Two settlements on the site
of the present-day city were consolidated and incorporated in 1819 as Montgomery,
named for Richard Montgomery, a general in the American Revolution.
Montgomery was made the capital of Alabama on the fourth try. The territorial
capital, St. Stephens on the Tombigbee River, had been supplanted by Huntsville
then Cahawba and Tuscaloosa. It was the first capital of the Confederate States
of America, whose president Jefferson Davis was inaugurated in its steps.
Martin L. King Jr. gained national attention for civil rights issues during his
tenure, 1954/1960, 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. |
Today a port on the Alabama
River, Montgomery is a major cotton and livestock market and a manufacturing center
situated in the rich Black Belt agricultural region.
Principal manufactures of the area include water heaters, computer software, paper
products, machinery, furniture, textiles, and processed food.
Tourism, construction, government activity, and financial institutions are also
important to the economy of Montgomery, as is nearby Maxwell Air Force Base.
Air transportation is through Dannelly Field Airport.
ZIP codes for Montgomery AL 36104, 36105, 36106, 36107, 36108, 36109, 36110, 36111,
36112, 36113, 36115, 36116, 36117 |
