Alabama is nicknamed the Yellowhammer State, after the state bird. Alabama is also known as the "Heart of Dixie" and the "Cotton State".

Montgomery was incorporated in 1819 as a merger of two towns situated along the Alabama River. It became the state capital in 1846.

Some scholars suggest the word comes from the Choctaw alba (meaning "plants" or "weeds") and amo (meaning "to cut", "to trim", or "to gather"). The meaning may have been "clearers of the thicket" or "herb gatherers", referring to clearing land for cultivation or collecting medicinal plants. An 1842 article in the Jacksonville Republican proposed it meant "Here We Rest", a notion that was popularized in the 1850s, but experts in the Muskogean languages have not found any evidence to support this.

Other states have official drinks like lemonade, milk, and orange juice. Alabama has Conecuh Ridge Whiskey, marketed as a high-quality aged moonshine which was produced illegally in Alabama during the mid to late 20th century. The brand was legalized by the moonshiner's son Kenny May, and in 2004 it was designated the official "State Spirit" of Alabama by legislative resolution.

Rosa Parks is best known for her pivotal role in the Montgomery bus boycott. The United States Congress has called her "the first lady of civil rights" and "the mother of the freedom movement".

Mobile was founded by French colonists in 1702 as the capital of French Louisiana. While other sources credit Childersburg, Alabama, as the oldest continually occupied city dating back to 1540, it wasn't actually established until 1889.

With about 345,000 words, Alabama beats out all other states for the title of longest state constitution. For comparison, keep in mind that the United States Constitution only contains 4,543 words. The shortest state constitution is the Constitution of Vermont, adopted in 1793 and currently 8,295 words long.

In 1981, Miller's Office Supply in Anniston, Alabama, wanted to call attention to itself. Owner Leonard "Sonny" Miller had an inspired idea: he would build the world's largest office chair in the vacant lot next to his building. The result still stands today: a chair 33 feet tall with a 15-foot-square seat, built out of ten tons of steel (Sonny also owned a steel company), anchored in 15 tons of cement.

Arthur Penn's treatment of Tuscumbia, Alabama native Helen Keller's story earned five Oscar nominations, including Best Director for Penn, and won two awards, Best Actress for Anne Bancroft and Best Supporting Actress for Patty Duke. The Miracle Worker was based on Keller's autobiography, The Story of My Life. She was the first deaf-blind person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree and was inducted into the Alabama Women's Hall of Fame in 1971.

Pecan trees are grown all over Alabama and are used in many southern recipes such as pralines and pecan pie.