Just 250 miles from north to south, ALABAMA ranges from the fast-flowing rivers, waterfalls and lakes of the Appalachian foothills to the subtropical bayous and white beaches of the Gulf Coast . Most of its industry is concentrated in the north , around rejuvenated Birmingham , and Huntsville , first home of the nation's space program. The sun-scorched farmlands of middle Alabama envelop sober Montgomery , the state capital. Away from the French-influenced coastal strip around attractive Mobile , fundamentalist Protestant attitudes have traditionally backed a succession of right-wing demagogues, such as George Wallace , the four-time state governor who received ten million votes in the 1968 presidential election.
Times have moved on since the epic civil rights struggles in Montgomery, Birmingham and Selma . Monuments and civic literature celebrate the achievements of the campaigners, and even Wallace renounced his racist views, courting - and winning - black votes in his successful campaign for governor in 1982.