Let’s not kid ourselves: The consensus among those who’ve never lived in Alabama – or at least visited it– is that the state is nothing but a giant backwoods farmland filled with dudes in cut-off tees who drive around in their Confederate flag-covered pickup trucks all day blaring “Free Bird.” Then they go home, crack open a fresh can of whatever light beer was on sale at the local Piggly Wiggly that day, and sit down on their couches (which are situated on their front lawns, of course) to watch NASCAR races that they taped on their circa-1983 VCRs.

Such depictions of ‘Bama may make for comedy gold, but the truth is that metropolitan Birmingham in the 21st century is home to more than 1.1 million residents who hail from various walks of life and enjoy all the amenities of a modern big city. Formerly a hub for the agricultural and steel industries only, Birmingham is now a hotspot for the healthcare, financial, and publishing businesses as well. Three of the state’s major law schools are located within city limits, in addition to the University of Alabama at Birmingham, the UAB School of Medicine, and various other private and public universities, which combine to give parts of the city a strong collegiate vibe.

The city is also dotted with numerous parks, trails, art galleries, nightlife venues, ethnic restaurants, an opera house, symphony orchestra, and various museums including the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute and Kelly Ingram Park, which pay tribute to past residents who dedicated their lives to the struggle for racial equality. Bottom line: If you show up in Birmingham expecting to find some barely-modernized episode of Hee Haw going on around you, you’re in store for a mighty case of culture shock.

Jobs and the Mighty Dollar Bill

Jobs and the Mighty Dollar Bill