Birmingham metropolitan area, Alabama
The northern counties of the Birmingham metro area specifically Blount and Cullman are also part of the North Alabama region also known locally as the Tennessee Valley and are overlapped by the much larger Birmingham metropolitan area despite its proximity to the nearby Huntsville metro.Nearby counties Tuscaloosa, Etowah, and Calhoun, while not officially a part of Greater Birmingham, contribute significantly to the region's economy.It is classified as Southeast by the U.S. Census and also falls in the geographic area of the Upland South due to its location at the southern terminus of the Appalachian foothills.The area is world headquarters for Regions Financial, and Books-A-Million, the second largest book retailer in the United States.It runs through portions of Bessemer, Vestavia Hills, and Trussville, and forms a main route through the primary city of Hoover.The city's new $30 million, three-block intermodal station brings Amtrak, Greyhound, the Birmingham-Jefferson County Transit Authority and automotive transportation together in one place.