The University of Alabama

The University of Alabama is located in the city of Tuscaloosa along the Black Warrior River in west-central Alabama. The city lies along I-20/59 approximately 55 miles SW of Birmingham. Tuscaloosa is 4 hours from the Gulf of Mexico coast, 3 hours west of Atlanta and 5 hours NE of New Orleans.

Since 1831, the Tuscaloosa campus has been the flagship institution of higher learning in Alabama. One of three campuses in the University of Alabama system, UA is situated on 1000 acres east of downtown near the Black Warrior River. The campus exhibits a mixture of historic and modern buildings along with tree-lined walkways and open areas. Total student population is 19,600 with approximately 2900 graduate students.

Residents of Tuscaloosa enjoy a moderate climate with an average temperature of 63° F and average annual rainfall of 55 inches. Winter is typically mild, and spring arrives in early March. While summers are typically warm and humid, the dry and cool fall period lasts well into November. Water resources are bountiful in Alabama and the Tuscaloosa area with nearby Lake Tuscaloosa, Lake Nichol, Lake Lurleen and the Black Warrior River providing excellent opportunities for water-related activities. For additional information regarding the local economy, cultural events, recreation, quality of life, and other subjects of interest please visit the Tuscaloosa Chamber of Commerce website at www.tuscaloosachamber.com.

Places of Interest in the Tuscaloosa/Birmingham Area

State Parks- Lake Lurleen State Park (www.dcnr.state.al.us/parks/lake_lurleen_1a.html), Tannehill State Park (www.tannehill.org), Moundville Archaeological Park (www.museums.ua.edu/moundville/index.html), and Oak Mountain State Park, Alabama’s largest state park (10K acres), located 15 miles south of Birmingham, offers opportunities for boating, hiking, fishing, camping and swimming.

National Forests- Bankhead National Forest and Talladega National Forest lie within 1.5 hours of Tuscaloosa. The Sipsey Wilderness, a 900 acre old-growth forest lies within the Bankhead National Forest.

Rivers and Lakes- West Alabama has an abundance of aquatic resources, the Tombigbee, Alabama and Black Warrior Rivers and reservoirs along the their mainstems and tributaries.

Ruffner Mountain Nature Center- 538 acres of wildlife refuge with 7 miles of hiking trails within the city of Birmingham.

Gulf States Paper Corporation- The corporate headquarters in Tuscaloosa draws many visitors to view its oriental styling, Japanese gardens, and Warner Art Collection, which contains Western art as well as the original life-sized paintings of Basil Ede’s Wild Birds of North America (http://gulf-states.com/gspcsite_pages/aboutcom.html)

The Kentuck Art Center (www.dbtech.net/kentuck/KentuckArt), located in nearby downtown Northport, offer local arts and crafts exhibits and sale items. The annual Kentuck Festival of Arts is held in October and draws more than 200 of the nation’s top artisans and craftsmen and over 25,000 visitors.

University of Alabama/Tuscaloosa Links

University of Alabama (http://www.ua.edu)
Alabama Museum of Natural History (http://www.museums.ua.edu/history/index.html)
UA Arboretum (http://bama.ua.edu/~arbor)
Bryant Museum (http://www.museums.ua.edu/bryant/bryant.htm)
UA Graduate School (http://graduate.ua.edu)
UA Moody Music Center (http://www.music.ua.edu/facilities/index.html)
UA Rogers Science & Engineering Library (http://www.lib.ua.edu/libraries/sel)
Chamber of Commerce (http://www.tuscaloosachamber.org)
Tuscaloosa News (http://www.tuscaloosanews.com)