Alabama
Just 250 miles from north to south,
ALABAMA
ranges from the fast-flowing rivers, waterfalls and lakes of the
Appalachian foothills
to the subtropical bayous and white beaches of the
Gulf Coast
. Most of its industry is concentrated in the
north
, around rejuvenated
Birmingham
, and
Huntsville
, first home of the nation's space program. The sun-scorched farmlands of middle Alabama envelop sober
Montgomery
, the state capital. Away from the French-influenced coastal strip around attractive
Mobile
, fundamentalist Protestant attitudes have traditionally backed a succession of right-wing demagogues, such as
George Wallace
, the four-time state governor who received ten million votes in the 1968 presidential election.
Times have moved on since the epic
civil rights
struggles in Montgomery, Birmingham and
Selma
. Monuments and civic literature celebrate the achievements of the campaigners, and even Wallace renounced his racist views, courting - and winning - black votes in his successful campaign for governor in 1982.
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Alabama city guides
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