system and the Wright Brothers’ civilian flying school in 1910 put the city on
the map as a center of technology. government offices, including the Office of the Governor, the Alabama
Legislature, and the Alabama Supreme Court.
Montgomery became the center of the civil rights movement. In the 1950s,
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. gained national attention for civil rights issues
during his tenure as pastor at the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church, located
four miles east of Maxwell AFB. In December 1955, Rosa Parks was arrested
for refusing to give up her bus seat to a white man, sparking the
Montgomery Bus Boycott. In 1965, as part of the voting rights movement,
marches from Selma to Montgomery took place, ending at the State Capitol
Building. City of Prattville
The City of Montgomery is the second largest city in Alabama, with a 2010
population of 205,764. The city continues to grow and diversify. It is known
for its historic downtown, redevelopment of the riverfront, and numerous
cultural landmarks and events. The city has been home to Alabama State
University Historical Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) since 1887,
which has more than 5,600 students in attendance each year. In 2004,
Hyundai Motors built a 1.4 billion dollar automotive plant, one of the biggest
economic development projects in the city’s history. Employment indicators
for 2006 showed nearly 25 percent of the Montgomery work force being
employed by government agencies. Much of the new development is
occurring in the southwestern portion of the city along Interstate 65 and
US Highway 80 near the Montgomery Regional Airport. Some
redevelopment projects are also planned for the revitalization of the
downtown area, especially along the Alabama River which is a popular
sports and entertainment destination.
Montgomery operates under a mayor–council government system. The
mayor and council members are elected to four‐year terms. The city is
served by a nine‐member city council, elected from nine districts of equal
size. As the seat of Montgomery County, the city is the location of county
courts and the county commission. Montgomery also hosts numerous state
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Historic Bell House in the City of Prattville, AL
The City of Prattville is located in south‐central Alabama and is bifurcated
between Autauga County and Elmore County, with the majority of the city
located in Autauga County. The city was named after its founder, Daniel
Pratt, who was a successful industrialist and cotton gin manufacturer in the
nineteenth century. Prattville received its nickname as the “Fountain City”
because of its numerous artesian wells, which still supply many drinking and
decorative fountains throughout the city. The city serves as the county seat
of Autauga County and had a 2010 population of 33,960 people.
Background Report
June 2017