"The Heart of Dixie"

Welcome to Alabama

Alabama/Georgia border on I-85
July 16, 2010

Located deep in the south yet first in the alphabet, “the Heart of Dixie” is a fitting nickname for Alabama. Thick southern drawls are plentiful, as well as hospitality and friendliness not seen in modern society. In my travels throughout Alabama, it was interesting to see how geography influences the people and the cities they live in. To the north, Birmingham and Montgomery are larger cities with skyscrapers and a more cosmopolitan feel, while Mobile has a more laid-back vibe and the architecture resembles New Orleans. Speaking of geography, I always thought it was interesting that Alabama is a near mirror image of next-door neighbor Mississippi.

I have a real problem with welcome signs being green. Since most of the informational signs along the interstate are green, the welcome sign can get lost in the shuffle. This sign is pretty similar to the one in New York that is green with no other graphics or references to the state. I have no idea what the seal from the sign represents, as it is not the state seal (see below). I was also a little puzzled by the phrase “Alabama the Beautiful.” That could be part of a tourism campaign unfamiliar to me, but it seems like a stretch to use the name of a famous patriotic song to call your own. This sign was just on the other side of a bridge over Apalachicola River, but it was easy to pull off to get this picture.

Welcome to Montgomery

July 16, 2010

As a history buff, I was excited to visit Montgomery as the site of the famous bus boycott that started the Civil Rights Movement in 1955. While it was interesting to visit the place where it all began, I found it odd that the bus where Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat is located in Detroit and not Montgomery. Another history factoid is Montgomery was the original capital of the Confederacy before it moved to Richmond in May of 1861. As for the town itself, I was surprised how large and spread out it was. For a city over 200,000 people, the downtown was surprisingly lacking.

I can’t put my finger on the reason, but this capitol feels very southern to me. I think it is the rotunda being shorter and more round than oblong. The clock in the front also seems to give off a quaint charm. The building seems to be in an older part of town, well away from the high-rises and modern buildings on the other side of I-85. The grounds were decent, with a few token statues and memorials among the foliage. One highlight was the entire area was elevated and required climbing stairs on either side to enter. I did like the display of all 50 state flags on the south lawn, perhaps to show that Alabama is first on someone’s list.

Miscellaneous Alabama Symbols

State Route Sign

License Plate

Seal

Quarter