Area Overview

Area Overview

Tuscaloosa County, one of the oldest counties in Alabama, is located in the West-Central portion of the state. Within its boundaries are the foothills of the Appalachians, fertile farmland, and the Black Warrior River.

The area was originally home to Native Americans, including the famed Chief Tuskaloosa from whom the county received its name. European encounters with the area began during DeSoto's explorations of the 1500s, but white settlement did not begin in large numbers until the early 1800s.

The county grew quickly in population and influence after Alabama became a state in 1819, hosting the state capital from 1826 to 1847. The University of Alabama opened in 1831. Tuscaloosa County flourished during the antebellum years, as the white and black population steadily grew. The physical and economic devastation brought by the Civil War left a deep scar on the county and brought an abrupt halt to its development. It overcame lean postwar years to become a leading population and educational center in the early 1900s.

We welcome visitors, students and those relocating to our area where we are enriched with culture, history and a very strong sense of community.

Downtown Tuscaloosa is in the midst of unprecedented amounts of growth in both the private and public sectors through multi-million dollar reinvestments, which will only add to the appeal of this central hub where you can live, work and play.

Tuscaloosa's Riverfront is experiencing its own renewal with recreation trails, businesses, restaurants and the addition of the Tuscaloosa River Market, which functions as both an event space and seasonal local farmers' market. In the spring of 2011, a 7,470-seat amphitheater was opened along the riverfront. This state-of-the-art facility hosts many major performances and community-wide events.

As you may know, we have quite a rich tradition of athletic excellence in Tuscaloosa. While we are famous for our gridiron action, our town is also home to famous barbeque and a multitude of historic homes, museums and parks.

Located in the heart of Tuscaloosa County, Northport has been named one of the top 100 Small Art Communities in the nation and hosts the celebrated Kentuck Festival of the Arts each October.

We have been in a continuous process of recovery and rebuilding since an EF-4 tornado struck on April 27, 2011. The overwhelming outpouring of love and support we have seen throughout this tragedy has been truly remarkable. We want to act as an encouragement across the nation by building back stronger, safer and smarter and through sharing our story of confident hope.

With all of the celebrated tradition and exciting new additions, our community is an exciting one to explore.

Others are discovering what we already know: Tuscaloosa is a great place to live, work and play! Our town has made several lists lately and has been pretty hot in the press. It made Best College Towns in America (49th by the website Best College Reviews), Best Cities for Work-Life Balance (5th by personal finance site NerdWallet), Most Affordable Mid-Size Cities in the U.S. (9th according to The Simple Dollar, a website that focuses on personal finance) and 22 in Terms of Small-City Growth in a recent study from the personal finance outlet WalletHub.com.