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99-701: Inspired by an educational webinar on bike-sharing programs worldwide, members of the Montevallo city council engaged students within the university's environmental studies program to research the feasibility of such a program within Montevallo. The early development of the bike-share program had the goal of distinguishing itself from both existing campus bike-share programs, which were solely geared towards university populations, and large-scale corporate programs that required members to possess credit cards and accept usage fees based on specific time increments for every bicycle rental. The program's emphasis on differentiation

198-407: A Wall Street crash in 1873. However, it began to develop shortly afterward at an explosive rate. In 1911, the town of Elyton, Alabama, and several other surrounding towns were absorbed into Birmingham. The start of the 20th century brought the substantial growth that gave Birmingham the nickname "The Magic City", as the downtown area developed from a low-rise commercial and residential district into

297-680: A 5% market share of deposits in Birmingham are Regions Financial Corporation , PNC Financial Services , Servisfirst Bank, and Wells Fargo . Nearly a dozen smaller banks have been headquartered in the Magic City, such as Superior Bancorp and Cadence Bank . As of 2009, the finance & banking sector in Birmingham employed 1,870 financial managers, 1,530 loan officers, 680 securities commodities and financial services sales agents, 380 financial analysts, 310 financial examiners, 220 credit analysts, and 130 loan counselors. In 2012, Birmingham

396-512: A brief rebuttal to the others. At the end of the debate, the audience votes and the lucky winner claims the Oar and climbs aboard, waving goodbye to the others. Often, a seventh participant, the Devil's Advocate, appears and tries to convince the audience that the entire panel is unworthy and that all should be left behind to drown. In the following year, the defending champion faces five new challengers in

495-404: A busy grid of neoclassical mid-rise and high-rise buildings and busy streetcar lines. Between 1902 and 1912 four large office buildings were constructed at the intersection of 20th Street, the central north–south spine of the city, and 1st Avenue North, which connected the warehouses and industrial facilities stretching along the east–west railroad corridor. This impressive group of early skyscrapers

594-607: A competition between the four classes, the Class of 1919 said that "now that our school is becoming a college, we have begun to take up college stunts." The main event of College Night is the performance of musical theater productions by each side. The shows are composed, directed, produced, and performed by student participants. The competition also currently involves four athletic events: men's and women's basketball , women's volleyball , and men's ultimate Frisbee . In honor of A.G.T.I.'s 25th anniversary in 1921, College Night became

693-464: A competition between two sides, Purple and Gold, instead of a competition between the classes. In 2000, College Night was declared a "Local Legacy" by the Library of Congress , with an exhibit containing audio recordings of Purple and Gold side songs, photographs, College Night programs, and other artifacts. Traditionally, Crook Week was a week in late October when the senior class women would hide

792-409: A daily mean temperature of 43.8 °F (6.6 °C). There are an average of 47 days annually with a low at or below freezing, and 1.4 days where the high does not surpass freezing. July has a daily mean temperature of 81.1 °F (27.3 °C). Highs reach or exceed 90 °F (32 °C) on 65 days per year and 100 °F (38 °C) on 2. Precipitation is relatively well-distributed throughout

891-583: A dedicated telescope for solar viewing, and is one of very few observatories in the country that is designed specifically to be completely accessible to people of all disabilities. Besides its observing capabilities, the JWSO will be a green facility , employing self-composting toilets, filtered rainwater and solar-generated electricity. The facility is currently used by UM classes, the Montevallo Astronomical Society, AMSTI partners and

990-513: A focus on mining, the iron and steel industry , and railroading . Birmingham was named after Birmingham in Warwickshire , England , one of the UK 's major industrial cities. Most of the original settlers who founded Birmingham were of English ancestry . The city may have been planned as a place where cheap, non-unionized, and often African-American labor from rural Alabama could be employed in

1089-412: A key role in the economy. Steel products manufacturers American Cast Iron Pipe Company (ACIPCO) and McWane are based in the city. Several of the nation's largest steelmakers, including CMC Steel , U.S. Steel , and Nucor , also have a major presence in Birmingham. In recent years, local steel companies have announced about $ 100 million worth of investment in expansions and new plants in and around

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1188-478: A major component of the railroading industry, where rails and railroad cars were both manufactured in Birmingham. In the field of railroading, the two primary hubs of railroading in the Deep South were nearby Atlanta and Birmingham, beginning in the 1860s and continuing through to the present day. The economy diversified during the later half of the twentieth century. Though the manufacturing industry maintains

1287-424: A major medical and research center. In 1971, Birmingham celebrated its centennial with a round of public-works improvements, including an upgrade of Vulcan Park and the construction of a major downtown convention center containing a 2,500-seat symphony hall, theater, 19,000-seat arena, and exhibition halls. Birmingham's banking institutions enjoyed considerable growth as well and new skyscrapers started to appear in

1386-478: A major nexus in Birmingham, supported by a skyscraper downtown as well as several large operational center buildings and a data center. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama , Protective Life , ProAssurance , and Liberty National are headquartered in Birmingham. University of Montevallo The University of Montevallo is a public university in Montevallo, Alabama . Founded on October 12, 1896,

1485-510: A massive assault on the Jim Crow system . In April and May daily sit-ins and mass marches organized and led by movement leader James Bevel were met with police repression, tear gas , attack dogs, fire hoses, and arrests. More than 3,000 people were arrested during these protests, almost all of them high-school age children. These protests were ultimately successful, leading not only to desegregation of public accommodations in Birmingham but also

1584-478: A new debate. To date, no one has successfully defended the Oar. The first event was held in 1998 before an audience of roughly 200 people. Michael Sterner of the Mathematics Department carried the day with an impassioned defense of his discipline, touting both its usefulness and beauty and promising that, if he were to be saved, there would be "no more word problems ever." In the subsequent years

1683-602: A number of hands-on performance tests, and are given the opportunity to test their knowledge on ValloCycle bicycles of their own choice. Incorporated into the curriculum of every workshop are various recreational excursions that also serve to highlight community "green" spaces, such as the Montevallo Parks Trail, the UM Organic Community Garden, and historic Davis Falls. Since students are rewarded with honorary ValloCycle memberships upon

1782-524: A professor in the Department of English, successfully argued that all the panelists should be drowned because they were merely trying to be funny, not to educate or to defend the importance of their respective disciplines. Following the broadcast, several colleges and universities in the United States and abroad began hosting Life Raft Debates of their own. The James Wylie Shepherd Observatory at

1881-718: A secondary severe weather season. Birmingham is located in the heart of a Tornado Alley known as the Dixie Alley due to the high frequency of tornadoes in Central Alabama. The greater Birmingham area has been hit by two F5 tornadoes; one in Birmingham's northern suburbs in 1977 , and second in the western suburbs in 1998 . The area was hit by an EF4 tornado which was part of a larger outbreak in April 2011 . In late summer and fall months, Birmingham experiences occasional tropical storms and hurricanes due to its proximity to

1980-470: A smaller ridge, flanks the city to the north and divides Jones Valley from much more rugged land to the north. The Louisville and Nashville Railroad (now CSX Transportation ) enters the valley through Boyles Gap, a prominent gap in the long low ridge. Ruffner Mountain , located due east of the heart of the city, is home to Ruffner Mountain Nature Center, one of the largest urban nature reserves in

2079-645: A sound introduction to the underlying principles of biology. Formed through a collaborative partnership between the City of Montevallo and the University of Montevallo, the ValloCycle Bike-Share Program exists as a citywide initiative to enhance overall community walkability and individual citizen engagement with a lifestyle of sustainable, alternative transportation. The ValloCycle Bike-Share Program's primary means of achieving these goals

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2178-615: A string of racially motivated bombings that earned Birmingham the derisive nickname "Bombingham". A watershed in the civil rights movement occurred in 1963 when Shuttlesworth requested that Martin Luther King Jr. , and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), which Shuttlesworth had co-founded, come to Birmingham, where King had once been a pastor, to help end segregation. Together they launched "Project C" (for "Confrontation"),

2277-500: A strong presence in Birmingham, other businesses and industries such as banking , telecommunications , transportation, electrical power transmission, medical care, college education , and insurance have risen in stature. Mining in the Birmingham area is no longer a major industry with the exception of coal mining. Birmingham ranks as one of the most important business centers in the Southeastern United States and

2376-409: A variety of area K-12 classes and other local groups. There are also regularly-scheduled public viewing nights that are free of charge. Upon completion, the observing complex will house an outdoor planetarium/amphitheater, a docent's cabin, walking trails, a digital indoor planetarium, a visiting scholar's dormitory, educational exhibits and a visitors' center in which groups can see images generated by

2475-532: Is a federally funded commuter incentive program developed and coordinated by the Birmingham Regional Planning Commission to alleviate air quality pollution and commuter traffic congestion, issues which are inextricably connected within this region. Birmingham, Alabama Birmingham ( / ˈ b ɜːr m ɪ ŋ h æ m / BUR -ming-ham ) is a city in the north central region of Alabama , United States. Birmingham

2574-559: Is also a Unitarian Universalist church in the Birmingham area. The main campus of the Church of the Highlands is located in Birmingham. The church operates schools and churches across Alabama. From Birmingham's early days onward, the steel industry has always played a crucial role in the local economy. Though the steel industry no longer has the same prominence it once held in Birmingham, steel production and processing continue to play

2673-585: Is also one of the largest banking centers in the US. In addition, the Birmingham area serves as headquarters to two Fortune 500 companies: Regions Financial and Vulcan Materials Company , along with multiple other Fortune 1000 companies. In higher education , Birmingham has been the location of the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine (formerly the Medical College of Alabama) and

2772-478: Is asked to imagine that there has been a nuclear war and that they, as the survivors, are setting sail to rebuild society from the ground up. There are a group of professors vying to win the coveted Oar and get on the raft, and only one seat is left. Each professor has to argue that his or her discipline is the one indispensable area of study that the new civilization will need to flourish. Each professor gets to give an introductory account of his or her discipline then

2871-548: Is currently hosted twice throughout the year, and serves to raise student and community awareness about the wealth of outdoor recreational opportunities within the community. In addition to its own primary partnership with the organization, the ValloCycle Board is responsible for instituting an official connection between the City of Montevallo and the CommuteSmart Program. The CommuteSmart Program

2970-580: Is home to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Birmingham , covering 39 counties and comprising 75 parishes and missions as well as seven Catholic high schools and nineteen elementary schools; there are also two Eastern Catholic parishes in the Birmingham area. The Catholic television network EWTN is headquartered in metropolitan Birmingham. There are three Eastern Orthodox Churches in the Metro Area as well, Greek, Russian and American. There

3069-524: Is in the geographic center of Alabama in an area rich with Civil War history. Many of the buildings on campus predate the founding of the college, including King House (reserved for special guests of the campus) and Reynolds Hall (used by the Theater Department and alumni relations). King House was reportedly the first home in Alabama to receive pane glass windows. With nearly 3,000 students,

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3168-431: Is now the area's largest employer and the second largest in Alabama with a workforce of about 18,750 as of 2011. Health care services providers HealthSouth , Surgical Care Affiliates and Diagnostic Health Corporation are headquartered in the city. Caremark Rx was also founded in the city. Birmingham is a leading banking center and is the location of the headquarters of Regions Financial Corporation . Banks with over

3267-414: Is the county seat of Jefferson County , Alabama's most populous county. As of the 2023 census estimates, Birmingham had a population of 196,910 down 2% from the 2020 census , making it Alabama's second-most populous city after Huntsville . The broader Birmingham metropolitan area had a 2020 population of 1,115,289, and is the largest metropolitan area in Alabama as well as the 47th-most populous in

3366-477: Is the only place worldwide where significant amounts of all three minerals can be found in close proximity. From the start the new city was planned as a great center of industry. The founders, organized as the Elyton Land Company, borrowed the name of Birmingham, one of England's main industrial cities, to advertise that point. The growth of the planned city was impeded by an outbreak of cholera and

3465-453: Is through its day-to-day operation of the ValloCycle Bike-Share Program , the first county-wide bicycle sharing program in the state of Alabama to offer low-cost bicycle rentals to all the members of its community. Unlike other nearby campus bike-share programs, ValloCycle bicycle rentals are not limited solely to university students and are also not confined to one location. Rather, bicycle rentals are offered to all residents of Montevallo and

3564-509: The 2010 U.S. census : In the 2000 census , there were 242,820 people, 98,782 households, and 59,269 families living in Birmingham. The population density was 1,619.7 inhabitants per square mile (625.4/km ). There were 111,927 housing units at an average density of 746.6 per square mile (288.3/km ). The racial makeup of the city was 62.46% Black , 35.07% White , 0.17% Native American , 0.80% Asian , 0.04% Pacific Islander , 0.62% from other races , and 0.83% from two or more races . 1.55% of

3663-635: The Appalachian foothills – see Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians ) running from north-east to south-west. The valley is drained by small creeks (Village Creek, Valley Creek) which flow into the Black Warrior River . The valley was bisected by the principal railroad corridor, along which most of the early manufacturing operations began. Red Mountain lies immediately south of downtown. Many of Birmingham's television and radio broadcast towers are lined up along this prominent ridge. The "Over

3762-585: The COVID-19 pandemic . After the 2020 census, Birmingham lost its long-standing status as Alabama's largest city, with Huntsville overtaking Birmingham in total population, though Birmingham remains the state's largest metropolitan area. Birmingham hosted the 2022 World Games in July 2022. In September 2024 a mass shooting occurred in Birmingham, killing four people. Birmingham occupies Jones Valley, flanked by long parallel mountain ridges (the tailing ends of

3861-735: The Civil Rights Act of 1964 . While imprisoned for having taken part in a nonviolent protest, Dr. King wrote the now famous April 16 Letter from Birmingham Jail , a defining treatise in his cause against segregation. Birmingham is also known for the September 15 incident, in which four black girls were killed by a bomb planted at the 16th Street Baptist Church . The event would inspire the African-American poet Dudley Randall 's opus, " The Ballad of Birmingham ", as well as jazz musician John Coltrane 's song "Alabama". In 1998

3960-502: The Professional Disc Golf Association , built a full size, 18 hole, disc golf course on the grounds of the campus. At the time of its construction it was one of the few courses located on the campus of a public university in the region. Despite the fact that it is on university grounds and maintained by school staff. it is open to the public and has provided a source of cooperation and connection between

4059-530: The Shelby County School System to form their own school systems. Some argue that the region suffers from having so many suburbs because companies can receive large incentives to move a short distance to another city, with no net gain in the area's economy. Birmingham suburbs (in order of population, 2020 US census): Birmingham has a humid subtropical climate , characterized by hot summers, mild winters, and abundant rainfall. January has

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4158-429: The University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Dentistry since 1947. In 1969 the University of Alabama at Birmingham was established, one of three main campuses of the University of Alabama System . Birmingham is also home to two private institutions: Samford University and Miles College . Birmingham was also home to Birmingham-Southern College , before its closure in 2024. Between these colleges and universities,

4257-537: The University of Montevallo 's Service Learning Department, the ValloCycle Board challenged the students of the Spring 2012 "Public Sculpture" course to design, fabricate, and install unique interpretations of bicycle parking facilities. In conjunction with the University of Montevallo 's Service Learning Department, the ValloCycle Board worked closely with the UM Kinesiology Department to center

4356-453: The "crook"—a staff shaped roughly like a shepherd 's crook —and give obscure clues for the underclass women who were to find it. At the end of Crook Week was Senior March. When the chimes struck thirteen, if the underclass women did not find the crook, the seniors march on them, getting them out of their rooms and onto Main Quad where they would have a shaving cream and water balloon battle. If

4455-603: The 1930s hit Birmingham especially hard as sources of capital that were fueling the city's growth rapidly dried up at the same time that farm laborers, driven off the land, made their way to the city in search of work. New Deal programs put many city residents to work in WPA and CCC programs, making important contributions to the city's infrastructure and artistic legacy, including such key improvements as Vulcan's tower and Oak Mountain State Park . The wartime demand for steel and

4554-623: The Alabama Girls' Industrial School (AGIS), a women-only technical school that also offered high school -level courses. Annie Kennedy was the first member of the faculty elected at the AGIS. AGIS became the Alabama Girls' Technical Institute in 1911, further adding "and College for Women" in 1919. The school gradually developed as a traditional degree-granting institution, becoming Alabama College , State College for Women in 1923. The school effectively became coeducational after lobbying by

4653-583: The Birmingham Pledge, written by local attorney James Rotch, was introduced at the Martin Luther King Unity Breakfast. As a grassroots community commitment to combating racism and prejudice, it has since then been used for programs in all fifty states and in more than twenty countries. In the 1970s, urban-renewal efforts focused around the development of the University of Alabama at Birmingham , which developed into

4752-458: The Birmingham area and was felt in the neighboring states and as far as the Carolinas. The 2003 Alabama earthquake centered in northeastern Alabama (magnitude 4.6–4.9) was also felt in Birmingham, Atlanta, Tennessee , Kentucky , and both Carolina states. In the 2020 United States census , there were 200,733 people, 93,300 households, and 46,816 families living in Birmingham. According to

4851-479: The Birmingham area has major colleges of medicine, dentistry, optometry, pharmacy, law, engineering, and nursing. Birmingham is also the headquarters of the Southeastern Conference , one of the major U.S. collegiate athletic conferences. Birmingham was founded on June 1, 1871, by the Elyton Land Company whose investors included cotton planters, bankers and railroad entrepreneurs. It sold lots near

4950-639: The Central Gulf Coast. The record high temperature is 107 °F (42 °C), set on July 29, 1930. The record low is −10 °F (−23 °C), set on February 13, 1899 . The Birmingham area is not prone to frequent earthquakes; its historical activity level is 59% less than the US average. Earthquakes are generally minor and the Birmingham area can feel an earthquake from the Eastern Tennessee Seismic Zone. The magnitude 5.1 Irondale earthquake in 1916 caused damage in

5049-483: The General Assembly ran county governments as extensions of the state through their legislative delegations. In the 1950s and 1960s Birmingham received national and international attention as a center of the civil rights struggle for African-Americans. Locally the movement's activists were led by Fred Shuttlesworth , a fiery preacher who became legendary for his fearlessness in the face of violence, notably

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5148-563: The Montevallo City Council and Public Works Department, successfully advocated and implemented the first city-wide "Share the Lane" initiative for any municipality in the state of Alabama. Initiative included the designation of over thirty high-traffic city streets, low-visibility roads and bridges, small residential neighborhoods, and school zones as "sharrows" lanes, complete with custom-made, readily identifiable signage bearing

5247-590: The Montevallo Senior Center the opportunity to construct a working chandelier from bicycle parts too damaged for actual bicycle repair purposes. The second reCYCLEd art course will focus on designing and piecing together hand-crafted jewelry from bicycle parts, and will also consist of several in-class group discussions on how participants might utilize unusable or unneeded products from their own homes for personal economic benefit. In conjunction with local independent business Eclipse Coffee and Books,

5346-589: The Mountain" area, including Shades Valley, Shades Mountain and beyond, was largely shielded from the industrial smoke and rough streets of the industrial city. This is the setting for Birmingham's more affluent suburbs of Mountain Brook , Vestavia Hills , Homewood , and Hoover . South of Shades Valley is the Cahaba River basin, one of the most diverse river ecosystems in the United States. Sand Mountain ,

5445-493: The US. Birmingham serves as an important regional hub and is associated with the Deep South , Piedmont , and Appalachian regions of the nation. Birmingham was founded in 1871, during the post– Civil War Reconstruction period , through the merger of three pre-existing farm towns, notably, Elyton . It grew from there, annexing many more of its smaller neighbors, into an industrial and railroad transportation center with

5544-872: The United States. The Southern Baptist Convention has 673 congregations and 336,000 members in the Birmingham Metro area. The United Methodists have 196 congregations and 66,759 members. The headquarters of the Presbyterian Church in America had been in Birmingham until the early 1980s; the PCA has more than 30 congregations and almost 15,000 members in the Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan area with megachurches like Briarwood Presbyterian Church . The National Baptist Convention has 126 congregations and 69,800 members. The city

5643-442: The United States. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 151.9 square miles (393 km ), of which, 149.9 square miles (388 km ) is land and 2.0 square miles (5.2 km ) (1.34%) is water. Most of the metropolitan area lies outside of the city itself. In 2007, the metropolitan area was made up of 7 counties, 102 cities, and 21 school districts. Since then Alabaster and Pelham have broken away from

5742-755: The University in central Alabama. Spring Creek and Ebenezer Swamp form a portion of the headwaters for the ecologically diverse and environmentally sensitive Cahaba River Watershed. The Cahaba is the longest remaining free-flowing river, has more species of fish per mile than any river in North America and is one of eight river biodiversity hotspots in the U.S. UM is creating the Ebenezer Swamp Wetlands Interpretive and Research Center (ESWIRC) to focus greater research on wetland ecology and to increase educational opportunities for high school and middle school students from across

5841-493: The University of Montevallo was opened in the Fall of 2009. The observatory was built on the site of a former construction landfill, now remade into Gentry Springs field. The observatory is a U of M sustainability landmark. The observatory is located roughly three miles from the main campus on the 150-acre Gentry Springs site owned by the university. The JWSO is capable of astronomical telescopic observation and astrophotography, has

5940-487: The University of Montevallo's 114th Founder's Day celebration of sustainability. During that same month, the ValloCycle volunteer committee was also incorporated as an official recreational board underneath the supervision of the City of Montevallo. Memberships can also be paid for through community service, with rental rights granted at the completion of 10 volunteer service hours within Montevallo. In conjunction with

6039-568: The ValloCycle Board offers the Montevallo "Tour By Bike", a two-hour cycling tour of sustainable campus projects, community green spaces, and the local side of the downtown shopping district. The primary goal of this event was to promote bicycling within the community to the city's newest residents: the newest class of freshmen at the University of Montevallo . This event has been the focus of campus-wide campus celebrations of "green" projects and programs, and has since received significant press coverage by local news outlets. The Montevallo "Tour By Bike"

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6138-505: The ValloCycle Town Map Project, and the Montevallo "Tour By Bike". Membership forms are available at ValloCycle's public website, vallocycle.com. Montevallo's kiln was hand-built by the ceramics professor Scott Meyer and students beginning in 1999. Fired once or twice a year, the kiln fires for 100 hours and consumes up to 14 cords of split wood. Named for Alabama College President Oliver Cromwell Carmichael ,

6237-563: The ValloCycle logo. Recently utilized in the City of Birmingham , "sharrows" lanes are a unique infrastructure enhancement particularly adept at improving the safety and accessibility of bicyclists on roads too narrow for other roadway additions. In addition to visible on-roadway signage to automatically raise motorist awareness as to bicyclist’ and pedestrians’ presence, a two-pronged ValloCycle educational PR campaign has resulted in positive press for this initiative in both local and regional news outlets, as well as heightened community support for

6336-419: The city center for the first time since the 1920s. These projects helped diversify the city's economy but did not prevent the exodus of many of the city's residents to nearby independent suburbs. In 1979, Birmingham elected Dr. Richard Arrington Jr. as its first African-American mayor. The population inside Birmingham's city limits has fallen over the past few decades, due in large part to " white flight " from

6435-529: The city of Birmingham proper to surrounding suburbs. The city's formerly most populous ethnic group, non-Hispanic white, has declined from 57.4 percent in 1970 to 21.1 percent in 2010. From its highest population of 340,887 in 1960, the population was down to 200,733 in 2020, a loss of about 41 percent. That same period saw a corresponding rise in the populations of the suburban communities of Hoover, Vestavia Hills, Alabaster, and Gardendale, none of which were incorporated as municipalities until after 1950. In 2006,

6534-637: The city's steel mills and blast furnaces, giving it a competitive advantage over industrial cities in the Midwest and Northeast . From its founding through the end of the 1960s, Birmingham was a primary industrial center of the South . The pace of Birmingham's growth during the period from 1881 through 1920 earned its nicknames The Magic City and The Pittsburgh of the South . Much like Pittsburgh , Birmingham's major industries were iron and steel production, plus

6633-656: The city's visitors bureau selected "the diverse city" as a new tag line for the city. In 2011, the Highland Park neighborhood of Birmingham was named as a 2011 America's Great Place by the American Planning Association. In 2015, the International World Game Executive Committee selected Birmingham over Lima, Peru and Ufa, Russia , for the 2021 World Games, but the event was delayed a year due to

6732-439: The city. Vulcan Materials Company , a major provider of crushed stone, sand, and gravel used in construction, is based in Birmingham. In the 1970s and 1980s, Birmingham's economy was transformed by investments in bio-technology and medical research at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) and its adjacent hospital. The UAB Hospital is a Level I trauma center providing health care and breakthrough medical research. UAB

6831-653: The community and the school. In recent years several University of Montevallo Greek organizations have sponsored various holes in order to help with maintenance and upkeep. The University of Montevallo fields 20 NCAA Division II athletic teams that currently compete in the Gulf South Conference . Men's sports include baseball , basketball , soccer , golf , lacrosse , tennis , track , cross-country and Wrestling. Women's sports include lacrosse, basketball, soccer, golf, cross-country, tennis , volleyball and track and field . The Falcons were members of

6930-554: The completion of a safety and maintenance quiz, through its relationship with local school administrators, its coordinators frequently seek to bring in at-risk students whose families either suffer from inadequate transportation or whose behavior infractions have barred them from the public school bussing system. Through bi-monthly, free, open-community Bicycle Education Sessions, individuals, families, and local school, recreational, and church organizations are regularly and openly invited to attend day-long public bicycle practice seminars in

7029-871: The current library opened in 1968 at the corner of Highland and Bloch Streets. The facility features three floors of stacks, meeting spaces, and campus amenities such as the Anna Crawford Milner Archives and Special Collections, the Pat Scales Special Collection Room, the Digital Media Lab, Learning Enrichment Center and the Information Services and Technology Helpdesk. As of 2022, Carmichael Hall houses over 185,000 print titles. There are several fraternities and sororities on campus. In 2007, The University of Montevallo, in cooperation with

7128-431: The curriculum of an existing required course for all Kinesiology majors to incorporate bicycle safety and maintenance skills. Upon completion of the course, students received certification to teach these same skills to children in the public school system. Throughout the course, each UM student was also required to test their knowledge in bicycle safety by administering supervised bike safety seminars to classes of children in

7227-532: The debate's popularity grew to attract more than 800 audience members per year. Following years saw victories by professors from a variety of academic disciplines. On March 12, 2010, the public radio show This American Life ran a story on the Life Raft Debate entitled "I'd Like to Spank the Academy." The story followed the events of the 2007 Life Raft Debate in which the Devil's Advocate, Jon Smith,

7326-512: The decennial census, the state legislature did not undertake this until the early 1970s, when forced by a federal court case to enforce " one man, one vote ". In addition, the geographic basis of the senate, which gave each county one seat, gave undue influence to rural counties. Representatives of rural counties also had disproportionate power in the state house, and failed to provide support for infrastructure and other improvements in developing urban population centers such as Birmingham. At this time,

7425-407: The easy accessibility of all of these locations via bicycle, and informs readers of the purpose and mission of the ValloCycle program and where individuals and families can go to get started cycling. Out-of-town destinations are specifically showcased as bicycling day trips, and the map also contains the most current depiction of the 2.5-mile Montevallo Parks Trail greenway system. In conjunction with

7524-497: The educational campaign. Fully researched, authored, and designed by ValloCycle volunteer student coordinators, and developed in collaboration with the Birmingham Regional Planning Commission and the Montevallo Chamber of Commerce, the ValloCycle Town Map Project provides free publicity to over 50 cultural, sustainable, and commercial destinations unique to the Montevallo community. Perhaps most importantly, it emphasizes

7623-517: The essentials of basic and advanced bicycle repair in a structured classroom environment that emphasizes both the rights and responsibilities of bicyclists on the roadway as well as the gainful employment opportunities available to the students in the growing county and regional bicycle industry. All technical skills taught in the course are verified by the owners of local bicycle repair shops as trade skills that will put students ahead of other applicants when seeking employment. Students are required to pass

7722-490: The fall of 1968, three African American women, Carolyn Burpo, Ruby Kennbrew and Dorothy (Lilly) Turner, enrolled in the university. On September 1, 1969, Alabama College was renamed the University of Montevallo. The Alabama Girls' Industrial School was listed on the National Register in 1978. In 1990, the University of Montevallo Historic District was listed on the National Register, as an expansion. Montevallo

7821-482: The largest soft-drink bottlers in the United States, each with more than $ 500 million in sales per year, are located in Birmingham. The Buffalo Rock Company , founded in 1901, was formerly a maker of just ginger ale , but now it is a major bottler for the Pepsi Cola Company . Coca-Cola Bottling Company United , founded in 1902, is the third-largest bottler of Coca-Cola products in the U.S. AT&T has

7920-599: The local elementary, intermediate, and high schools. Students’ technical knowledge was honed and tested by a required number of after-class service hours performing basic maintenance and repairs to ValloCycle bicycles. The ValloCycle Program's "Repairs to Resumes" course is a month-long series of afterschool youth workshops in bicycle safety and maintenance, hosted quarterly throughout the year. Participating students, ranging from ages 12 to 18, are recommended by local school administrators for demonstrating particular behavioral and academic "at-risk" behaviors. Students are then taught

8019-427: The main telescope. Additional smaller scopes for solar and planetary observing can be set up at various locations outside the main dome, which is surrounded by solar-powered outdoor low-level lighting. The University of Montevallo's Ebenezer Swamp consists of approximately 60 acres (240,000 m ) of wooded wetlands and is located on near the headwaters of Spring Creek, approximately 6 miles (9.7 km) northeast of

8118-566: The planned crossing of the Alabama & Chattanooga and South & North Alabama railroads, including land formerly a part of the Benjamin P. Worthington plantation. The first business at that crossroads was the trading post and country store operated by Marre & Allen. The site of the railroad crossing was notable for the nearby deposits of iron ore, coal, and limestone  – the three main raw materials used in making steel. Birmingham

8217-433: The population was under the age of 18, 11.1% was from 18 to 24, 30.0% from 25 to 44, 20.4% from 45 to 64, and 13.5% was 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 85.7 males. The median income for a household in the city was $ 31,898, and the median income for a family was $ 38,776. Males had a median income of $ 36,031 versus $ 30,367 for females. The city's per capita income

8316-437: The population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 98,782 households, out of which 27.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 31.1% were married couples living together, 24.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.0% were non-families. 34.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. In Birmingham, 25.0% of

8415-446: The post-war building boom gave Birmingham a rapid return to prosperity. Manufacturing diversified beyond the production of raw materials. Major civic institutions such as schools, parks and museums, were able to expand their scope. Despite the growing population and wealth of the city, its residents were markedly underrepresented in the state legislature. Although the state constitution required redistricting in accordance with changes in

8514-442: The precipitation that falls in the summer are from thunderstorms, most of which occur in the afternoon and evening hours. The spring and fall months are pleasant but variable as cold fronts frequently bring strong to severe thunderstorms and occasional tornadoes to the region. The fall season (primarily October) features less rainfall and fewer storms, as well as lower humidity than the spring, but November and early December represent

8613-411: The project through the display of educational placards at over fifty high-traffic community locations. These placard displays provide educational information about the need for greater bicycling and pedestrian enhancements to the roadways, and also explains just what the signs are intended to mean to both cyclists and motorists, respectively. The rights and obligations of both road users’ are represented in

8712-527: The relaxed and natural setting of scenic Orr Park . Essentially, all participants are taught how to ride a bike in a free, hands-on, and comfortable setting, with advanced traffic and recreational riding skills taught to returning participants. The reCYCLEd art courses also provide a unique setting wherein participants are instructed on how to convert rusted, unusable bicycle parts into works of art. The first course, to be hosted in March, will give participants from

8811-549: The school's supporters resulted in the Alabama Legislature passing a bill on January 15, 1956 to remove the designation "State College for Women". The first men entered the school that same month. Its student body still maintains a 7:5 ratio of women to men. In 1965, the board of trustees authorized President D.P. Culp to sign the Certificates of Assurance of Compliance with the Civil Rights Act of 1964 . In

8910-462: The state of Alabama. Research goals center on: establishing and maintaining an inventory of plant, animal and fungal species; monitoring water quality, rainfall and stream flow rates; and future studies of wetland ecological processes and the effects of encroachment along the swamp margin. Education goals center on raising the profile of the ecologic importance of wetlands to high school and middle school students, while simultaneously providing them with

9009-414: The surrounding Shelby County area in three separate check-out locations. Annual membership fees amount to roughly $ 2 a month for adults and $ 1 a month per child. The all-volunteer ValloCycle Board oversees the implementation of a number of other campus and community programs, events, resources and public bicyclist/pedestrian infrastructure enhancements, including the Montevallo "Share the Lane" Initiative,

9108-524: The underclass women found the crook, they were safe that year. This tradition ended in the 1990s because the administration considered it hazing. The Life Raft Debate is an annual event sponsored by the Philosophy Club. The debate has occurred each fall semester since 1998, on the second Thursday in October during the university's Founders' Day commemoration. In the Life Raft Debate, the audience

9207-677: The university has a significant economic impact on the surrounding communities in Shelby County . The University of Montevallo's homecoming tradition, called College Night, is a coeducational competition in which students may participate for either the Purple Side or the Gold Side, named after the school's colors. The tradition of College Night began as a celebration of the upcoming renaming of Alabama Girls' Technical Institute to Alabama College. First taking place on March 3, 1919, as

9306-667: The university is Alabama's only public liberal arts college and a member of the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges . The University of Montevallo Historic District was established on campus in 1979. The school is located in a rural location in central Alabama. The main part of the campus was designed by the Olmsted Brothers , and the central part is a historic district listed on the National Register of Historic Places . The university opened in October 1896 as

9405-493: The year, sometimes falling in the form of snow during winter. 10.3 inches (26.2 cm) fell on March 13, 1993, during the 1993 Storm of the Century , which established the highest daily snowfall, one-storm, and winter season total on record. Normal snowfall for 1981–2010 was 1.6 in (4.1 cm). For the same period, the median monthly snowfall for each month was zero. The summer months are hot, with high humidity. Most of

9504-445: Was $ 19,962. About 22.5% of families and 27.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 41.9% of those under the age of 18 and 18.3% of those age 65 or over. The Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies published data showing that in 2010, among metro areas with a greater than one million population, Birmingham had the second highest ratio of Christians, and the greatest ratio of Protestant adherents, in

9603-489: Was a key factor in shaping its initial programming. In a community bicycle donation drive, over 100 bicycles were received from various sources. Students from the environmental club spent several months repairing 35 used bicycles of all types and sizes for use in the program. Bicycles were outfitted with various parts from local businesses, and were given logos of the sponsoring businesses to display. The ValloCycle Bike-Share Program debuted October 14, 2011, in conjunction with

9702-484: Was nicknamed "The Heaviest Corner on Earth ". In 1916, Birmingham was hit by the Irondale earthquake , with a 5.1 magnitude. A few buildings in the area were slightly damaged. The earthquake was felt as far as Atlanta and neighboring states. While excluded from the best-paying industrial jobs, Black Americans joined the migration of residents from rural areas to the city for its opportunities. The Great Depression of

9801-606: Was the 9th largest banking hub in the United States by the amount of locally headquartered deposits. In 2014, Birmingham was the 10th largest banking center. Birmingham is a powerhouse of construction and engineering companies, including BE&K , Brasfield & Gorrie , Robins & Morton , and B.L. Harbert International which routinely are included in the Engineering News-Record lists of top design and international construction firms. Two of

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