Montgomery

Montgomery, Albama 

The county seat of Montgomery County is Montgomery, which is also the state capital of the United States's state of Alabama. It is situated next to the Alabama River on the Gulf of Mexico coastal Plain and was given the name Richard Montgomery in honor of the Irish soldier. There were 200,603 people living in Montgomery as of the 2020 Census. After Huntsville, it has the second-highest population in Alabama and ranks 119th in terms of population nationwide. The Montgomery Metropolitan Statistical Area has a population of 386,047 in 2020, ranking it 142nd among metropolitan areas in the United States and fourth in the state. 

Two settlements located along the Alabama River were combined to form the city, which was formed in 1819. With the introduction of cotton as a cash crop in the Black Belt and the development of Mobile as a commercial port on the Gulf Coast, it became the state capital in 1846, symbolizing the transfer of authority to the south-central region of Alabama. Montgomery was selected as the first capital of the Confederate States of America in February 1861, and it served in that capacity until May 1861, when Richmond, Virginia, became the new home of the Confederate government. Montgomery served as a significant hub for Civil Rights Movement activities and demonstrations in the middle of the 20th century, including the Selma to Montgomery marches and the Montgomery bus boycott. 

Montgomery is home to numerous state government offices as well as a large military presence because of Maxwell Air Force Base. It also has two private post-secondary institutions, Faulkner University and Huntingdon College, high-tech manufacturing companies like Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama, as well as a number of cultural attractions like the Alabama Shakespeare Festival. 

USS Montgomery is one of the two US Navy vessels to bear the name of the city. 

Also, Montgomery has received national acclaim for its work on modern urbanism and downtown regeneration. One of the first cities in the country to use SmartCode Zoning was this one. 

Geography 

The coordinates of Montgomery are 32°21′42′′N 86°16′45′′W. The city has a total area of 156.2 square miles (405 km2), of which 155.4 square miles (402 km2) is land and 0.8 square miles (2.1 km2) (0.52%) is water, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The city is situated 220 feet (67 meters) above sea level on a sloping ground. 

Climate 

Montgomery experiences long, hot, humid summers and short, mild winters in a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa). The month of January has an average daily temperature of 46.6 °F (8.1 °C), 3.4 days with lows below 20 °F (7 °C), and 10 °F (12 °C) or lower is extremely rare. With highs surpassing 90 °F (32.2 °C) on 86 days per year and 100 °F (37.8 °C) on 3.9, July has an average daily temperature of 81.8 °F (27.7 °C). Heat indices in the afternoon during the summer are routinely at or over 100 °F, far more frequently than the actual air temperature. In the spring and the fall, there is typically a significant diurnal temperature change. The amount of rainfall is evenly spread throughout the year, with February, March, and July being the wettest while October is by far the driest. Only some winters have snowfall, and even then, it is typically sparse. Significant snowstorms are uncommon, but they do happen about once every ten years. The temperature extremes range from 21 °C on February 13, 1899 to 107 °F on July 7, 1881. 

Most of the rainfall in Montgomery is caused by thunderstorms. They happen all year long, but are more frequent in the summer. In addition to the regular risks of lightning and heavy rain, severe thunderstorms can occasionally occur. This is especially true during the spring. Tornado risk is also present during severe storms. Tropical disturbances can occasionally generate very heavy rains; some of them make landfall along the Gulf Coast as hurricanes before weakening as they move inland. 

Economy 

Montgomery has traditionally served as a processing hub for crops including cotton, peanuts, and soybeans due to its strategic location in Alabama's Black Belt. Montgomery County was the state's top producer of cotton in 1840, and by 1911, the city was processing between 160,000 and 200,000 bales per year. Moreover, Montgomery has a major industry in the manufacture of lumber and metal. 

Montgomery has been and remains a regional distribution hub for many different businesses due to its location along the Alabama River and substantial rail links. Since the turn of the century, it has expanded employment in a variety of industries, including manufacturing, business, government, and healthcare. The city's Gross Metropolitan Product currently stands at $12.15 billion, or 8.7% of Alabama's Gross State Product. 

The largest non-agricultural employment sectors, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data from October 2008, were: government, at 24.3%; trade, transportation, and utilities, at 17.3% (including 11.0% in retail trade); professional and business services; manufacturing; education and health services; leisure and hospitality; financial activities; and natural resources, mining, and construction. 5.7% of the population was unemployed during that time, 2.5% more than in October 2007. Also, the city attracts employees from the region; as a result, Montgomery's daytime population increases by 17.4% to 239,101. 

The state of Alabama (9,500), Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base (12,280 employees), Montgomery Public Schools (4,524), Baptist Health (4,300), Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama (3,000), Alfa Insurance (2,568), the City of Montgomery (2,500), Jackson Hospital & Clinic (1,300), Rheem Water Heaters (1,147), and Regions Financial were Montgomery's top employers as of January 2011. (977). 

The living wage for the city is $8.02 per hour (or $16,691 per year) for an individual and $25.80 per hour (or $53,662 per year), according to the living wage calculator at Pennsylvania State University. They are marginally more than the $7.45 per hour and $25.36 per family of four state averages. 

Sports 

The Montgomery Biscuits baseball team is based in Montgomery. The Biscuits compete in the Southern League, Class AA. They play at Montgomery Riverwalk Stadium and are a member of the Tampa Bay Rays. From 2004 to 2007, Riverwalk Stadium served as the site of the NCAA Division II National Baseball Championship. From 1985 until 2003, the championship game was held at Paterson Field in Montgomery. Moreover, two Southern League All-Star games were held at Riverwalk Stadium in 2006 and 2015. 

The Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail at Capitol Hill in adjacent Prattville is the site of the women's golf competition known as the Yokohama Tire LPGA Classic. The now-defunct Montgomery Bears indoor football club played their home games at Garrett Coliseum. 

The local colleges and institutions host sporting events in Montgomery as well. The Southwestern Athletic Conference is an NCAA Division I league where the Alabama State University Hornets compete (SWAC). The baseball team plays in the ASU Baseball Complex, which was only inaugurated on March 26, 2010, while the basketball teams play at the Dunn-Oliver Arena. Teams from Auburn University at Montgomery compete in NAIA events as well. Faulkner University is a member of the NAIA and is a close rival of Auburn University at Montgomery. Huntingdon College competes at the NCAA Division III level. From 1938 through 2001, the Blue-Gray Football Classic was a yearly college football all-star game. The Historical Black College and University (HBCU) All-Star Football Bowl, held at Cramton Bowl in 2009, was held in the city. The Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football championship, which will be played in Cramton Bowl, will move to Montgomery starting in 2014. As part of the yearly college football bowl game calendar, Montgomery will host the Camellia Bowl at the Cramton Bowl beginning in December 2014. Every year, the University of Alabama and Auburn University play a baseball game in Montgomery's Riverwalk Stadium as part of the Max Capital City Classic. 

Alonzo Babers, who won two Olympic gold medals in track and field, and Bart Starr, a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, are both natives of Montgomery. 

The 2015 World Firefighter Combat Competition was held in the city. In October of that same year, it broadcast on ESPN. 

The World Horseshoe Tournament of the National Horseshoe Pitchers Association was held in Montgomery in 2016 as well. 

The Montgomery Public Schools system serves the majority of Montgomery City and Montgomery County. There were 2,382 teachers employed and 32,520 kids registered in the system as of 2007. 32 elementary schools, 10 middle schools, 5 high schools, 9 magnet schools, 1 alternative school, and 2 special education centers are all under the management of the system. Three public schools in Montgomery, one of just a few cities in Alabama, offer International Baccalaureate programs. Both the Bear Exploration Center and Forest Avenue Academic Magnet Elementary School were recognized as National Blue Ribbon Schools in 2007. LAMP High School was ranked No. 7 among magnet schools nationwide and No. 1 among public high schools in Alabama by U.S. News & World Report in 2022. The most of any public school system in the state, three additional Montgomery Public Schools high schools were included on the list (BTW Magnet, Brewbaker Technology Magnet, and George Washington Carver High School). 

Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) schools are designated to Maxwell Air Force Base for grades K–8. Maxwell Air Force Base Elementary/Middle School is run by the DoDEA. Residents of Maxwell AFB are assigned to one of two high schools run by Montgomery Public Schools: Carver High for those living on the main base and Robert E. Lee High for those in the Gunner Annex. Magnet schools may be attended by locals. 

There are 28 private schools in Montgomery. 

Eleven public libraries are run by the Montgomery City-County Public Library at various locations around the city and county. 

The Supreme Court and State Law Library, established in 1828, is located in the city and is the oldest legal library in Alabama. The Law Library, housed in the Heflin-Torbert Court Building, is the owner of a rare book collection that includes publications from as far back as 1605. 

Since the Lincoln Normal University for Teachers moved from Marion to Montgomery in 1887, Alabama State University, a historically black institution of higher learning, has called Montgomery home. The second-largest HBCU in Alabama today, ASU enrolls over 5,000 students from 42 different states and seven different countries. The Rosa Parks Library and Museum is located on the 3,000-student Troy University campus in the heart of Montgomery. The eastern part of the city is home to another public university, Auburn University at Montgomery, which enrolls over 5,000 students, the majority of whom are from the Montgomery region. On its site on Eastern Boulevard, the Baptist Medical Center South in Montgomery is home to a division of the University of Alabama at Birmingham medical school. 

A number of private universities are also located in Montgomery, including the 3,500-student Church of Christ-affiliated Faulkner University, which is home to the Thomas Goode Jones School of Law. Amridge University, Virginia College, and Huntingdon College, which has 1,000 students and is associated with the United Methodist Church. 

Montgomery is home to campuses for a number of two-year institutions, including H. Councill Trenholm State Technical College. 

The Air University, the hub for professional military education for the United States Air Force, is headquartered at Maxwell Air Force Base. Squadron Officer School, Air Command and Staff College, Air War College, and Community College of the Air Force are among the Montgomery-based divisions of Air University. 

Population 

Montgomery County, Alabama, contains the city of Montgomery. It serves as Montgomery County's County seat as well. It is the 136th largest city in the United States and the second largest city in Alabama with a population of 199,055. Montgomery's population has declined by -0.77% from the most recent census, which showed a population of 200,603 in 2020, and is now falling at a pace of -0.26% annually. Montgomery has a population density of 1,245 persons per square mile, spanning over 162 miles. 

With a poverty rate of 24.24% and an average family income of $68,149, Montgomery is a city. The median monthly cost of rent in recent years has been, and the median value of a home is. In Montgomery, the median age is 36 years, with 33.8 years for men and 38 years for women. 

Over its history, the city has received numerous honors, including the titles of "happiest city in Alabama," "All-America City," and one of the top communities for job growth.