Alabama

Alabama Welcome to **The Heart of Dixie**!

//Geography,Climate,and State Facts:// Alabama's land is full of swamps, pine covered hills, and mostly flat land. But once you get out towards the South East it get hillier. On the way to the hills(or the Appalachian mountains) there's a place perfect for farming, The Black Belt. The Black Belt is an area in east Alabama where the land is perfect for farming. Part of that is because of the climate. Winter temperatures are normally 40-50 degrees and summer temperatures are usually an average of 80 degrees.
 * Alabama gets about 60 inches of rain a year
 * Alabama gets occasional hurricanes and tornadoes
 * Alabama is 52,423 sq.miles
 * Alabama's population is 4,708,708
 * Alabama has rural,suburban, and urban areas

//The Natural Resources:// The state's main natural resources are oil,iron, and steel. //Crops:// Some crops are cotton,soy beans,penuts,sweet potatoes,dairy, and poultry. //Economy:// The economy includes iron,steel,plastics,paper products,textiles,automobiles,and oil on the Gulf Coast.
 * The Natural Resources,Crops, and Economy:**

__Goverment:__ State Governor: Bob Riley Capital: Montgomery U.S. Senators: 2 U.S. Representatives: 7 State Senators: 35 Counties: 67 State Representatives: 105


 * History:**
 * 1500s-1700s:** In 1540 Hernando Do Soto took 500 men to look for gold but they found none. In the year 1700 France explored the Mississippi River
 * 1800s:** 1819 was the year Alabama became the 22nd state. During the 1850s and 1860s the civil war happened. Mobile,Alabama was the last major city to surrender at the end of the war. In the year of 1861 Montgomery was made the first capital of the Confederete in the Civil War.
 * 1900s:** 1955 was a big year for African Americans because that was the year Rosa Parks refused to give her seat to a white man.
 * Present:** In 2007 a tornado hit Alabama killing 10 people which is like nothing to the tornados this year which have killed over 300 people.

//Native Americans:// Native Americans such as Cherokee,Chickasaw, and Creek lived in Alabama. Those tribes had permanent houses or huts,grew crops,and raised livestock. The tribes also spoke muskogean. The Native Americans had good lives until the spanish came back to Alabama and made the natives slaves. Today 0.5% of the population is Native American.


 * The State Symbols:**
 * Bird: The Yellowhammer
 * Tree: Southern Longleaf Pine
 * Flower: Camellia
 * Animal: Horse
 * Nicknames: The Heart of Dixie or The Yellowhammer
 * Gem: Star Blue Quarts
 * Food: Fried Green Tomatoes

The People: A lot of famous people have lived in Alabama including Rosa Parks, Helen Keller, Jesse Owens, George Washington Carver, and Willie Mays. The Music: The Heart of Dixie has always been known for their Jazz music. Interesting Facts: Other:
 * //FUN FACTS://**
 * The largest motorcycle museum in the U.S. is in Alabama
 * George W. Carver discovered 300 different uses for peanut butter
 * Alabama doesn't actually have any pro sports teams but they have lots of college teams
 * Huntsville, Alabama is known as the rocket capital of the world
 * The first rocket to be put on the moon was built in Alabama
 * In Magnolia Springs, Alabama mail is delivered by boat
 * The Mississippi River is curently overflowing which is flooding Alabama homes

Thanks for reading about the Heart of Dixie!

By: Samantha Moriarty