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 [1]. 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.

The Dexter Avenue Baptist Church

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

The Alabama River at Montgomery in 2004

Montgomery is located at 32°21′42″N, 86°16′45″W (32.361538, -86.279118)^GR1.

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^GR2 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.

City view from State Capitol

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

Montgomery experiences short, warm springs and hot, typically humid summers lasting from mid-May to well into September. Autumns are usually during October and November, and are mild - usually from the mid 60's to 70's (degrees Fahrenheit). Winters last from December until February; their severity/coldness varies from year to year, but are usually moderate, with the temperatures rarely receding below 20 degrees Fahrenheit.

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.

Current Mayor 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

The State Capitol, built in 1850

Local TV

WAKA 8 CBS [2] (licensed to Selma, Alabama)
WSFA 12 NBC [3]
WCOV 20 Fox [4]
WBIH 29 Station independantly managed out of Denver, Colorado. Mostly Infomercials (licensed to Selma, Alabama)
WAIQ 26 PBS
WNCF 32 ABC [5]
WMCF 45 TBN
WRJM 67 UPN (licensed to Troy, Alabama)