Florence is the county seat of Lauderdale County Alabama and is situated in the extreme northwestern portion of the State, and on the north bank of the Tennessee river. Its site is a rolling plateau, about 150 feet above the river's level. The city was laid out in 1819, by General Andrew Jackson and others. Its present charter is the act of February 28,1889, as amended by the act of February 18, 1891. The city is governed by a mayor and five aldermen. The population in 1890 was 6,012; in 1880 it was 1,359, a gain of 4,653 people. The streets are wide and well kept, shaded and paved with an excellent natural concrete found in the vicinity. The city has fine natural drainage, which has been supplemented by quite an elaborate system of sewerage constructed by the city. It has a fine system of waterworks, built at a cost of $150,000.00; an electric light plant; efficient police force and fire department; two banks; three newspapers; one hotel; a street car line; several fine public buildings, and many handsome and attractive private residences.

Educational advantages excellent, and the city is one of the educational centres of the State. The Florence State Normal College, Florence Synodical Female College and the Southern Female University are located in this city. All the leading religious denominations have churches in Florence, and the society is of the highest type. Climate excellent all the year round, and the city has a reputation for health of which it is justly proud.. The air seems to be a specific for catarrh and like diseases. A porous soil, upon a gravelly subsoil, absorbs the survace water quickly and dries with rapidity, and the surplus drainage is into the rapidly flowing river. City enjoys exceptional transportation facilities. It is naturally located at the head of deep water navigation on the Tennessee river, which is here a beautiful and majestic stream, more than a half mile wide and has, in addition, the Louisville 7 Nashville RR, the Memphis & Charleston RR and the Birmingham, Sheffield & Tennessee River RR. The Florence Northern Railroad, reaching up from Florence to tap the great ore fields and virgin forests of Wayne County, TN, is graded and ready for the ties to a point 27 miles north of Florence, and the Florence & Paducah RR, now completed from Paducah KY to Hollow Rock TN, is rapidly closing the gap between that point and Florence.

In addition to the railroads named above, there is now being surveyed, at the expense of the State (under the act of the general assemply of AL, approved Feb. 18, 1891, the object being "to set before the world the cost of building and the value and importance of said railway to the builders and to the State of AL"), a line of railroad from Florence via Tuskaloosa, to Mobile. Around Florence stretches the great valley of the Tennessee, famous for its beauty, its healthful climate, its agricultural wealth and its industrial prosperity. Eighteen miles north of Florence is the southern limit of the "western iron belt of Tennessee," covering over 5,000 square miles, and containing inexhaustible deposits of limonites or brown hematite ore. In places, the beds are 75 feet in thickness and the ore is mined with steam shovels. The ores are rich and can be worked very cheaply. The iron is a high silicon iron, similar to Scotch pig. The coal supply of Florence is drawn from the great Warrior coal fields of Alabama, which lie just south. The city is admirably located for successful manufacturing, espeically such as has for its basis, iron, cotton, or wood, and among its present industries are the Philadelphia iron furnace, the Florence wagon works, the Florence shoe factory, stove and manufacturing company, woodenware works, iron railing and ence factory, Rash Bros. saw mill, North Alabama furnace, wood novelty works, Florence planing mills, Reynolds' pump factory, Bennie bucket factory and Cypress cotton mill.

As illustrating the growth of Florence in recent years it may be stated that in 1887 the taxable values of Florence were assessed at $800,000.00; in 1891 they were at $3,021,812.00; in 1887 the city's revenue from all sources was $2,800.00; in 1892 it amounted to $25,000.00; the amount expended in Florence since 1887 in the construction of furnaces, factories, public buildings, stores, private dwellings and other improvements is etimated at $2,000,000.00. City debt, $100,000.00 - 6 % bonds, issued for the construction of sewers and other public improvements.