The biggest 'Ham' in Alabama is Birmingham, with a population of 240,000. Combined with the adjacent Hoover area, the metropolitan population totals about 1 million people. The city is an important commercial center for the State of Alabama.

Founded in 1871, Birmingham has played a big role in the American landscape despite its small size. Originally it was situated at the junction of several railroads and named after a large British city. As soon as large mineral deposits were discovered, the city expanded quickly and earned the nickname "Magic City." Shifting then to iron and steel, the Ham was known for a time as the "Pittsburgh of the South." Unfortunately enough, the Depression gutted most of the city. Many industries flopped and they had to shift to the service, research, and engineering sectors.

Birmingham has a central role in the struggle for African-American civil rights. In the 50's and 60's, the city was at the center of the civil rights movement and scene of the infamous church bombing that killed four black girls in 1963. By 1979, the city had elected its first African-American mayor, securing the city's place at the forefront of progressive civil rights for African-Americans across the entire nation.