The town's economy was so dependent on cotton that the entire west side of the square was reserved for cotton wagons and carts. The frontier character of the town during the antebellum period can be seen by the ratio of male to female population, then almost In , males were counted to females. A two-story brick courthouse was completed in Today you will find its attractive modern counterpart on the same site, which is still the center of the county and city governmental affairs.
Around the marketplace "a city of stone and brick" replaced the old wooden construction - it soon covered sixty acres. The wealthy cotton planters started building distinctive plantation style houses with slave quarters out back; French Empire furniture and 15th century silver-threaded embroidery can still be seen in some of these residences.
A weekly paper provided information, a bank the necessary credits for the flourishing plantations and farms. The intellectuals of the city formed a Masonic Lodge, the theater enthusiasts a Thespian, and the music lovers a Hayden Society. The elegance and fine proportions of Greek revival architecture were introduced to Huntsville by Virginia born architect George Steele, who had lived in this city since His conceptions materialized in numerous public and private commissions; among them we have to mention the second courthouse demolished before and the First Alabama bank Building still in use which he completed in Fortunately, several Steele designed private homes can still be seen in the Twickenham District.
In , when Alabama progressed from territorial status to statehood as the 22nd state of the Union, Huntsville was chosen as the temporary capital. Here, Alabama's first constitution was drafted, its first governor inaugurated and its first legislature convened. It was vital for the town's economic survival to ship its cotton down the Tennessee River to New Orleans.
Transportation over land was possible along the Meridian Road which connects the city to Ditto Landing, a point on the river where John Ditto had established a trading post and ferry service in Around , James White and other Huntsville businessmen established here a southern salt monopoly, and the area also became known as Whitesburg. Today, the Landing is a convenient yacht harbor. A nine-foot navigable channel makes the Tennessee River an important part of the Southern transport system.
The port of Mobile can now be reached by the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway. In the Memphis and Charleston Railroad was completed. Several years later during the Civil War, the Union generals recognized its strategic importance for the Confederate War effort, and on April 11, , Federal Troops under General Mitchell took the city by surprise. As the battle zone was near, Huntsville became a bedroom city and a communications center for the Union forces.
However, guerilla attacks constantly harassed the Union troops. One of the leaders was "Morgan the Raider" who had spent his childhood in Huntsville. The hostilities ceased for Huntsville on Monte Sano, its beloved mountain which provides such a fantastic view of the city. There, on May 11, , the 25th Alabama Battalion was finally forced to surrender. However, twenty-two years later, Monte Sano saw the triumph of the New South: on its summit the greatest hotel of the Tennessee Valley, a majestic room Queen Anne style hotel.
The Monte Sano Hotel was opened in June It was built by the Northern Alabama Improvement Company which hoped to attract wealthy men for the benefit of local business. Many prominent personalities signed their names in the register, including William H. The hotel succeeded in gaining the city a wide reputation as a health resort before it was sold and dismantled in Industrialization gained momentum in Huntsville and Madison County with the completion of the Nashville, Chattanooga and St.
Huntsville continued to see growth as the Memphis and Charleston Railroad was constructed, linking the coast with the Mississippi River. Following the Civil War, the city was a center for textile mills. These mills built their communities which included schools, churches, stores, and other businesses. However, industry declined in the s because of the Great Depression. Though growth had remained slow and steady, this changed in the s with the construction of three chemical munitions facilities.
The personnel totaled around 20, throughout World War II. The city is home to over 25 biotechnology firms. The city has been named as one of the best cities for defense jobs and one of the most educated cities in the U. The non-English language spoken by the largest group is Spanish, which is spoken by 4. The race most likely to be in poverty in Huntsville is Other, with The race least likely to be in poverty in Huntsville is Asian, with 7.
The poverty rate among those that worked full-time for the past 12 months was 4. Among those working part-time, it was The age group where males are most likely to be married is Over 65, while the female age group most likely to be married is Non citizens include legal permanent residents green card holders , international students, temporary workers, humanitarian migrants, and illegal immigrants. Born in Huntsville. Of those not born in the United States, the largest percentage are from Latin America.
Huntsville, Alabama Population , Huntsville Population Growth After Huntsville was founded, growth was slow but steady and was only at about 16, people at the time of the census. Madison County.
The current population of Huntsville, Alabama is , based on our projections of the latest US Census estimates. The US Census estimates the population at , The last official US Census in recorded the population at , Huntsville, Alabama Population Show Sources.
Year Population Growth Growth Rate , 8, 1. Huntsville Metro Area Population by Year. Race Population Percentage White , Huntsville Population by Race. Show Source. Huntsville Median Age Huntsville Age Dependency Huntsville Sex Ratio Female , Male 94, Huntsville Population by Age. Rate of Home Ownership. Huntsville Households and Families. John Hunt lived in a cabin beside a spring there in LeRoy Pope, a man of considerable wealth, followed soon afterwards, made large purchases of land, and changed the community's name from Hunt's Spring to Twickenham, the name of the London estate of the poet Alexander Pope.
Local residents rejected the change and renamed it Huntsville. Huntsville became the first incorporated town in the state in Pope donated land for the first courthouse, which was built in In , the leaders of the Alabama Territory gathered to appeal to the U.
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