Facts About Alabama (Interesting Things to Know)
The state of Alabama is one of the most interesting states in the United States.
If you’re wondering what there is to know about this Southern state, check out these 34 facts and things you probably didn’t know about Alabama.
You might also be interested in our article on what Alabama is known for.
Advertising Disclosure: What States is a for profit reference website, supported by advertisements. Thank you for supporting our mission to make geography fun for all!
Interesting Alabama Facts and Things to Know
1. The name Alabama came from combining the two Choctaw Indian words Alba and Amo which mean plants and gatherer, respectively.
2. Alabama is 52,419 sq. miles in size.
3. The state of Alabama has 67 counties.
4. Alabama was the first state to make Christmas a legal holiday, it was made official in 1836.
5. A few famous entertainers from Alabama are Channing Tatum, Courtney Cox, Hank Williams, Evander Holyfield, and Lionel Richie.
6. Alabama was granted statehood as the 22nd state in December 14, 1819.
7. Alabama is one of 6 states in the U.S. where you can marry your first cousin, but only under special circumstances.
8. The state capitol of Alabama is Montgomery.
9. Founded in 1702, Mobile is the oldest city in the state.
10. Alabama is commonly referred to as “The Yellowhammer State” but is also called “The Heart of Dixie” and “The Cotton State”.
11. The Yellowhammer, also known as the Northern Flicker which is a species of woodpecker, became the Alabama state bird in 1927.
12. Alabama has 60 miles of shoreline along the gulf coast and an additional 600 miles of tidal shoreline along coastal bays, bayous, and rivers. Still, Alabama is not the US state with the most mile of shoreline (including lakes).
13. Alligators live mainly in the southern third of the sate of Alabama and can be found near lakes, rivers, ponds.
14. There are 61 colleges and universities in Alabama.
15. At 745 ft tall, RSA Battle House Tower is the tallest building in Alabama. It’s located in Mobile.
16. Established in 1899, the Peerless Saloon in downtown Anniston is the oldest bar in Alabama.
17. The expression “roll tide” was coined in 1907 by sports writer Hugh Roberts and refers to the University of Alabama Crimson Tide college football team in Tuscaloosa.
18. There are 9 national park service sites in Alabama, but none of the United States’ 59 national parks are located there.
❓ Trivia Time: Which US state has the MOST national parks? We bet you can’t guess!
19. Alabama’s estimated population for 2019 is 4.9 million people.
20. Lake Guntersville in north Alabama is the largest body of water in the state at 110 square miles.
21. 652 miles of the Tennessee River flow through Alabama making it the longest river in the state.
22. Alabama is 390 long and 133 miles wide.
23. Interstate 65 runs for 367 miles in Alabama making it the longest segment of Interstate in the state.
24. Alabama has a Gross Domestic Product of $224,654,000,000 in 2018.
25. At 2,407 feet above sea level, Cheaha Mountain is the highest point in the state of Alabama.
26. The Saturn V rocket that powered Apollo 11 and put Neil Armstrong on the moon in 1969 was built in Alabama and is now a state landmark.
27. Alabama is considered one of the states that make up the Bible Belt. It is also a part of several of the other so-called “Belt Regions” of the USA, including the Sun Belt and the Cotton Belt.
28. Greenbow, Alabama from the movie Forest Gump is purely fictional. Bubba’s hometown of Bayou La Batre however, is real and is in fact known for its shrimping industry.
29. Dothan, Alabama is home to the largest peanut festival in the world.
30. Alabama is widely considered part of the states that make up the Deep South.
31. The band behind the famous song “Sweet Home Alabama”, Lynyrd Skynyrd, were actually from Jacksonville, Florida.
32. The state tree of Alabama is the Southern Longleaf Pine.
33. During the 2011 Tornado Outbreak Alabama had 238 tornado-related fatalities and over 11 billion dollars in damage. This happened even though is not one of the states that are a part of Tornado Alley.
34. The official postal abbreviation for the state of Alabama is “AL.”
***
That’s it for these fun facts about the state of Alabama!
📚 Read Next: 18 Things that Chicago is Known For (you might be surprised what you don’t know about Chicago, Illinois!).
