Some scholars suggest the word may come from the Choctaw alba (meaning ‘plants’ or ‘weeds’) and amo (meaning ‘to cut’, ‘to trim’, or ‘to gather’), potentially meaning ‘clearers of the thicket’ or ‘herb gatherers’.

Despite progress, Alabama continues to face challenges related to racial discrimination, economic disparities, and underrepresentation of urban areas. The Black Belt region, home to many African Americans, remains economically disadvantaged.

Notable civil rights events in Alabama included the Montgomery bus boycott (1955–1956), Freedom Rides in 1961, and the 1965 Selma to Montgomery marches. These events contributed to the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting ...Read more

Historic snowfall events in Alabama include the New Year’s Eve 1963 snowstorm and the 1993 Storm of the Century.

Alabama is home to roughly 307 native freshwater fish species.

Alabama has very hot summers with high temperatures averaging over 90 °F (32 °C) in some parts of the state and mild winters.

The first European settlement in Alabama was founded by the French at Old Mobile in 1702. The city was moved to the current site of Mobile in 1711.

Alabama hosts 420 bird species that spend at least part of their year in the state.

Of the 383 mollusk species, 113 have never been collected outside of Alabama.

The new voter registration laws, particularly the cumulative poll tax, also disenfranchised poor white voters. By 1941, whites constituted a slight majority of those disenfranchised by these laws, with 600,000 whites and 520,000 African Americans losing the ability to vote.