<P> Alabama is a state located in the Southern United States . According to the 2010 United States Census, Alabama is the 23rd most populous state with 4,779,745 inhabitants and the 28th largest by land area spanning 50,645.33 square miles (131,170.8 km) of land . Alabama is divided into 67 counties and contains 460 incorporated municipalities consisting of 169 cities and 291 towns . These cities and towns cover only 7000960000000000000 ♠ 9.6% of the state's land mass but are home to 7001604000000000000 ♠ 60.4% of its population . </P> <P> The Code of Alabama 1975 defines the legal use of the terms "town" and "city" based on population . A municipality with a population of 2,000 or more is a city, while less than 2,000 is a town . For legislative purposes, municipalities are divided into eight classes based on population . Class 1 is defined as all cities with a population of 300,000 . Although no cities in the state currently meet this population requirement, Birmingham was allowed to remain a class 1 city since it incorporated with a 1970 population of 300,910 before the cutoff date of June 28, 1979 . Class 2 are cities between 175,000 and 299,999 inhabitants which include present day Montgomery, Mobile, and Huntsville . There are no present Class 3 cities which require populations between 100,000 and 174,999 inhabitants . Tuscaloosa, Hoover, Dothan, Decatur and Auburn are Class 4 cities with between 50,000 and 99,999 inhabitants . Ten cities fall under Class 5: a population greater than 25,000 and less than 49,999 . There are 34 cities that are Class 6, with between 12,000 and 24,999 inhabitants, and 40 cities that are Class 7 with a population from 6,000 to 11,999 inhabitants . Class 8 includes all towns, plus all remaining cities with populations of less than 6,000 . </P>

How many cities are in the state of alabama