Bessemer, AL

Bessemer is a southwestern Birmingham suburb in Jefferson County with a heavy industrial backstory. It was founded during Reconstruction by the Bessemer Land and Improvement Company, named for Henry Bessemer, and grew around coal, iron, steel, railroads, and manufacturing. Pullman Standard operated a major railroad car factory here for decades, and Bessemer once ranked near the top of Alabama for manufacturing investment. Today it has its own city school system, civic center, and a legacy that still feels industrial.