Florence, city, seat of Lauderdale County, northwestern Alabama, on the Tennessee River at Wilson Dam, near Muscle Shoals; settled 1779, incorporated as a city 1889. Manufactures include textiles, floor tile, aluminum goods, boats, kitchen appliances, and packed meats. The University of North Alabama (1872) is here. The birthplace (now a museum) of the composer W. C. Handy and a large Native American mound attract visitors to the city. Florence was founded in 1818 and was laid out by an Italian surveyor, who named the community for his birthplace, Florence, Italy. Population 37,029 (1980); 36,426 (1990); 36,264 (2000).