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.
GETTING AROUND ALABAMA
Considering its rural nature, public transportation is relatively good in Alabama. Daily Amtrak trains from New York and Atlanta to New Orleans stop at Anniston, Birmingham and Tuscaloosa, while the line from Jacksonville to New Orleans passes through Mobile; Amtrak buses connect Birmingham and Mobile by way of Montgomery, and Greyhound serves the major towns and cities. Mobile, Montgomery, Huntsville and Birmingham all have small airports.
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