Florence, Alabama
Nickname: "Alabama's Renaissance City"
Location in Lauderdale County and the state of Alabama
Coordinates: 34°49′13″N 87°39′46″W / 34.82028, -87.66278
Country	United States
State	Alabama
County	Lauderdale
Government
- Type	Mayor/Council (Since 1984)
- Mayor	Bobby Irons
Area
- City	25 sq mi (64. A nickname is a Name of an entity or thing that is not its Proper name. Lauderdale County is a County of the US state of Alabama. Its name is in honor of Colonel James Lauderdale, of Tennessee. Alabama (formally the State of Alabama;) is a State located in the southern region of the United States of America. Wikipedia talkFeatured lists for an explanation of this and other inclusion tags below -->This list of countries, arranged alphabetically The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The political units and divisions of the United States include The 50 states (four of these being officially styled as Commonwealths) which are typically Alabama (formally the State of Alabama;) is a State located in the southern region of the United States of America. ImageAlabama counties mappng|thumb|right|310px|Alabama counties (clickable mappoly 210 83 208 83 199 75 188 75 176 70 171 70 165 Lauderdale County is a County of the US state of Alabama. Its name is in honor of Colonel James Lauderdale, of Tennessee. Robert E "Bobby" Irons is the current mayor of the city of Florence Alabama, USA Area is a Quantity expressing the two- Dimensional size of a defined part of a Surface, typically a region bounded by a closed Curve. A city is an Urban area with a large Population and a particular Administrative, Legal, or Historical status The square mile is an imperial and US unit of Area equal the area of a square of one statute mile. 8 km²)
- Land	24. Square Kilometre ( US spelling square kilometer) symbol km2, is a decimal multiple of the SI unit of 9 sq mi (64. 6 km²)
- Water	0. 1 sq mi (0. 2 km²)
Elevation	548 ft (167 m)
Population (2006)[1]
- City	36,721
- Density	1,450. The elevation of a Geographic location is its height above a fixed reference point often the mean sea level. A foot (plural feet or foot; symbol or abbreviation ft or sometimes &prime – the prime symbol) is a non-SI unit The metre or meter is a unit of Length. It is the basic unit of Length in the Metric system and in the International A city is an Urban area with a large Population and a particular Administrative, Legal, or Historical status Population density (in agriculture standing stock and Standing crop) is a measurement of Population per unit area or unit volume 6/sq mi (566. 68/km²)
- Metro	140,049
Time zone	Central (CST) (UTC-6)
- Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP codes	35630-35634
Area code(s)	256
FIPS code	01-26896
GNIS feature ID	0118442
Website: http://www.ci.florence.al.us/

Florence

Florence is a city in and the county seat of Lauderdale County, Alabama, United States, in the northwestern corner of the state. A metropolitan area is a large population center consisting of a large Metropolis and its adjacent zone of influence or of more than one closely adjoining neighboring central The Central Time Zone observes Standard time by subtracting six hours from UTC during standard time ( UTC−6) and five hours during Daylight saving Areas using UTC−6 Single zone countries Belize Costa Rica El Salvador Guatemala Daylight saving time ( DST UTC−5 is the Time offset used in the North American Eastern Time Zone during Standard time and in the North American Central Time Zone during The ZIP code is the system of Postal codes used by the United States Postal Service (USPS A telephone numbering plan is a plan for allocating Telephone number ranges to countries regions areas and exchanges and to non-fixed telephone networks Area code 256 was created on March 23 1998 as a split from Area code 205. Federal Information Processing Standards ( FIPS) are publicly announced standards developed by the United States Federal government for use by all non-military The Geographic Names Information System ( GNIS) is a database that contains name and locative information about more than two million physical and cultural features located throughout A county seat is a term for an Administrative center for a County, primarily used in the United States. Lauderdale County is a County of the US state of Alabama. Its name is in honor of Colonel James Lauderdale, of Tennessee. Alabama (formally the State of Alabama;) is a State located in the southern region of the United States of America. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the

According to the 2005 Census Bureau estimates, the city's population was 36,721. ^[1]

Florence is the largest and principal city of the Florence - Muscle Shoals Metropolitan Statistical Area known as "The Shoals" (which includes Muscle Shoals, Sheffield, and Tuscumbia metropolitan areas and Colbert and Lauderdale counties). Table of United States Metropolitan Statistical Areas|Table of United States Core Based Statistical AreasIn the United States, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB has produced The Shoals is a metropolitan area in northwestern Alabama officially known as the Florence-Muscle Shoals Metropolitan Area, including the cities of Florence, Muscle Shoals is a city in Colbert County, Alabama, United States. Sheffield is a city in Colbert County, Alabama, United States, and is included in The Shoals MSA Tuscumbia is a city in and the County seat of Colbert County, Alabama, United States. Colbert County is a County of the US state of Alabama. Its name is in honor of brothers George and Levi Colbert, Chickasaw Florence is considered the primary economic hub of northwestern Alabama.

Florence was surveyed for the Cypress Land Company in 1818 by Italian surveyor Ferdinand Sannoner, who named it after Florence, the capital of Tuscany. Surveying is the technique and science of accurately determining the terrestrial or three-dimensional space Position of points and the distances and angles between Florence ( Italian: Firenze Florentia and Fiorenza) is the Capital City of the Italian region of Tuscany Tuscany (Toscana is a region in Italy. It has an area of 22990 km² and a population of about 3 Florence, Alabama was incorporated in 1826.

Florence is the birthplace of W.C. Handy, the "Father of the Blues," as well as of pioneering record producer Sam Phillips, who discovered Elvis Presley. William Christopher Handy ( November 16 1873 &ndash March 28 1958) was a Blues Composer and Musician, often In the Music industry, a record producer or music producer has many roles among them controlling the recording sessions coaching and guiding the musicians organizing Samuel Cornelius Phillips ( January 5, 1923 – July 30, 2003) better known as Sam Phillips, was an American T.S. Stribling, a 20th-century author and Florence resident, wrote a prose trilogy about the city consisting of The Forge, The Store (which won the Pulitzer Prize), and Unfinished Cathedral. Thomas Sigismund Stribling ( March 4 1881 – July 8 1965) was an American writer and lawyer The Store is a 1932 novel by Thomas Sigismund Stribling. It won the Pulitzer Prize for the Novel in 1933 The Pulitzer Prize, ˈpʊlɨtsɚ PULL-it-sər is an American award regarded as the highest national honor in Newspaper journalism, Dred Scott also once resided in Florence, where as a slave, he worked as a hostler at the Peter Blow Inn on Tennessee street. Dred Scott (1799 – September 17, 1858) was a slave in the United States who sued unsuccessfully for his freedom in the famous An hostler, pronounced (and occasionally spelled ostler, is an Archaic word for a groom or stableman i A plaque at the former site commemorates his time there. Bobby W. Miller, who marched with Dr. Bobby W Miller was born December 27 1940 Florence Alabama. He served as a medivac pilot in the Vietnam War in 1968 and 1969 and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Martin Luther King, Jr., in Selma, Alabama in 1965, was credited later with ending segregated locker rooms at the Ford Motor Company Die Cast Plant in Sheffield, Alabama, where he was employed from 1962-1974. Martin Luther King Jr ( January 15, 1929 April 4, 1968) was an American clergyman, Activist and prominent leader Selma is a city in and the County seat of Dallas County, Alabama, United States, located on the banks of the Alabama River. Ford Motor Company is an American Multinational corporation and the world's fourth largest automaker based on Worldwide vehicle sales, following Sheffield is a city in Colbert County, Alabama, United States, and is included in The Shoals MSA Miller was shot down twice in Vietnam and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and Air Medal. Vietnam (ˌviːɛtˈnɑːm Việt Nam) officially The Distinguished Flying Cross is a medal awarded to any officer or enlisted member of the United States armed forces who distinguishes himself or herself in Tom York lived in Florence and is a graduate of the University of North Alabama and spent eight years in radio in Florence (WLAY). In 1957, he joined WBRC-TV in Birmingham, Alabama as their sports director. He also originated the Tom York Morning Show (one of America's longest running one-hour local talk shows) on the air for 32 years. He was awarded an Emmy by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences in 1995. ^[2]

Florence is renowned for its annual tourism events, including W.C. Handy Music Festival in the summer, and the Renaissance Faire in the autumn. Florencian landmarks include the Rosenbaum House, the only Frank Lloyd Wright-designed home located in Alabama. The Rosenbaum House is a single-family House, designed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright and built for Stanley and Mildred Rosenbaum in Florence Alabama. Frank Lloyd Wright (June 8 1867 &ndash April 9 1959 was an American (of Welsh descent Architect, Interior designer, Writer, and educator who

The type of municipal government is mayor-council. Draft beer became legal in Florence on Saturday, September 1, 2007.

Geography

Florence is located at 34°49′13″N, 87°39′46″W (34. 820287, -87. 662860). ^[3]

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Florence has a total area of 25. The United States Census Bureau (officially Bureau of the Census as defined in Title) is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census 0 square miles (64. 8 km²): 24. 9 square miles (64. 6 km²) of it is land, and 0. 1 square miles (0. 3 km²) of it (0. 40%) is water. Florence is located on Wilson Lake and Pickwick Lake, bodies of water on the Tennessee River dammed by Wheeler and Wilson Dams. Wilson Lake is the name of over one hundred Lakes in the United States according to the United States Geological Survey. Pickwick Lake is the Reservoir created by Pickwick Landing Dam as part of the Tennessee Valley Authority. The Tennessee River is the largest tributary of the Ohio River. Wheeler Dam is a Dam in Lauderdale County in the US state of Alabama. Wheeler Lake was created by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), one of several alphabet agencies of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's New Deal. Wheeler Lake is located in the northern part of the United States state of Alabama, between Rogersville and Huntsville. The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA is a federally owned Corporation in the United States created by congressional charter in May 1933 to provide In 1933 President Franklin D Roosevelt launched his New Deal to deal with the Great Depression. The New Deal was the name that United States President Franklin D Wilson Dam, authorized by President Woodrow Wilson in 1918, was the first dam constructed on the Tennessee River. Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28 1856—February 3 1924 was the twenty-eighth President of the United States.

Demographics

As of the census^[4] of 2000, there were 36,264 people, 15,820 households, and 9,555 families residing in the city. A census is the procedure of acquiring information about every member of a given population The population density was 1,454. Population density (in agriculture standing stock and Standing crop) is a measurement of Population per unit area or unit volume 6 people per square mile (561. 6/km²). There were 17,707 housing units at an average density of 710. 2/sq mi (274. 2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 78. 39% White, 19. 20% Black or African American, 0. 24% Native American, 0. 62% Asian, 0. 03% Pacific Islander, 0. 54% from other races, and 0. 97% from two or more races. 1. 34% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 15,820 households, out of which 25. 9% had children under the age of 18 living with them: 43. 6% were married couples living together, 14. NOTICE TO WOULD-BE ROMEOS ************** 0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39. 6% were non-families. Nearly 33. 8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13. 3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2. 20, and the average family size was 2. 82.

In the city, the population was spread out with 21. 4% under the age of 18, 13. 7% from 18 to 24, 25. 7% from 25 to 44, 21. 7% from 45 to 64, and 17. 5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 84. 0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79. 7 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $28,330, and the median income for a family was $40,577. Males had a median income of $34,398 versus $21,385 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,464. Per capita income means how much each individual receives in monetary terms of the yearly income generated in the country About 14. 4% of families and 20. 4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25. The poverty threshold, or poverty line, is the minimum level of Income deemed necessary to achieve an adequate Standard of living in a given country 9% of those under age 18 and 13. 3% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Harrison Plaza, University of North Alabama

Situated in Florence, and founded in 1830 as LaGrange College, the University of North Alabama, a public, co-educational, higher education institution, is Alabama's oldest state-certified university. The University of North Alabama (abbreviated UNA is a Coeducational University located in Florence, Alabama, and the state's oldest four-year The University is the largest in north Alabama, with an enrollment topping 7,000 for the first time in 2007. Culturally diverse, international students now comprise roughly 10% of the student population. The University is known for its beautifully landscaped, pedestrian-friendly campus that is situated on 130 acres and surrounded by historic neighborhoods. It is located just north of the downtown business district.

Florence City Schools is the organization of the K-12 public school system. Florence City Schools is the public School district of the city of Florence Alabama. Florence High School (grades 10-12) is the main high school, with an enrollment of approximately 1,000 students. It was created by a merge between the previous two city high schools, Coffee High School Yellow Jackets and Henry A. Bradshaw High School Bruins. It is located at the former site of Bradshaw High School. The merger also led to the creation of Florence Middle School (grades 7-8) and the Florence Freshman Center (grade 9), both located at the former Coffee High School campus. Florence High School Falcons won the 2007 6A Region 8 Championship thanks to Head Coach/Athletic Director, Alvin Briggs and Junior runningback, Sean Southward. [1]

There are five private schools in Florence: Riverhill School (non-parochial Pre K-9, actually located just north of Florence in St. Florian), St. St Florian is a town in Lauderdale County, Alabama, United States. Joseph Regional Catholic School (K-8), Mars Hill Bible School, Shoals Christian School, and Florence Christian Academy. Mars Hill Bible School is a nominally non-sectarian preparatory day school for boys and girls located in Florence Alabama. Those are multi-denominational, private K-12 schools.

Culture and Events

The city of Florence is home to several museums, historical sites, and numerous parks to serve the cultural and recreational needs of citizens and tourists. A variety of festivals also occur throughout the year.

Museums

• The Kennedy-Douglass Center for the Arts is the center for numerous cultural activities, exhibits, and events. The Center showcases artists from around the Southeast, and offers classes and workshops to people of all ages. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and provides administrative offices for Florence's six museums. The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP is the United States government's official list of districts sites buildings structures and objects deemed worthy of
• The Indian Mound and Museum is the largest of its type in the Tennessee Valley Region. The mound, which measures 310Hx230Wx42D (feet) and named "Wawmanona" was built circa 500 A. D. and is thought to be locale for tribal ceremony and ritual. The museum displays Native American artifacts from the Mound and the surrounding area, dating back 10,000 years.
• Pope's Tavern is a renowned historical stop and served as a hospital along the way of many skirmishing Civil War soldiers from both the Union and Confederate armies. It also served time as a stagecoach stop, a tavern, and an inn. The museum houses Civil War artifacts as well as antiques from the 18th and 19th centuries. It is one of Florence's oldest standing structures.
• The W.C. Handy Home and Museum is dedicated to one of Florence's most famous sons. Known as the "Father of the Blues", Handy was born in a log cabin at this site in 1873. The museum contains a collection Handy's personal papers, artifacts, and other items he donated before his death in 1958.
• The Rosenbaum House, on Riverview Drive, is the only building in the state designed by famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright. The Rosenbaum House is a single-family House, designed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright and built for Stanley and Mildred Rosenbaum in Florence Alabama. Frank Lloyd Wright (June 8 1867 &ndash April 9 1959 was an American (of Welsh descent Architect, Interior designer, Writer, and educator who It was built in 1939. The house was the first in the city to have such novelties as a carport and under-floor heating. It is open for tours five days of the week.
• The Children's Museum of the Shoals contains exhibits displaying the history, people, and events that make up the Shoals' history. The museum is designed to promote learning in a hands-on environment. The museum offers educational workshops year-round for children of all ages.
• The Forks of Cypress was a cotton plantation located in Florence. It's remains can still be seen in the form of 24 Greek columns, as well as the Jackson Family cemetary.

Festivals

• The George Lindsey/UNA Film Festival has been ongoing for nine years, and is named in honor of George Lindsey, an actor who is most famous for his character portrayal of "Goober Pyle" on The Andy Griffith Show (television series). The George Lindsey/UNA Film Festival was established in 1998 by George Lindsey, most well known as the actor that played " Goober Pyle " on The Andy George Lindsey (born December 17, 1928) is an American character Actor, best known for his role as "Goober Pyle" on The Andy Griffith Show The Andy Griffith Show is an American sitcom first televised by CBS between October 3 1960 and April 1 Mr. Lindsey is a UNA (then known as Florence State College) graduate. The event takes place in April.
• Arts Alive, in May, was first started in 1986. Artists from around the Southeast gather in Wilson Park for two days to show off their work.
• The Spirit of Freedom Celebration is an annual Fourth of July tradition. Thousands of people gather at McFarland Park starting in the morning, for a day spent listening to a variety of musical acts. The celebration concludes around 10:00 with a huge fireworks display over the Tennessee River.
• The W.C. Handy Music Festival is perhaps Florence's most well-known event. Every year, for a week in late July or early August, musicians from around the country descend upon the Shoals. Area restaurants offer live music most nights, and artists often perform in Wilson Park or along streets downtown. Though the focus was originally on blues and jazz, the musical selection now includes rock, country, gosepl and others. The festival, the largest in the Shoals area, also includes educational events, art shows, athletic competitions, great food, and more.
• Every September, McFarland Park is a resting point for riders in the annual Trail of Tears Commemorative Motorcycle Ride, which terminates in nearby Waterloo. Waterloo is a town in Lauderdale County, Alabama, United States. The ride commemorates the final point at which area Cherokee Native Americans were shipped off to Oklahoma and the mid-west by the Indian Removal Act of 1830. The Indian Removal Act, part of a United States government policy known as Indian removal, was signed into law by President Andrew Jackson on May 26
• The Alabama Renaissance Faire is held in Wilson Park during the fourth weekend in October. The festival celebrates Florence's heritage as the "Renaissance City" by recreating the feel of a medieval faire. Activities include arts and crafts, magicians, and musical performances. Festival-goers are also invited to dress in period clothing.

Parks

The city has seven major parks, as well as two that are presently under construction.

• Cox Creek Park is home to a children's playground, horsehoe pits, an indoor archery range, and twelve tennis courts. Recent additions have included the new Florence Skate Park, the only skateboard park in the city, and a new stadium for the University of North Alabama softball team. The Florence/Lauderdale Farmer's Market is also located at the park.
• Deibert Park is the city's newest park. A former horse farm belonging to the Deibert family, the park now includes a playground, picnic shelters, and three ponds. The network of walking trails is enjoyed by walkers, joggers, and bikers. The park is the site of the Children's Museum of the Shoals.
• Martin Park is the location for the city swimming facility, at the Royal Avenue Recreation Center. The park is also home to a playground, tennis courts, picnic shelters, and a three-quarter mile jogging trail.
• McFarland Park is also the location of the Florence Harbor and Marina. While serving as host to several events throughout the year, the park is also equipped with a playground, numerous picnic shelters, campgrounds, soccer fields, baseball fields, a golf driving range, and lighted walking trails. Situated along Pickwick Lake, the park is also used by fishermen, boaters, and swimmers.
• Veterans Park contains a memorial to the war veterans of Florence and Lauderdale county. Twenty-two campsites, six lighted tennis courts, baseball and softball fields, playgrounds, and picnic shelters are also found at the park. Veterans Park is also home to one of the oldest Disc Golf courses in the state. Disc golf (also called Frisbee Golf is a disc game in which individual players throw a Flying disc into a basket or at a target It was established in 1983.
• Wildwood Park is located adjacent to the University of North Alabama along Cypress Creek. It is the most secluded and serene of the city parks. Picnic tables, nature trails, and bicycle trails can all be found here. The park is also used by swimmers, canoers, and fishermen.
• Wilson Park is located in the heart of downtown, across from the Florence-Lauderdale Public Library. As the "Central Park" of Florence, its grounds are used for numerous festivals and events.

As of 2007, two parks are currently under construction. The Florence Sportplex will be located at the corner of Alabama 20 and Gunwaleford Road, and completed in 2008. It will be the home of the majority of youth sports for the city, and include football, soccer, baseball, and softball fields, as well as possibly new tennis courts, walking trails, and picnic shelters.

River Heritage Park is to be located at the base of the Renaissance Tower and adjacent to the Marriott Shoals Hotel and Conference Center. The park will contain scenic overlooks of the Tennessee River and Wilson Dam. Also included will be picnic shelters, a playground, and an interactive fountain. .

Other Attractions

• The Mariott Shoals Hotel & Spa, a four-diamond facility, is located adjacent to Wilson Dam. The hotel has three restaurants open to the public. The 360 Grille, 300 feet above the ground at the top of the Renaissance Tower, offers a panoramic view of the Shoals - the restaurant rotates in a complete circle once every forty-five minutes. The Shoals Conference Center is also located at the complex. The hotel was built as part of a project that includes two eighteen-hole golf courses in Ford City, in Colbert County. Colbert County is a County of the US state of Alabama. Its name is in honor of brothers George and Levi Colbert, Chickasaw The courses are part of the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail. The Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail is a collection of championship caliber Golf courses designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr
• Braly Municipal Stadium, on the campus of Florence Middle School, is the home to both the University of North Alabama and Florence High School football teams. Braly Municipal Stadium is a Stadium in Florence Alabama. It is primarily used for American football, and is the home field of the University The stadium has one of the finest playing surfaces in the country, with the ability to withstand up to six inches of rainfall. Capacity is 14,125. Since 1986, the stadium has been home of the NCAA Division II Football Championship Game. The game is nationally televised and usually takes place the second or third weekend in December.
• The Sweetwater Arts and Entertainment District is a proposed redevelopment for the East Florence business district. The plan has designated a mixture of zoning regulations for the area that will allow for the establishment of nightclubs and other entertainment venues. The city envisions a district similar to Beale Street in Memphis that will help draw in tourists and serve citiznes and the students at the University of North Alabama.

See also: List of Registered Historic Places in Lauderdale County, Alabama

Transportation

Florence is the merger point for two major U.S. Highways, as well as several Alabama Highways. The system of United States Numbered Highways (often called U Alabama 's State Route System (typically abbreviated SR) uses the standard numbering convention odd numbers signify a north-south state route, and even Both U.S. Highway 43 and U.S. Highway 72 merge just west of the city limits in Killen, and are co-signed their entire length through the city. US Route 43 is a north-south United States highway that runs for 410 miles (649 km from central Tennessee to Mobile Alabama. US Route 72 is an east-west United States highway that runs for 337 miles (542 km from southeast Tennessee through northern Alabama and northern Killen is a town in Lauderdale County, Alabama, United States. Highway 43, running north and south, helps connect the city to Lawrenceburg and Columbia to the north in Tennessee, as well as Tuscaloosa and Mobile to the south. Lawrenceburg is a city in Lawrence County, Tennessee, United States. Columbia is a city in Maury County, Tennessee, United States. Tennessee ( is a state located in the Southern United States. Tuscaloosa is a city in west central Alabama in the southern United States. Highway 72 helps connect the city to Huntsville and Chattanooga, Tennessee to the east and Memphis, Tennessee to the west. Huntsville is a city in Madison and Limestone Counties in the U Memphis is a City in the southwest corner of Tennessee, and the County seat of Shelby County. Interstate 65 is accessible about forty-five minutes east on Highway 72. Interstate 65 (I-65 is a major Interstate Highway in the United States. Both of these roads cross the Tenneessee River on O'Neal Bridge, connecting Florence to Sheffield.

Alabama state highways that serve the city include Alabama 13, Alabama 17, Alabama 20, Alabama 133, and Alabama 157. Alabama 133 connected Florence and Muscle Shoals via Wilson Dam until 2002, when the new six-lane "Patton Island Bridge" (the unofficial, but locally accepted name) finished construction. The bridge is part of a new corridor that will eventually see the widening of Wilson Dam Road in Muscle Shoals to Alabama 20, and the construction of a new road from the bridge to Florence Blvd. in Florence. Alabama 157 is also an important road to Florence and the Shoals area, serving as a four-lane link to Interstate 65 in Cullman. Cullman is a city in Cullman County, Alabama, United States. It is located along the Interstate 65 / Interstate 565 combination route After many years of political campaigning by local leaders to have the four-laning of the road completed, the project wrapped up in the summer of 2007. The road is known as the "University of North Alabama Highway".

Florence and the Shoals area does not have a direct link to an Interstate highway at the present time. One solution discussed over the years has been the "Memphis to Atlanta Highway", proposed to connect the two cities via a freeway through north Alabama. However, in recent years Mississippi has concentrated its funding on U. S. 78 (future Interstate 22), also known as "Corridor X". Interstate 22 (I-22 when completed will follow the US Highway 78 corridor along a 213-mile (343-km route from Memphis Tennessee, to Birmingham Alabama Though U. S. 72 through Mississippi is four lanes, there are no plans to upgrade it to freeway status. Meanwhile, the state of Georgia has also not committed to the necessary work to connect the freeway from the Alabama state line to Atlanta. The highway remains in the planning stages with the Alabama Department of Transportation.

Another plan recently discussed is extending Interstate 565 west from its current terminus just outside of Decatur, perhaps along Alabama 20/Alternate U. Interstate 565 (I-565 is a 22-mile (35 km long Interstate spur that connects Interstate 65 (I-65 in Decatur Alabama with U Decatur is a city in Limestone and Morgan Counties in the US state of Alabama. S. 72. The plan has received some support from Decatur officials, some of whom would like to see the Interstate eventually extend west of Decatur and at least into Lawrence County. Lawrence County is a County of the US state of Alabama, and is included in the Decatur Metropolitan Area, as well as the Huntsville-Decatur

For air transportation, Florence is served by the Northwest Alabama Regional Airport in Muscle Shoals. Northwest Alabama Regional Airport is a public Airport located one mile (1 The airport is mostly used for general aviation, but daily flights to Memphis are also offered. Huntsville International Airport, offering a large variety of domestic and international flights, is about an hour drive from Florence. Huntsville International Airport, also known as Carl T Jones Field, is an Airport located 9 miles (14 km southwest of the Central business district

Local industry is also served by the Tennessee Southern Railroad, which runs from Florence to Columbia, Tennessee, and the Port of Florence on Pickwick Lake.

Media

Florence is served by the TimesDaily newspaper. The TimesDaily is the Daily newspaper for Florence, Alabama. The TimesDaily covers a four-county region in Alabama including It is a daily paper containing local,state, and national news and sports, as well as classified ads. The paper is owned by New York Times.

The Courier Journal is distributed in Florence and the surrounding areas. It is locally owned and contains low-cost ads for personal property, real estate, and local job opportunities. It also has brief articles of local interest as well as editorials and the nationally syndicated "Dave Says" financial advice from guru Dave Ramsey. David L Ramsey III (born September 3, 1960) is an American financial writer radio and television host

References

External links

• City of Florence, Alabama
• Florence Tourism Board
• WC Handy Music Festival Official Website
• George Lindsey/UNA Film Festival
• Florence-Lauderdale Public Library
• Historical and Current Photographs of Florence
• American Memory's Built in America Collection which has drawings, photographs, and descriptions of old homes and buildings.

• Florence, Alabama is at coordinates 34°49′13″N 87°39′46″W / 34.820287, -87.66286 (Florence, Alabama)Coordinates: 34°49′13″N 87°39′46″W / 34.820287, -87.66286 (Florence, Alabama)