Top 15 Hot Jobs in Tuscaloosa

Tuscaloosa is approximately 50 miles southwest of Birmingham, off US 11 and I-59/20; and, about 150 miles northwest of Tuskegee and Auburn. The city appears on the Forbes.com list of the Top 20 College Towns in America, all of which demonstrated job growth during the US economic recession from 2008 - 2009. Tuscaloosa first underwent some job losses, but job listings increased once again after July 2009.

In December 2009, the successful high end car company Daimler AG announced its plans to build a new generation of Mercedes Benz C-Class automobiles at its local plant in Tuscaloosa, creating 1,000 jobs for this market area. This advent brings job additional increases to an even higher mark for college town Tuscaloosa, Alabama for 2010. Indeed the auto related companies of Michelin Tires, JVC America, and prevosuly, Chrysler-Mercedes, contributed much to the local metropolitan economy. Daimler AG will continue that trend into the 2010s and 2020s.

1. Assistant Managers
2. Tax Professionals
3. Occupational Therapists
4. Cell Technicians
5. Salespersons and Cashiers
6. Replenishment Associates (stock handling related)
7. Asset Management Leaders
8. Drivers - various sorts of trucks and other vehicles
9. Associate Electrical Engineers
10. Team Members – Food Service, Retail, Production.
11. Physical Therapists
12. Supervisors of Technical Operations
13. Restaurant General Managers
14. Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs)
15. Assistant Professors

• Birmingham-Southern College - Birmingham AL
• ITT Technical Institute - Bessemer AL
• Jefferson State Community College - Birmingham AL
• Lawson State Community College - Bessemer AL
• Miles College - Fairfield AL
• Samford University - Birmingham AL
• Shelton State Community College
• Southeastern Bible College - BIrmingham AL
• Stillman College – The model for Spellman College on The Cosby Show.
• The University of Alabama
• Virginia College at Birmingham

Native Americans were the first residents of the Tuscaloosa area for centuries, along the Black Warrior River. That name comes from that of a local Choctaw chief, approximately: Tushka Lusa- tushka for warriorand lusa for black.The oral tradition of legends around Tuscaloosa has it that Chief Tushka Lusa was a formidable man that stood 7 feet tall. This could indeed be true, since I recall one of my great uncles, a large part Native American, stood 7 feet tall himself.

The Spaniard Hernando DeSoto found the local Native Americans circa 1540. Violence erupted between the Spanish and the native populations, but DeSoto founded a settlement southwest of Tuscaloosa and the Native Americans gave way. Over time, additional settlers arrived, developed agriculture, and incorporated Tuscaloosa in 1819, just before Alabama became an official US State.

The shallows of the Black Warrior River was the southernmost point that could be forded all year long and it was used regularly by several native groups. Naturally, many Native American trails converged at this point and created a foundation for future transport by water and highway. European Americans began to use the fording point more frequently, building a settlement near a major Creek Nation village. The settlers decided to honor the legend of the Choctaw Chief by naming their community Tuscaloosa. The town became the state capital from 1826 to 1846, 1831 seeing the foundation of the renowned University of Alabama.

After the Civil War, water transportation was improved with a new system of locks and dams on the river, built by the US Army Corps of Engineers. This linked Tuscaloosa to the Gulf of Mexico via Mobile AL to provide new avenues of commercial shipping and passenger transport.

From the 1890s into the 20^th Century, Tuscaloosa mining and metal manufacturing expanded successfully. The University of Alabama had been burned during the war, but was rebuilt to begin a continuing trend of strengthening the local economy with education, jobs, and the famous Crimson Tide college sports programs. The 21st Century has brought new technologies to Tuscaloosa, along with a more diverse economy, historic preservation initiatives, and a renewal of the auto industry set for the 2010s.

The Mayor's Office of Tuscaloosa is frimly committed to preserving historical areas in the City of Tuscaloosa. The Tuscaloosa Historic Preservation Commission began operations in 2004 to specifically preserve the history and legacy of Tuscaloosa long term. It guides ongoing restoration of historic building projects in the city's many Historic Districts through struict guidelines and green building and rennovation projects.

The 24 Historic Districts in Tuscaloosa are illustrated in an online map at the city website. Some have colorful names like Druid City and Buena Vista, the Downs and Glendale Gardens. All of them are interesting and well maintained, drawing tourists and additional new residents as well as commercial concerns to these continually improving areas.