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Birmingham-Hoover-Cullman Combined Statistical Area |
The Birmingham-Hoover-Cullman, AL CSA (combined statistical area) sometimes known as Greater Birmingham, is made up of 8 counties in Central Alabama. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 1,129,721 inhabitants. The 2007 Census estimate puts the Birmingham-Hoover-Cullman CSA at 1,188,764. The statistical area consists of the Birmingham-Hoover, AL MSA (metropolitan statistical area) and the Cullman, AL μSA (micropolitan statistical 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.
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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 Regions Financial, one of the nation's top 10 banks.
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 has been set to be completed by 2025. The Birmingham International Airport is the primary airport for the region's air travellers.
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.
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.
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