Birmingham Facts, Superlatives and Other Propaganda

The University of Alabama at Birmingham's University Hospital is the among the world's top kidney transplant center.
Birmingham has one of the "Top Ten Bars Worth Flying For," according to GQ Magazine. The article lists the top ten bars in the world, among them "The Garages" in Birmingham for its eclectic, authentic charm.
Time Magazine named Birmingham's Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival among its Top 10 "Film Festivals for the Rest of Us," festivals for those not traveling to Cannes.
Birmingham's Barber Motorsports Park houses the largest collection of vintage motorcycles in North America. The park is considered the "Augusta of Motorsport," referring to the quality of the world-class course and home of the Porsche Driving Experience and the Kevin Schwantz Suzuki School.
Bon Appetit named Birmingham's Hot & Hot Fish Club among the "Great Neighborhood Restaurants in the South."
The Eternal World Television Network (EWTN), the global Catholic television giant, is headquartered and broadcasts from its studios in Birmingham to millions of viewers around the world.
With a population of more than a million people, Birmingham is Alabama's largest city.
Birmingham is ranked #1 as host city for the annual PGA Senior Golf Tour.
With more than 1,000 acres for biking and hiking, Birmingham's Ruffner Mountain is larger than New York City's Central Park and is just a five minutes drive from downtown. Birmingham is a national leader in urban green spaces.
Begun in 1975, Birmingham's annual "Miss Apollo Pageant" is now the second oldest continuously running drag queen pageant in the country.
Birmingham's role in the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s placed it "at the center of the most significant domestic drama of the 20th century..."
Vulcan, the mythical god of metalworking, is the largest iron statue in the world and is second in size only to the Statue of Liberty. The statue was Birmingham's entry in the 1904 World's Fair, where it won first place.
The multi-colored dance floor at "The Club" was director John Badham's inspiration for a key icon in the definitive 1970s movie "Saturday Night Fever," starring John Travolta.
Southern Living, the nation's most successful regional magazine, is published in Birmingham.
With 10,000 pieces, the Birmingham Museum of Art houses the largest collection of Wedgwood outside England.
With the opening of the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail throughout the state, Alabama has been called "one of America's top 10 golf destinations."
Birmingham is home to the nation's oldest baseball park, Rickwood Field, which opened in 1910 and hosted baseball greats such as Jackie Robinson, Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Lorenzo "Piper" Davis, Willie Mays and "Shoeless" Joe Jackson.
Vonetta Flowers, the first African-American to win a gold medal in the Winter Olympics (2002 - bobsledding) is a track coach at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Birminghams world-class musical talent has put the city in the national spotlight with two winners from the mega hit TV show American Idol. Ruben Studdard won in 2003 and Taylor Hicks came home with top honors in 2006. In between, Birminghams Bo Bice won first runner-up in the 2005 competition.
Birmingham was recently voted "Americas Bass Capital" by readers of BASSMASTER magazine. Anglers were challenged to submit their choice for the countrys best "big city bassin."
Should you have Birmingham pigeonholed as serving only barbeque and fried pies, just remember that the city is home to “the Oscars of dining” with James Beard Foundation winners and nominees.
Birmingham recently sealed the deal on a three-year contract with the Indy Racing League for races in 2010, ’11 and ’12 at Barber Motorsports Park. Called the “Alabama Grand Prix,” the races make Birmingham the only Deep South city on the North American Indy circuit.
Birmingham is known as the founding city for the celebration of Veterans Day and hosts the nation’s oldest and largest Veterans Day celebration.