Last
year: #7
Ozone
pollution rank: #21
Who knew that sweet home Alabama was residence to such sour air? Unfavorable geography is at the root of Birmingham's problems. The city sits in a valley next to other heavy industries, and soot gets trapped by neighboring mountains. According to Ron Gore, chief of Alabama's Department of Environmental Management Air Division, about 70 to 75 percent of airborne pollutants blow in from other sources in the region. Ranked as high as #4 in 2007 and 2008, Birmingham has steadily improved its air quality over the years.
