Tuscaloosa, AL

Tuscaloosa lies along the Black Warrior River about an hour southwest of Birmingham via I-20/I-59. The University of Alabama dominates this city of 170,000, bringing energy and growth to west-central Alabama. Most visitors arrive on the merged interstates, though US-82 provides the main east-west route through downtown. The 1920s art deco tower at Druid City Hospital stands 15 stories tall, visible for miles across the river valley.