Florence, Alabama
Florence is a city of 41,701 people in Lauderdale County, Alabama, founded in January 7, 1826.
Why visit Florence
Townapedia lists 147 museums and landmarks, 22 parks and trails, 144 places to eat, 13 places to stay and 13 attractions in and around town.
Highlights include Memphis & Charleston Railroad Bridge, University of North Alabama, The Frank Lloyd Wright Rosenbaum House and College Place Historic District.
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 89°F; January lows average 31°F.
Weather in Florence
Forecast from the National Weather Service. Full forecast
About Florence
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.
From the Wikipedia article Florence, Alabama (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Things to do13
Memphis & Charleston Railroad Bridge
Bridge · National Register of Historic Places · 3.4 mi
Historic structure in Sheffield, Alabama, United States
University of North Alabama
School · 1.7 mi
University in Florence, Alabama, USA
1 Harrison Plaza, Florence
Heritage Christian University
School · 2.1 mi
Private bible college in Florence, Alabama
Shoals Community Theatre
Cinema and theater · 2.1 mi
123 North Seminary Street, Florence
1 more on the map.
Museums and landmarks147
The Frank Lloyd Wright Rosenbaum House
Museum · 2.7 mi
601 Riverview Drive, Florence
Tu-Sa 10:00-16:00; Su 13:00-16:00
College Place Historic District
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 1.5 mi
Historic district in Alabama, United States
Sannoner Historic District
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 2.0 mi
Historic district in Florence, Alabama, United States
Southall Drugs
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 2.1 mi
Commercial building in Florence, Alabama
Walnut Street Historic District
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 1.8 mi
Historic district in Florence, Alabama, USA
Cherry Street Historic District
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 1.6 mi
Listed on the NRHP in Alabama
Downtown Florence Historic District
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 2.2 mi
Historic district in Alabama, United States
Forks of Cypress
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 3.7 mi
Human settlement in Alabama, United States of America
George Coulter House
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 2.5 mi
Historic house in Florence, Alabama
420 South Pine Street, Florence
Old Florence Water Tower
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 1.7 mi
Water tower in Florence, Alabama, United States
Rogers Department Store
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 2.2 mi
Department store in Florence, United States of America
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Seminary-O'Neal Historic District
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 1.9 mi
Historic district in Alabama, United States
135 more on the map.
Parks, trails and playgrounds22
Tom Braly Municipal Stadium
Sports field and stadium · 1.4 mi
521 North Royal Avenue, Florence
10 more on the map.
Restaurants and cafes144
Applebee's
Diner · American · 1.2 mi
2271 Florence Boulevard, Florence
Mo-Th 11:00-23:00; Fr-Sa 11:00-24:00; Su 11:00-22:00
The Carriage
Brewery and winery · 2.1 mi
The Carriage is the Shoals premiere wine bar and retail shop offering a large selection of hand-selected wine, craft beer, artisan...
121 East Mobile Street, Florence
Mo-We 10:00-21:00; Th-Sa 10:00-22:00
Buffalo Wild Wings
Restaurant · Wings · 2.1 mi
2870 Florence Boulevard, Florence
Mo-Th 11:00-22:40; Fr-Sa 11:00-23:40; Su 11:00-22:40
Singin' River Brewing Company
Brewery and winery · 2.0 mi
526 East College Street, Florence
Tu-Fr 16:00-21:00; Sa 14:00-21:00
Bluewater Brewing Company, Inc.
Brewery and winery · 1.8 mi
318 South Royal Avenue, Florence
Tu-Sa 16:30-21:00
132 more on the map.
Where to stay13
GunRunner Boutique Hotel
Motel and hotel · 2.1 mi
310 East Tennessee Street, Florence
Churches and places of worship102
Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Shoals
Place of worship · 1.5 mi
1332 North Pine Street, Florence
Saint Joseph Catholic Church
Church · Roman Catholic · 1.7 mi
203 Plum Street, Florence
Apostolic Pentecostal Church
Church · Pentecostal · 1.6 mi
812 East Tuscaloosa Street
Bethel Cumberland Presbyterian Church in America
Church · Presbyterian · 2.1 mi
408 East Alabama Street, Florence
East Florence Church of Christ
Church · Church Of Christ · 1.7 mi
1800 Huntsville Road, Florence
Shopping39
Gas and EV charging23
Coussons Hardware and Convenience Store
Gas station · 3.7 mi
30 County Road 30, Florence
Schools, colleges and libraries33
Florence-Lauderdale Public Library
Library · 1.9 mi
350 North Wood Avenue, Florence
Healthcare16
Huntsville Hospital Urgent Care
Clinic and pharmacy · 2.0 mi
202 Cox Creek Parkway, Florence
Barnes Health Care Pharmacy
Clinic and pharmacy · 2.1 mi
221 North Court Street, Florence
Chad's Payless Pharmacy
Clinic and pharmacy · 2.5 mi
501 West College Street, Florence
Map of Florence
250 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Climate by month
Monthly table
| Month | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 50°F | 31°F | 4.9 in |
| Feb | 55°F | 34°F | 5.2 in |
| Mar | 64°F | 42°F | 5.3 in |
| Apr | 72°F | 49°F | 5.0 in |
| May | 79°F | 57°F | 5.0 in |
| Jun | 86°F | 65°F | 4.8 in |
| Jul | 89°F | 69°F | 5.1 in |
| Aug | 89°F | 68°F | 4.5 in |
| Sep | 84°F | 61°F | 4.0 in |
| Oct | 74°F | 49°F | 3.7 in |
| Nov | 62°F | 39°F | 4.3 in |
| Dec | 54°F | 34°F | 5.9 in |
U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 for Muscle Shoals 2 N (4 mi away), NOAA NCEI.
People and cost of living
American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020-2024, U.S. Census Bureau. Estimates have margins of error, larger for small towns.
Disaster history
Lauderdale County has had 13 federal disaster declarations since 2000, most often for hurricanes.
- 2024-09-26: Hurricane Helene (Hurricane)
- 2023-05-05: Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, And Tornadoes (Severe Storm)
- 2020-09-14: Hurricane Sally (Hurricane)
- 2020-03-29: Covid-19 Pandemic (Biological)
- 2020-03-13: Covid-19 (Biological)
- 2017-09-11: Hurricane Irma (Hurricane)
OpenFEMA disaster declarations summaries.
Getting there and nearby towns
Northwest Alabama Regional Airport (MSL) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 7 miles away.
- Underwood-Petersville 4 mi northwest, about 6 min by car
- St. Florian 4 mi northeast, about 6 min by car
- Sheffield 5 mi south, about 9 min by car
- Muscle Shoals 6 mi south, about 10 min by car
- Tuscumbia 8 mi south, about 13 min by car
- Russellville 23 mi south, about 37 min by car
- Athens 40 mi east, about 1 h by car
- Decatur 42 mi southeast, about 1 h 15 min by car
- Hartselle 49 mi southeast, about 1 h 15 min by car
- Madison 52 mi east, about 1 h 30 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB, the NEMICO news database.
Reviews, tips and questions
Loading what members have shared...
Sources and licences
- NCES EDGE (Public domain): public schools
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 (Public domain): climate by month
- OpenFEMA (Public domain): disaster declarations
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- U.S. Census Bureau (Public domain): population, income, housing, education, commute
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Downtown Florence Historic District cropped, themidnite (original), Yassie (derivative work, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Poplar from Tuscaloosa in Florence, Nyttend, Public domain
- Tuscaloosa west of Pine in Florence, Nyttend, Public domain
- Southall Drugs in Florence, Nyttend, Public domain
- Rogers Department Store in Florence, Nyttend, Public domain
- Downtown Florence Historic District 2012-09-29 16-50-03, themidnite, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Downtown Florence Historic District 2012-09-29 16-49-22, themidnite, CC BY-SA 3.0
- 901-913 Sherrod Ave Florence Apr 2017, Spyder_Monkey, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Coby-hall, The original uploader was Burkeanwhig at English Wikipedia ., Public domain
- 521 & 525 N Seminary St Florence Apr 2017, Spyder_Monkey, CC BY-SA 3.0
- 518 & 510 N Cherry St Florence Apr 2017, Spyder_Monkey, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Mary McFarland House (Florence, Alabama), W. N. Manning, HABS photographer, Public domain
- Forks of Cypress Ruins by Highsmith 02, Carol M. Highsmith, Public domain
- Sweetwater Mansion Florence, E.W. Burkhardt, W. N. Manning, Public domain
- Water Tower 2012-09-29 16-03-57, themidnite, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Harrison-plaza, Burkeanwhig at en.wikipedia, Public domain
- Sheffield Residential Historic District 2012-09-29 17-20-31, themidnite, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Chambers-Robinson House 2012-09-29 17-19-50, themidnite, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Karsner-Carroll House 2012-09-29 16-40-46, themidnite, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Wilson Dam, Tennessee Valley Authority, Public domain
- Forks of Cypress Cemetery by Highsmith 01, Carol M. Highsmith, Public domain
- Sheffield Downtown Commercial Historic District 2012-09-30 12-35-17, SistahFee, CC BY-SA 3.0
- William Bowen Lustron House Apr 2017, Spyder_Monkey, CC BY-SA 3.0
- FAME Recording Studios Muscle Shoals, Carol M. Highsmith, Public domain
- Old Railroad Bridge Florence 2025a, Antony-22, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Panhellenic-residence, Burkeanwhig at en.wikipedia, Public domain
- Olive Residence Hall, NorthAlabamaWebGuy, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Mattielou Hall, NorthAlabamaWebGuy, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Collier library una, Unaroarlions, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Mike D. Lane Field at Bank Independent Stadium (4-22-2025), Remit48, CC BY 4.0
- Wilson Park Fountain Night - Flickr - KE4SFQ, Kevin Stephenson from Florence, AL, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Rogers Department Store, JeremyInman, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Martin-Lowery-Author, Iamanonymousnomore, CC BY-SA 4.0
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