Tuscaloosa Alabama Amtrak Station.jpg
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Tuscaloosa ( ) is a city in and the
seat A seat is a place to sit. The term may encompass additional features, such as back, armrest, head restraint but also headquarters in a wider sense. Types of seat The following are examples of different kinds of seat: * Armchair (furniture), ...
of Tuscaloosa County in west-central Alabama, United States, on the Black Warrior River where the
Gulf Coastal The Gulf Coastal, an interim Australian bioregion, is located in the Northern Territory,IBR ...
and Piedmont plains meet. Alabama's fifth-largest city, it had an estimated population of 101,129 in 2019. It was known as Tuskaloosa until the early 20th century. It is also known as ''"the Druid City"'' because of the numerous water oaks planted in its downtown streets since the 1840s. Incorporated on December 13, 1819, it was named after Tuskaloosa, the chief of a band of Muskogean-speaking people defeated by the forces of Spanish explorer
Hernando de Soto Hernando de Soto (; ; 1500 – 21 May, 1542) was a Spanish explorer and '' conquistador'' who was involved in expeditions in Nicaragua and the Yucatan Peninsula. He played an important role in Francisco Pizarro's conquest of the Inca Empire ...
in 1540 in the
Battle of Mabila Mabila (also spelled Mavila, Mavilla, Maubila, or Mauvilla, as influenced by Spanish or French transliterations) was a small fortress town known to the paramount chief Tuskaloosa in 1540, in a region of present-day central Alabama. The exact loca ...
, in what is now central Alabama. It served as Alabama's capital city from 1826 to 1846. Tuscaloosa is the regional center of industry, commerce, healthcare and education for the area of west-central Alabama known as ''West Alabama;'' and the principal city of the Tuscaloosa Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes Tuscaloosa, Hale and Pickens counties. It is the home of the University of Alabama, Stillman College and Shelton State Community College. While it attracted international attention when Mercedes-Benz announced on September 30, 1993 that it would build its first North American automotive assembly plant in Tuscaloosa County, the University of Alabama remains the city's dominant economic and cultural engine, making it a
college town A college town or university town is a community (often a separate town or city, but in some cases a town/city neighborhood or a district) that is dominated by its university population. The university may be large, or there may be several sma ...
. City leaders adopted the moniker "The City of Champions" after the
Alabama Crimson Tide football team The Alabama Crimson Tide football program represents the University of Alabama (variously Alabama, UA, or Bama) in the sport of American football. The team competes in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Asso ...
won the
College Football National Championship A national championship in the highest level of college football in the United States, currently the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), is a designation awarded annually by various organizations to their selection of the best co ...
in their
2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...
,
2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...
,
2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...
,
2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...
,
2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...
and
2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...
seasons. In 2008, Tuscaloosa hosted the USA Olympic Triathlon trials for the Beijing Games. Through the 2000s and 2010s, it has been declared the "Most Livable City in America", one of America's "100 Best Communities for Young People", one of the "50 Best College Towns", and one of the "Best Places to Launch a Small Business".


History


Native American

In 1828, Andrew Jackson was elected president of the United States. He had gained popularity when he defeated the Creek at the
Battle of Horseshoe Bend The Battle of Horseshoe Bend (also known as ''Tohopeka'', ''Cholocco Litabixbee'', or ''The Horseshoe''), was fought during the War of 1812 in the Mississippi Territory, now central Alabama. On March 27, 1814, United States forces and Indian a ...
in 1814, following victories in the War of 1812. He long proposed Indian removal to an Indian Territory to be established west of the Mississippi, to make land available in the Southeast for European-American settlement. Jackson abandoned the policy of his predecessors of treating different Indian groups as separate nations. Instead, he aggressively pursued plans to move all Indian tribes living east of the Mississippi River. Following Congressional passage of the Indian Removal Act, in 1832 the Creek National Council signed the
Treaty of Cusseta The Treaty of Cusseta was a treaty between the government of the United States and the Creek Nation signed March 24, 1832 (). The treaty ceded all Creek claims east of the Mississippi River to the United States. Origins The Treaty of Cusseta, ...
, ceding their remaining lands east of the Mississippi to the U.S., and accepting relocation to the Indian Territory. They had already been under pressure from new settlers encroaching on their territory. Most Muscogee-speaking peoples were removed to Indian Territory during the Trail of Tears in 1834, although some remained behind. Some Muscogee in Alabama live near
Poarch Creek Reservation The Poarch Creek Indian Reservation is a Creek Indian reservation in the state of Alabama. It is the home of the Poarch Band of Creek Indians, the only federally recognized Native American tribe in the state. The reservation is located eight mi ...
in Atmore (northeast of Mobile).


Statehood and origin of name

The pace of white settlement in the Southeast increased greatly after the War of 1812 and the Treaty of Fort Jackson and the subsequent availability of land previously settled by Native Americans. A small assortment of log cabins soon arose near the large
Creek A creek in North America and elsewhere, such as Australia, is a stream that is usually smaller than a river. In the British Isles it is a small tidal inlet. Creek may also refer to: People * Creek people, also known as Muscogee, Native Americans ...
village at the fall line of the river, which the new settlers named in honor of the sixteenth-century
Chief Tuskaloosa Tuskaloosa (''Tuskalusa'', ''Tastaluca'', ''Tuskaluza'') (died 1540) was a paramount chief of a Mississippian culture, Mississippian chiefdom in what is now the U.S. state of Alabama. His people were possibly ancestors to the several southern Na ...
of a Muskogean-speaking tribecombining the Choctaw words "tushka" or "tashka" ("warrior") and "lusa" ("black"). In 1817, Alabama became a territory. On December 13, 1819, the territorial legislature incorporated the town of Tuskaloosa,''A Digest of the Laws of the State of Alabama: Containing The Statutes and Resolutions in Force at the end of the General Assembly in January, 1823''. Published by Ginn & Curtis, J. & J. Harper, Printers, New-York, 1828. Title 62. Chapter XXVI. Page 803-805
"An Act to Incorporate the Town of Tukaloosa (sic).—Passed December 13, 1818." (Internet Archive)
/ref> one day before Congress admitted Alabama to the Union as a state. From 1826 to 1846, Tuskaloosa was the
capital Capital may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** List of national capital cities * Capital letter, an upper-case letter Economics and social sciences * Capital (economics), the durable produced goods used f ...
of Alabama. The State House was built at the corner of 6th Street and 28th Avenue (now the site of Capitol Park). In 1831, the University of Alabama was established and the town's population and economy grew rapidly, but the relocation of the capital to Montgomery caused a severe decline. The state legislature established Alabama State Hospital for the Insane (now Bryce Hospital) in Tuskaloosa in the 1850s, which helped restore the city's fortunes.


Civil War

During the Civil War following Alabama's secession from the Union, several thousand men from Tuscaloosa fought in the
Confederate Confederacy or confederate may refer to: States or communities * Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities * Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between ...
armies. During the last weeks of the War, the campus of the university was burned in a battle. The larger town was also damaged in the battle, and its White population suffered economically. Its Black population was emancipated from slavery. In the 1890s the construction of a system of locks and dams on the Black Warrior River by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers improved navigation to such an extent that Tuscaloosa was effectively connected to the Gulf Coast seaport of Mobile. This stimulated the economy and trade, and mining and metallurgical industries were developed in the region. By the onset of the 20th century, the growth of the University of Alabama and the mental health-care facilities in the city, along with a strong national economy, fueled a steady growth in Tuscaloosa which continued unabated for 100 years.


Civil rights movement

In the post World War II era, African Americans increased their activism to regain their constitutional civil rights, and challenged southern segregation in numerous ways. In 1952, Autherine Lucy was admitted to the university as a graduate student, but her admission was rescinded when authorities discovered she was not white. After three years of legal wrangling, Thurgood Marshall and the
NAACP The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is a civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E.&nb ...
got a court order preventing the university from banning Lucy and another student based on race. The following year, Lucy enrolled as a graduate student in Library Science on February 3, 1956, becoming the first African American admitted to a white public school or university in the state. During her first day of class on February 6, students and others rioted on the campus, where a mob of more than a thousand white men pelted the car in which she was taken to her classes. Death threats were made against her and the university president's home was stoned. The riots were the most violent involving a pro-segregation demonstration since the landmark '' Brown v. Board of Education'' Supreme Court decision. After the riots, the university suspended Lucy from school stating her own safety was a concern; it later expelled her on a technicality. She was active in civil rights for a time, but withdrew later that year. After her expulsion was annulled by the university in 1988, Lucy re-enrolled and completed her M.S. in education and graduated together with her daughter in 1992. On June 11, 1963,
George Wallace George Corley Wallace Jr. (August 25, 1919 – September 13, 1998) was an American politician who served as the 45th governor of Alabama for four terms. A member of the Democratic Party, he is best remembered for his staunch segregationist and ...
, governor of Alabama, stood in front of the
Foster Auditorium Foster Auditorium is a multi-purpose facility at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. It was built in 1939 as a Works Progress Administration project and has been used for Alabama basketball, women's sports (in the 1970s and 1980s) ...
entrance at The University of Alabama in what became known as the Stand in the Schoolhouse Door in an attempt to stop desegregation of that institution by the enrollment of two African-American students,
Vivian Malone Vivian Juanita Malone Jones (July 15, 1942 – October 13, 2005) was one of the first two black students to enroll at the University of Alabama in 1963, and in 1965 became the university's first black graduate. She was made famous when George Wal ...
and James Hood. He had created a challenge to federal orders, when confronted by US Deputy Attorney General Nicholas Katzenbach and
federal marshal The United States Marshals Service (USMS) is a federal law enforcement agency in the United States. The USMS is a bureau within the U.S. Department of Justice, operating under the direction of the Attorney General, but serves as the enforcem ...
s sent in by Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, Wallace stepped aside. President John F. Kennedy had supported integration of the University of Alabama as well. On June 9, 1964, in an event that later became known as Bloody Tuesday, a group of peaceful African-American Civil rights marchers were beaten, arrested and tear gassed by police in Tuscaloosa while walking from the First African Baptist Church to the County Courthouse to protest against the segregated restrooms and drinking fountains of this public facility. Thirty-three people were sent to the hospital for treatment of injuries, and 94 were arrested. The events were not witnessed by outside journalists and had little influence outside the local community. A year later, the Bloody Sunday events in Selma of a voting rights march attracted national and international coverage and attention. James Hood dropped out of the University of Alabama after two months. He later returned and, in 1997, received his Ph.D. in interdisciplinary studies. Malone persisted in her studies at the time and became the first African American to graduate from the university. In 2000, the university granted her an honorary doctorate of humane letters. Later in his life, Wallace apologized for his opposition at that time to
racial integration Racial integration, or simply integration, includes desegregation (the process of ending systematic racial segregation). In addition to desegregation, integration includes goals such as leveling barriers to association, creating equal opportunity ...
. In 2010, the university formally honored Lucy, Hood and Malone by renaming the plaza in front of Foster Auditorium as Malone-Hood Plaza and erecting the Autherine Lucy Clock Tower in the plaza.


2011 tornado

On April 27, 2011, Tuscaloosa was hit by a wide
EF4 The Enhanced Fujita scale (abbreviated as EF-Scale) rates tornado intensity based on the severity of the damage they cause. It is used in some countries, including the United States, Canada, China, and Mongolia. The Enhanced Fujita scale repla ...
tornado that resulted in 64 deaths, more than 1500 injuries, and massive devastation. Most of the deaths, 44, were in Tuscaloosa alone, with the rest being in Birmingham and surrounding suburbs. The tornado's top winds were estimated by the US National Weather Service at . Officials at DCH Regional Medical alone reported treating more than 1,000 injured people in the tornado aftermath. Officials reported dozens of unaccompanied minors being admitted for treatment at the hospital, raising questions about the possible loss of their parents. Several were taken to pediatric trauma wards, indicating serious injuries. Referring to the extent and severity of the damage, Mayor
Walter Maddox Walter Thomas Maddox (born December 27, 1972) is an American politician who has served as the 36th mayor of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, since 2005. From 2001 to 2005, he served on the Tuscaloosa City Council and as executive director of personnel for Tu ...
stated that "we have neighborhoods that have been basically removed from the map." The same tornado later went on to cause major damage in the Birmingham area. In all, the cost of damage from the tornado amounted to $2.45 billion, making it, at the time, the costliest tornado in U.S. history, though it would be surpassed less than a month later by the devastating Joplin, Missouri tornado of May 22. The tornado was part of the
2011 Super Outbreak The 2011 Super Outbreak was the largest, costliest, and one of the deadliest tornado outbreaks ever recorded, taking place in the Southern, Midwestern, and Northeastern United States from April 25–28, 2011, leaving catastrophic destruction ...
which affected large parts of the eastern United States and was the largest tornado outbreak ever recorded. In total, 324 people were killed by tornadoes during the outbreak, including 238 in Alabama alone. The tornadoes and other severe weather combined for over $10 billion in damage throughout the affected states, with more than 20% of the damage cost resulting from the tornado that struck Tuscaloosa. In the immediate aftermath of the tornado, thousands of rescue workers dug through the wreckage looking for survivors and recovering bodies. More than 450 persons were originally listed as missing in the post-disaster chaos, leading to fears that the death toll could climb rapidly and skepticism about the relatively low fatality figures in relation to the high number of casualties. Rumors abounded that refrigerated trucks were being brought to store unidentified remains, and that countless bodies were beneath area waters. But the fatality figure did not increase (and was later reduced). Most persons listed as missing were later found to have survived. During this period, '' The Tuscaloosa News'' posted an on-line people finder to aid people to find each other, as well as determine who was still missing. Two days after the storm, US president Barack Obama and Alabama governor Robert Bentley, and their spouses, Michelle Obama and Diane Bentley, respectively, accompanied Mayor Maddox on a tour of the damage and the recovery efforts, along with FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate and several Congressional dignitaries. Remarking about the scale and severity of the damage, Obama said, "I've never seen devastation like this, it's heartbreaking", after touring the damaged areas. Obama pledged the full resources of the federal government toward aiding the recovery efforts. Bentley—himself a Tuscaloosa native—pledged additional national guard troops. Tuscaloosa Mayor
Walt Maddox Walter Thomas Maddox (born December 27, 1972) is an American politician who has served as the 36th mayor of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, since 2005. From 2001 to 2005, he served on the Tuscaloosa City Council and as executive director of personnel for T ...
announced that he was requesting 500 additional National Guard troops and calling for more volunteer aid workers and cadaver teams for the recovery of bodies, in order to prevent the spread of disease.Holland, Taylor (April 29, 2011
"Maddox Updates Residents"
. The Crimson White. Retrieved April 29, 2011
The New York Yankees organization contributed $500,000 to the
American Red Cross The American Red Cross (ARC), also known as the American National Red Cross, is a non-profit humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief, and disaster preparedness education in the United States. It is the desi ...
and
Salvation Army Salvation (from Latin: ''salvatio'', from ''salva'', 'safe, saved') is the state of being saved or protected from harm or a dire situation. In religion and theology, ''salvation'' generally refers to the deliverance of the soul from sin and its c ...
to aid in recovery efforts, and the Atlanta Braves organization donated $100,000. Actor Charlie Sheen visited the city to pay his respects on May 2 and donated supplies for relief efforts, along with several other actors, musicians and athletes. Due to the disaster, on August 6, 2011, the University of Alabama held a delayed graduation ceremony for the class of 2011. It awarded posthumous degrees to six students who died in the tornado. The cable channel ESPN filmed a tribute in memory of the devastation.


Bicentennial

The city of Tuscaloosa celebrated its 200th birthday on December 13, 2019 with city officials holding various dedications and commemorative events throughout the city, including the displaying of a "bicentennial quilt" and a fireworks display following the 44th Annual West Alabama Christmas Parade, which was dedicated to the city's birthday. The University of Alabama gifted two sculptures to the city, one of a 30 foot-tall, 9,500-pound statue of the Roman goddess Minerva—designed by local artist Caleb O'Connor—at Manderson Landing park along the Black Warrior River, and a sculpture known as The Walkway. According to the Tuscaloosa200.com website, the Walkway is a "replica of the route of the Black Warrior River from Demopolis to Tuscaloosa, it traces milestones in our city's existence and survival, but its twists and turns, ebbs and flows have mirrored our city's past." It was created by sculptor and architect Craig R. Wedderspoon.200th Birthday Tuscaloosa200
/ref> A hermetically-sealed time capsule was buried under a large boulder near the boat house near Manderson Landing; the time capsule is intended to capture "What was life like in Tuscaloosa during the year 2019?" and is set to be opened on December 13, 2069, the city's 250th birthday.


Geography

According to the
U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...
, Tuscaloosa has a total area of , of which is land and is water. Most water within the city limits is in
Lake Tuscaloosa Lake Tuscaloosa is a reservoir in west-central Alabama, created by damming North River (Alabama), North River. It was constructed by Thornton Jones to provide water for Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Tuscaloosa residents and for industrial use as well. It wa ...
, which is entirely in the city limits, and the Black Warrior River. Tuscaloosa is located at (33.206540, −87.534607), approximately southwest of Birmingham. It lies on the fall line of the Black Warrior River, approximately upriver from the river's confluence with the Tombigbee River at Demopolis. Because of its location on the boundary between the Appalachian Highland and the Gulf Coastal Plain, the geography of the area around Tuscaloosa is diverse, varying from heavily forested hills to the northeast to a low-lying, marshy plain to the southwest.


Cityscape

Major areas of Tuscaloosa city proper include: *
West Tuscaloosa West Tuscaloosa is a neighborhood located in the western area of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, U.S.A. The area is generally defined as encompassing the portions of the city west of Interstate 359, south of the Black Warrior River and north of the Moody Swam ...
*Central/Midtown Tuscaloosa *Downtown Tuscaloosa * The University of Alabama main campus * Alberta City *North River *Hillcrest


Climate

Typical of the
Deep South The Deep South or the Lower South is a cultural and geographic subregion in the Southern United States. The term was first used to describe the states most dependent on plantations and slavery prior to the American Civil War. Following the war ...
, Tuscaloosa experiences a
humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a zone of climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between latitudes 25° and 40° ...
( Köppen ''Cfa''). The Gulf of Mexico heavily influences the climate by supplying the region with warm, moist air. During the fall, winter, and spring seasons, the interaction of this warm, moist air with cooler, drier air from the North along fronts creates precipitation. These fronts usually move from west to east as they track along the
jet stream Jet streams are fast flowing, narrow, meandering thermal wind, air currents in the Atmosphere of Earth, atmospheres of some planets, including Earth. On Earth, the main jet streams are located near the altitude of the tropopause and are west ...
. Notable exceptions occur during hurricane season, where storms may move from due south to due north or even from east to west during land-falling hurricanes. The interaction between low- and high-pressure air masses is most pronounced during the severe weather seasons in the spring and fall. During the summer, the jet stream flows well to the north of the southeastern U.S., and most precipitation is consequently convectional, i.e., caused by the warm surface heating the air above. Severe thunderstorms can bring damaging winds, large
hail Hail is a form of solid precipitation. It is distinct from ice pellets (American English "sleet"), though the two are often confused. It consists of balls or irregular lumps of ice, each of which is called a hailstone. Ice pellets generally fal ...
, and occasionally tornadoes. An
F4 tornado The Fujita scale (F-Scale; ), or Fujita–Pearson scale (FPP scale), is a scale for rating tornado intensity, based primarily on the damage tornadoes inflict on human-built structures and vegetation. The official Fujita scale category is determ ...
struck Tuscaloosa County in December 2000, killing eleven people. Tuscaloosa was struck by an F2 tornado in January 1997, which resulted in the death of one person. In April 2011, two tornadoes in a span of twelve days hit the city, the first being an EF3 on April 15, and the second and more devastating being an EF4 on
April 27 Events Pre-1600 * 247 – Philip the Arab marks the millennium of Rome with a celebration of the ''ludi saeculares''. * 395 – Emperor Arcadius marries Aelia Eudoxia, daughter of the Frankish general Flavius Bauto. She becomes one of ...
, when more than 50 deaths resulted. The city suffered considerable infrastructure damage. Winter lasts from mid-December to late-February; the daily average temperature in January is . On average, the low temperature falls to the freezing mark or below on 46 days a year, and to or below on 4.4 days. While rain is abundant (January and February are on average the wettest months), measurable snowfall is rare, with most years receiving none and the average seasonal snowfall amounting to . Spring usually lasts from late-February to mid-May, becoming drier as the season progresses. Summers last from mid-May to mid-September, and the July daily average temperature is . There are 71–72 days of + highs annually and 3.5 days of + highs. The latter part of summer tends to be drier. Autumn, which spans from mid-September to early December, tends to be similar to spring in terms of temperature and precipitation. The highest recorded temperature at the Tuscaloosa Regional Airport was on July 29, 1952 and August 10, 2007, while the lowest recorded temperature was on January 21, 1985.


Demographics

As of the census of 2000 there were 77,906 people, 31,381 households, and 16,945 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 34,857 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 54.09% White, 42.73% Black or African American, 0.16% Native American, 1.49%
Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...
, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.63% from other races, and 0.87% from two or more races. 1.40% of the population were Hispanic or
Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...
of any race. There were 31,381 households, out of which 23.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.0% were
married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...
living together, 15.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 46.0% were non-families. 35.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 2.93. In the city, the population was 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 were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 28 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.9 males. The median income for a household in the city was $27,731, and the median income for a family was $41,753. Males had a median income of $31,614 versus $24,507 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,129. About 14.2% of families and 23.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.3% of those under age 18 and 13.4% of those age 65 or over.


2020 census

As of the
2020 United States Census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...
, there were 99,600 people, 36,779 households, and 20,176 families residing in the city.


2010 census

As of the census of 2010 there were 90,468 people, 36,185 households, and 17,592 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 40,842 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 53.8% White, 41.5% Black or African American, 0.2% Native American, 1.8%
Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...
, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 1.5% from other races, and 1.1% from two or more races. 3.0% of the population were Hispanic or
Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...
of any race. There were 36,185 households, out of which 20.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 28.5% were
married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...
living together, 16.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 51.4% were non-families. 35.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.95. In the city, the population was spread out, with 17.4% under the age of 18, 31.9% from 18 to 24, 22.0% from 25 to 44, 19.0% from 45 to 64, and 9.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 25.4 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.6 males. The median income for a household in the city was $31,874, and the median income for a family was $49,588. Males had a median income of $36,231 versus $30,552 for females. The per capita income for the city was $21,042. About 17.0% of families and 29.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 32.5% of those under age 18 and 12.4% of those age 65 or over.


Religion

The city of Tuscaloosa is home to many places of worship in which people from the surrounding area of West Alabama may come to worship; the predominant denomination is Southern Baptist. Holy Spirit Roman Catholic Church is one of three Catholic churches. First Presbyterian Church is the place of worship for many American and German residents in Tuscaloosa. There are also Presbyterian Church in America congregations in the city. First Baptist Church, Calvary Baptist Church, Alberta Baptist Church, Emmanuel Baptist Church, and First African Baptist Church are five of the many Baptist churches in Tuscaloosa. Holy Cross Lutheran Church is a church reflecting on the Evangelical Lutheran community of Tuscaloosa. There is the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Tuscaloosa. The University Church of Christ has both a campus ministry and a prison ministry. St. Gregory the Theologian Eastern Orthodox Church is the only Orthodox church in West Alabama. Its congregation is made up of Russians, Greeks, Romanians, Arabs, Eastern Europeans, and converts to Eastern Christianity. Some of the oldest churches in Tuscaloosa are St. John's Roman Catholic Church (founded c. 1845), Christ Episcopal Church (c. 1828), and First Baptist Church (c. 1818). Tuscaloosa is also home to many non-Christians as well. The Jewish community of Tuscaloosa worships at the Chabad of Tuscaloosa as well as Temple Emanu-El and the Hillel B'nai B'rith Center, both located on the University of Alabama campus. The
Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...
Mandir Temple and Cultural Center is also found in Tuscaloosa. Muslims comprise a small percentage and worship at the Mosque. An
Islamic Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God (or '' Allah'') as it was revealed to Muhammad, the mai ...
center is located near the university campus. There is also a Kingdom Hall of
Jehovah's Witnesses Jehovah's Witnesses is a millenarian restorationist Christian denomination with nontrinitarian beliefs distinct from mainstream Christianity. The group reports a worldwide membership of approximately 8.7 million adherents involved in ...
.


Economy

Although higher education is the bedrock of Tuscaloosa's economy, it has diverse sectors of manufacturing and service. 25% of the labor force in the Tuscaloosa Metropolitan Statistical Area is employed by the federal, state and local governments; 16.7% in manufacturing; 16.4% in retail trade and transportation; 11.6% in finance, information, and private enterprise; 10.3% in mining and construction; and 9.2% in hospitality. Education and healthcare account for 7.2% of the area's workforce, with the remainder employed in other services. The city's industrial and manufacturing base includes BFGoodrich Tire Manufacturing, GAF Materials Corporation,
Hunt Refining Company Hunt Refining Co. was founded by oilman H.L. Hunt as an asphalt Asphalt, also known as bitumen (, ), is a sticky, black, highly viscous liquid or semi-solid form of petroleum. It may be found in natural deposits or may be a refined produ ...
, JVC America, Nucor Steel and Phifer Wire. A significant contributor to the city's economy is the Mercedes-Benz U.S. International assembly plant near Vance in Tuscaloosa County, east of downtown Tuscaloosa, which employs approximately 4,400 (as of 2020). It opened in 1995 and began assembling the R-Class Grand Sport Tourer in 2005. From 2006–2015 it produced the
GL-Class The Mercedes-Benz GLS, formerly Mercedes-Benz GL-Class, is a full-size luxury SUV produced by Mercedes-Benz since 2006. In each of its generations it is a three-row, seven-passenger vehicle positioned above the GLE (formerly Mercedes-Benz M-Class ...
vehicles; and since 1998 and 2015 respectively, has produced the GLS-Class and GLE-CLASS. Plants that supply components to Mercedes-Benz are also in the area. The Westervelt Company, a land resources and wildlife management company, has its headquarters in Tuscaloosa. Originally the Gulf State Paper Corporation, founded in 1927, it sold its pulp and paperboard operations to the
Rock-Tenn Company RockTenn was an American paper and packaging manufacturer based in Norcross, Georgia. In 2015, it merged with MeadWestvaco to form the WestRock company. It was one of North America's leading producers of corrugated and consumer packaging an ...
of Norcross, Georgia in 2005 and was restructured to form Westervelt. Healthcare and education are cornerstones of Tuscaloosa's service sector, which includes the University of Alabama,
DCH Regional Medical Center DCH Regional Medical Center, originally known as Druid City Hospital and generally referred to as DCH, is a public, not-for-profit hospital and medical complex located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama that serves the West Alabama region. DCH is operated by ...
, Bryce Hospital, the William D. Partlow Developmental Center, and the Tuscaloosa VA Medical Center.


Arts and culture


Libraries and museums

The
Tuscaloosa Public Library The Tuscaloosa Public Library is a city/county agency in the city of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Tuscaloosa, serving a population of over 184,035 in Tuscaloosa County in the state of Alabama, United States. The library has 58,037 registered patrons that ...
is a joint city-county agency with nearly 200,000 items and approximately 47,000 registered patrons (28% of the county's population). There are currently three branches: the Main branch, on Jack Warner Parkway; the Weaver-Bolden branch, in western Tuscaloosa; and the Brown branch in suburban Taylorville. The University of Alabama, Stillman College and Shelton State Community College also have libraries open to the public for non-circulation use. Museums in Tuscaloosa are located all over town, but are primarily concentrated in the downtown area or on the campus of UA. Museums that are downtown include CHOM: the Children's Hands-On Museum of Tuscaloosa and the Murphy African-American Museum. The Alabama Museum of Natural History and the
Paul W. Bryant Museum The Paul W. Bryant Museum is located on the campus of the University of Alabama, in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Founded in 1985, the museum was opened in 1988 to "house the history of Alabama football, with special emphasis on the legendary coach" Bear ...
are located on the UA campus. Additional museums and galleries are found across the river in Northport. The Jones Archaeological Museum is located south of Tuscaloosa at the
Moundville Archaeological Park Moundville Archaeological Site, also known as the Moundville Archaeological Park, is a Mississippian culture archaeological site on the Black Warrior River in Hale County, Alabama, Hale County, near the modern city of Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Extensi ...
in Moundville.


Performing arts

Tuscaloosa is home to several performing arts organizations. Though some are affiliated with UA or Shelton State, several are independent organizations, including the Tuscaloosa Community Theater and Shakespeare troupe The Rude Mechanicals. These various organizations cooperate and coordinate their operations through the ''Arts and Humanities Council of Tuscaloosa County''. The Arts Council also operates the Bama Theatre. The
Bama Theatre The Bama Theatre is a historic theatre in Tuscaloosa, Alabama that currently serves as the city's performing arts center. Its modern redevelopment is the result of cooperation between the Arts Council of Tuscaloosa and the Tuscaloosa County Park ...
is a 1,094-seat proscenium theatre located in downtown Tuscaloosa and is operated by The Arts and Humanities Council. The Bama Theatre was built between 1937 and 1938 under the
New Deal The New Deal was a series of programs, public work projects, financial reforms, and regulations enacted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the United States between 1933 and 1939. Major federal programs agencies included the Civilian Cons ...
-era
Public Works Administration The Public Works Administration (PWA), part of the New Deal of 1933, was a large-scale public works construction agency in the United States headed by Secretary of the Interior Harold L. Ickes. It was created by the National Industrial Recove ...
as a
movie palace A movie palace (or picture palace in the United Kingdom) is any of the large, elaborately decorated movie theaters built between the 1910s and the 1940s. The late 1920s saw the peak of the movie palace, with hundreds opening every year between 192 ...
. At the time of its construction in 1938, it was the only air-conditioned building in Tuscaloosa. The theatre was renovated as a performing arts center in 1976 and housed the Tuscaloosa Symphony Orchestra and Theatre Tuscaloosa troupe until those groups moved into their own facilities. Today, the Bama Theatre is the residence of the Tuscaloosa Children's Theatre Company and the Tuscaloosa Community Dancers. Additionally, it hosts the Arts Council's Bama Art House movie series. The Bama Theatre hosts a Jewish Film Festival in the spring, as well as several traveling film festivals. Additionally, the Bama Theatre has recently been serving as a concert venue, hosting recent performances by Joan Baez, Aimee Mann, the Drive-By Truckers, Umphrey's Mcgee, Ryan Adams,
Chuck Leavell Charles Alfred Leavell (born April 28, 1952) is an American musician. A member of the Allman Brothers Band throughout their commercial zenith in the 1970s, he subsequently became a founding member of the band Sea Level. He has served as the pri ...
and many other performing artists. The Frank Moody Music Building on the UA campus holds a 1000-seat Concert Hall and a 140-seat Recital Hall. The Concert Hall features a three-story-tall, 5,000-pipe
Holtkamp The Holtkamp Organ Company of Cleveland, Ohio is one of America's oldest builders of pipe organs. Founded in 1855 by G.F. Votteler, the company was passed on to the Holtkamps in 1931. Under the direction of Walter Holtkamp Sr., the company became ...
organ and frequently hosts concerts and other musical events. The Recital Hall features a Schlicker
organ Organ may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a part of an organism Musical instruments * Organ (music), a family of keyboard musical instruments characterized by sustained tone ** Electronic organ, an electronic keyboard instrument ** Hammond ...
that was crafted in Buffalo, New York. The
Tuscaloosa Symphony Orchestra The Tuscaloosa Symphony Orchestra (TSO) is an orchestra based in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States. It celebrated its twenty-fifth season during 2006–2007. The orchestra performs at the Moody Music Building on the campus of the University of Ala ...
, in its 35th year, is based at the Moody Music Building and is conducted by Adam Flatt. Also on the UA campus, Rowand-Johnson Hall holds the Marian Gallaway Theatre, a 305-seat
proscenium theater A proscenium ( grc-gre, προσκήνιον, ) is the metaphorical vertical plane of space in a theatre, usually surrounded on the top and sides by a physical proscenium arch (whether or not truly "arched") and on the bottom by the stage floor ...
, the Allen Bales 170-seat
thrust theatre In theatre, a thrust stage (also known as a platform stage or open stage) is one that extends into the audience on three sides and is connected to the backstage area by its upstage end. A thrust has the benefit of greater intimacy between performe ...
, and the 600-seat Morgan Auditorium. These facilities primarily host university-sponsored performing arts shows, such as Dance Alabama and the university's theater productions. The Sandra Hall-Ray Fine Arts Centre on the Shelton State campus holds the Bean-Brown Theatre, a 450-seat proscenium theater, and the 100-seat Alabama Power Foundation Recital Hall. Tuscaloosa is also home to the Alabama Choir School. Coleman Coliseum is a 15,383-seat multipurpose arena that serves as the city of Tuscaloosa's municipal civic center. Because the City of Tuscaloosa does not have a civic center, the demand for events grew rapidly and the Coliseum doubled its capacity in the 1970s. In the 1990s, marquee concerts and events that the arena had seen in the previous two decades grew scarce as the facility became more outdated and mostly devoted to Crimson Tide athletic events. In the hope that the university could pull more events at the facility, the Coliseum underwent a significant renovation in 2005, costing over $24 million. The coliseum has hosted a diversity of events including
commencement exercises Graduation is the awarding of a diploma to a student by an educational institution. It may also refer to the ceremony that is associated with it. The date of the graduation ceremony is often called graduation day. The graduation ceremony is al ...
, a visit by President
Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...
, alumni gatherings, student
convocation A convocation (from the Latin ''wikt:convocare, convocare'' meaning "to call/come together", a translation of the Ancient Greek, Greek wikt:ἐκκλησία, ἐκκλησία ''ekklēsia'') is a group of people formally assembled for a speci ...
s, concerts, operas, ballets, appearances by political figures, WCW Saturday Night, etc. Travis Tritt filmed his " Bible Belt" country music video there. Some of the stars who have performed on its stages include The Rolling Stones, Elvis Presley,
Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, pianist and composer. Commonly nicknamed the "Rocket Man" after his 1972 hit single of the same name, John has led a commercially successful career a ...
,
Grateful Dead The Grateful Dead was an American rock music, rock band formed in 1965 in Palo Alto, California. The band is known for its eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, Folk music, folk, country music, country, jazz, bluegrass music, bluegrass, ...
, Tom Petty, Led Zeppelin, Ray Charles,
Jimi Hendrix James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. Although his mainstream career spanned only four years, he is widely regarded as one of the most ...
, Bob Dylan, Alan Jackson,
Reba McEntire Reba Nell McEntire (born March 28, 1955), or simply Reba, is an American country music singer and actress. Dubbed " the Queen of Country", she has sold more than 75 million records worldwide. Since the 1970s, McEntire has placed over 100 single ...
,
Jay Leno James Douglas Muir Leno (; born April 28, 1950) is an American television host, comedian, writer, and actor. After doing stand-up comedy for years, he became the host of NBC's ''The Tonight Show'' from 1992 to 2009. Beginning in September 2009 ...
,
Hank Williams, Jr. Randall Hank Williams (born May 26, 1949), known professionally as Hank Williams Jr. or Bocephus, is an American singer-songwriter and musician. His musical style is often considered a blend of southern rock, blues, and country. He is the son of ...
, Daughtry, and
B.o.B Bobby Ray Simmons Jr. (born November 15, 1988), known professionally as B.o.B, is an American rapper and record producer. Raised in Decatur, Georgia, Simmons was signed to Jim Jonsin's Rebel Rock Entertainment imprint in 2006. Two years later, ...
. In December 2010, construction on the
Tuscaloosa Amphitheater The Tuscaloosa Amphitheater is an outdoor amphitheater in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA that is used primarily for music performances. It has a seating capacity of 7,470. The amphitheater is located on Jack Warner Parkway, just beside the Hugh R. T ...
officially wrapped up with the dedication ceremony taking place days after. The 7,470 capacity Tuscaloosa Amphitheater is blocks away from the downtown district and sits at the end of the Riverwalk on the banks of the Black Warrior River. Since its dedication ceremony in March 2011, a variety of performers have played there including John Legend, The Lumineers,
Flo Rida Tramar Lacel Dillard (born September 16, 1979), better known by his stage name Flo Rida (, ), is an American rapper and singer. His 2007 breakout single " Low" was number one for 10 weeks in the United States and broke the record for digital dow ...
,
Nelly Cornell Iral Haynes Jr. (born November 2, 1974), better known by his stage name Nelly, is an American rapper, singer, actor and entrepreneur. He embarked on his music career with the hip hop group St. Lunatics in 1993 and signed to Universal ...
,
TLC TLC may refer to: Arts and entertainment Television * ''TLC'' (TV series), a 2002 British situational comedy television series that aired on BBC2 * TLC (TV network), formerly the Learning Channel, an American cable TV network ** TLC (Asia), an As ...
, ZZ Top,
ODESZA Odesza (; stylized as ODESZA) is an American electronic music duo originating from Bellingham, Washington. It consists of Harrison Mills and Clayton Knight, known individually as Catacombkid and BeachesBeaches. They formed in 2012, shortly bef ...
,
Mary J. Blige Mary Jane Blige ( ; born January 11, 1971) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Often referred to as the " Queen of Hip-Hop Soul" and " Queen of R&B", Blige has won nine Grammy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, four American Music Award ...
, Kenny Chesney, Widespread Panic,
Steely Dan Steely Dan is an American rock band founded in 1971 in New York by Walter Becker (guitars, bass, backing vocals) and Donald Fagen (keyboards, lead vocals). Initially the band had a stable lineup, but in 1974, Becker and Fagen retired from live ...
,
Jeff Dunham Jeffrey Douglas Dunham (born April 18, 1962) is an American ventriloquist, stand-up comedian and actor who has also appeared on numerous television shows, including ''Late Show with David Letterman'', ''Comedy Central Presents'', ''The Tonigh ...
, Jill Scott, and
Fun Fun is defined by the ''Oxford English Dictionary'' as "Light-hearted pleasure, enjoyment, or amusement; boisterous joviality or merrymaking; entertainment". Etymology and usage The word ''fun'' is associated with sports, entertaining medi ...
. The Amphitheater has also held events such as the Blues and Brews Music Festival and a pro boxing match.


Festivals and events

Prior to each football game is a massive gathering at the UA Quad, where people gather starting on Friday for tailgating and the University of Alabama holds pep rallies on the Gorgas library steps. The Quad has hosted ESPN's '' College Gameday'' several times and also is a place to meet Alabama football legends on game day and perform the "Elephant Stomp" (a pre-game parade) to Bryant–Denny Stadium with the Alabama mascot " Big Al" and the Million Dollar Band. On the first Thursday of each month, the Tuscaloosa art galleries open their doors for "Art and Soul"—highlighting local artists. There is a shuttle service that runs between this event and Northport's "Art Night". The City of Tuscaloosa holds parades annually for holidays such as New Year's Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, St. Patrick's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Veterans Day, and Christmas Day. Holy Spirit Roman Catholic Church also hosts an annual religious procession/parade for Our Lady of Guadalupe on the Virgin of Guadalupe feast day in December, which reflects on both the catholic and Hispanic community. Other annual city festivals worth noting are: *Weindorf Festival – The Weindorf Festival is a cultural German festival in which native Tuscaloosans and German immigrants celebrate Tuscaloosa's bond with Germany through the nearby Mercedes-Benz Automobile Plant and Tuscaloosa's sister City of Schorndorf. The celebration includes German alcoholic beverages, singing, dancing, and other Germanic arts. *
Sakura A cherry blossom, also known as Japanese cherry or sakura, is a flower of many trees of Prunus, genus ''Prunus'' or Prunus subg. Cerasus, ''Prunus'' subg. ''Cerasus''. They are common species in East Asia, including China, Korea and especia ...
Festival – The Sakura festival celebrates the symbolic moment when a cherry blossom petal detaches itself to float earthward, which reminds one of the paradoxically fleeting, yet enduring, nature of life. Every March Tuscaloosa celebrates its ties with Japan and its Sister City of Narashino City. This festival features a Haiku Contest. *Kentuck Festival of Arts – This annual event takes place during the third week in October near the banks of the Black Warrior River in Historic Downtown Northport. This nationally recognized event brings in visitors and artists from all over the United States. As several hundred talented artists bring their creations, several thousand visitors come to pay tribute to their skills. Those crowds come not only for the art, but also for the artistry of the days of old. Several artisans provide live demonstrations of blacksmithing, furniture making, quilting, and potting. There are music acts performing on stages and many varied foods available. *Moundville Native American Festival – This annual festival takes place at the Moundville Archaeological Park. Native American performing artists, craftspeople, and musicians entertain and educate visitors about the rich culture and heritage that makes Southeastern Indians unique. Visitors can look forward to learning about the society and culture that existed there 800 years ago. *Dickens Downtown – An annual Victorian holiday celebration known as Dickens Downtown takes place on the first Tuesday night in December in Downtown Northport. Dickens is a community supported gathering to celebrate the true spirit of Christmas involving Theatre Tuscaloosa performing scenes from "A Christmas Carol", local choirs, the 5th Alabama Regimental Band, a real English Town Crier, father Christmas, and business and neighborhood open houses. As the area comes alive with characters and props straight from 'A Christmas Carol', local shops offer hot cocoa and cookies. *Druid City Arts Festival - Since 2010, the DCAF has been held at Government Plaza downtown in the first week of April every year. The annual open-air festival is free for anyone to attend and hosts vendors from around the state of Alabama and the country that display art, amateur and professional alike, that is available for purchase in tents scattered throughout the plaza. Attendees can travel from tent to tent admiring and buying available pieces, food, and other trinkets from vendors. There's a dedicated Kids Zone where sidewalk chalking takes place, and there's usually free musical performances held under the pavilion in the center of the plaza. The festival celebrated its 10th anniversary on April 5 and 6, 2019; it was also the festival's first two-day event, which is usually held for just one day a year.


Points of interest

Notable points of interest in the city of Tuscaloosa include: * Alabama Museum of Natural History * Alabama Stage and Screen Hall of Fame *
Bama Theatre The Bama Theatre is a historic theatre in Tuscaloosa, Alabama that currently serves as the city's performing arts center. Its modern redevelopment is the result of cooperation between the Arts Council of Tuscaloosa and the Tuscaloosa County Park ...
* Battle-Friedman House * Bryant–Denny Stadium * Bryce Hospital * Christ Episcopal Church *
Denny Chimes Denny Chimes is a tall campanile tower on the south side of The Quad at the University of Alabama, in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The tower was named in honor of George H. Denny, who served as university president from 1912 to 1936 and then again fro ...
* Downtown Tuscaloosa Historic District *
Dr. John R. Drish House The Dr. John R. Drish House, also known simply as the Drish House, is a historic plantation house in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States. It is considered by state preservationists to be one of the most distinctive mixes of the Greek Revival an ...
* Dreamland Bar-B-Que *
Gorgas House Gorgas may refer to: *Gorgas Hospital, a hospital in Panama named after William C. Gorgas * USS ''General W. C. Gorgas'' (ID-1365), a United States Navy troop transport in commission in 1919 * USAT General W. C. Gorgas (1902), a United States Army ...
*
Hugh R. Thomas Bridge The Hugh Rowe Thomas Bridge is a six-lane, girder bridge spanning the Black Warrior River along U.S. Route 43 and Alabama State Route 69, connecting downtown Tuscaloosa and Northport in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama, that opened in 1974. The bridge ...
* Jemison-Van de Graaff Mansion *
Moundville Archaeological Park Moundville Archaeological Site, also known as the Moundville Archaeological Park, is a Mississippian culture archaeological site on the Black Warrior River in Hale County, Alabama, Hale County, near the modern city of Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Extensi ...
*
Ol' Colony Golf Complex Ol' Colony Golf Complex is a municipal public golf course in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The 18-hole course opened in December 2000 on 597 acres that was once a farm plantation for a mental institution named Cain's Colony. Ol' Colony was designed by pro ...
* Paul Bryant Bridge *
Paul W. Bryant Museum The Paul W. Bryant Museum is located on the campus of the University of Alabama, in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Founded in 1985, the museum was opened in 1988 to "house the history of Alabama football, with special emphasis on the legendary coach" Bear ...
*
Queen City Pool and Pool House The Queen City Pool and Pool House, also known as the Queen City Pool, is a historic bathhouse and swimming pool located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States. The bathhouse and pool were added to the National Register of Historic Places on Septe ...
*
Tuscaloosa Amphitheater The Tuscaloosa Amphitheater is an outdoor amphitheater in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA that is used primarily for music performances. It has a seating capacity of 7,470. The amphitheater is located on Jack Warner Parkway, just beside the Hugh R. T ...
*
University of Alabama Arboretum The University of Alabama Arboretum is a 60-acre (243,000 m2) arboretum located near the intersection of Veterans Memorial Parkway and Pelham Loop Road in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The Arboretum's primary emphasis is on Alabama's native flora and fauna ...
* Westervelt Warner Museum of American Art *
Woolsey Finnell Bridge The Woolsey Finnell Bridge is a four-lane, girder bridge spanning the Black Warrior River along U.S. Route 82 (McFarland Boulevard) in Tuscaloosa, Alabama Tuscaloosa ( ) is a city in and the seat of Tuscaloosa County in west-central Alabama, ...


Sports

Tuscaloosa is known for its collegiate athletics—particularly the University of Alabama Crimson Tide football team. The University of Alabama also currently fields championship-caliber teams in baseball, golf,
women's gymnastics Gymnastics is a type of sport that includes physical exercises requiring Balance (ability), balance, Strength training, strength, Flexibility (anatomy), flexibility, agility, coordination, dedication and endurance. The movements involved in gymn ...
, and softball. These teams play in athletics facilities on the university campus, including Bryant–Denny Stadium (capacity of 102,000+), Coleman Coliseum (formerly Memorial Coliseum), Sewell-Thomas Stadium,
Rhoads Stadium The John and Ann Rhoads Softball Stadium (frequently shortened to Rhoads Stadium) is a college softball stadium located on the campus of the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. It serves as the home field of the Alabama Crimson Tide s ...
,
Foster Auditorium Foster Auditorium is a multi-purpose facility at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. It was built in 1939 as a Works Progress Administration project and has been used for Alabama basketball, women's sports (in the 1970s and 1980s) ...
and the
Ol' Colony Golf Complex Ol' Colony Golf Complex is a municipal public golf course in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The 18-hole course opened in December 2000 on 597 acres that was once a farm plantation for a mental institution named Cain's Colony. Ol' Colony was designed by pro ...
. Stillman College fields teams in football, men's and women's basketball, baseball and softball, among other sports, although the school discontinued the football program after completing the 2015 season. In the past decade, Stillman has gone through a series of renovations, including a new football stadium,
Stillman Stadium Stillman Stadium is a stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. It is primarily used for American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two t ...
. Previous professional teams calling Tuscaloosa home included the World Basketball Association's
Druid City Dragons The Druid City Dragons were a World Basketball Association franchise in Tuscaloosa, Alabama that played during the 2006 season. The team was officially announced as Tuscaloosa's first professional basketball game at a press conference on Thursday ...
in 2006, and
Tuscaloosa Warriors The Tuscaloosa Warriors were a professional American football team based in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and were members of the Southern Professional Football League (SPFL). The Warriors were under the ownership of Eddie Brightwell with both Bobby Jack ...
football team in 1963, with both folding after one season. In 2008, Tuscaloosa hosted the USA Olympic Triathlon trials for the Beijing Games. World renowned putter company, T.P. Mills Co. was founded and is located in Tuscaloosa.


Parks and recreation

The Tuscaloosa County Parks and Recreation Authority, known by the acronym PARA, is a county agency that receives a large amount of its funding from the city, and operates several parks and activity centers within the city. PARA is known for its participation in work therapy programs with the local VA. Additional public recreational sites are owned and maintained by the University of Alabama and federal agencies such as Corps of Engineers. The
University of Alabama Arboretum The University of Alabama Arboretum is a 60-acre (243,000 m2) arboretum located near the intersection of Veterans Memorial Parkway and Pelham Loop Road in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The Arboretum's primary emphasis is on Alabama's native flora and fauna ...
is located on of land at the intersection of Veterans Memorial Parkway and Pelham Loop Road, adjacent to the VA Hospital. The arboretum's primary emphasis is on Alabama's native flora and fauna. It includes of walking trails through native piney woods and oak-
hickory Hickory is a common name for trees composing the genus ''Carya'', which includes around 18 species. Five or six species are native to China, Indochina, and India (Assam), as many as twelve are native to the United States, four are found in Mexi ...
climax forest, a wildflower garden containing more than 250 species, ornamental plants, an experimental garden, a
bog A bog or bogland is a wetland that accumulates peat as a deposit of dead plant materials often mosses, typically sphagnum moss. It is one of the four main types of wetlands. Other names for bogs include mire, mosses, quagmire, and muskeg; a ...
garden, an open-air pavilion, and a children's garden. Two
greenhouse A greenhouse (also called a glasshouse, or, if with sufficient heating, a hothouse) is a structure with walls and roof made chiefly of Transparent ceramics, transparent material, such as glass, in which plants requiring regulated climatic condit ...
s contain collections of orchids,
cacti A cactus (, or less commonly, cactus) is a member of the plant family Cactaceae, a family comprising about 127 genera with some 1750 known species of the order Caryophyllales. The word ''cactus'' derives, through Latin, from the Ancient Greek ...
, and tropical plants. Capitol Park, Tuscaloosa at 6th Street and 28th Avenue is home to the ruins of the former state capitol building or
State House State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...
from 1826 to 1845. It was later used by the Alabama Central Female College and burned down in 1923. Other parks in Tuscaloosa include: Veterans Memorial Park, Tuscaloosa River Walk, the Park at Manderson Landing, J. Oviatt Bowers Park, Snow Hinton Park, Monnish Park, Annette N. Shelby Park, Kaulton Park, Palmore Park, and many others.


Government

Tuscaloosa has a strong-mayor variant mayor-council form of government, led by a mayor and a seven-member city council. The mayor and council members are elected concurrently for four-year terms. The mayor is elected by the city at-large while council members are elected to single-member districts. Neither the mayor nor the members of the city council is term-limited. All elected offices are nonpartisan. Elections take place in years following presidential election years, with run-off elections taking place six weeks later if necessary. Terms begin immediately after election. The most recent municipal elections were held in 2021. The mayor is the chief executive and administrative officer of the city. His main duty is to oversee the day-to-day operation of city departments pursuant to executing policy enacted by the city council or, in the absence of any council policy, his own discretion. His other duties include preparing an operating budget each year for approval by the city council and acting as ambassador of the city. The mayor also presides over city council meetings but votes only in case of ties. The current Mayor of Tuscaloosa is
Walter Maddox Walter Thomas Maddox (born December 27, 1972) is an American politician who has served as the 36th mayor of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, since 2005. From 2001 to 2005, he served on the Tuscaloosa City Council and as executive director of personnel for Tu ...
, who was elected to office in September 2005. Prior to Maddox, Alvin A. DuPont had served as mayor for 24 years. Previous Members of City Council: District 1 - Bobby E. Howard (2005), Burrell Odom (2013); District 2 - Harrison Taylor (1993); District 3 - the same; District 4 - Lee Garrison (1997), Matt Calderone (2013); District 5 - the same; District 6 - Bob Lundell (2005); District 7 - William Tinker, III (2005). * William R. Bolling, 1828 * John Owen, 1828 * Wm. R. Smith, 1837 * Robt. S. Inge, 1837 * D. Henry Robinson, 1842 * Robert Blair, 1844–1848, 1859–1861, 1872 * James L. Childress, 1849 * Joseph C. Guild, 1850–1854 * David Woodruff, 1855 * L. S. Skinner, 1856–1858 * Robert Lacey, 1862 * Jesse E. Adams, 1863 * Obediah Berry, 1864–1865, 1873, 1877–1878 * Joseph C. Guild, 1866 * S. B. Smith, 1867 * John S. Garvin, 1867 * Josiah J. Pegues, 1868 * T. F. Samuel, 1869–1871 * John J. Harris, 1874–1876 * William C. Jemison, 1879–1886 * ? * John C. Pearson, circa 1931 * ? * Luther Davis, circa 1937 * ? * J. S. Robertson, circa 1952 * J. Hal McCall, 1953–1956 * George Van Tassel, 1956–1969 * C. Snow Hinton, Jr., 1969–1976 * Ernest W. "Rainy" Collins, 1976–1981 * Alvin P. DuPont, 1981–2005 *
Walter Maddox Walter Thomas Maddox (born December 27, 1972) is an American politician who has served as the 36th mayor of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, since 2005. From 2001 to 2005, he served on the Tuscaloosa City Council and as executive director of personnel for Tu ...
, September 2005–present The city council acts as the legislative body of the city. It is powered by state law to consider policy and enact law and to make appointments to city boards. The council also considers the budget proposed by the mayor for approval. The majority of work in the council is done by committee. These committees usually consist of three council members, one of whom will be chairman, and relevant non-voting city employees. Tuscaloosa, as the largest county seat in western Alabama, serves a hub of state and federal government agencies. In addition to the customary offices associated with the county courthouse, namely two District Court Judges, six Circuit Court Judges, the
District Attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or state attorney is the chief prosecutor and/or chief law enforcement officer representing a U.S. state in a l ...
and the
Public Defender A public defender is a lawyer appointed to represent people who otherwise cannot reasonably afford to hire a lawyer to defend themselves in a trial. Several countries provide people with public defenders, including the UK, Hungary and Singapore, ...
, several Alabama state government agencies have regional offices in Tuscaloosa, such as the Alabama Department of Transportation and the Alabama State Troopers (the state police). Tuscaloosa is in the federal jurisdiction of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama. There is a courthouse in Tuscaloosa simply called the Federal Courthouse. Several federal agencies operate bureaus out of the courthouse. Federally, Tuscaloosa is split between the 4th and 7th Congressional Districts, which are represented by Robert Aderholt ( R) and Terri Sewell ( D), respectively. In addition, Alabama's senior
senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
,
Richard Shelby Richard Craig Shelby (born May 6, 1934) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the senior United States senator from Alabama. First elected to the U.S. Senate in 1986 as a Democrat who later switched to the Republican Party in 1994, h ...
( R), is a resident of Tuscaloosa. On the state level, the city is split among the 5th, 21st, and 24th Senate districts and 62nd, 63rd, and 70th House districts in the Alabama State Legislature. In December 2009, construction on the new federal courthouse of Tuscaloosa began. The $67 million building was the centerpiece of a major downtown urban renewal project. According to information released by the General Services Administration, the building is with parking. It houses the U.S. District Court, U.S. Bankruptcy Court and Social Security Administration office. The Northern District of Alabama has only one facility suitable for holding a major criminal trial in Huntsville. However, Huntsville lacks the facilities for safely moving criminal suspects in and out of the building safely. Tuscaloosa's new federal courthouse will anchor the federal structure for the whole Northern District of Alabama.


Education


Higher education

The University of Alabama is the largest university in the state of Alabama in terms of enrollment. Enrolling approximately 40,000 students on a campus, UA has been a part of Tuscaloosa's identity since it opened its doors in 1831. Stillman College, which opened in 1875, is a
historically black Historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) are institutions of higher education in the United States that were established before the Civil Rights Act of 1964 with the intention of primarily serving the African-American community. ...
liberal arts college A liberal arts college or liberal arts institution of higher education is a college with an emphasis on undergraduate study in liberal arts and sciences. Such colleges aim to impart a broad general knowledge and develop general intellectual capac ...
enrolling approximately 1,200 students on a campus. Additionally, Shelton State Community College, one of the largest community colleges in Alabama, is located in the city. The school enrolls around 4,000 students from all backgrounds and income levels.


Primary and secondary education

The
Tuscaloosa City School System Tuscaloosa City Schools is a public school district headquartered in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States. The district's boundaries include almost all of the city limits of Tuscaloosa. There are approximately 10,000 students enrolled in Tuscaloo ...
serves the city. It is overseen by the Tuscaloosa City Board of Education, which is composed of eight members elected by district and a chairman 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 24 schools: 13 elementary schools (12 zoned and 1 magnet), 6 middle schools (5 zoned and 1 magnet), 3 high schools (
Paul W. Bryant High School Paul W. Bryant High School serves grades 9 through 12 and is located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, forming part of the Tuscaloosa City Schools. The school is named after former Alabama Crimson Tide football head coach Paul William "Bear" Bryant. The ...
, 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. The Tuscaloosa County School System serves the county excluding the city. It is overseen by the Tuscaloosa County Board of Education, which is composed of seven elected members. The Board appoints a Superintendent to lead the school system. The system enrolls approximately 18,000 students which are served utilizing a budget of approximately $180 million. The school system consists of 34 schools—6 high schools, 8 middle schools and 19 elementary schools. It also provides services for special needs students at Sprayberry Education Center. In 2013 the school system hired its first minority superintendent of Hispanic/Latin origin who is also only the second female. Tuscaloosa is also served by several private schools, both secular and religious, including
Tuscaloosa Academy Tuscaloosa Academy (TA) is a private school in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. It serves 452 students and has been described as a segregation academy. History The school opened with grades one through seven in September 1967, the year Alabama public schools ...
, American Christian Academy,
Holy Spirit Catholic School Holy Spirit Catholic High School is a private, Roman Catholic K-12 school in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. It is located within the Roman Catholic Diocese of Birmingham in Alabama. Background The school was dedicated in 1963; predecessor schools date back ...
, North River Christian Academy, the Capitol School, and Tuscaloosa Christian School (in neighboring Cottondale). From 1923 to 2011, the state-run William D. Partlow Developmental Center has served the
intellectually disabled Intellectual disability (ID), also known as general learning disability in the United Kingdom and formerly mental retardation,Rosa's Law, Pub. L. 111-256124 Stat. 2643(2010). is a generalized neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by signific ...
, offering these citizens a public education as well as seeing to their other needs.


Weekend education

Previously the Tuscaloosa Saturday School, a weekend Japanese educational program, provided Japanese language instruction for Japanese citizen children and other children in the area.北米の補習授業校一覧
(). MEXT. January 2, 2003. Retrieved on April 6, 2015. "タスカルーサ TUSCALOOSA SATURDAY SCHOOL (連絡先) Box 870254, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0254, U.S.A. (学校所在地)7 Riverside Circle, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487, U.S.A."


Media

'' The Tuscaloosa News'' is the major daily newspaper serving the city. ''The Tuscaloosa News'' also publishes several websites and ''Tuscaloosa Magazine''. The primary news website is tuscaloosanews.com. Tidesports.com focuses on University of Alabama sports. The Tuscaloosa News' offices are located west of downtown on a bluff overlooking the Black Warrior River. ''The Planet Weekly'' is the largest of the several
alternative weekly newspapers Alternative or alternate may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * Alternative (''Kamen Rider''), a character in the Japanese TV series ''Kamen Rider Ryuki'' * ''The Alternative'' (film), a 1978 Australian television film * ''The Alternative ...
published in the area. Additionally, each of the three colleges in the area are served by student-published periodicals, the largest being '' The Crimson White'', the independent, student-run newspaper of the University of Alabama and one of several UA-affiliated student publications. ''Kids Life Magazine'' is a free publication which focuses on family friendly events in the Tuscaloosa area. Tuscaloosa is part of the Birmingham-Tuscaloosa-Anniston
television market A media market, broadcast market, media region, designated market area (DMA), television market area, or simply market is a region where the population can receive the same (or similar) television and radio station offerings, and may also incl ...
, which is the 40th largest in the nation. All major networks have a presence in the market. WCFT 33 is the
ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...
affiliate, WIAT 42 is the CBS affiliate, WBRC 6 is the
Fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...
affiliate, WVTM 13 is the NBC affiliate, WBIQ 10 is the PBS affiliate, WTTO 21 is the CW affiliate, WABM 68 is the MyNetworkTV affiliate and WVUA-CD 7 is the This TV affiliate. WVUA-CD is the only station that originates its broadcast in Tuscaloosa; it is owned by the University of Alabama and its studios are part of UA's Digital Media Center. Tuscaloosa is the 234th largest radio market in the nation. In January 2007, of the top-ten-rated radio stations, two were urban, three were country, two were contemporary, and one each was gospel, oldies, and talk radio. Tuscaloosa serves as home base to
Alabama Public Radio Alabama Public Radio (APR) is a network of public radio stations based in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States, that serves roughly the western half of the state of Alabama with classical music, folk music, and nostalgic music programs, as well as ...
, the state's largest public-radio network. APR's main studios are housed at the University of Alabama, and the flagship signal, WUAL-FM, originates from a transmitter south of town. WUAL serves Tuscaloosa, portions of the Birmingham metro area and several counties of west-central Alabama. The University of Alabama also houses WVUA-FM, a 24/7 college radio station run completely by students.
Clear Channel Communications iHeartMedia, Inc., formerly CC Media Holdings, Inc., is an American mass media corporation headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It is the holding company of iHeartCommunications, Inc. (formerly Clear Channel Communications, Inc.), a company fou ...
and Townsquare Media both own and operate a cluster of radio stations in Tuscaloosa, that form the majority of the market.
NOAA Weather Radio NOAA Weather Radio NWR; also known as NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards is an automated 24-hour network of VHF FM weather radio stations in the United States (U.S.) that broadcast weather information directly from a nearby National Weather Serv ...
station
KIH60 NOAA Weather Radio NWR; also known as NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards is an automated 24-hour network of VHF FM weather radio stations in the United States (U.S.) that broadcast weather information directly from a nearby National Weather Servi ...
broadcasts weather and hazard information for Tuscaloosa and the surrounding vicinity.


Infrastructure


Health and medicine

DCH Regional Medical Center DCH Regional Medical Center, originally known as Druid City Hospital and generally referred to as DCH, is a public, not-for-profit hospital and medical complex located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama that serves the West Alabama region. DCH is operated by ...
is the main medical facility in Tuscaloosa. Operated by the publicly controlled DCH Healthcare Authority, the 610-bed
hospital A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment with specialized health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. The best-known type of hospital is the general hospital, which typically has an emerge ...
opened in 1916 as the Druid City Infirmary. The
emergency department An emergency department (ED), also known as an accident and emergency department (A&E), emergency room (ER), emergency ward (EW) or casualty department, is a medical treatment facility specializing in emergency medicine, the acute care of pati ...
at DCH operates a trauma center (though it is not verified as one by the
American College of Surgeons The American College of Surgeons is an educational association of surgeons created in 1913.American College of Surgeons Online "What is the American College of Surgeons?"/ref> See also *American College of Physicians The American College o ...
, however) that serves all of west central Alabama and is one of the busiest in the state. The DCH Healthcare authority also operates Northport Medical Center in neighboring Northport. Other major medical centers in Tuscaloosa include the 702-bed
Veterans Affairs Veterans' affairs is an area of public policy concerned with relations between a government and its communities of military veterans. Some jurisdictions have a designated government agency or department, a Department of Veterans' Affairs, Minist ...
Medical Center-Tuscaloosa, the 422-bed Bryce Hospital, Mary S. Harper Geriatric Psychiatry Center, and Taylor Hardin Secure Medical Facility.


Transportation

Tuscaloosa is connected to other parts of the country via air, rail, road and sea. The city lies at the intersection of several highways, including three federal highways ( US 11, US 43, and US 82), three Alabama state highways ( SR 69, SR 215, and SR 216) and two duplexed (conjoined) Interstates (
I-20 Interstate 20 (I‑20) is a major east–west Interstate Highway in the Southern United States. I-20 runs beginning at an interchange with I-10 in Scroggins Draw, Texas, and ending at an interchange with I-95 in Florence, South Carolina. Between ...
/
I-59 Interstate 59 (I-59) is an Interstate Highway located in the southeastern United States. It is a north–south route that spans from a junction with I-10 and I-12 at Slidell, Louisiana, to a junction with I-24 near Wildwood, Georgia. ...
).
Interstate 359 Interstate 359 (I-359) is a part of the Interstate Highway System in the US state of Alabama. It is a spur route that runs for entirely within the city limits of Tuscaloosa. Its terminuses are just south of I-20/I-59 interchange on the so ...
spurs off from I-20/I-59 and heads northward, ending in downtown Tuscaloosa. SR 297 will be the future loop road around Tuscaloosa. Tuscaloosa also contains one toll road on the Black Warrior Parkway (I-20/I-59), charging $1.25 for automobiles, and one toll bridge (Black Warrior Parkway bridge).


Rail

Amtrak provides passenger rail service to Tuscaloosa though the Crescent line, which connects the area to major cities along the east coast from
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...
to New Orleans.
Tuscaloosa station Tuscaloosa station is an Amtrak intercity rail station located at 2105 Greensboro Avenue one mile south of downtown Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Currently served exclusively by the ''Crescent'' to New York or New Orleans, the station was originally operat ...
is situated at 2105 Greensboro Avenue, one mile (1.6 km) south of downtown.
Norfolk Southern Railway The Norfolk Southern Railway is a Class I freight railroad in the United States formed in 1982 with the merger of Norfolk and Western Railway and Southern Railway. With headquarters in Atlanta, the company operates 19,420 route miles (31 ...
and Alabama Southern Railroad provide freight services to the area. KCS previously provided service to the area before leasing its lines to Watco in July 2005.


Bus

Greyhound Bus Lines provides passenger bus service to Tuscaloosa. The
Tuscaloosa Transit Authority The Tuscaloosa Transit Authority, or TTA, is a local, government-owned bus system based in Tuscaloosa, Alabama that commenced operation in 1971. The Tuscaloosa Transit Authority serves the city of Tuscaloosa and also operates the trolleys between t ...
operates the Tuscaloosa Trolley System. The Tuscaloosa Trolley provides local public bus transportation with four fixed routes that operate Monday through Friday from 5:00 am to 6:00 pm. The trolley's paint job is an illusion; it is an El Dorado Transmark RE bus, painted to look like a trolley.


Airport

The
Tuscaloosa Regional Airport Tuscaloosa National Airport is 3.5 miles northwest of Tuscaloosa, in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama. The airport is owned and operated by the City of Tuscaloosa. The FAA's National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2019–2023 categorized the ...
, on the north side of the Black Warrior River west of downtown Northport, is equipped with two lighted runways (6499' and 4001') and provides full facilities for the general aviation which the airport mainly serves. The airport also supports private jetcraft and commercial charter flights, but passengers of regularly scheduled commercial aircraft from Tuscaloosa embark at either the convenient and well equipped Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport, located away on the east side of downtown Birmingham, or the much larger and busier Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport, located away in Atlanta, Georgia. Heliports include the Bryant Culberson Heliport and the Tuscaloosa Police Department Heliport.


Major highways

Tuscaloosa is served by many major highways, including
I-20 Interstate 20 (I‑20) is a major east–west Interstate Highway in the Southern United States. I-20 runs beginning at an interchange with I-10 in Scroggins Draw, Texas, and ending at an interchange with I-95 in Florence, South Carolina. Between ...
,
I-59 Interstate 59 (I-59) is an Interstate Highway located in the southeastern United States. It is a north–south route that spans from a junction with I-10 and I-12 at Slidell, Louisiana, to a junction with I-24 near Wildwood, Georgia. ...
, and
U.S. Route 82 U.S. Route 82 (US 82) is an east–west United States highway in the Southern United States. Created on July 1, 1931 across central Mississippi and southern Arkansas, US 82 eventually became a 1,625-mile (2,615 km) route extending from ...
. I-20/59 run west to east through the southern part of the city, leading northeast 58 mi (93 km) to Birmingham and southwest 96 mi (154 km) to Meridian, MS. US 82 runs northwest to southeast through the city, locally known as McFarland Boulevard, and leads southeast 103 mi (166 km) to Montgomery and northwest 59 mi (95 km) to
Columbus, MS Columbus is a city in and the county seat of Lowndes County, on the eastern border of Mississippi, United States, located primarily east, but also north and northeast of the Tombigbee River, which is also part of the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterwa ...
. Many other state and local highways run through the city as well, in addition to a tolled bypass on the western side of the city connecting those coming from the west on US 82 to I-20/59 without going through the main part of the city.


Port of Tuscaloosa

The Port of Tuscaloosa is a river port located in the City of Tuscaloosa and administered by the Alabama State
Port Authority In Canada and the United States, a port authority (less commonly a port district) is a governmental or quasi-governmental public authority for a special-purpose district usually formed by a legislative body (or bodies) to operate ports and other t ...
. The Black Warrior River is bounded along nearly its entire course by a series of locks and dams. They form a chain of narrow reservoirs, providing aids to navigation and barge handling as well as hydroelectric power and drinking water. The Black Warrior River watershed is a vital river basin entirely contained within Alabama, America's leading state for freshwater biodiversity. Near Tuscaloosa, the river flows out of the rocky
Cumberland Plateau The Cumberland Plateau is the southern part of the Appalachian Plateau in the Appalachian Mountains of the United States. It includes much of eastern Kentucky and Tennessee, and portions of northern Alabama and northwest Georgia. The terms "Alle ...
and enters the sandy East Gulf Coastal Plain. Barge transportation in and out of the Port of Tuscaloosa and other commercial navigation make the Black Warrior a silent giant in the state of Alabama's economy. Though the Port of Tuscaloosa is a small one, it is one of the larger facilities on the Black Warrior River at waterway mile marker 338.5. There are no railway connections at this port as they primarily concentrate on the shipment of dry
bulk commodities Bulk cargo is commodity cargo that is transported unpackaged in large quantities. Description Bulk cargo refers to material in either liquid or granular, particulate form, as a mass of relatively small solids, such as petroleum/ crude oi ...
, including
lignite Lignite, often referred to as brown coal, is a soft, brown, combustible, sedimentary rock formed from naturally compressed peat. It has a carbon content around 25–35%, and is considered the lowest rank of coal due to its relatively low heat ...
, coal and
coal coke Coke is a grey, hard, and porous coal-based fuel with a high carbon content and few impurities, made by heating coal or oil in the absence of air—a destructive distillation process. It is an important industrial product, used mainly in iro ...
. The federal government and the City of Tuscaloosa share the ownership of the Port of Tuscaloosa; the operation of the port is leased out to Powell Sales and has been run by them since 1997. At waterway mile marker 343.2 on the opposite side of the river is a steel company with its own tracks at the rear of the plant connecting with the
Kansas City Southern Railroad The Kansas City Southern Railway Company is an American Class I railroad. Founded in 1887, it operates in 10 midwestern and southeastern U.S. states: Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and ...
for barge shipments of iron and steel products such as
ingots An ingot is a piece of relatively pure material, usually metal, that is cast into a shape suitable for further processing. In steelmaking, it is the first step among semi-finished casting products. Ingots usually require a second procedure of sha ...
, bars, rods, steel slabs, plates and coils. Tuscaloosa Steel Corporation was one of the first U.S. steel companies to implement the Steckel Mill Technology. The Port of Tuscaloosa grew out of the system of locks and dams on the Black Warrior River built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in the 1890s. Its construction opened up an inexpensive transportation link to the Gulf seaport of
Mobile, Alabama Mobile ( , ) is a city and the county seat of Mobile County, Alabama, United States. The population within the city limits was 187,041 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, down from 195,111 at the 2010 United States census, 2010 cens ...
that stimulated the mining and metallurgical industries of the region that are still in operation. The Army Corps of Engineers has maintained a system of locks and dams along the Black Warrior River for over a century to allow navigability all the way up to Birmingham. Barge traffic thus routinely runs through Tuscaloosa to the Alabama State Docks at Mobile, on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. Via the Tenn-Tom Waterway, the city is connected to the
Ohio River The Ohio River is a long river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing southwesterly from western Pennsylvania to its mouth on the Mississippi River at the southern tip of Illino ...
valley and beyond.


Notable people

(B) denotes that the person was born there.


Arts and entertainment

*
Paco Ahlgren Paco Ahlgren (born Frank Richard Ahlgren, III on November 19, 1968) is an American writer, musician, and financial journalist. His novel, ''Discipline'', was published in July 2007 by Greenleaf Book Group; it went on to receive three awards for c ...
, writer *
Hannah Brown Hannah Kelsey Brown (born September 24, 1994) is an American television personality and former beauty pageant titleholder. She starred as the lead in season 15 of ''The Bachelorette''. Brown had previously placed in the top seven in season 23 o ...
, Miss Alabama USA 2018, Bachelor season 23 (2018), Bachelorette season 15 (2019) *
Rick Bragg Rick Bragg (born July 26, 1959) is an American journalist and writer known for non-fiction books, especially those about his family in Alabama. He won a Pulitzer Prize in 1996 recognizing his work at ''The New York Times''. Early life Bragg wa ...
,
Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prize () is an award for achievements in newspaper, magazine, online journalism, literature, and musical composition within the United States. It was established in 1917 by provisions in the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made h ...
-winning author and former reporter for '' The New York Times''; lives in Tuscaloosa *
Willie D. Burton Willie D. Burton is an African American production sound mixer. His career has spanned five decades and has included films such as ''The Shawshank Redemption'', '' Se7en'', and ''Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade''. Burton has been nominated for ...
, born in Tuscaloosa, sound technician in film industry; Oscar winner for '' Dreamgirls'' and '' Bird'' *
Frank Calloway Frank Calloway (July 2, 1915 – September 1, 2014) was an American self-taught artist. Diagnosed with schizophrenia in 1952, he was committed to Bryce Hospital and the Alabama Department of Mental Health in Tuscaloosa. He lived in the Alice M. K ...
, folk artist *
Thad Carhart Thaddeus Edward Carhart (born February 16, 1950) is an American writer. He is the author of bestseller ''The Piano Shop on the Left Bank'', a memoir of his experiences with pianos and his time spent in a Parisian piano atelier. His book ''Across t ...
, author of ''The Piano Shop on the Left Bank'' * Tom Cherones, from Tuscaloosa, University of Alabama alumnus, television producer and director of ''
Seinfeld ''Seinfeld'' ( ) is an American television sitcom created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld. It aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, over nine seasons and List of Seinfeld episodes, 180 episodes. It stars Seinfeld as Jerry Seinfeld ( ...
'', '' NewsRadio'', ''
Desperate Housewives ''Desperate Housewives'' is an American comedy-drama soap opera television series created by Marc Cherry and produced by ABC Studios and Marc Cherry, Cherry Productions. It aired for eight seasons on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from Octobe ...
'' * Chase Coleman, actor, director and musician best known for portraying Billy Winslow in
HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...
series ''
Boardwalk Empire ''Boardwalk Empire'' is an American period crime drama television series created by Terence Winter and broadcast on the premium cable channel HBO. The series is set chiefly in Atlantic City, New Jersey, during the Prohibition era of the 1920s and ...
''; born in Tuscaloosa *
Mary Dees Mary Ella Dees (June 3, 1911 – August 4, 2005) was an American stage and screen actress who once served as a primary stand-in double for actress Jean Harlow. Biography and career Born in Syracuse, New York on June 3, 1911, the daughter of a ...
, grew up in Tuscaloosa, film actress during 1930s including ''The Last Gangster'' and ''The Women'', stand-in for Jean Harlow in ''Saratoga'', appeared in Three Stooges shorts, Marx Brothers comedies and on Broadway * Robert Gibson, one-half of professional wrestling team The Rock 'n' Roll Express *
Frances Nimmo Greene Frances Nimmo Greene (April 5, 1867 – December 9, 1937) was an American educator and author of novels, children's literature, and plays. She was the author of: ''King Arthur and his court'', 1901, stories of chivalry for children; ''With spur ...
, educator and author; born in Tuscaloosa *
Vera Hall Adell Hall Ward, better known as Vera Hall (April 6, 1902 – January 29, 1964) was an American folk singer, born in Livingston, Alabama. Best known for her 1937 song "Trouble So Hard", she was inducted into the Alabama Women's Hall of Fame ...
, born near Livingston, Alabama, lived in and married a man from Tuscaloosa; folk musician *
Charlie Hayward Charles Edward Daniels (October 28, 1936 – July 6, 2020) was an American singer, musician, and songwriter. His music fused rock, country, blues and jazz, pioneering Southern rock. He was best known for his number-one country hit "The De ...
, bass guitarist of
Charlie Daniels Band Charles Edward Daniels (October 28, 1936 – July 6, 2020) was an American singer, musician, and songwriter. His music fused rock music, rock, country music, country, blues and jazz, pioneering Southern rock. He was best known for his numb ...
*
Watt Key Albert Watkins Key, Jr., publishing under the name Watt Key and Albert Key, is an American fiction author who is known for writing young-adult survival fiction. A resident of Alabama, his debut novel ''Alabama Moon'' was published by Farrar, Str ...
, producer and author of books such as '' Alabama Moon''; born in Tuscaloosa *
Chuck Leavell Charles Alfred Leavell (born April 28, 1952) is an American musician. A member of the Allman Brothers Band throughout their commercial zenith in the 1970s, he subsequently became a founding member of the band Sea Level. He has served as the pri ...
, born in Birmingham but raised in Tuscaloosa; keyboardist for The Rolling Stones * William March, writer of psychological fiction, including '' The Bad Seed''; highly decorated US Marine; buried in Evergreen Cemetery in Tuscaloosa * Debra Marshall, professional wrestler and diva with World Wrestling Entertainment *
Madeline Mitchell Madeline Mitchell Gwin (née Mitchell; born May 17, 1989) is an American beauty pageant titleholder from Russellville, Alabama. She won the title of Miss Alabama USA 2011 and competed in the Miss USA 2011 competition, where she finished as the se ...
, current Miss Tuscaloosa and Miss Alabama 2011, 2nd runner-up at the Miss USA pageant * Johnny Shines, blues musician, born in Frazier, Tennessee, died in Tuscaloosa *
Dylan Riley Snyder Dylan Riley Jacob Snyder (born January 24, 1997) is an American actor, filmmaker, and Twitch streamer. Beginning his acting career in community theatre at the age of five, Snyder is known for his acting, singing, and dancing abilities, starring ...
, born in Tuscaloosa; actor, star of Broadway's '' Tarzan'', film '' Life During Wartime'' and TV sitcom ''
Kickin' It ''Kickin' It'' is an American comedy television series created by Jim O'Doherty that aired on Disney XD from June 13, 2011 to March 25, 2015. The series stars Leo Howard, Dylan Riley Snyder, Mateo Arias, Olivia Holt, Alex Christian Jones, and ...
'' * Dinah Washington, born in Tuscaloosa, blues, R&B and jazz singer, member of
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), sometimes simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and othe ...
* Kellie Wells, fiction writer * Christopher Woodrow, movie producer; attended University of Alabama * Tim Samaras (1957-2013) Storm Chaser who chased the Tuscaloosa Tornado * Brandon Scott, actor * Reed Timmer Storm Chaser who chased the Tuscaloosa Tornado


Politics

*
Robert J. Bentley Robert Julian Bentley (born February 3, 1943) is an American former politician and physician who served as the 53rd governor of Alabama from 2011 until 2017 upon his resignation after a sex scandal involving a political aide and subsequent a ...
, dermatologist elected Governor of Alabama in 2010 *
Abdurrahim El-Keib Abdurrahim Abdulhafiz El-Keib, PhD, ( ar, عبد الرحيم عبد الحفيظ الكيب; also transcribed ''Abdel Rahim AlKeeb,'' ''Abdul Raheem Al-Keeb,'' etc.; 2 March 1950 – 21 April 2020) was a Libyan politician, professor of electrica ...
, interim prime minister of Libya (2011–2012); lived in Tuscaloosa while a professor at University of Alabama * Walter Flowers, reared in Tuscaloosa, United States Congressman, served on committee that voted for impeachment of President Richard Nixon *
Lewis McAllister Lewis Leslie "Mack" McAllister, Jr. (born September 25, 1932), is an American politician. He was a Republican member of the Mississippi House of Representatives, representing Lauderdale County, from 1963 to 1968. He was the first Republican in ...
, Tuscaloosa businessman and first Republican to serve in
Mississippi House of Representatives The Mississippi House of Representatives is the lower house of the Mississippi Legislature, the lawmaking body of the U.S. state of Mississippi. According to the state constitution of 1890, it is to comprise no more than 122 members elected fo ...
since Reconstruction, 1962-1968 *
Robert Morrow Robert, Rob, Bob or Bobby Morrow may refer to: * Robert Morrow (VC) (1891–1915), Irish soldier who received the Victoria Cross. * Robert Morrow (Texas politician) (born 1964), American *Rob Morrow (born 1968), American actor and director * Bob M ...
, chairman of Republican Party of
Travis County Travis County is located in south central Texas. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,290,188. It is the fifth-most populous county in Texas. Its county seat is Austin, the capital of Texas. The county was established in 1840 and is na ...
, Texas, considered a conspiracy theorist, born in Tuscaloosa c. 1964 *
Condoleezza Rice Condoleezza Rice ( ; born November 14, 1954) is an American diplomat and political scientist who is the current director of the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. A member of the Republican Party, she previously served as the 66th Uni ...
, lived in Tuscaloosa as a child while her father taught at Stillman College *
Richard C. Shelby Richard Craig Shelby (born May 6, 1934) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the senior United States senator from Alabama. First elected to the U.S. Senate in 1986 as a Democrat who later switched to the Republican Party in 1994, h ...
, U.S. Senator, Chairman of the United States Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs and Chairman of the United States Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies *
Margaret Tutwiler Margaret DeBardeleben Tutwiler (born December 28, 1950) is an American politician who has served multiple different positions within the United States Department of State. Early life and career Tutwiler was born in Birmingham, Alabama, the daugh ...
, former resident of Tuscaloosa, served in three presidential administrations, former Ambassador to Kingdom of Morocco, Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs in State Department *
Lurleen Wallace Lurleen Burns Wallace (born Lurleen Brigham Burns; September 19, 1926 – May 7, 1968) was the List of Governors of Alabama, 46th governor of Alabama for 15 months from January 1967 until her death. She was the first wife of Alabama governor Georg ...
, born in Tuscaloosa, former Governor of Alabama *
Coleman Young Coleman Alexander Young (May 24, 1918 – November 29, 1997) was an American politician who served as mayor of Detroit, Michigan, from 1974 to 1994. Young was the first African-American mayor of Detroit. Young had emerged from the far-left ele ...
, born in Tuscaloosa, served as Mayor of Detroit from 1974 to 1993


Sports

* Tim Anderson, born in Tuscaloosa, Major League Baseball player for Chicago White Sox * Javier Arenas, lives in Tuscaloosa,
NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the major ...
cornerback and return specialist for
Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The Falcons joined th ...
; cousin of Gilbert Arenas * Ollie Brown, born in Tuscaloosa, Major League Baseball player *
Bear Bryant Paul William "Bear" Bryant (September 11, 1913 – January 26, 1983) was an American college football player and coach. He is considered by many to be one of the greatest college football coaches of all time, and best known as the head coach of ...
, lived and died in Tuscaloosa, iconic Alabama coach in
College Football Hall of Fame The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and interactive attraction devoted to college football. The National Football Foundation (NFF) founded the Hall in 1951 to immortalize the players and coaches of college football that were vote ...
* Keydren "Kee-Kee" Clark, born in Tuscaloosa, basketball player who averaged 25.9 points per game during NCAA career at Saint Peter's *
Sylvester Croom Sylvester Croom Jr. (born September 25, 1954) is a retired American football coach. He was the head coach at Mississippi State University from 2004 to 2008, and the first African American head football coach in the Southeastern Conference. His ...
, born in Tuscaloosa, first African-American head football coach in Southeastern Conference *
Bennie Daniels Bennie Daniels Jr. (born June 17, 1932), is an American former professional baseball pitcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates (–) and Washington Senators (–). During his playing days, Daniels stood , wei ...
, Major League Baseball player *
Otis Davis Otis Crandall Davis (born July 12, 1932) is a former American athlete, winner of two gold medals for record-breaking performances in both the 400 m and 4 × 400 m relay at the 1960 Summer Olympics. Davis set a new world record of 44.9 seconds ...
(born 1932), Olympic track and field athlete, gold medals in 400 metre dash and
4 × 400 metres relay The 4 × 400 metres relay or long relay is an athletics track event in which teams consist of four runners who each complete 400 metres or one lap. It is traditionally the final event of a track meet. At top class events, th ...
at
1960 Summer Olympics The 1960 Summer Olympics ( it, Giochi Olimpici estivi del 1960), officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad ( it, Giochi della XVII Olimpiade) and commonly known as Rome 1960 ( it, Roma 1960), were an international multi-sport event held ...
, setting a world record in the former event(B) * Joe Dawson, born in Tuscaloosa, American-Israeli basketball player, 1992 Israeli Basketball Premier League MVP * George Foster, born in Tuscaloosa, Major League Baseball player *
Butch Hobson Clell Lavern "Butch" Hobson Jr. (born August 17, 1951) is an American former professional baseball third baseman and manager. He is the current manager for the Chicago Dogs of the American Association of Professional Baseball. Hobson played in ...
, born in Tuscaloosa, Major League Baseball player and manager * Rusty Jackson, born in Tuscaloosa, punter who played for NFL's Los Angeles Rams and Buffalo Bills * Kirani James, lives in Tuscaloosa and won gold at
London 2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...
in the 400m *
Patton Kizzire Maxie Patton Kizzire (born March 3, 1986) is an American professional golfer, currently playing on the PGA Tour. Amateur career Kizzire was born in Montgomery, Alabama, grew up in Tuscaloosa, and played his collegiate golf at Auburn University. H ...
, pro golfer, raised in Tuscaloosa, attended Tuscaloosa High School and Northridge High School *
Frank Lary Frank Strong Lary (April 10, 1930 – December 13, 2017) was a Major League Baseball pitcher for the Detroit Tigers (–), New York Mets (1964, ), Milwaukee Braves (1964), and Chicago White Sox (1965). He led the American League with 21 win ...
, attended University of Alabama, pitcher and 3-time All-Star in Major League Baseball *
Angel Martino Angelina Myers Martino (born April 25, 1967), now known as Angel Sims, is an American former competition swimmer, three-time Olympic champion, and former world record-holder. Over her career, she won three Olympic gold medals and three bronze ...
, born in Tuscaloosa, Olympic swimmer * Lee Maye, born in Tuscaloosa, Major League baseball player * Nate Miller, born in Tuscaloosa, pro football player *
Billy Neighbors William Wesley Neighbors (February 4, 1940 – April 30, 2012) was an American football guard who played in the American Football League (AFL) from 1962 to 1969. Born in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, he played college football at the University of Alabam ...
, born in Tuscaloosa, football guard for University of Alabama and NFL's Washington Redskins and Boston Patriots; inducted in
College Football Hall of Fame The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and interactive attraction devoted to college football. The National Football Foundation (NFF) founded the Hall in 1951 to immortalize the players and coaches of college football that were vote ...
2003 *
Willie Nixon Willie D. Nixon (October 29, 1916 – December 14, 1979) was an American baseball right fielder in the Negro leagues. __TOC__ Career Nixon played with the Newark Eagles, Birmingham Black Barons, and Jacksonville Red Caps The Jacksonville Red Ca ...
, lived in Tuscaloosa for unspecified period prior to career, Negro League baseball player * Andy Phillips, born in Tuscaloosa, former major league baseball player and Alabama baseball assistant coach * Dicky Pride, born in Tuscaloosa, PGA Tour golfer * Chase Purdy, born in Tuscaloosa, NASCAR driver * Tike Redman, born in Tuscaloosa, MLB player for
Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...
, New York Mets, and Baltimore Orioles * David Robertson, raised in Tuscaloosa, attended Central and Bryant High School and University of Alabama, pitcher for New York Yankees * Mason Rudolph, died in Tuscaloosa, PGA Tour golfer *
Joe Sewell Joseph Wheeler "Joe" Sewell (October 9, 1898 – March 6, 1990) was a Major League Baseball infielder for the Cleveland Indians and New York Yankees. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1977. Sewell holds the record for the lowest ...
, attended University of Alabama, MLB player in
Baseball Hall of Fame The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by private interests. It serves as the central point of the history of baseball in the United States and displays baseball-r ...
* John Stallworth, born in Tuscaloosa, played football for
Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...
, played in six AFC championships and went to four Super Bowls * Frank Thomas, lived and died in Tuscaloosa, University of Alabama head football coach *
D. J. White Dewayne "D. J." White, Jr. (born August 31, 1986) is an American former professional basketball player, who was selected in the first round of the 2008 NBA Draft. Standing at , he played the power forward position. He spent the majority of his c ...
, born in Tuscaloosa, basketball player for
NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...
's Charlotte Bobcats *
Deontay Wilder Deontay Leshun Wilder (; born October 22, 1985) is an American professional boxer. He held the WBC heavyweight title from 2015 to 2020, making 10 successful defenses. By winning the title, Wilder became the first American world heavyweight ch ...
, born in Tuscaloosa, boxer, 2008 Olympic bronze medalist and Former WBC World Heavyweight Champion


Other

*
Frank Duarte Frank or Franks may refer to: People * Frank (given name) * Frank (surname) * Franks (surname) * Franks, a medieval Germanic people * Frank, a term in the Muslim world for all western Europeans, particularly during the Crusades - see Farang Curre ...
, laser physicist, taught at University of Alabama *
Sylvia Hitchcock Sylvia Louise Hitchcock-Carson (January 31, 1946 – August 16, 2015) was an American model and beauty queen who held the title of Miss Alabama United States and Miss United States, and was crowned Miss Universe 1967. Personal life Hitchcock was ...
, Miss Alabama USA 1967, Miss USA 1967 and Miss Universe 1967 * Robert Shelton, Imperial Wizard of United Klans of America *
Shannon Shorr Shannon Shorr (born June 7, 1985, in Birmingham, Alabama) is a professional poker player from Birmingham, Alabama. Shorr was a baseball player at Shades Valley High School. Shorr is notable for his success in poker tournaments, much of which o ...
, professional poker player * James Spann, meteorologist *
Mary Tillotson Mary Tillotson (previously known as Mary Wright, '' fl.'' 1970) is an American broadcast journalist formerly with CNN, for whom she was a White House correspondent and host of ''CNN & Co''. Biography Tillotson grew up in Tuscaloosa, and attend ...
, CNN journalist *
Michael Tuomey Michael Tuomey (September 29, 1805 – March 30, 1857) was the State Geologist of South Carolina from 1844 to 1847, and the first State Geologist of Alabama, appointed in 1848 and serving until his death. His early descriptions and maps of the Bi ...
, first Alabama state geologist *
Robert J. Van de Graaff Robert Jemison Van de Graaff (December 20, 1901 – January 16, 1967) was an American physicist, noted for his design and construction of high-voltage Van de Graaff generators. The bulk of his career was spent in the Massachusetts Institute of T ...
, designer of the Van de Graaff generator *
Taylor Demonbreun Taylor Demonbreun (born October 21, 1994) is an American world traveler and motivational speaker who holds the Guinness World Record for the fastest time to visit every sovereign country in the world. Demonbreun set this record on December 7, 2018 ...
, World Record holder *
Jimmy Wales Jimmy Donal Wales (born August 7, 1966), also known on Wikipedia by the pseudonym Jimbo, is an American-British Internet entrepreneur, webmaster, and former financial trader. He is a co-founder of the online non-profit encyclopedia Wikipedi ...
, Internet entrepreneur and a co-founder and promoter of Wikipedia


Sister cities

The Tuscaloosa Sister Cities Commission was formed in 1986. The city currently has sister city relationships with cities in three countries: * Narashino,
Chiba Chiba may refer to: Places China * (), town in Jianli County, Jingzhou, Hubei Japan * Chiba (city), capital of Chiba Prefecture ** Chiba Station, a train station * Chiba Prefecture, a sub-national jurisdiction in the Greater Tokyo Area on ...
, Japan * Schorndorf, Baden-Württemberg, Germany * SunyaniTechiman, Ghana (Two cities partnered as one sister city)


Gallery

File:Tuscaloosa Regional Airport.jpg,
Tuscaloosa National Airport Tuscaloosa National Airport is 3.5 miles northwest of Tuscaloosa, in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama. The airport is owned and operated by the City of Tuscaloosa. The FAA's National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2019–2023 categorized th ...
File:Riverwalk along the Black Warrior River.jpg, Tuscaloosa River Walk park along the Black Warrior River File:Bryce Hospital by Highsmith 01.jpg, Bryce Hospital File:DHQbuildingttown.jpg, DCH Medical Tower File:McFarland Mall Tuscaloosa, AL (15433273382).jpg, The
abandoned Abandon, abandoned, or abandonment may refer to: Common uses * Abandonment (emotional), a subjective emotional state in which people feel undesired, left behind, insecure, or discarded * Abandonment (legal), a legal term regarding property ** Chi ...
McFarland Mall in 2014 File:AMSouthBankBuildingdowntownttown.png, The old
AmSouth Bank AmSouth Bancorporation was a banking company headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, and operated for its final year in existence as a bank holding company (subsidiary) of Regions Financial Corporation after a merger between the two banks. AmSouth wa ...
building downtown File:Alston building in downtown tu.png, The Alston building downtown File:1oldtuscfedchttown.jpg, The old Tuscaloosa Federal Courthouse building. It now hosts the central office of the Tuscaloosa County Board of Education. File:V mm park.png, Veterans Memorial Park File:Kudzuindowntowntuscaloosaal2.jpg,
Kudzu Kudzu (; also called Japanese arrowroot or Chinese arrowroot) is a group of climbing, coiling, and trailing deciduous perennial vines native to much of East Asia, Southeast Asia, and some Pacific islands, but invasive species, invasive in many ...
downtown File:Tuscaloosasnow.png, Rare
snowfall Snow comprises individual ice crystals that grow while suspended in the atmosphere—usually within clouds—and then fall, accumulating on the ground where they undergo further changes. It consists of frozen crystalline water throughout ...
downtown File:Tuscaloosasnow2.png, Rare snowfall at Government Plaza, downtown. The central gazebo was renamed to Bicentennial Square on December 13, 2018, Tuscaloosa's 199th birthday. File:Tuscaloosa lake.JPG, Northwood Lake in 2007 File:Hughrthomasbridgetuscal.png,
Hugh R. Thomas Bridge The Hugh Rowe Thomas Bridge is a six-lane, girder bridge spanning the Black Warrior River along U.S. Route 43 and Alabama State Route 69, connecting downtown Tuscaloosa and Northport in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama, that opened in 1974. The bridge ...
File:359 North @ Mile Post 0 in Tuscaloosa.jpg, Mile marker 0 of Interstate 359 in 2003 File:Tuscalstrip115.jpg, A view of "The Strip" during the 2005 football season. The Strip is adjacent to the University of Alabama main campus and Bryant-Denny Stadium.


See also

*
National Register of Historic Places listings in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama __NOTOC__ This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama. This is intended to be a complete list of the properties and districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Tuscaloosa County ...
* Properties on the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama


References


Bibliography


External links


Official City Homepage

Chamber of Commerce of West Alabama
{{Authority control 1819 establishments in Alabama Cities in Alabama Cities in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama County seats in Alabama Alabama People from Tuscaloosa, Alabama Populated places established in 1819 Tuscaloosa, Alabama metropolitan area University of Alabama