Rudulph Real Estate Inc.

About Birmingham

Welcome To Birmingham, the heart of America's Southland!

Birmingham is bursting with the warm, satisfying, welcoming quality known as "Southern Hospitality". Diverse, robust, and growing, Birmingham was incorporated in 1871 with a population of 1,200. Now, it is a mid-sized city in the heart of one of the largest urban regions in the South and is known for its classic southern charm and hospitality. This vibrant, beautiful city is nestled in the rolling foothills of the Appalachian Mountains and serves up nationally recognized dining, shopping and entertainment, world-class attractions, events and other things to see and do. Healthcare, banking, insurance, distribution and a variety of service industries make up an economy that is excellent for business. The Birmingham Metropolitan Area stretches across Central Alabama, the center of the southeastern United States.

Five Fortune 500 companies are headquartered in the area: Caremark, HealthSouth, Amsouth Bank, Regions Bank and SouthTrust Bank, making Birmingham number 12 among U.S. cities as a base for corporate headquarters. In its January 2000 issue, Expansion magazine listed Birmingham as the 4th hottest city for expansion. A 1999 study by Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Cognetis, Inc. ranked the Birmingham-Tuscaloosa corridor as the nation's 15th hottest metro area in the country for starting and growing a business.

In addition, the National Foundation for Women Business Owners ranks Alabama fourth among Southeastern states in the growth of women-owned businesses since 1992. A recent survey by the Small Business Survival Foundation ranks Alabama as the tenth best state in the nation for small business. A 1999 study by Policom Corporation, an independent economics research firm in Florida, ranked Birmingham 33 in a listing of 316 metropolitan areas rated for economic growth and stability.