Florence.
1 City (2020 pop. 40,184), seat of Lauderdale co., NW Ala., on
the Tennessee River near Muscle Shoals and adjacent to Wilson
Dam (a national historic landmark); inc. 1818. It is in a cotton and mineral
area yielding coal, iron, bauxite, and asphalt. Power from the Wilson Dam
and state dock installations have stimulated the growth of diversified
industries. The mountain lakes in the area attract many tourists. The Univ.
of North Alabama is in the city. Of interest are Pope's Tavern (1811), once
a stagecoach stop and later a Civil War hospital, and a Native American
mound, with a museum.
2 City (2020 pop. 39,899), seat of Florence co., NE S.C., in a farm and timber area;
inc. 1871. The city is an important focal point for railroads (with
extensive repair shops and yards) and developed as an industrial and trade
distribution center. Florence manufactures a wide variety of goods, and
tobacco and cotton are grown. During the Civil War it was a transportation
and supply point and served as the site of a prison camp. It is the seat of
Francis Marion College and a branch of the Univ. of South Carolina. An
experimental station affiliated with Clemson Univ. and a U.S. agricultural
laboratory are also there. Florence has museums, and nearby is a national
Civil War cemetery.
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