Spidy...I think you just hit it at a weird time...there's not many plants around here any more...US Steel was the main gig back when I was a kid, but all that's left there now is the pipe mill and support for it. The big thing in B'ham is Medical Care (UAB, where I work)...17K employees) and Financial Centers (lots of banking), so it's more service than manufacturing now days. However, we've got a lot of car building...Mercedes is only about 40 miles away; Honda, and now Hundai (sp?), and all the spin-offs for support. We had a LOT of people come here when Katrina happened, so that might have been part of why you had problems finding a place (we're only about 6 hours from N'oleans). Plus, a lot of stuff shut down here when Katrina happened, as we got some of the edges of her. We're 250 miles from the coast, but can still get some 50 - 80 MPH winds off those things. If you'r coming thru again, get in touch and I'll help you find a decent place.
Yea, I'll bet they did get a hoot out of your accent in Selma....different dialect there than B'ham. We've got about 3 pretty distinct accents, depending on where in the state you are raised.