On June 1, 1871, Birmingham was established by the cotton planters, bankers and railroad entrepreneurs of the Elyton Land Company. They recognized Birmingham as the only place in the world where iron, coal, limestone and ore could be found together in significant amounts. From the outset, the new city was planned to be a prodigious center of industry. The name “Birmingham” came from the similarly-named main industrial city in England. Following a cholera outbreak and a Wall Street crash in 1873, Birmingham advanced at an unprecedented rate. At the beginning of the 20th century, it was nicknamed "The Magic City” when downtown Birmingham transformed itself from residential and low-rise commercial to a thriving mix of high- and mid-rise buildings. The demand for steel, together with the post-war boom in building, saw Birmingham quickly prosper. Manufacturing developed beyond simple provision of raw materials. Schools, museums and parks recovered and expanded following the 1930s. New skyscrapers were built, and for the first time since the 1920s, banking institutions started to grow and occupy the city center. The city’s downtown area has since developed into a 24-hour district, with all things cultural, restaurants, bars and retail outlets witnessing incredible expansion.

If you yearn for the great outdoors, Birmingham has many stunning locations for days out. It is remarkable for nature hikes and trails, lakes, waterfalls, canoeing, swimming and more. There are locations at Ruffner Mountain, Red Mountain Park, Oak Mountain State Park and Shoal Creek. Birmingham is also home to several museums. There is the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, tracing Birmingham's history relating to the US Civil Rights Movement, as well as the Alabama Museum of Health Sciences, Bessemer Hall of History, Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark and the Southern Museum of Flight.

The regional science museum, the McWane Science Center, offers hands-on science exhibits and an IMAX dome theater. The Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum houses the largest collection of motorcycles in the world, and the Iron and Steel Museum of Alabama at Tannehill Ironworks Historical State Park.

Birmingham has numerous cultural festivals presenting films, music and regional heritage. There is the Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival, Taste of 4th Avenue Jazz Festival, Birmingham Folk Festival and the Southern Heritage Festival. There is also an annual Greek Festival celebrating everything Greek. Alabama Bound is an annual book and author fair supporting Alabama authors and publishers.

The Birmingham Zoo houses over 700 animals and has a children’s petting zoo making it perfect for an afternoon out with the kids. The Birmingham Botanical Gardens, with its rose gardens, tropical greenhouses, and a large Japanese garden, are very worthy of a visit.