|
[[Kelly Ingram Park]], site of notable [[American Civil Rights Movement|civil rights]] protests and adjacent to historic [[16th Street Baptist Church bombing|16th Street Baptist Church]].
[[Oak Mountain State Park]] is about 10 miles South of Birmingham. It is one of the southernmost wrinkles in the [[Appalachian Mountains|Appalachian chain]], and a scenic drive to the top provides views reminiscent of the [[Great Smoky Mountains]] further north. The [[Birmingham Botanical Gardens (USA)|Birmingham Botanical Gardens]] is a 67-acre (270,000 m²) park displaying a wide variety of plants in interpretive gardens, including formal rose gardens, tropical greenhouses, and a large Japanese Garden. The facility also includes a white-tablecloth restaurant, meeting rooms, and an extensive reference library. It is complimented by Hoover's 30-acre Aldridge Gardens, an ambitious project open since 2002. Still under development, Aldridge is currently more valuable to locals looking for a place to stroll than to tourists, but promises unique displays in coming years. The [[Birmingham Zoo]] is a large regional zoo with more than 700 animals and a recently-opened interactive children's zoo. [[Alabama Adventure Theme Park|Alabama Adventure Theme Park (formerly Visionland)]] is an [[amusement park]] with two independent sections: ''Splash Beach Waterpark'' and ''Magic Adventure Theme Park,''. The theme park has 25 different thrill rides including ''The Rampage'' wooden roller coaster and ''Zoomerang'', a steel roller coaster purchased in [[2004]] from the [[Brisbane]] expo. (The park was renamed at the start of the [[2006]] season, and major expansion plans were announced at that time.)
The [[Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail]], a world-famous development of high-caliber public golf courses throughout Alabama, includes two championship courses and an 18-hole short course in Oxmoor Valley just south of Birmingham, and another championship course at the new Ross Bridge Golf Resort and Spa, just a couple of miles away from Oxmoor Valley. In [[2006]], Ross Bridge will be the host course of metro Birmingham's stop on the [[PGA]] [[Champions Tour]] [[golf]] [[tournament]].
Recreational fishing is also immensely popular in the Birmingham area. Few regions can offer the quality and quantity of fishing as found throughout this region of Alabama. In fact, fish have been caught in 14 separate Alabama lakes which would be state records in 35 other states. Recently, Birmingham was named "Bass Capital of the World" by [[ESPN]] and Bassmaster Magazine. Over the last several years, Birmingham has been home to numerous nationally renowned fishing tournaments such as the Bass Masters Classic. Some of the more popular recreational lakes around Birmingham include: [[Smith Lake]], [[Lay Lake]], [[Lake Neely Henry]], [[Lake Logan Martin]], [[Lake Purdy]], and [[Bankhead Reservoir]].
=== Sports ===
*Though Birmingham has no major professional sport franchises presently, there is a very strong fan base for collegiate sports - primarily the [[University of Alabama]] and [[Auburn University]] [[American football|football]] teams. The [[University of Alabama at Birmingham]] (UAB) has a popular [[basketball]] program and is trying to broaden its base for football. Birmingham is home to the [[Birmingham Barons]], the AA minor league affiliate of the [[Chicago White Sox]] that plays at the [[Hoover Metropolitan Stadium]]. The Hoover Metropolitan Stadium is also home to the [[Southeastern Conference]] Baseball Tournament which drew more than 108,000 spectators in 2006. The city also hosts the [[Birmingham Steeldogs]] of the [[af2|Arena Football League 2]] at the [[Birmingham Jefferson Convention Complex]]. There is also an amateur soccer association, known as La Liga. Birmingham also had an [[XFL]] franchise, the [[Birmingham Thunderbolts]].
*In [[1996]] Birmingham's [[Legion Field]] hosted early rounds of [[Olympic Games|Olympic]] [[soccer]] where it drew record crowds.
*Motorsports are very popular in the Birmingham area and across the state, and the area is home to numerous annual motorsport races. the [[Aaron's 499]] & [[UAW Ford 500]] are [[NASCAR]] [[Nextel Cup]] races that occur in April and October at the [[Talladega Superspeedway]], and bring a major boost to the area's economy. [[Superbike racing|Superbike]] and Sports Car Grand Am races also take place in the area at the [[Barber Motorsports Park]]. The [[Mercedes Marathon]] is a marathon, half marathon, and kids 1 mile road race that takes place on the 1st or 2nd Sunday in February that was started in [[2002]].
*Nearby Hoover is host to the [[Regions Charity Classic]] presented by [[Bruno's Supermarkets]], a stop on the [[Champions Tour]] senior [[golf]] tour, to be played starting in [[2006]] at the new [[Ross Bridge Golf Resort]]. This event was formerly known as the Bruno's Memorial Classic, played in nearby [[Hoover, Alabama|Hoover]] at the [[Greystone Country Club]].
*The US [[Paralympic]] Training Facility is located in Birmingham [http://www.lakeshore.org/index.php?src=gendocs&link=Olympic_home&category=US%20Olympic%20and%20Paralympic%20Training%20Site] and was a primary filming ___location for the [[2005]] [[documentary film]] ''[[Murderball (documentary)|Murderball]]'', about [[wheelchair rugby]] players.
*Recently, it was announced that Birmingham would once again be host to a college football bowl game. Having previously hosted bowl games for many years, Birmingham had been without a college football bowl game since 1990. In 2006, ESPN Regional announced a deal that would feature teams from [[Conference USA]] and the [[Big East]] playing one another in the [[Birmingham Bowl]]. The inaugural game is scheduled to be played on Saturday, December 23, 2006.
====Minor League Teams====
<!-- Table Header -->
<tr bgcolor="#ADADAD">
<td width="300px">'''''Club'''''</td>
<td width="120px" align="left">'''''Sport'''''</td>
<td width="75px" align="left">'''''Founded'''''</td>
<td width="270px" align="left">'''''League'''''</td>
<td width="180px" align="left">'''''Venue'''''</td>
<td width="50px" align="left">'''''Logo'''''</td>
</tr>
<!-- Rows -->
<tr bgcolor="#ffffff'>
<td width="250px">[[Birmingham Magicians]]</td>
<td width="120px" align="left">[[Basketball]]</td>
<td width="75px" align="left">[[2005]]</td>
<td width="270px" align="left">[[American Basketball Association (21st century)|ABA]]</td>
<td width="180px" align="left">[[Fair Park Arena]]</td>
<td width="50px" align="left">[[Image:Birmingham.JPG|50px|Birmingham Magicians Logo]]</td>
<tr bgcolor="#ffffff'>
<td width="250px">[[Birmingham Barons]]</td>
<td width="120px" align="left">[[Baseball]]</td>
<td width="75px" align="left">[[1885]]</td>
<td width="270px" align="left">[[Southern League]]: [[South Division]]</td>
<td width="180px" align="left">[[Hoover Metropolitan Stadium]]</td>
<td width="50px" align="left">[[Image:BirminghamBarons_100.png|50px|Birmingham Barons Logo]]</td>
<tr bgcolor="#ffffff'>
<td width="250px">[[Birmingham Steeldogs]]</td>
<td width="120px" align="left">[[Arena Football]]</td>
<td width="75px" align="left">[[2000]]</td>
<td width="270px" align="left">[[AF2]]</td>
<td width="180px" align="left">[[Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Center Arena]]</td>
<td width="50px" align="left">[[Image:BirminghamSteeldogs.gif|50px|Toledo Storm Logo]]</td>
</td>
</table>
Other area sport facilities include:
*[[Legion Field]]
*[[Rickwood Field]]
*Fair Park Arena
*[[Pelham Civic Center]]
=== Media ===
Birmingham is served by one daily newspaper, ''[[Birmingham News|The Birmingham News]]'' (circulation 150,346). ''The Birmingham News''' Wednesday edition features six subregional sections named ''East'', ''Hoover'', ''North'', ''Shelby'', ''South'', and ''West'' that cover news stories from those areas. The ''[[Birmingham Post-Herald]]'', the city's second daily, published its last issue in 2005. Other local publications include ''The North Jefferson News'' and ''[http://www.hoovergazette.com The Hoover Gazette]''.
''[http://www.birminghamweekly.com/ Birmingham Weekly]'', ''[http://www.birminghamfreepress.com/ Birmingham Free Press]'' and ''[http://www.bwcitypaper.com/ Black & White]'' (published biweekly) are Birmingham's free alternative publications. ''The Birmingham Times,'' a historic African-American newspaper, also is published weekly.
Birmingham is part of the Birmingham/Anniston/Tuscaloosa television market, which is the nation's 40th largest. The major television affiliates are [[WBRC]] 6 ([[Fox Broadcasting Company|FOX]]), [[Alabama Public Television|WBIQ]] 10 ([[PBS]]), [[WVTM-TV|WVTM]] 13 ([[NBC]]), [[WTTO]] 21 ([[The CW Television Network|CW]]), [[WBMA-LP|WBMA]] 33/40 ([[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]), [[WIAT]] 42 ([[CBS]]), [[WPXH]] 44([[i (TV network)|i]]), and [[WABM]] 68.
Birmingham is home to [[EWTN]], the world's largest [[Catholic]] media outlet and largest religious network of any kind broadcasting to approximately 118 million homes world-wide.
Visitors and tourists can watch [http://www.cityvision.tv City Vision TV] to find out where eat, shop, and sightsee around the Magic City. City Vision TV is a new, but growing local station available in most hotel rooms throughout Greater Birmingham.
:''See also [[List of radio stations in Alabama]]''
== Other ==
===Notable Natives===
{{main|List of Birmingham, Alabama people}}
==Sister cities==
Birmingham's Sister Cities program is overseen by the [http://www.birminghamsistercities.com/ Birmingham Sister Cities Commission]
{|
| valign="top" |
*[[Image:Flag of Japan.svg|25px]] [[Hitachi, Ibaraki|Hitachi]], [[Japan]]
*[[Image:Flag of Zimbabwe.svg|25px]] [[Gweru]], [[Zimbabwe]]
*[[Image:Flag of Hungary.svg|25px]] [[Székesfehérvár]], [[Hungary]]
*[[Image:Flag of Italy.svg|25px]] [[Pomiglian D'Arco]], [[Italy]]
*[[Image:Flag of Ukraine.svg|25px]] [[Vinnytsia]], [[Ukraine]]
*[[Image:Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg|25px]] [[Anshan]], [[China]]
| valign="top" |
*[[Image:Flag of the Czech Republic.svg|25px]] [[Plzeň]], [[Czech Republic]]
*[[Image:Flag of Jordan.svg|25px]] [[Al Karak]], [[Jordan]]
*[[Image:Flag of Israel.svg|25px]] [[Rosh Haayin]], [[Israel]] (Friendship City)
*[[Image:Flag of Japan.svg|25px]] [[Maebashi]], [[Japan]] (Friendship City)
*[[Image:Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg|25px]] [[Chaoyang District, Beijing]], [[China]] (Friendship City)
*[[Image:Flag of Guatemala.svg|25px]] [[Cobán]], [[Guatemala]] (Partners for the Americas)
|}
==External links==
{{sisterlinks|Birmingham, Alabama}}
*[http://www.informationbirmingham.com Official Site for the City of Birmingham, Alabama]
*[http://www.bcvb.org Greater Birmingham Convention & Visitors Bureau]
*[http://www.birminghamchamber.com Birmingham Regional Chamber of Commerce]
*[http://wikitravel.org/en/Birmingham_(Alabama) Wikitravel for Birmingham]
*[http://www.bplonline.org/ Birmingham Public Library]
*[http://www.bhamrails.info History of Railroads and Industries in Birmingham]
*[http://www.al.com/birminghamnews The Birmingham News] - daily newspaper of record
*[http://thebirminghamtimes.com The Birmingham Times] - African-American community news
*[http://www.bhamweekly.com/ The Birmingham Weekly] - alternative news weekly
*[http://www.bwcitypaper.com/ The Black and White] - alternative news - biweekly
*[http://birmingham.bizjournals.com/birmingham/ Birmingham Business Journal] - business news weekly
*[http://flickr.com/groups/magic_city/ Photos of Birmingham on Flickr]
*[http://www.yourcitycenter.com/ Operation New Birmingham, a city center revitalization organization]
{{Mapit-US-cityscale|33.524755|-86.81274}}
{{Alabama}}
{{USLargestCities}}
[[Category:Birmingham, Alabama|*]]
[[Category:Cities in Alabama]]
[[Category:Jefferson County, Alabama]]
[[Category:Shelby County, Alabama]]
[[da:Birmingham (Alabama)]]
[[de:Birmingham (Alabama)]]
[[es:Birmingham (Alabama)]]
[[fr:Birmingham (Alabama)]]
[[ga:Birmingham, Alabama]]
[[id:Birmingham, Alabama]]
[[nl:Birmingham (Alabama)]]
[[ja:バーミンハム]]
[[no:Birmingham, Alabama]]
[[pl:Birmingham (Alabama)]]
[[pt:Birmingham (Alabama)]]
[[sl:Birmingham, Alabama]]
[[fi:Birmingham (Alabama)]]
[[sv:Birmingham, Alabama]]
[[zh:伯明翰 (亚拉巴马州)]]
| 