Birmingham-Hoover-Cullman Combined Statistical Area

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The Birmingham-Hoover-Cullman Combined Statistical Area sometimes known as Greater Birmingham, is made up of 8 counties in Central Alabama. According to the 2000 U.S. Census, officially designated as the Birmingham-Hoover-Cullman, AL CSA, it has a population of 1,129,721 inhabitants. The 2005 Census estimate puts the Birmingham-Hoover-Cullman CSA at 1,170,014. The statistical area consists of the Birmingham-Hoover metropolitan statistical area and the Cullman micropolitan area. It is the 48th largest population sub-region in the United States, and the largest population region in Alabama constituting roughly 1/4th of the state's population. Nearby counties Tuscaloosa, Etowah, Talladega, and Calhoun, though not officially a part of Greater Birmingham, contribute significantly to the region's economy.

Contents 1 Counties 2 Cities 2.1 Primary Cities 2.2 Suburbs with more than 10,000 inhabitants 2.3 Suburbs with fewer than 10,000 inhabitants 3 Commerce 3.1 Major employers in the Greater Birmingham area 4 Transportation 4.1 Mass Transit 5 Shopping 5.1 Major shopping centers 5.2 Other shopping areas 6 External links

[edit] Counties

• Bibb
• Blount
• Chilton
• Cullman
• Jefferson
• St. Clair
• Shelby
• Walker

[edit] Cities

[edit] Primary Cities

• Birmingham
• Hoover
• Cullman

[edit] Suburbs with more than 10,000 inhabitants

• Alabaster
• Bessemer
• Center Point
• Fairfield
• Forestdale
• Gardendale
• Homewood
• Helena
• Hueytown
• Jasper
• Leeds
• Moody
• Mountain Brook
• Pelham
• Pell City
• Trussville
• Vestavia Hills

[edit] Suburbs with fewer than 10,000 inhabitants

Allgood Altoona Arab Adamsville Argo Ashville Baileyton Blountsville Branchville Brent Brighton Brookside Cahaba Heights Carbon Hill Dora Eldridge Cardiff Calera Centreville Chalkville Chelsea Childersburg Clanton Clay

Cleveland Colony Concord Cordova County Line Columbiana Dodge City Edgewater Fairview Fultondale Garden City Good Hope Grantville Grayson Valley Graysville Hanceville Harpersville Hayden Highland Lake Holly Pond Indian Springs Village Inglenook Irondale Jemison Kimberly

Kansas Lake Purdy Lipscomb Locust Fork Maplesville Margaret Maytown McDonald Chapel Meadowbrook Midfield Minor Montevallo Morris Mount Olive Nauvoo Nectar North Bibb North Johns Oakman Odenville Oneonta Parrish Pinson Pleasant Grove Ragland

Riverside Rock Creek Rosa Sipsey Smoke Rise Snead South Vinemont Springville Steele Sumiton Susan Moore Sylvan Springs Tarrant Thorsby Trafford Vance Vincent Warrior West Blocton West Jefferson Westover West Point Wilsonville Wilton

[edit] Commerce

The economy of Greater Birmingham is the most diversified of any metropolitan area in Alabama. Many of the region's major employers are located in Birmingham and Jefferson County. The economy of Birmingham ranges from service industries such as banking and finance to health-related technological research and heavy industry. The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) is Alabama's largest employer as well as the area's largest, with some 20,000 employees. The area is world headquarters for Saks Incorporated, parent company of Saks Fifth Avenue.

[edit] Major employers in the Greater Birmingham area

• Accenture
• Alabama Power
• AmSouth Bancorporation (now part of Regions Financial Corporation)
• BellSouth
• Bruno's Supermarkets
• Compass Bancshares
• Drummond Company
• EBSCO Industries
• Energen
• HealthSouth
• Liberty National Life Insurance Co. (now owned by Torchmark)
• McWane Corporation
• Regions Financial Corporation
• Royal Cup Coffee, Inc.
• Saks Incorporated (parent company of Saks Fifth Avenue)
• Southern Research Institute
• Sloss Industries
• University of Alabama at Birmingham
• Vulcan Materials Company
• Wachovia (formerly SouthTrust)

[edit] Transportation

According to a recent study, Greater Birmingham has more roadways than most other US metropolitan areas. It is located at the convergence of four interstate highways: Interstate 20, Interstate 59, Interstate 65, and Interstate 459, which creates a southern belt around Birmingham. Two U.S. highways run through the area: U.S. Highway 31 and U.S. Highway 280, which converges into the Elton B. Stephens Expressway (Red Mountain Expressway). Interstate 22, also known as Corridor X, is currently under construction and set to be complete by 2010 with many portions opening to traffic prior to full completion. There are also plans on board to complete the beltway around Birmingham, the Northern Beltline, which as be set to complete by 2025. The Birmingham International Airport is the primary airport for the region's air travellers.

[edit] Mass Transit

Birmingham is served by the Birmingham-Jefferson County Transit Authority through the Metro Area Express (MAX) bus system. However, BJCTA has been direly underfunded partly because Alabama's constitution limits the ability of local governments to tax citizens.

Birmingham's mass transit system, such as it is, exemplifies the reluctance of the citizens of Alabama to support an areawide public mass transit system. A 1956 amendment to the state's constitution requires that all gas taxes be used for highway construction rather than public transit. As a result, the sprawling city, which once boasted the second-largest streetcar system in the United States, now ranks among the leading cities for automobile use (and routinely fails to meet air quality standards set by the Environmental Protection Agency.)

The US Congress, with the urging of Senator Richard C. Shelby granted $87 million to help fund a regional multi-faceted mass transit system. The county and state have let many deadlines for 20% matching funds pass, and little visible progress is being made toward adequate transit services.

[edit] Shopping

Greater Birmingham is home to the largest and most affluent shopping centers and malls in Alabama. Many of the retailers have their exclusive Alabama location in the area. Birmingham is the only city in Alabama that currently has 2 Macy's stores and no Dillard's stores.

[edit] Major shopping centers

• Riverchase Galleria is the largest mixed use project in the Southeastern United States, and also Alabama's and Greater Birmingham's largest shopping center. Riverchase Galleria, locally called "The Galleria", has the world's longest skylight with 200 specialty shops and restaurants with major anchors include JCPenney, Parisian, Belk, Macy's, and Sears. The Galleria is located in Hoover.
• The Summit is the world's first lifestyle center. The open-air shopping center started a concept that has made owner Bayer Properties world-renowned. It is home to Alabama's only Saks Fifth Avenue, the only one between Atlanta and New Orleans. Other anchors include Parisian [soon to be Belk in 2007], Old Navy, and a 16-screen movie theater.
• Colonial Brookwood Village originally called Brookwood Village this 2-level mall was one of the first shopping centers built outside of the Birmingham proper. This shopping center has recently been renovated so that it would have a main-street appeal to its facade. Its anchors include Parisian [soon to be Belk in 2007] and Macy's and some 70+ shops and restaurants.
• Patton Creek is a 600,000 square foot (56,000 m²) open-air shopping center home to many of the area's only locations such as Dick's Sporting Goods and DSW and includes a 15-screen Rave movie theater. It is located in Hoover behind the Riverchase Galleria.

[edit] Other shopping areas

AmSouth-Harbert Promenade is home to the Parisian flagship store and few other shops and restaurants. Located at the foot of the AmSouth-Harbert Plaza office building in Downtown Birmingham.

• Century Plaza is a 2-level shopping center home to 100 stores and restaurants located in the Eastwood area of Birmingham with Sears being the only anchor store for the mall.
• Western Hills Mall is a single-level shopping center anchored by a Wal-Mart Supercenter located in Fairfield. There is also a free-standing Sears nearby.
• Watermark Place is home to 30 distinctive outlet stores with stores like Tommy Hilfiger Out to Westpoint Stevens Outlet. It is located in Bessemer near The Alabama Adventure Theme Park.
• Pinnacle at Tutwiler Farms
• Colonial Promenade Alabaster Phase II is under construction

[edit] External links

• Region 2020, a co-operative that involves many of the counties in Greater Birmingham

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