geography/history lesson- alabama style

After a very nice drive on US Hwy 78 and an even more exciting drive through Birmingham in torrential rain, I made it home- to Montgomery. Because I am tired of people confusing Birmingham and Montgomery (and no, they're not the same place)/ annoyed with the fact that some people assume that because I'm from Alabama I must be from Birmingham, I decided to post a short geography/ history lesson- Alabama style- for all those who might need some clarification. 

I found this map online and added to it- Montgomery is the city underlined/starred in red. Birmingham is the city in blue. Notice- they are not located in the same place; therefore, they cannot be the same city. As a matter of fact, GoogleMaps says that there's approximately 90.3 miles between the two cities, if one should chose to drive on I-65.

Now for the short history lesson:

Remember the bus boycott with Rosa Parks? That happened in Montgomery- not Birmingham. Martin Luther King's Dexter Avenue Baptist Church? That would be Dexter Avenue in Montgomery- not Birmingham. The so-called Civil Rights Capital of the World? That's Montgomery- not Birmingham. Home to the Alabama Shakespeare Festival and the Southern Writers Project? Montgomery- not Birmingham. The first White House of the Confederacy? Yup, you got it- it was in Montgomery- not Birmingham.

Where were Martin Luther King, Jr's "Letter from a Birmingham Jail" written? Birmingham- not Montgomery. Where was the church that killed the four little black girls during the Civil Rights Movement? Birmingham- not Montgomery. Where's UAB located? Birmingham- not Montgomery. What city was the site for the 1996 Olympic Soccer games? Birmingham- not Montgomery.

I hope my short lesson has cleared up any confusion that may have existed and confirmed the fact that Montgomery and Birmingham are not the same city. Alabama isn't that big, but there are plenty of places to live beyond Birmingham. And yes, automobiles have finally made it and now people can move around from one place to the other- they can even leave the state if they so desire.