Montgomery is a city located in Montgomery County, Alabama. As of the 2000 census, the population of the city is 201,568. It is the capital of Alabama, a state of the United States of America. It is the county seat of Montgomery County.

Montgomery was named for General Richard Montgomery, who died in the American Revolutionary War attempting to capture Quebec, Canada. It was the first capital of the Confederate States of America. It is located on the north portion of the Alabama River.

Rev. Dr. Martin L. King Jr. gained national attention for civil rights issues during his tenure as pastor of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church, 2 blocks from the State Capitol Building. A civil rights memorial has been erected near the still-active church. In 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 Montgomery bus boycott which eventually forced the city to desegragate its transit system. In 1965, Dr. King's nationally-publicized march for justice was conducted from Selma, Alabama to Montgomery.

Geography

Montgomery is located at 32°21'42" North, 86°16'45" West (32.361538, -86.279118)¹.

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 is water. The total area is 0.52% water..

Demographics

As of the census² of 2000, there are 201,568 people, 78,384 households, and 51,106 families residing in the city. The population density is 500.9/km² (1,297.3/mi²). There are 86,787 housing units at an average density of 215.7/km² (558.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 47.67% White, 49.63% Black or African American, 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 are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 78,384 households out of which 32.1% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.4% are married couples living together, 19.1% have a female householder with no husband present, and 34.8% are non-families. 30.1% of all households are made up of individuals and 9.4% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.44 and the average family size is 3.06.

In the city the population is 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 are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 33 years. For every 100 females there are 88.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 83.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city is $35,627, and the median income for a family is $44,297. Males have a median income of $31,877 versus $25,014 for females. The per capita income for the city is $19,385. 17.7% of the population and 13.9% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 25.7% of those under the age of 18 and 13.4% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

Notable Points

• Alabama Shakespeare Festival
• Montgomery Biscuits, minor league baseball
• Montgomery Zoo

External links

• Maps and aerial photos
  • Street map from Mapquest (http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?latlongtype=decimal&latitude=32.361538&longitude=-86.279118&zoom=6)
  • Topographic map from Topozone (http://www.topozone.com/map.asp?lat=32.361538&lon=-86.279118&s=200&size=m&layer=DRG100)
  • Aerial photograph from Microsoft Terraserver (http://terraserver.microsoft.com/map.aspx?t=1&s=14&lon=-86.279118&lat=32.361538&w=750&h=500)