Huntsville, Alabama

"Huntsville" redirects here. For other uses, see Huntsville (disambiguation).

Huntsville
City
Downtown Huntsville
Huntsville Museum of Art
U.S. Space & Rocket Center
Propst Arena
First National Bank
Official seal of Huntsville
Seal
Official logo of Huntsville
Logo
Nickname: 
Rocket City[2]
Motto: 
"Star of Alabama"[3]
Map
Interactive map of Huntsville
Huntsville is located in Alabama
Huntsville
Huntsville
Location within Alabama
Huntsville is located in the United States
Huntsville
Huntsville
Location within the United States
Coordinates: 34°41′36″N 86°33′39″W / 34.69333°N 86.56083°W / 34.69333; -86.56083
CountryUnited States
StateAlabama
CountiesMadison, Limestone, Morgan[1]
Established (as Twickenham)December 23, 1809[4]
Incorporated (town)December 9, 1811[5][6]
Incorporated (city)February 24, 1860[7]
Founded byLeRoy Pope
Named forJohn Hunt
Government
 • TypeMayor–Council
 • MayorTommy Battle (R)
 • CouncilmembersDistrict 1 – Devyn S. Keith
District 2 – David Little
District 3 – Jennie Robinson
District 4 – Bill Kling
District 5 – John Meredith
Area
[8]
 • City
225.17 sq mi (583.19 km2)
 • Land223.63 sq mi (579.21 km2)
 • Water1.54 sq mi (3.98 km2)
Elevation
[9]
577 ft (176 m)
Population
 (2020)[10]
 • City
215,006
 • Estimate 
(2024)[11]
241,114 Increase
 • RankUS: 100th
AL: 1st
 • Density1,006/sq mi (388.3/km2)
 • Urban
329,066 (US: 122nd) 20,165 (Southeast)
 • Urban density1,532.2/sq mi (591.6/km2)
 • Metro
514,465 (US: 109th)
 • Metro density378/sq mi (145.9/km2)
 • Combined
879,315 (US: 68th)
 • Combined density255.3/sq mi (98.57/km2)
DemonymHuntsvillian
Time zoneUTC–6 (Central (CST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC–5 (CDT)
ZIP Codes
35801–35816, 35824, 35893–35899
Area code(s)256 and 938
FIPS code01-37000
GNIS feature ID2404746[9]
Websitehuntsvilleal.gov

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. The Huntsville metro area, which includes Madison city and the separate Southeast Huntsville urban areas had a combined population of 349,231 people in 2020, which makes it the second largest in Alabama after Birmingham/Hoover.

  1. ^ Jordan, Michelle (February 23, 2018). "City Limits: Explaining the annexation process". City of Huntsville. Retrieved December 24, 2022.
  2. ^ "Rocket City, U.S.A." Time. p. 1. Archived from the original on August 31, 2008. Retrieved December 23, 2022.
  3. ^ "Logo and Identity Standards". City of Huntsville. Retrieved December 23, 2022.
  4. ^ 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)
  5. ^ 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)
  6. ^ "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.
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ "2023 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
  9. ^ a b U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Huntsville, Alabama
  10. ^ a b "Explore Census Data". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
  11. ^ "City of Huntsville Statistics". City of Huntsville. Retrieved August 30, 2024.
  12. ^ "Madison County". Encyclopedia of Alabama. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
  13. ^ "Madison County". Retrieved April 28, 2017.
  14. ^ 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.
  15. ^ "Strategic Realignment: Huntsville". Federal Bureau of Investigation. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
  16. ^ Storey, Deborah (February 3, 2010). "Huntsville on the list of 'Distinctive Destinations' for 2010". The Huntsville Times.
  17. ^ "Huntsville rockets past Birmingham in Census, now Alabama's largest city". AL.COM. August 12, 2021. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
  18. ^ Cite error: The named reference USCensusEst2022 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).