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Huntsville, Alabama

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Huntsville, Alabama
File:HSVLOGO.jpg
City Seal
City nickname: "Rocket City" and "Watercress capital of the world"
ALMap-doton-Huntsville.PNG
Location in Alabama
County Madison County
Limestone County
Area
 - Total
 - Water
451.8 km² (174.4 mi²)
1.0 km² (0.4 mi²) 0.22%
Population
 - Total (2000)
 - Metropolitan
 - Density
164,570
368,661
351.0/km²
Time zone Central: UTC–6
Location 34°42′49″N 86°35′10″W / 34.71361°N 86.58611°W / 34.71361; -86.58611
Mayor Loretta Spencer
http://www.ci.huntsville.al.us/

Huntsville is the county seat of Madison County, Alabama. As of the 2000 census, the population of Huntsville was 164,570. As of 2005 Census Estimates the Huntsville Metropolitan Area had a popoulation of 368,661. Huntsville is included in the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area, which, in 2004, had a total population of 510,088.

History

Huntsville is named after John Hunt, the first settler of the land around the Big Spring. However, Hunt did not properly register his claim, and the area was purchased by Leroy Pope, who imposed the name Twickenham on the area to honor the home city of his distant kinsman Alexander Pope. Twickenham was carefully planned, with streets laid out on the northeast to southwest direction based on the Big Spring. However, due to anti-English sentiment during the War of 1812, the name was soon changed to Huntsville to honor John Hunt, who had been forced to move to other land south of the new city. Both John Hunt and Leroy Pope were Freemasons and charter members of Helion Lodge #1. In 1811, Huntsville became the first incorporated town in Alabama. However, the recognized "birth" year of the city is 1805, the year of John Hunt's arrival. The city's sesquicentennial anniversary was held in 1955 and the bicentennial was celebrated in 2005.

Bird's Eye View of 1871 Huntsville, Alabama.

Twickenham was chosen as the name of the first of three of the city's historical districts. It features homes in the Federal and Greek Revival architectural styles introduced to the city by Virginia-born architect George Steele about 1818, and contains the most dense concentration of antebellum homes in Alabama. The 1819 Weeden House Museum, home of female artist and poet Howard Weeden, is open to the public, as are several others in the district. Huntsville's additional historical districts are "Old Town" and "Five Points". The Old Town Historical District contains a variety of styles (Federal, Greek Revival, Queen Anne, and even California cottages), with homes dating from the late 1820s through the early 1900s. Five Points, the newest historical district, consists predominantly of bungalows built around the turn of the 20th century, by which time Huntsville was becoming a mill town.

Huntsville's quick growth was from wealth generated by the cotton industry. Many wealthy planters moved into the area from Virginia, Georgia, and the Carolinas. In 1819, Huntsville hosted a constitutional convention in Walker Allen's large cabinetmaking shop. The forty-four delegates meeting there wrote a constitution for the new state of Alabama. In accordance with the new state constitution, Huntsville became Alabama's first capital when the state was admitted to the union. This was a temporary designation for one legislative session only, and the capital was then moved to another temporary location, Cahawba, until the legislature selected a permanent capital. (Today, the capital is Montgomery.)

In 1855, the Memphis and Charleston Railroad was constructed through Huntsville, becoming the first railway to link the Atlantic seacoast with the Mississippi River. Huntsville initially opposed secession from the Union in 1861, but provided many men for the state's defense when Abraham Lincoln called for an invasion of the South. The 4th Alabama Infantry Regiment, led by Col. Egbert J. Jones of Huntsville, distinguished itself at the Battle of Mannasas/Bull Run, the first major encounter of the American Civil War. The Fourth Alabama Infantry, which contained two Huntsville companies, were the first Alabama troops to fight in the war and were present at the end when Lee surrendered to Grant at Appomattox in April 1865. Ironically, eight generals of the war were born in or near Huntsville, evenly split with four on each side.

On the morning of April 11, 1862, Union troops led by General Mitchell seized Huntsville to sever the Confederacy's rail communications. The Union troops were forced to retreat some months later, but returned to Huntsville in the fall of 1863 and thereafter used the city as a base of operations for the remainder of the war. While many homes and villages in the surrounding countryside were burned in retaliation for the active guerrilla warfare in the area, Huntsville itself was spared because it housed the occupying Union Army.

After the Civil War, Huntsville became a center for cotton textile mills, such as Lincoln and Merrimack. Several of the city's present neighborhoods were built to house the mill workers.

By 1940, Huntsville was still a small quiet town with a population of only 13,150 inhabitants. This quickly changed at the onset of World War II, when Huntsville was chosen as the location of Redstone Arsenal, with its numerous munitions manufacturing plants. The Arsenal was almost closed in 1949 when it was no longer needed, but it saw new life when the U. S. Army chose to use it for missile research. In 1950, the United States Army brought German rocket scientist Wernher von Braun and his colleagues to Redstone Arsenal to develop what would eventually become the United States' space program.

Historic rockets in Rocket Park of the US Space and Rocket Center, Huntsville, Alabama.

On September 8, 1960, U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower formally dedicated the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville. (NASA had already activated this facility, which adjoins Redstone Arsenal, on July 1 of that year.)

Space Shuttle Pathfinder at Space Camp

Huntsville is thus home to both Redstone Arsenal and the Marshall Space Flight Center, and is nicknamed "the Rocket City" for of its close history with U.S. space missions. Huntsville has been important in developing space technology since the 1950s, when the German scientists headed by Dr. Wernher von Braun, brought to the United States at the end of World War II through Operation Paperclip, arrived to develop rocketry for the U.S Army. Their work included designing the Redstone ballistic missile, a variant of which, the Jupiter-C, carried the first U.S. satellite and astronauts into space. The Saturn V, utilized by the Apollo program manned moon missions, was developed from the Redstone Arsenal. Huntsville continues to play an important role in the United States' space shuttle and International Space Station programs. It is estimated that 1 in 13 of Huntsville's population are employed in some engineering field of work.

Huntsville is also the location of the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command (AMCOM). Huntsville's contributions to United States Cold War missile armament and technology earned it a "red star" designation as a target of the Soviet Union in the event of a nuclear exchange, fourth behind only New York City, Washington, DC, and NORAD.

Before Huntsville earned the moniker "Rocket City" and accompanying rapid growth, it was known for a time as the Watercress Capital of the World, because watercress was harvested in such abundance in the nearby area.

Geography

Huntsville is located at 34°42' North, 86°35' West (34.7, -86.6)Template:GR.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 451.8 km² (174.4 mi²). 450.8 km² (174.1 mi²) of it is land and 1.0 km² (0.4 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 0.22% water.

Huntsville is located in the Tennessee River Valley. Several mesas and large hills partially surround the city. These mesas are associated with the Cumberland Plateau, and are locally called "mountains." Monte Sano (Italian for "Mountain of Health") is the most notable, and is east of the city along with Round Top (Burritt), Huntsville and Green Mountains. Others are Wade Mountain to the north, Rainbow Mountain to the west, and Weeden and Madkin Mountains on the Redstone Arsenal in the south. Brindlee Mountain is visible in the south across the Tennessee River.

As with other areas along the Cumberland Plateau, the land around Huntsville is karst in nature. Huntsville was founded around Big Spring, which is a typical karst spring, and many caves perforate the limestone bedrock underneath the city, as is common in karst areas. The headquarters of the National Speleological Society are located in Huntsville.

Neighborhoods/Suburbs

Neighborhoods

  • 5 Points/Historic District
  • Chapman
  • Dallas Mills
  • Ditto Landing
  • English Village
  • Hampton Cove
  • Jones Valley
  • Lake Wood
  • Lincoln Mills
  • Medical District
  • Oak Park
  • Providence
  • South Huntsville
  • The Ledges
  • Twickenham/Old Town
  • West Huntsville

Suburbs

Climate

Huntsville has a warm temperate climate and experiences warm summers and mild winters, with average high temperatures ranging from 89.0 °F (31.6 C) in the summer to 49.0°F (9.4 C) during winter. Some years, Huntsville experiences tornadoes during the spring and fall. Significant tornado events include the Super Outbreak in 1974, the more recent Huntsville, Alabama Tornado in 1989 that killed 21 and injured almost 500, and the Anderson Hills Tornado that killed one and caused extensive damage in 1995. Since Huntsville is nearly 300 miles (480 km) inland, hurricanes are rarely experienced here with their full force; however, many weakened tropical storms cross the area after a U.S. Gulf Coast landfall. While most winters have some measurable snow, significant snow is rare in Huntsville; but there have been some anomalies, like the 1963 New Years Day snowstorm, when 17 inches (43 cm) fell within 24 hours. However, as of the winter of 2005-06, Huntsville has gone 10 years without any significant snowfall (<4 inches).

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 158,216 people living within the city limits. There are 66,742 households and 41,713 families residing in the city. The population density was 351.0/km² (909.0/mi²). There were 73,670 housing units at an average density of 163.4/km² (423.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 64.47% White, 30.21% Black or African American, 0.54% Native American, 2.22% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.66% from other races, and 1.84% from two or more races. 2.04% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Huntsville, Alabama Demographic Distribution

Age
 <18
 18-24
 25-44
 45-64
 65+
Distribution %
 23.1
 10.7
 29.3
 23.4
 13.4


Huntsville, Alabama Sex Ratio & Income Distribution

Median Age = 37
Sex Ratio F:M = 100:92.8
Sex Ratio age 18+ F:M = 100:89.7
Median Income = 41,074
Family Median Income = 52,202
Male Median Income = 40,003
Female Median Income = 26,085
Per capita Income = 24,015
Percent Below poverty = 12.8
Age < 18 Below Poverty = 18.7
Age 65+ Below Poverty = 9.0



Politics and Government

The current mayor of Huntsville is Loretta Spencer, who was elected in 1996 and is the first female mayor of the city. The city has a five-member/district City Council. The current members are: District 1 (Northwest)- Richard Showers, Sr.; District 2 (East)- Mark Russell (President); District 3 (Southeast)- Sandra Moon; District 4 (Southwest)- Bill Kling; District 5 (West)- Glenn Watson. Council elections are "staggered", meaning that Districts 2,3 and 4 will have elections in August 2006, while Districts 1 and 5 will have elections simultaneously with mayoral elections in 2008.

There are also many boards and commissions run by the city, controlling everything from schools and planning to museums and downtown development.

See also: List of mayors of Huntsville, Alabama

Public Safety

Police

The Huntsville Police Department has 3 precincts, 360 sworn officers, 150 civilian personnel, and patrols an area of 194.7 square miles (this number has grown due to recent annexations). The current chief is Rex Reynolds.

Police Academy

The Huntsville Police Academy one of the oldest police academies in the United States. To date the Academy has completed 46 basic academies, and most recently the 47th Lateral Session. On May 8, 2006 the Huntsville Police Academy began the 47th Basic Session. Until the 47th Lateral Session, academies were held at the Old Huntsville Airport on Airport Rd. After the gradation of the 46th Session, the academy moved to the Public Safety Training Complex on Sparkman Drive, which is also home to the Huntsville Fire Academy.

Fire

The Huntsville Fire Department has 17 stations located throughout the city of Huntsville. The current chief is Phillip Underwood.

Economy

Huntsville's main economic influence is derived from aerospace and military technology. Redstone Arsenal, Cummings Research Park(CRP), and NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center comprise the main hubs for the area's technology-driven economy. CRP is the second largest research park in the United States and the fourth largest in the world, and is over 38 years old. Huntsville is also home for commercial technology companies such as the network access company ADTRAN and computer graphics company Intergraph. Forty-two Fortune 500 companies have operations in Huntsville.

In 2005, Forbes Magazine named the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area as 6th best place in the nation for doing business, and number one in terms of the number of engineers per total employment. In 2006, Huntsville dropped to 14th; the prevalence of engineers was not considered in the 2006 ranking.

Retail

Huntsville is fast becoming a regional retail center. There are many strip malls and "power centers" throughout the city. Huntsville has two malls- Madison Square, built in 1984, and Parkway Place, built in 2002. An upscale lifestyle center, Bridge Street Town Centre, is under construction in CRP and is scheduled to be complete in 2007.

Utilities

Electricity, water and natural gas are all provided in Huntsville by Huntsville Utilities. HU gets its power from the Tennessee Valley Authority, or TVA for short. TVA has two plants that provide electricity to the Huntsville area- Browns Ferry Nuclear Power Plant in Limestone County and Guntersville Dam in Marshall County. A third, Bellefonte Nuclear Power Plant in Jackson County, was built in the 1980's but was never activated. Due to the rapid growth of the region, TVA has plans to eventually activate the plant.

Telephone service in Huntsville is provided by BellSouth. Huntsville has 3 cable providers, which is rare for a city its size. They are Comcast, Knology, and Mediacom (outlying areas).

Transportation

Huntsville is served by several U.S. Highways, including 72, 231, 431 and an Interstate highway spur, I-565, that links the two cities of Huntsville and Decatur to I-65. Alabama Highway 53 also connects the city with I-65 in Ardmore, Tennessee.

Public Transit

Public transit in Huntsville is run by the city's Department of Parking and Public Transit. The Huntsville Shuttle runs 11 fixed routes throughout the city, mainly around downtown and major shopping areas like Memorial Parkway and University Drive and has recently expanded some of the buses to include bike racks on the front for a trial program. There is also a Tourist Trolley that makes stops at tourist attractions and shopping centers. The city also runs HandiRide, a demand-response transit system for the handicapped, and RideShare, a county-wide carpooling program.

Railroads

Huntsville has two active commercial rail lines. The mainline is run by Norfolk Southern, which runs from Memphis, TN to Chattanooga.

Another rail line, formerly part of the Louisville and Nashville Railroad, successor to the Nashville, Chattanooga and Saint Louis Railroad, is being operated by HMCRA (Huntsville-Madison County Railroad Authority). The line connects to the Norfolk Southern line downtown and runs 13 miles South, passing near Ditto Landing on the Tennessee River, and terminating at Norton Switch, near Hobbs Island. This service, in continuous operation since 1894, presently hauls freight and provides transloading facilities at its downtown depot location. Until the mid-fifties, L & N provided freight and passenger service to Guntersville and points South. The rail cars were loaded onto barges at Hobbs Island. The barge tows were taken through the Guntersville Dam & Locks and discharged at Port Guntersville. Remnants of the track supporting piers still remain in the river just upstream from Hobbs Island. The service ran twice daily. L & N abandoned the line in 1984 at which time it was acquired by the newly-created HMCRA, a State Agency.

The North Alabama Railroad Museum in Chase maintains a line once owned by the Louisville and Nashville Railroad. The museum runs weekend tourist rides along a short track in Northeast Madison County.

Ports

The inland Port of Huntsville combines the Huntsville International Airport, International Intermodal Center and Jetplex Industrial Park. The intermodal terminal transfers truck and train cargo. The port has on-site U.S. Customs and USDA inspectors and is Foreign Trade Zone No. 83.

Huntsville International Airport is served by several regional and national carriers and offers non-stop flights to many airports across the Eastern U.S. However, Huntsville International gets its name because of its reputation as a cargo transport hub. Many delivery companies have hubs in Huntsville, making delivery flights to Europe, Asia, and Mexico. Port of Huntsville website

The Tennessee River is Huntsville's southern boundary, and is underutilized as a method of cargo transport.

Media and Communications

Newspapers

The Huntsville Times has been Huntsville's only daily newspaper since 1996, when the Huntsville News closed. Before then, the News was the morning paper, and the Times was the afternoon paper. After the News closed, the Times remained an afternoon paper until 2004.

A few free alternative newspapers are available in Huntsville. The Valley Planet covers entertainment in the Huntsville area. Speakin' Out News is a weekly newspaper focused on African Americans. El Reportero is a Spanish-language newspaper for North Alabama.

Radio

Huntsville is the 115th largest radio market according to Arbitron. Huntsville also receives several radio stations from Birmingham and Nashville.

FM Stations:

AM Stations:

Television

The Huntsville DMA serves 15 counties in North Alabama and 6 counties in Southern Middle Tennessee.

TV Stations:

Education

K-12 Education

The majority of K-12 students in Huntsville attend Huntsville City Schools[4]. Nearly 25,000 students attend Huntsville City Schools. There are 29 elementary schools, 12 middle schools, and 7 high schools. Included in those numbers are 2 magnet elementary schools (The Academy for Academics and Arts and the Academy for Science and Foreign Language), 3 magnet middle school (Williams Technology, The Academy for Academics and Arts, and the Academy for Science and Foreign Language ), and 2 magnet high schools (New Century Technology and Lee). About 21 private, parochial, and religious schools also serve students ages pre-K-12. Madison County Private Schools

High Schools

Higher Education

Huntsville's home-based higher education institutions include:

Numerous colleges and universities have satellite locations or extensions in Huntsville; included are the

One of two local hospitals, Huntsville Hospital[32] also has an accredited school of radiologic technology. [33]

Attractions

Museums

The U.S. Space & Rocket Center exhibits a Saturn I (left, behind trees) and a much larger (and farther back) Saturn V along with a number of other rockets illustrating the history of United States space exploration. A ride in the foreground was built from an adapter cone from the flight model Saturn V not pictured.
  • Harrison Brothers Hardware Store [39] established in 1879, is the oldest operating hardware store in Alabama. Though now owned and operated by the Historic Huntsville Foundation [40], it is still a working store, and part museum featuring skilled craftsmen who volunteer to run the store and answer questions.
  • The Historic Huntsville Depot [41] completed in 1860 is the oldest surviving railroad depot in Alabama and one of the oldest surviving depots in the United States.
  • Huntsville Museum of Art [42] in Big Spring International Park offers permanent displays, traveling exhibitions, and educational programs for children and adults.
  • Sci-Quest [43] is an interactive premiere hands-on museum for early childhood education, aged four through sixth grade.

Parks

  • Land Trust of Huntsville [47] is a non-profit organization dedicated to the conservation of the natural heritage of the area, and has preserved more than 2,300 acres (9 km²) of open space, wildflower areas, natural springs, and local caves in Madison County, including 600+ acres (2.4 km²) on Monte Sano Mountain.

Festivals

  • Big Spring Jam [48] is an annual three-day music festival held on the last full weekend of September in and around Big Spring International Park in downtown Huntsville. It features a diversity of music including rock, country, Christian, kid-friendly, and oldies.
  • Panoply of the Arts [49] is an annual springtime arts festival held at Big Spring International Park.
  • The June Black Arts Festival [50] is the largest two-day ethnic festival in the Huntsville area. From the performing to the visual arts, it provides a glimpse of the wealth of talent among local, regional & national entertainers & artists within the black community. The festival is held at the field of WEUP studios in North Huntsville.

Golf Courses

Libraries

  • The Huntsville Madison County Public Library[52] founded in 1818, is Alabama's oldest continually operating library system with 12 branches throughout the county including one bookmobile. The Main Library Archives contains a wealth of historical resources, including displays of photographic collections and artifacts, has Alabama's highest materials circulation rate, and features daily public programs.

Performing Arts

  • Huntsville Symphony Orchestra [53] is Alabama's oldest, continuously-operating professional symphony orchestra, featuring high quality performances of classical, pops and family concerts, and extensive music education programs serving public schools.
  • Theatre Huntsville, the result of a merger between Twickenham Repertory Company (1979-1997) and Huntsville Little Theatre (1950-1997), is a 501(c)3 non-profit arts organization that presents six plays each season in the Von Braun Center Playhouse, and also produces the annual "Shakespeare on the Mountain" in an outdoor venue.
  • Plays are also performed at the 85-seat Renaissance Theatre in Lincoln Village north of downtown.
  • Ars Nova School of the Arts is a local conservatory for music and performing arts. Ars Nova also produces musical theatre and opera for the local stage.

Convention Centers and Arenas

  • The Von Braun Center, which opened in 1975, has an arena capable of seating 10,000, a 2,000-seat concert hall, a 500-seat playhouse, and 150,000 square feet of convention space.

Other

Sports

Stadiums

Past Sports Franchises

Notable Residents/Famous Natives

Template:Mapit-US-cityscale

References

Template:Huntsville-Decatur Metropolitan Area

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