Huntsville | |
|---|---|
 Seal  Logo | |
| Nickname: Rocket City[2] | |
| Motto: "Star of Alabama"[3] | |
 Interactive map of Huntsville | |
  Huntsville Location within Alabama  Huntsville Location within the United States | |
| Coordinates: 34°41′36″N 86°33′39″W / 34.69333°N 86.56083°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Alabama |
| Counties | Madison, Limestone, Morgan[1] |
| Established (as Twickenham) | December 23, 1809[4] |
| Incorporated (town) | December 9, 1811[5][6] |
| Incorporated (city) | February 24, 1860[7] |
| Founded by | LeRoy Pope |
| Named for | John Hunt |
| Government | |
| • Type | Mayor–Council |
| • Mayor | Tommy Battle (R) |
| • Councilmembers | District 1 – Devyn S. Keith District 2 – David Little District 3 – Jennie Robinson District 4 – Bill Kling District 5 – John Meredith |
| Area | |
| • City | 225.17 sq mi (583.19 km2) |
| • Land | 223.63 sq mi (579.21 km2) |
| • Water | 1.54 sq mi (3.98 km2) |
| Elevation | 577 ft (176 m) |
| Population | |
| • City | 215,006 |
| • Estimate (2024)[11] | 241,114  |
| • Rank | US: 100th AL: 1st |
| • Density | 1,006/sq mi (388.3/km2) |
| • Urban | 329,066 (US: 122nd) 20,165 (Southeast) |
| • Urban density | 1,532.2/sq mi (591.6/km2) |
| • Metro | 514,465 (US: 109th) |
| • Metro density | 378/sq mi (145.9/km2) |
| • Combined | 879,315 (US: 68th) |
| • Combined density | 255.3/sq mi (98.57/km2) |
| Demonym | Huntsvillian |
| Time zone | UTC–6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC–5 (CDT) |
| ZIP Codes | 35801–35816, 35824, 35893–35899 |
| Area code(s) | 256 and 938 |
| FIPS code | 01-37000 |
| GNIS feature ID | 2404746[9] |
| Website | huntsvilleal.gov |
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Huntsville is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Alabama. It is the county seat of Madison County with portions extending into Limestone County and Morgan County.[12] It is located in the Appalachian region of northern Alabama[13][14] south of the state of Tennessee.
Huntsville was founded within the Mississippi Territory in 1805 and became an incorporated town in 1811. When Alabama was admitted as a state in 1819, Huntsville was designated for a year as the first capital, before the state capitol was moved to more central settlements. The city developed across nearby hills north of the Tennessee River, adding textile mills in the late nineteenth century.
Major growth in Huntsville took place in the decades following World War II. During the war, the U.S Army established Redstone Arsenal in the vicinity, with a chemical weapons plant and related facilities. After the war, additional research was conducted at Redstone Arsenal on rockets, followed by adaptations for space exploration. NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, the United States Army Aviation and Missile Command, and most recently the FBI's operational support headquarters, all were sited at Redstone Arsenal.[15]
The National Trust for Historic Preservation included Huntsville in its "America's Dozen Distinctive Destinations for 2010" list.[16] The population was 215,006 at the 2020 census,[10][17] and was estimated to be 221,933 in 2022.[18] The Huntsville metropolitan area's population was 514,465 in 2022, making it the second most populous metropolitan area in the state after the Birmingham metropolitan area.
- ^ Jordan, Michelle (February 23, 2018). "City Limits: Explaining the annexation process". City of Huntsville. Retrieved December 24, 2022.
- ^ "Rocket City, U.S.A." Time. p. 1. Archived from the original on August 31, 2008. Retrieved December 23, 2022.
- ^ "Logo and Identity Standards". City of Huntsville. Retrieved December 23, 2022.
- ^ A Digest of the Laws of the State of Alabama: Containing The Statutes and Resolutions in Force at the end of the General Assembly in January 1823. Published by Ginn & Curtis, J. & J. Harper, Printers, New-York, 1828. Title 14. Chapter I. Section 2. pp. 106–107. "An Act directing Courts to be held in the County of Madison, &c.—Passed December 23, 1809(...)Sec 2. And be it further enacted. That the town so laid out shall be known by the name Twickenham." (Internet Archive)
- ^ A Digest of the Laws of the State of Alabama: Containing The Statutes and Resolutions in Force at the end of the General Assembly in January 1823. Published by Ginn & Curtis, J. & J. Harper, Printers, New-York, 1828. Title 62. Chapter V. pp. 774–775. "An Act to Incorporate the Town of Huntsville, Madison County —Passed December 9, 1811." (Internet Archive)
- ^ "62 – Chapter V.". A Digest of the Laws of the State of Alabama: Containing The Statutes and Resolutions in Force at the end of the General Assembly in January, 1823. New-York: Ginn & Curtis, J. & J. Harper, Printers. 1828. pp. 774–775.
- ^ Acklen, William, ed. (1861). The Code of Ordinances of the City of Hunstville, With the Charter, Pursuant to an Order of the Mayor and Aldermen. Huntsville, Ala.: William B. Figures, Printer. Retrieved June 25, 2015.
- ^ "2023 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
- ^ a b U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Huntsville, Alabama
- ^ a b "Explore Census Data". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
- ^ "City of Huntsville Statistics". City of Huntsville. Retrieved August 30, 2024.
- ^ "Madison County". Encyclopedia of Alabama. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
- ^ "Madison County". Retrieved April 28, 2017.
- ^ Gattis, Paul (February 8, 2018). "Huntsville set to cross Tennessee River, annex part of Morgan County". The Huntsville Times. Archived from the original on October 24, 2018. Retrieved October 24, 2018.
- ^ "Strategic Realignment: Huntsville". Federal Bureau of Investigation. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
- ^ Storey, Deborah (February 3, 2010). "Huntsville on the list of 'Distinctive Destinations' for 2010". The Huntsville Times.
- ^ "Huntsville rockets past Birmingham in Census, now Alabama's largest city". AL.COM. August 12, 2021. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
USCensusEst2022was invoked but never defined (see the help page).