Montgomery, Alabama

Montgomery is the capital city of the state of Alabama in the United States. It is on the Alabama River. In 2020, 200,603 people lived there, making it the third-most populated city in Alabama after Huntsville, Alabama, which had 215,006, and Birmingham which had 200,733.^[7]

Montgomery
Capital City
Montgomery along the Alabama River Alabama State Capitol Dexter Avenue Baptist Church First White House of the Confederacy Archives and History Museum Commerce Street, downtown Frank M. Johnson Jr. Federal Building
Flag
Nickname(s):  "The Gump", "Birthplace of the Civil Rights Movement", "Cradle of the Confederacy"
Motto:  "Capital of Dreams"[1]
Interactive map of Montgomery
Montgomery Location within Alabama Show map of Alabama Montgomery Location within the United States Show map of the United States
Coordinates: 32°22′3″N 86°18′0″W
Country	United States
State	Alabama
County	Montgomery
Incorporated	December 3, 1819[2]
Named for	Richard Montgomery
Government
• Type	Mayor–Council
• Mayor	Steven L. Reed (D)
• City Council	District 1 – Ed Grimes District 2 – Julie T. Beard District 3 – Marche Johnson District 4 – Franetta Riley District 5 – Cornelius Calhoun District 6 – Oronde Mitchell District 7 – Andrew Szymanski District 8 – Glen O. Pruitt, Jr. District 9 – Charles W. Jinright
Area [3]
• Capital City	162.27 sq mi (420.28 km2)
• Land	159.86 sq mi (414.03 km2)
• Water	2.41 sq mi (6.25 km2)
Elevation [4]	240 ft (73 m)
Population  (2020)[5]
• Capital City	200,603
• Estimate  (2023)[5]	195,287
• Rank	US: 133rd AL: 3rd
• Density	1,232/sq mi (475.8/km2)
• Urban	254,348 (US: 159th)
• Urban density	1,752.9/sq mi (676.8/km2)
• Metro	385,460 (US: 142nd)
• Metro density	142.0/sq mi (54.83/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
ZIP Codes	ZIP Codes[6] 36101–36121, 36123–36125, 36130–36132, 36135, 36140–36142, 36177, 36191
Area code	334
FIPS code	01-51000
GNIS feature ID	0165344[4]
Website	montgomeryal.gov

History

Montgomery was started on December 3, 1819 by merging New Philadelphia and East Alabama Town.^[8] The city became a county seat in 1822. On January 28, 1846, the state capital was moved from Tuscaloosa to Montgomery.^[9] For a few months in 1861 Montgomery was the capital of the Confederate States of America.

Since 2023 or earlier,^{[verification needed]} parts of Alabama were changing things named after the confederacy and confederates, including their leader (Robert E. Lee). Street names, statues and schools were renamed or removed. The Dr. Percy L. Julian High School is the new name of the Robert E. Lee High School in Montgomery.^[10]

Notable natives and residents

• Nat King Cole, jazz pianist & singer
• Martin Luther King, Jr., civil rights advocate
• Bart Starr, Pro Football Hall of Famer
• Rosa Parks