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City of Huntsville Population – 214,372 (2020 census; est. July 2021 population is 216,963) Entire Madison County Population – 395,211 City Altitude – 624 feet above sea level County Area – 806 square miles City Area – 220.9 square miles Annual Average Precipitation – 54.29″ July Average Temperature – 81.3 degrees F January Average Temperature – 42.7 degrees F Annual Snowfall – Negligible |
In the foothills of the Cumberland mountains, in a beautiful green valley, nestled in a bend of the Tennessee River, John Hunt first brought his family to settle near a large spring in an community that would later become known as Huntsville, Alabama.
Since its incorporation in 1811, Huntsville has been a pacesetter for the state of Alabama, as shown by the large number of “firsts”, including the state’s first newspaper, library, school, Protestant church and bank. Huntsville also served as the first state capital as well.
This unique spirit of innovation has been a major factor in the establishment of Huntsville as a leader in education and culture, and has helped make it a flourishing business center as well.
In the beginning of Huntsville’s history, agriculture was the primary business of the area. At that time, Cotton was “King.” Huntsville and Madison County became the largest cotton growing area in the south. While North Alabama still grows a lot of cotton, its biggest cash crop has changed from cotton to technology.
In 1941 the army announced that they were establishing a chemical weapons manufacturing facility on 40,000 acres. This land was located in the southwest corner of Madison County. In 1949, the U. S. Army brought a team of German rocket scientists into the facility to organize the U. S. military’s Ordnance Guided Missile Center. The leader of this group was the famed “space flight visionary” – Dr. Wernher von Braun. From that time, the growth of the area has never slowed down.
The rest, so they say . . . . . is history.
Huntsville / Madison County has many community resources and opportunities. A small sampling is listed below.
Museums
Huntsville Museum of Art. 300 Church Street, SW.
U.S. Space and Rocket Center. Space exhibits and U.S. Space Camp.
Alabama Constitution Village. “The birthplace of Alabama.” Franklin Street at Gates Avenue.
Burritt on the Mountain. Mansion and Historic Park. 3101 Burritt Drive on Monte Santo Mountain.
State Black Archives Research Center and Museum. Alabama A&M Campus.
Huntsville Depot and Museum. 320 Church Street.
EarlyWorks Children’s Museum. 404 Madison Street.
Weeden House Museum. 19th Century Museum. 300 Gates Avenue.
Oak Place. Historic home of antebellum architect George Steele. By appointment only.
Oakwood College History Museum and Archives.
Huntsville Botanical Garden. 4747 Bob Wallace Avenue.
Cultural Organizations
Arts Huntsville. Association of arts organizations.
Huntsville Ballet. Dance company and school.
Alabama Youth Ballet. 1405 Weatherly Plaza Drive.
Fantasy Playhouse. Children’s Theater and Academy
Merrimack Hall. 3320 Triana Blvd SW. An arts center promoting inclusion, offering those with special needs opportunities to express themselves creatively.
Historic Sites and Districts
Twickenham Historic District the first historic district established in Huntsville, Twickenham dates from the early 19th century and includes many fine examples of historical architecture.
Old Town Historic District Located downtown, Old Town includes historic architecture from the early/mid 19th century to the early 20th century.
Five Points Historic District Incorporated in 1892, Five Pointes is one mile from the heart of downtown Huntsville and a half mile to the base of Monte Sano Mountain.
Harrison Brothers 19th century hardware store, owned and operated by Historic Huntsville Foundation, Inc. 124 South Side Square.
Outdoors
Huntsville / Madison County offers a wide variety of outdoors and recreational activities for spectator as well as participant. The following is just a sampling of what the area has to offer.
Sports
Huntsville Havoc Hockey.are a professional ice hockey team in the Southern Professional Hockey League. They play their home games at the Von Braun Center.
Huntsville City Football Club. Huntsville’s newest professional sport. Member of the Eastern Indoor Soccer League. Plays at the Von Braun Center. Season runs from late May thru August. 551-2243 or 518-6179.
Huntsville Speedway – NASCAR-sanctioned stock car racing a quarter-mile track.
The Benton H. Wilcoxon Municipal Ice Complex is a year-round dual ice rink facility.
Huntsville Aquatics Center The facility includes three large pools, restrooms, locker rooms, conference and hospitality space, offices, concession space, 264 parking spaces and a terrace overlooking the Brahan Spring Park lagoon.
Huntsville Area Tennis Association – Where to Play – List of area tennis facilities, with public and private options, outdoor and indoor courts across the are.
Fishing and Hunting – Fishing is open year round. Alabama has 23 state-owned fishing lakes and 30 game-management areas. Check out the Madison County License Department Website for Hunting Licenses and Fishing Licenses
Schools
Huntsville City Schools – Twenty-eight elementary schools, 12 middle schools, five high schools, the Huntsville Center for Technology, the Center for Developmental Learning and the Fletcher E. Seldon Center make up the Huntsville City Schools system, with enrollment at more than 25,000. There are 109 state-supported kindergartens. Huntsville City Schools also offer special programs for the hearing impaired, intellectually gifted and physically challenged.
Huntsville City Schools (256) 532-4600
K – 5 – Elementary School
6 – 8 – Middle Schools
9 – 12 – High Schools
Madison City Schools – The Madison City Council voted in October of 1997 to establish their own school system from kindergarten through grade 12. They are in the process of setting up their entire system. The new school system is expected to be of the highest caliber. Most of the personnel and facilities will come from the Madison County school system. Madison County has provided the excellent school system for the City of Madison up to this time. Additional information will be entered on this website as soon as it is available.
Madison County Schools – About 18,000 students are educated through the Madison County School System at 21 schools at the elementary, middle and high school levels. The Madison County Technical Center serves students from the six county high schools. There are also programs for the gifted and handicapped students.
Madison County Schools (256) 859-9360
K – 5 – Elementary School
6 – 8 – Middle School
9 – 12 – High School
Grace Lutheran School
3321 Memorial Pkwy SW – Huntsville, AL 35801
Holy Spirit Catholic Church
619 Airport Rd SW – Huntsville, AL 35802
Huntsville Christian Academy
165 West Park Loop – Huntsville, AL
Madison Academy
325 Slaughter Road – Madison, AL 35758
Randolph School
1005 Drake Avenue – Huntsville, AL
Spiritlife Christian Academy
1469 Browns Ferry Rd. – Madison, AL
St. John’s Catholic High School
1057 Hughes Rd – Madison, AL
Valley Fellowship Academy
3616 Holmes Avenue, W. – Huntsville, AL
Westminster Christian Academy
1400 Evangel Drive – Huntsville, AL
Libraries
Huntsville – Madison County Public Library system has some 425,000 volumes. The 123,000 square-foot main branch facility has space for more than 670,000 volumes. There are nine branches across the county and a Bookmobile. Materials are free to city and county residents. See the list of branches here.
Salmon Library at the University of Alabama in Huntsville
Joseph F. Drake Learning Resources Center at Alabama A&M University
Eva B. Dykes Library at Oakwood University
S.C. O’Neal Library and Technology Center at Drake State Community and Technical College
Kares Library at Athens State University
Calhoun Community College Library
Health Care System
Two hospitals with a total capacity of more than 1,000 beds provide medical and emergency services for about 700,000 people in a 16 – county area of northern Alabama and south-central Tennessee. There are nearly 450 physicians, representing more than 50 AMA recognized specialties in the Huntsville/Madison County area.
Utility Services
Electricity, natural gas and water are supplied to the City of Huntsville by Huntsville Utilities. To obtain service, visit the Huntsville Utilities office at 112 Spragins Street. Newcomers to Madison County should call the Huntsville Utilities for electricity hook-up, the Madison County Water Department for water service, North Alabama Gas for natural gas service (in the city of Madison only) and the Madison County Waste Control Department for garbage service. Huntsville Utilities provides limited natural gas service to some areas of Madison County. Residents of other municipalities in the county should call their city hall.
Huntsville Utilities (256) 535-1200
Madison County Water Department (256) 532-1659
North Alabama Gas (256) 772-0227
Telephone – BellSouth
Residential (256) 557-6500
Business (256) 557-6000
Sanitation
City of Huntsville Sanitation Dept. (256) 532-7492
Madison County Waste Control (256) 532-371
Comcast Cable – 2047 Max Luther Dr., NW – Huntsville, AL 35810
Phone (256) 830-6011
AT&T Internet Service
http://www.attinternetservice.com/
Knology of Huntsville – 2401 10th St SW – Huntsville, AL 35805
Phone (256) 533-5353
Madison Communications – 113 Castle Dr. – Madison, AL 35758
Phone (256)232-1822
Mediacom – 123 Ware Dr NE – Huntsville, AL 35811
Phone (256)852-6306
Newcomers to Alabama have 30 days upon establishing residency to change their out-of-state vehicle registration to Alabama registration. To register your automobile, you must submit a certificate of title, vehicle registration and possibly a bill of sale to the License Commissioner’s Office on the first floor of the Madison County Courthouse. Check for any updated information at the Madison County License Department Tags and Title Information Page.
License Commissioner’s Office (256) 532-3310
Madison County Courthouse – 100 North Side Square, Room 108 (256) 532-3310
Madison County License Department – 2801 Memorial Pkwy SW # 100, Huntsville, AL – (256) 532-3310
Madison County Voter Registration Information and Online Portal
Transportation
Huntsville serves as the distribution and transportation center for the 16 counties of North Alabama as well as a substantial portion of south central Tennessee. Commercial air service is provided at the Huntsville International Airport – Carl T. Jones Field, with more than 100 arrivals and departures daily. More than 970,000 airline passengers are served annually from the airport. Rail Service is provided by the Norfolk Southern Railway System and the Huntsville/Madison County Railroad Authority. Thirty-five common carriers provide truck transportation. The Tennessee River provides access to the Tennessee – Tombigbee Waterway. The International Intermodal Center handles containerized shipments via air, rail and highway as well as domestic rail trailer movements.
Huntsville International Airport
The City of Huntsville’s Public Transportation Department operates nine fixed bus routes – the Huntsville Shuttle. Two major shopping malls, two hospitals, government buildings and three universities can be accessed by the routes. A central point of transfer is a Church and Monroe Streets at the south end of the Huntsville depot property. Service is available 6 a.m. – 6 p.m., Monday – Friday. One-way fair is $1. The elderly, handicapped, Medicare Card holders and students ride for 50 cents. The Public Transportation Department also operates RideShare, a computerized service for working commuters, and Handi-Ride, a door-to-door demand-response paratransit service for elderly and disabled persons who do not live within walking distance (3/4 mile) of the fixed route stops.
Access Paratransit Local Transportation
City of Huntsville Ride-Sharing Resources Page
The City of Huntsville and Madison County require dogs and cats be vaccinated annually and be registered and licensed by the local Animal Control Department. Proof of vaccination is required to obtain an animal license. Proof of spaying or neutering reduces the annual license fee. The running at large of dogs is prohibited within Madison County and a leash law is enforced within the city.
City of Huntsville Animal Control (256) 883-3782
Madison County Animal Control (256) 532-1519
VV&W is pleased to offer this information as a community service. However, since this information is general and may be subject to change, we encourage our readers to verify this information.