Florence, AL

Florence is the Lauderdale County seat in northwestern Alabama, set along the Tennessee River. It is the largest city in the Shoals area and has a college-town layer through the University of North Alabama, the oldest public college in the state. Florence also has deeper history visible at places such as the Florence Indian Mound and in older districts near downtown. It sits far enough from Huntsville and Birmingham to feel like its own regional center, with river geography, music-area culture, schools, and local institutions all mattering.