Montgomery County, Alabama

Montgomery County was created on December 6, 1816 by the Mississippi Territorial Legislature [1]. It is named for Maj. Lemuel Montgomery of Tennessee, the first U.S. soldier killed at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend, while the city is named for Maj. Gen. Richard Montgomery. The seat is Montgomery, which became the county seat in 1822 and the permanent state capital in 1846. The 2020 estimate was 228,954 residents across 793 square miles.

Economy

Antebellum growth came from steamboat traffic and the cotton trade. Today local, state and federal government employs almost 25 percent of the workforce. A Hyundai automotive plant opened in 2003, built for $1.1 billion and providing about 2,700 jobs [1].

History and firsts

The nation’s first electric streetcar system began operating in Montgomery in 1886. In 1910 the Wright Brothers founded a flight school near the Alabama River, a site that later became Maxwell Air Force Base, now home to Air University [1].

Education and attractions

Montgomery Public Schools operates 54 schools, and colleges include Alabama State University, Auburn University at Montgomery (created 1967), Huntingdon College and Faulkner University. Attractions include the Alabama Shakespeare Festival, which draws more than 300,000 visitors a year, the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts, the Montgomery Zoo, 19 city parks and Riverwalk Stadium, home of the Montgomery Biscuits [1].

County formation and name

Montgomery County was created on December 6, 1816, from part of Monroe County by the Mississippi Territorial Legislature, and it is now the seventh most populous county in Alabama. It is named for Lemuel P. Montgomery, a young U.S. Army officer killed at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend, while the city of Montgomery takes its name from Revolutionary War general Richard Montgomery.[2]

Geography and population

The county covers about 800 square miles, of which roughly 784 are land and 16 are water. The 2020 census counted 228,954 residents, and a 2025 estimate put the total at 225,891. About 88 percent of residents live in urban areas, and the median age is 38.1. Besides Montgomery, communities include Ada, Carter Hill, Cecil, Dublin, Grady, Mount Meigs, Pine Level, Ramer and Snowdoun, and it adjoins Elmore, Macon, Bullock, Pike, Crenshaw, Lowndes and Autauga counties.[2]

Economy, history and landmarks

Cotton created great wealth in the nineteenth century; the boll weevil arrived in 1914 and damaged the harvest from 1915, and by the 1940s cattle earned more for county farms than cotton. Notable sites include the Alabama State Capitol, the Alabama Shakespeare Festival, the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts, the Montgomery Zoo and the Zelda and F. Scott Fitzgerald Museum.[2]

Education and transportation

Colleges in the county include Alabama State University, Auburn University Montgomery, Faulkner University, Huntingdon College, Troy University at Montgomery and the Air War College at Maxwell Air Force Base. Interstates 85 and 65 cross the county, along with rail lines, Alabama River shipping and Montgomery Regional Airport.[2]

FAQs

When was it created? December 6, 1816.

Largest employer? Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base.

Sources

1. Encyclopedia of Alabama: Montgomery County
2. Wikipedia: Montgomery County, Alabama

Editorially reviewed by Specialty Digest Editorial TeamLast reviewed November 10, 2026Researched and drafted with AI assistanceReport an issue