The song is a George Wallace diss track.

To answer your question, a ton of the civil rights movements happened in Alabama.

...mainly because of all the other terrible shit happening in Alabama, but there's no denying the progress that was made!

Super Soakers were invented there.

In order:

-Home

-My kin

-Blue skies

-The Swampers

Jokes aside, the main thing in the song is that Alabama is home. Sticky sweet watermelon juice dripping down your chin in the humid summer heat, the blues of the Shoals area, the kudzu creeping along the roadside - these things may mean nothing to you, but they scream home to someone from Alabama.

It's worth noting that the song is a little bit tongue in cheek, according to Ronnie Van Zant. They put in audible boos for desegregation opponent Gov. George Wallace. Though the cowriter Ed King also contradicted that interpretation in 2009.

That said, it seems to be a bit of an ironic song.

But for actual important things from Alabama, Marshall Space Flight Center is a major NASA research center in Huntsville. MSFC lead design and assembly for the International Space Station. I believe Huntsville is currently the fastest growing city in the US, and it's a major city for hospital workers and automotive manufacturing as well.

The Muscle Shoals area has always been known for its music, as well, whether originating from or just recorded there. If you consider that important, which I do. Just look into anything recorded in that area. You'll be surprised.

I think the song was supposed to be tongue in cheek, since it talks about Neil Young's criticisms of Alabama at the time, and being indifferent towards political issues like their governor being shot

There’s a Saturn V on display at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, but the people who made that facility important were born in Germany, not Alabama.

Alabama is 70% forest, beautiful to travel the back highways. Judging by the forestry activity I see, they must supply a huge chunk of lumber for the region.

Many, if not most, of the small towns are surprisingly nice, but the wealth gap is on full display. Not a fan of the big cities. Mobile and Birmingham are gross all around.

Well, Huntsville Alabama has Space Camp and has been integral to US space exploration. Or so I've heard, haven't been there myself.

The song isn't so much about Alabama as it is Sweet Home.

Because if those guys can think fondly of Alabama, then EVERYONE should have a better reason to remember home with love.

Wherever your home is, that's YOUR Alabama.

Before things like meth and Trump, Gulf Shores was pretty cool. But I can't imagine it's kept up. I have visited southern Louisiana in the meantime, and it's gone to hell in a handbasket.

The heart of the civil rights movement

southern rock, the civil rights movement, and alabama white bbq sauce are the first things i think of.

It's a place where men are men and pigs are nervous.

Alabama is the anus of the USA. And the great thing is that nearly everyone who lives there admits it

Around 14 days out of the whole year they have a pretty good football team.

That's it.

Lynyrd Skynyrd

Some interesting history from the song (I lived there as a kid). The lyric “In Birmingham they love the governor, now we all did what we could do,” is about Wallace winning the whole state but losing Birmingham soundly. To pay them back, he shut off road funding, and for years, the interstates stopped in midair on the way into town.

Edit: to talk about the state itself, it has some of the worst roads in the nation. The beaches are flat and rather milquetoast. The pine forests are beautiful when it’s not hot and humid. There have been a number of comments about the wealth disparity, and that’s big all along the gulf of mexico.

The battleship in Mobile is pretty cool, though.

Alabama is all about family.

My only connection with the state is Mobile. I quite like the city, but I doubt it's very representative for the rest of the state.

Went there for a work related assignment regarding a ship that was visiting a dry dock there. The ship was delayed by a few days, so I spent some time just checking out the city.