Montgomery, Alabama

Montgomery
Flag of Montgomery
Official seal of Montgomery
Official logo of Montgomery
Nickname(s): 
"The Gump", "Birthplace of the Civil Rights Movement", "Cradle of the Confederacy"
Motto: 
"Capital of Dreams"[1]
Map
Interactive map of Montgomery
Montgomery is located in Alabama
Montgomery
Montgomery
Location within Alabama
Montgomery is located in the United States
Montgomery
Montgomery
Location within the United States
Coordinates: 32°22′3″N 86°18′0″W / 32.36750°N 86.30000°W / 32.36750; -86.30000
CountryUnited States
StateAlabama
CountyMontgomery
IncorporatedDecember 3, 1819[2][3]
Named forRichard Montgomery
Government
 • TypeMayor–Council
 • MayorSteven L. Reed (D)
 • City CouncilDistrict 1 – Ed Grimes
District 2 – Julie T. Beard
District 3 – Marche Johnson
District 4 – Franetta Riley
District 5 – Cornelius Calhoun
District 6 – Oronde Mitchell
District 7 – Andrew Szymanski
District 8 – Glen O. Pruitt, Jr.
District 9 – Charles W. Jinright
Area
 • Capital City162.27 sq mi (420.28 km2)
 • Land159.86 sq mi (414.03 km2)
 • Water2.41 sq mi (6.25 km2)
Elevation240 ft (73 m)
Population
 • Capital City200,603
 • Estimate 
(2022)[7]
196,986
 • RankUS: 128th
AL: 3rd
 • Density1,232/sq mi (475.8/km2)
 • Urban
254,348 (US: 159th)
 • Urban density1,752.9/sq mi (676.8/km2)
 • Metro
385,460 (US: 142nd)
 • Metro density142.0/sq mi (54.83/km2)
Time zoneUTC–6 (Central (CST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC–5 (CDT)
ZIP Codes
ZIP Codes[8]
Area code334
FIPS code01-51000
GNIS feature ID0165344[5]
Websitemontgomeryal.gov

Montgomery is the capital city of the U.S. state of Alabama and the county seat of Montgomery County.[9] Named for Continental Army Major General Richard Montgomery, it stands beside the Alabama River, on the coastal Plain of the Gulf of Mexico. The population was 200,603 at the 2020 census.[6] It is the third-most populous city in the state after Huntsville and Birmingham, and is the 128th most populous in the United States. The Montgomery Metropolitan Statistical Area's population in 2022 was 385,460; it is the fourth largest in the state and 142nd among United States metropolitan areas.

The city was incorporated in 1819 as a merger of two towns situated along the Alabama River. It replaced Tuscaloosa as the state capital in 1846, representing the shift of power to the south-central area of Alabama with the growth of cotton as a commodity crop of the Black Belt and the rise of Mobile as a mercantile port on the Gulf Coast. In February 1861, Montgomery was chosen the first capital of the Confederate States of America, which it remained until the Confederate seat of government moved to Richmond, Virginia, in May of that year. In the middle of the 20th century, Montgomery was a major center of events and protests in the Civil Rights Movement,[10] including the Montgomery bus boycott and the Selma to Montgomery marches.

In addition to housing many Alabama government agencies, Montgomery has a large military presence, due to Maxwell Air Force Base. It has three public universities (Alabama State University, Troy University (Montgomery campus), and Auburn University at Montgomery), two private post-secondary institutions (Faulkner University and Huntingdon College), high-tech manufacturing (particularly Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama), and many cultural attractions, such as the Alabama Shakespeare Festival, the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts, and the National Memorial for Peace and Justice.

Montgomery has also been recognized nationally for its downtown revitalization and new urbanism projects. It was one of the first cities in the nation to implement SmartCode Zoning.

  1. ^ "City of Montgomery: Capital of Dreams Video". Montgomeryal.gov. Archived from the original on June 25, 2014. Retrieved August 11, 2014.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference al-legislative-incorporation-1819 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "Municipalities of Alabama Incorporation Dates" (PDF). Alabama League of Municipalities. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 25, 2024. Retrieved March 4, 2024.
  4. ^ "2023 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on November 15, 2023. Retrieved March 3, 2024.
  5. ^ a b U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Montgomery, Alabama
  6. ^ a b "Explore Census Data". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 4, 2024.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference USCensusEst2022 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ "Zip Code Lookup". USPS. Archived from the original on July 8, 2019. Retrieved March 4, 2024.
  9. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  10. ^ Beito, David (May 2, 2009) Something is Rotten in Montgomery Archived June 19, 2015, at the Wayback Machine, LewRockwell.com

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