Tuscaloosa County is a county

County (United States)

In the United States, a county is a geographic subdivision of a state , usually assigned some governmental authority. The term "county" is used in 48 of the 50 states; Louisiana is divided into parishes and Alaska into boroughs. Parishes and boroughs are called "county-equivalents" by the U.S...

 of the U.S.

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 state

U.S. state

A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...

 of Alabama

Alabama

Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...

.

It is named in honor of the pre-Choctaw

Choctaw

The Choctaw are a Native American people originally from the Southeastern United States...

 chief Tuskaloosa. In 2010, the population was 194,656. In 2000, the population was 164,875.

The county is the second-largest in the state in terms of area (trailing only Baldwin County

Baldwin County, Alabama

-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*85.7% White*9.4% Black*0.7% Native American*0.7% Asian*0.0% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*1.5% Two or more races*4.4% Hispanic or Latino -2000:...

) and sixth-largest in terms of population (behind Jefferson

Jefferson County, Alabama

Jefferson County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of Alabama, with its county seat being located in Birmingham.As of the 2010 U.S. Census, the population of Jefferson County was 658,466...

, Mobile

Mobile County, Alabama

Mobile County[p] is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama. Its name is in honor of a tribe of Indians, the Maubila tribe . As of 2011, its population was 415,704. Its county seat is Mobile, Alabama...

, Madison

Madison County, Alabama

Madison County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama, and is a major part of the Huntsville Metropolitan Area.It is also included in the merged Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area. The county is named in honor of James Madison, fourth President of the United States of America, and the...

, Montgomery

Montgomery County, Alabama

Montgomery County is a county in the U.S. state of Alabama. It is the most populous county in the Montgomery Metropolitan Statistical Area; its population in 2010 was 229,363 .- History :...

,and Shelby

Shelby County, Alabama

Shelby County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama and a part of the Birmingham–Hoover–Cullman Combined Statistical Area. It is named in honor of Isaac Shelby, Governor of Kentucky. The county seat of Shelby County is Columbiana. As of 2010 U.S. Census the population was 195,085. Shelby...

 counties).

Its seat

County seat

A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....

 and largest city is Tuscaloosa

Tuscaloosa, Alabama

Tuscaloosa is a city in and the seat of Tuscaloosa County in west central Alabama . Located on the Black Warrior River, it is the fifth-largest city in Alabama, with a population of 90,468 in 2010...

, the former state capital from 1826 to 1845. It is also the largest county in the Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Metropolitan Statistical Area

Tuscaloosa metropolitan area

The Tuscaloosa metropolitan area, as defined by the United States Census Bureau, is an area consisting of three counties in west central Alabama, anchored by the city of Tuscaloosa...

.
Tuscaloosa County was established on February 6, 1818.
Tourist attractions include University of Alabama

University of Alabama

The University of Alabama is a public coeducational university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States....

 football, the Bear Bryant Museum, the Kentuck Art Festival, Dickens Downtown, International City Fest, and Tuscaloosa Christmas Afloat.

Principal agricultural products in Tuscaloosa County have included hay, corn, cotton, soybeans, wheat and snapdragon

SnapDragon

SnapDragon is a contemporary jazz band based in San Antonio, Texas. The group released their debut CD, "Stealing a Moment" on Humbug Records in 2008, and the 10-song CD soon broke the Top 100 in U.S radio airplay...

s. Major companies in the county have included JVC

JVC

, usually referred to as JVC, is a Japanese international consumer and professional electronics corporation based in Yokohama, Japan which was founded in 1927...

, Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes-Benz is a German manufacturer of automobiles, buses, coaches, and trucks. Mercedes-Benz is a division of its parent company, Daimler AG...

 USA International, Uniroyal-Goodrich

Goodrich

- People :* Aaron Goodrich , first Chief Justice of Minnesota Territorial Supreme Court * Benjamin Franklin Goodrich , founder of the Goodrich Corporation* Caspar Goodrich , American sailor, son of the admiral* Caspar F...

, and Phifer Inc.
On April 8, 1998, an F3 tornado struck northeast of Tuscaloosa.