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Montgomery, Alabama
USINFO | 2013-12-05 15:13
The city of Montgomery is the capital of the state of Alabama and also the county seat of Montgomery County. Montgomery sits in the central part of the state, about 90 miles south of Birmingham and 170 miles northeast of Mobile. The city is serviced by several major thoroughfares. Interstates I-65 and I-85 intersect in the city, and U.S. Routes 31, 80, 82, 231 and 331 are also located within the city boundaries. Nearby communities include Pratville (to the north), Selma (to the west), Hayneville (to the southwest), and Tuskeegee (to the east).
Once the capital of the Confederacy, Montgomery in its later years evolved into a key center of the Civil Rights Movement. Founded in 1819 and incorporated in 1837, Montgomery derived its name from that of Major Lemuel Putnam Montgomery, who was the first man killed in the Battle of Horseshoe Bend in 1814. The city was selected as Alabama's state capital in 1846, a few years before the onset of the Civil War, during which Alabama would be among the first southern states to secede from the Union. The Alabama State Capitol Building in Montgomery served as headquarters for the Confederacy and was the site of the inauguration of Confederate president Jefferson Davis.
Although escaping major physical damage from the Civil War, Montgomery suffered from the destruction of Alabama's infrastructure after the war. The city's rebuilding effort was aided by industrial growth in the textile and agriculture industries, and the city was soon able to boast the first electric streetcar in the country and also the nation's first flight school. Orville and Wilbur Wright established the Wright Flying School in 1910, from which they conducted their first night flights on the site that is now Maxwell Air Force Base.
In 1955, Montgomery again made history when Rosa Parks became a civil rights heroine when she was arrested for refusing to give up her bus seat to a white man. The reaction to this incident led to the 382-day Montgomery Bus Boycott which finally forced the city to desegregate its transit system. In 1965, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., then pastor of the Dexter Street Baptist Church and leader of the Civil Rights Movement, led the famous Civil Rights March for Justice from Selma to Montgomery. In more recent years, Montgomery has benefited from a revitalization effort and today stands as a prosperous and progressive state capital and one of the largest livestock markets and dairy centers in the southeast.
Montgomery was the part-time home of country music pioneer Hank Williams. The legendary singer-songwriter is buried in the city. Montgomery is also home to Alabama State University (ASU).
Once the capital of the Confederacy, Montgomery in its later years evolved into a key center of the Civil Rights Movement. Founded in 1819 and incorporated in 1837, Montgomery derived its name from that of Major Lemuel Putnam Montgomery, who was the first man killed in the Battle of Horseshoe Bend in 1814. The city was selected as Alabama's state capital in 1846, a few years before the onset of the Civil War, during which Alabama would be among the first southern states to secede from the Union. The Alabama State Capitol Building in Montgomery served as headquarters for the Confederacy and was the site of the inauguration of Confederate president Jefferson Davis.
Although escaping major physical damage from the Civil War, Montgomery suffered from the destruction of Alabama's infrastructure after the war. The city's rebuilding effort was aided by industrial growth in the textile and agriculture industries, and the city was soon able to boast the first electric streetcar in the country and also the nation's first flight school. Orville and Wilbur Wright established the Wright Flying School in 1910, from which they conducted their first night flights on the site that is now Maxwell Air Force Base.
In 1955, Montgomery again made history when Rosa Parks became a civil rights heroine when she was arrested for refusing to give up her bus seat to a white man. The reaction to this incident led to the 382-day Montgomery Bus Boycott which finally forced the city to desegregate its transit system. In 1965, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., then pastor of the Dexter Street Baptist Church and leader of the Civil Rights Movement, led the famous Civil Rights March for Justice from Selma to Montgomery. In more recent years, Montgomery has benefited from a revitalization effort and today stands as a prosperous and progressive state capital and one of the largest livestock markets and dairy centers in the southeast.
Montgomery was the part-time home of country music pioneer Hank Williams. The legendary singer-songwriter is buried in the city. Montgomery is also home to Alabama State University (ASU).
