Florence, Alabama

Florence is a city located in and the county seat of Lauderdale County, Alabama, United States, in the state's northwestern corner. It has a population of 40,184 in the 2020 census. Florence is located along the Tennessee River and is home to the University of North Alabama, the oldest public college in the state. Florence is located about 70 miles (110 km) west of Huntsville, Alabama, via US-72, and about 115 miles (185 km) northwest of Birmingham, Alabama. Florence is the largest and principal city of the "Quad Cities," more commonly known as "The Shoals," which also includes the cities of Muscle Shoals, Sheffield, and Tuscumbia in Colbert County and which collectively had a population of 148,779 as of the 2020 census. Florence is considered northwestern Alabama's primary economic hub. Annual tourism events include the W. C. Handy Music Festival in the summer and the Alabama Renaissance Faire in the fall. Landmarks in Florence include the 20th-century Rosenbaum House, the only Frank Lloyd Wright-designed home located in Alabama. The Florence Indian Mound and Museum, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, was constructed by indigenous people between 400 BCE and 100 BCE in the Woodland period and is the largest surviving earthen mound in the state.