U. S. Air Force, added to state jobs

ALABAMA
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama is the 30th-most extensive and the 23rd-most populous of the 50 United States. Alabama ranks second in the area of its inland waterways.
From the American Civil War until World War II, Alabama, like many Southern states, suffered economic hardship, in part because of continued dependence on agriculture. Despite the growth of major industries and urban centers, white rural interests dominated the state legislature until the 1960s, while urban interests and African Americans were under-represented.[6] Following World War II, Alabama experienced growth as the economy of the state transitioned from agriculture to diversified interests in heavy manufacturing, mineral extraction, education, and technology. In addition, the establishment or expansion of multiple military installations, primarily those of the U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force, added to state jobs.
Alabama is unofficially nicknamed the Yellowhammer State, after the state bird. Alabama is also known as the "Heart of Dixie." The state tree is the Longleaf Pine, the state flower is the Camellia. The capital of Alabama is Montgomery. The largest city by population isBirmingham. The largest city by total land area is Huntsville. The oldest city is Mobile, founded by French colonists.

Etymology

The Alabama people, a Muskogean-speaking tribe whose members lived just below the confluence of the Coosa and Tallapoosa Rivers on the upper reaches of the Alabama River,^[7] served as the etymological source of the names of the river and state. In the Alabama language, the word for an Alabama person is Albaamo (or variously Albaama or Albàamo in different dialects; the plural form "Alabama persons" isAlbaamaha).^[8] The word Alabama is believed to have originated from the Choctaw language^[9] and was later adopted by the Alabama tribe as their name.^[10] The spelling of the word varies significantly between sources.^[10] The first usage appears in three accounts of the Hernando de Soto expedition of 1540 with Garcilasso de la Vega using Alibamo, while the Knight of Elvas and Rodrigo Ranjel wrote Alibamu and Limamu, respectively.^[10] As early as 1702, the tribe was known to the French as Alibamon with French maps identifying the river as Rivière des Alibamons.^[7] Other spellings of the appellation have included Alibamu, Alabamo, Albama, Alebamon, Alibama, Alibamou, Alabamu, andAllibamou.^{[10][11][12][13]}
Although the origin of Alabama could be discerned, sources disagree on its meaning. An 1842 article in the Jacksonville Republicanoriginated the idea that the meaning was "Here We Rest."^[10] This notion was popularized in the 1850s through the writings of Alexander Beaufort Meek.^[10] Experts in the Muskogean languages have been unable to find any evidence to support such a translation.^[7][10] Scholars believe the word comes from the Choctaw alba (meaning "plants" or "weeds") and amo (meaning "to cut", "to trim", or "to gather").^[9][10][14]The meaning may have been "clearers of the thicket"^[9] or "herb gatherers"^[14][15] which may refer to clearing of land for cultivation^[11] or to collecting medicinal plants.^[15]

[edit]Indigenous peoples, early history

Mount Cheaha, Alabama's highest point
Indigenous peoples of varying cultures lived in the area for thousands of years before European colonization. Trade with the Northeast via the Ohio River began during the Burial Mound Period (1000 BC–AD 700) and continued until European contact.^[16] The agrarian Mississippian culturecovered most of the state from AD 1000 to 1600, with one of its major centers being at theMoundville Archaeological Site in Moundville, Alabama.^[17][18] Analysis of artifacts recovered fromarchaeological excavations at Moundville were the basis of scholars' formulating the characteristics of the Southeastern Ceremonial Complex (SECC).^[19] Contrary to popular belief, the SECC appears to have no direct links to Mesoamerican culture, but developed independently. The Ceremonial Complex represents a major component of the religion of the Mississippian peoples; it is one of the primary means by which their religion is understood.^[20]
Among the historical tribes of Native American people living in the area of present-day Alabama at the time of European contact were Iroquoian-speaking Cherokee, and the Muskogean-speakingAlabama (Alibamu), Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek, Koasati, and Mobile.^[21]