant], which began assembling the [[Mercedes-Benz]] [[Mercedes-Benz M-Class|M-Class]] in [[1997]] and will begin assembling the [[Mercedes-Benz R-Class|R-Class]] [[Grand Tourer|Grand Sport Tourer]], and its associated supplier plants.
Healthcare and education serve as the cornerstone of Tuscaloosa's service sector, which includes the [[University of Alabama]], DCH Regional Medical Center, [[Bryce State Mental Hospital]], Camp Partlow State Development Center, and the Tuscaloosa [[United States Department of Veterans Affairs|VA]] Medical Center.
The city is home to the region's two largest malls, University Mall and McFarland Mall, as a well as large array of retail outlets and a 16-screen movie theater.
== Education ==
The [[University of Alabama]] is the dominant institution of higher learning in Tuscaloosa. [[Stillman College]] is the other four-year college in Tuscaloosa. Shelton State Community College, one of the largest in Alabama is also located in the city.
The Tuscaloosa City School System serves the city. It is overseen by the Board of Education, which is composed of eight members elected by district and a chairman is elected by a citywide vote. The Board appoints a Superintendent to manage the day-to-day operations of the system. Operating with a $100 million budget, the system enrolls approximately 10,300 students. The system consists of 19 schools: 11 [[elementary school|elementary neigborhood schools]], 3 [[middle school]]s, 3 [[high school]]s (Paul Bryant High School, Central High School, and Northridge High School), and 2 specialty schools (the Tuscaloosa Center for Technology, a [[vocational school]], and Oak Hill School for special needs students). In 2002, the system spent $6,313 per pupil, the 19th highest amount of the 120 school systems in the state.{{ref|pupilspending}}
== Infrastructure ==
=== Health and medicine ===
DCH Regional Medical Center is the main medical facility in Tuscaloosa. Operated by the publicly-controlled DCH Healthcare Authority, it is 610-bed hosptial.
=== Transportation ===
Tuscaloosa lies at the intersection of three [[US highway|federal highways]] ([[US 11]], [[US 43]], and [[US 82]]) and [[Interstate 20]]/[[Interstate 59|59]]. Additionally, barge traffic routinely transports goods along the Black Warrior River from [[Birmingham, Alabama|Birmingham]] and Tuscaloosa to the Alabama State Docks at [[Mobile, Alabama|Mobile]].
[[Amtrak]]'s [[Crescent (Amtrak)|Crescent]] line connects Tuscaloosa by rail to major cities such as [[New York City|New York]], [[Philadelphia, Pennsylvania|Philadelphia]], [[Baltimore, Maryland|Baltimore]], [[Washington, D.C.|Washington]], [[Charlotte, North Carolina|Charlotte]], [[Atlanta, Georgia|Atlanta]] and [[New Orleans, Louisiana|New Orleans]]. The Amtrak station is situated at 2105 Greensboro Avenue.
== Points of interest ==
* [[University of Alabama]]
* [[University of Alabama Arboretum]]
== Notes and References ==
# {{note|pupilspending}} [http://www.tusc.k12.al.us/about.html#students About Us: Students] - ''Tuscaloosa City School System''. Accessed November 24, 2005.
== External links ==
*[http://www.ci.tuscaloosa.al.us/ Official City Homepage]
*[http://www.tuscaloosachamber.org/ Chamber of Commerce of West Alabama]
*[http://www.tcvb.org/ Tuscaloosa Convention and Visitor's Bureau]
*[http://www.tcida.com/ Tuscaloosa County Industrial Development Authority]
{{Mapit-US-cityscale|33.20654|-87.534607}}
*[http://www.tuscaloosarestaurant.com/ Tuscaloosa Restaurants]
*[http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/ The Tuscaloosa News]
*[http://www.tuscaloosa-library.com/ Tuscaloosa Public Library]
*[http://www.dbtech.net/tuscaloosa/ Online Tuscaloosa]
*[http://www.tuscaloosaweb.com/ Tuscaloosa Web]
*[http://www.tuscarts.org/ Arts Council of Tuscaloosa]
*[http://www.tsoonline.org/ Tuscaloosa Symphony Orchestra]
*[http://www.ua.edu/ The University of Alabama]
*[http://www.www.stillman.edu/ Stillman College]
*[http://www.sheltonstate.edu/ Shelton State Community College]
*[http://www.tuskaloosa.us/ The Druid City]
{{Alabama}}
[[Category:Cities in Alabama]]
[[Category:University towns]]
[[io:Tuscaloosa, Alabama]]
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