Huntsville, Alabama

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search Huntsville, Alabama —  City  — City of Huntsville Clockwise from top: Big Spring Park, the Old Times Building, the Madison County Courthouse, the Von Braun Center, and Governors Drive Nickname(s): "Rocket City" Motto: "Star of Alabama" Coordinates: 34°43′48″N 86°35′6″W / 34.73000°N 86.58500°W / 34.73000; -86.58500Coordinates: 34°43′48″N 86°35′6″W / 34.73000°N 86.58500°W / 34.73000; -86.58500 Country  United States of America State  Alabama Counties Madison, Limestone established_date = Established (Twickenham) December 23, 1809 Incorporated (Town of Huntsville) December 9, 1811 Government  • Type Mayor-council  • Mayor Tommy Battle Area  • City 544.9 km2 (210 sq mi)  • Land 541.4 km2 (209.6 sq mi)  • Water 3.5 km2 (0.4 sq mi) Elevation 193 m (600 ft) Population (2012 est.)  • City 183,739 (US: 126th)  • Density 331.14/km2 (857.6/sq mi)  • Urban 286,692 (US: 132th)  • Metro 430,734 (US: 120th) Demonym Huntsvillian Time zone CST (UTC-6)  • Summer (DST) CDT (UTC-5) ZIP codes 35801–35816, 35824, 35893-35899 Area code(s) 256, 938 FIPS code 01-37000 GNIS feature ID 0151827 Website www.hsvcity.com

Huntsville is a city located primarily in Madison County in the central part of the far northern region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Huntsville is the county seat of Madison County. The city extends west into neighboring Limestone County. Huntsville's population was 180,105 as of the 2010 census. The Huntsville Metropolitan Area's population was 417,593. Huntsville is the fourth-largest city in Alabama and the largest city in the five-county Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area, which at the 2010 census had a total population of 664,441.

It grew across nearby hills north of the Tennessee River, adding textile mills, then munitions factories, NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center and the United States Army Aviation and Missile Command nearby at the Redstone Arsenal. The National Trust for Historic Preservation named Huntsville to its "America's Dozen Distinctive Destinations for 2010" list.