Gadsden

It is located on the Coosa River about 56 miles (90 km) northeast of Birmingham, 90 miles (140 km) southwest of Chattanooga, Tennessee, and 72 miles (116 km) southeast of Huntsville.

In the 19th century, Gadsden was Alabama's second-most important center of commerce and industry, trailing only the seaport of Mobile. The two cities were important shipping centers: Gadsden for riverboats and Mobile for international trade.

From the late 19th century through the 1980s, Gadsden was a center of heavy industry, including the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company and Republic Steel. In 1991, following more than a decade of sharp decline in industry, Gadsden was awarded the honor of All-America City by the National Civic League.