Montgomery, Alabama

Montgomery is the capital of the U.S. state of Alabama. The second largest city in Alabama, it is located on the Alabama River in Montgomery County (of which it is the seat) in south central part of the state. Montgomery is notable for its association with the Civil War and the Civil Rights Movement, including the famous Montgomery Bus Boycott (see below).

History

Incorporated in 1819, the city was named for General Richard Montgomery, who died in the American Revolutionary War attempting to capture Quebec, Canada. Montgomery was the fifth capital of Alabama. The territorial capital, St. Stephens on the Tombigbee River, had been supplanted by Huntsville then Cahawba and Tuscaloosa ^*. It was the first capital of the Confederate States of America, whose president, Jefferson Davis, was inaugurated on its steps. It is located on the north portion of the Alabama River.

Rev. Dr. Martin L. King Jr. gained national attention for civil rights issues during his tenure, 1954 to 1960, as pastor of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church, two blocks from the State Capitol Building. A civil rights memorial has been erected near the still-active church. On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks became a civil rights heroine in the city by refusing to give up her bus seat to a white man. The reaction to this arrest led to the 382-day Montgomery Bus Boycott which forced the city to desegregate its transit system on December 21, 1956. In 1965, Dr. King's nationally-publicized march for justice was conducted from Selma to Montgomery.

Country music pioneer and legend Hank Williams lived part of his life, and is buried in Montgomery. Country star Alan Jackson eulogizes Williams in a popular song, called Midnight In Montgomery, about a trip to Hank's gravesite.

Geography

Montgomery is located at (32.361538, -86.279118).

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 404.5 km² (156.2 mi²). 402.4 km² (155.4 mi²) of it is land and 2.1 km² (0.8 mi²) of it (0.52%) is water.

Demographics

In 1900, at the end of the nineteenth century, Montgomery had 30,346 residents. In 1910, 38, 136 occupants of Montgomery were enumerated; in 1920, 43,464; and in 1940, 78,084.

As of the census of 2000, there were 201,568 people, 100,784 households, and 100,784 families residing in the city. The population density was 500.9/km² (1,297.3/mi²). There were 86,787 housing units at an average density of 215.7/km² (558.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 49.63%Black, 47.67% White, 0.25% Native American, 1.06% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.37% from other races, and 0.98% from two or more races. 1.23% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 78,384 households out of which 32.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.4% were married couples living together, 19.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.8% were non-families. 30.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 3.06.

In the city the population was spread out with 25.9% under the age of 18, 12.1% from 18 to 24, 29.8% from 25 to 44, 20.3% from 45 to 64, and 11.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 88.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $35,627, and the median income for a family was $44,297. Males had a median income of $31,877 versus $25,014 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,385. About 13.9% of families and 17.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.7% of those under age 18 and 13.4% of those age 65 or over.

Weather

What is the weather like in Montgomery, Alabama year round?

City Government

The current mayor of Montgomery is Bobby Bright. Bright was elected mayor in the 1999 municipal elections, defeating longtime mayor Emory Folmar. Bright was re-elected in a landslide against challenger Scott Simmons in the 2003 municipal elections.

The city is served by a nine-member city council, which is composed of nine districts of equal size. The city council is responsible for establishing the city of Montgomery's policies. The current council president is Charles Jinright. The Montgomery City Council meets every first Tuesday of the month at 10:00 am and every third Tuesday of the month at 5:00 pm in the Council Chambers at City Hall downtown.

Bobby Bright

**Current City Council Membership**
District	Representative	Position
I	Jim Spear	Councilman
II	Tim Head	Councilman
III	Janet May	Councilwoman
IV	James Nuckles	Councilman
V	Cornelius Calhoun	Councilman
VI	Willie Cook	Councilman
VII	Martha Roby	Councilwoman
VIII	Glen Pruitt, Jr.	Councilman
VI	Charles Jinright	Councilman

Notable Points

Local TV

WAKA 8 CBS ^* (licensed to Selma, Alabama)
WSFA 12 NBC ^*
WCOV 20 Fox ^*
WBIH 29 Station independantly managed out of Denver, Colorado. Mostly Infomercials (licensed to Selma, Alabama)
WAIQ 26 PBS
WNCF 32 ABC ^*
WMCF 45 TBN
WRJM 67 UPN (licensed to Troy, Alabama)

Local radio

WLWI 92.3 FM (country)^*
WKXN 93.9 FM/95.9 FM/96.7 FM/107.9 FM (urban)
WFXF 95.1 FM (rock) ^*
WQKS 96.1 FM (classic rock) ^*
WWMG 97.1 FM (urban adult)
WJWZ 97.9 FM (urban)^*
WBAM 98.9 FM (country)^*
WDXX 100.1 FM (country)
WALX 100.9 FM (Hot AC)
WHHY 101.9 FM (Top 40)^*
WMXS 103.3 FM (Adult Contemporary)
WHLW 104.3 FM (Black gospel)
WBFZ 105.3 FM (urban)
WZHT 105.7 FM (urban)^*
WMSP 740 AM (Sports)
WMGY 800 AM (Southern gospel)
WNZZ 950 AM (Adult standards)
WACV 1170 AM (News/talk and oldies)
WAPZ 1250 AM (Southern gospel)
WIQR 1410 AM (Regional Mexican)
WLWI 1440 AM (News/talk)
WXVI 1600 AM (Black gospel)

Local schools

Alabama Christian Academy, Montgomery
Baldwin Arts and Academics Magnet Middle School, Montgomery
BEAR Exploration Center, Montgomery
Wynton M. Blount Elementary, Montgomery
Booker T. Washington Magnet High School, Montgomery
Brewbaker Technology Magnet High School, Montgomery
Calvary Christian Academy, Montgomery
Canterbury High School, Montgomery
Georgia Washington Junior High School, Pike Road
G.W. Carver Elementary School, Montgomery
G.W. Carver High School, Montgomery
Jefferson Davis High School, Montgomery
Dalraida Elementary School, Montgomery
Dannelly Elementary School, Montgomery
Dozier Elementary School, Montgomery
Dunbar-Ramer School, Ramer
Eastwood Christian School, Montgomery
Evangel Christian Academy, Montgomery
Fews Secondary Alternative School, Montgomery
Flowers Elementary, Montgomery
Floyd Middle Magnet School, Montgomery
Forest Avenue Elementary Academics, Montgomery
Halcyon Elementary, Montgomery
Head Elementary School, Montgomery
Hooper Academy, Hope Hull
Houston Hills Junior High School, Montgomery
Lanier Senior High School, Montgomery
Lee High School, Montgomery
Loveless Academic Magnet Program High School, Montgomery
Macon East Montgomery Academy, Cecil
MacMillan International Academy, Montgomery
Montgomery Academy, Montgomery
Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School, Montgomery
Paterson Elementary School, Montgomery
Pintlala Elementary School, Pintlala
Saint James School, Montgomery
St. Jude High School, Montgomery
Taylor Road Academy, Montgomery
Trinity Presbyterian School, Montgomery
Vaughn Road Elementary, Montgomery

Higher education

Montgomery is home to a variety of colleges and universities, including:

Nearby towns

The Montgomery Metro area includes the following nearby towns:

Neighborhoods

Woodmere Environs
Cloverdale, Montgomery
Arrowhead
Bellwood
Brighton Estates
Capitol Heights
Dalraida
Deer Creek
Deerfield
Lakeview Heights
Capitol Heights
Centennial Hill
Chisolm
County Downs
Forest Hills
Fox Hollow
Garden District
Halcyon
Highland Gardens
Highland Park
Lake Forest
McGehee Estates
Morningview
Normandale
Regency Park
Southlawn
Sturbridge
Hillwood
Vaughn Meadows
Wynlakes

Publications

L. P. Powell (editor), in Historic Towns of the Southern States, (New York, 1900)

External links

City of Montgomery, Alabama

The Alabama Shakespear Festival

1819 establishments | Montgomery, Alabama

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