Exciting attractions, fascinating history, colorful characters and terrific food. That's what you'll discover in Montgomery, a city that offers Old-South charm and New-South dazzle. Montgomery has lured travelers since 1540, when Hernando de Soto staked a Spanish flag on the banks of the Alabama River. Not to be outdone, French settlers made their presence known in 1717 when established Fort Toulouse. The news spread, and soon the settlements of East Alabama and New Philadelphia sprang up amidst this bustling hub of river commerce, merging in 1819 to form Montgomery.
Great changes swept through the city in the following years as an international audience watched Montgomery's history unfold. In 1846, Montgomery was chosen as the state's capital city. In 1861, the eyes of the nation turned to Montgomery as Jefferson Davis was sworn in as president of the Confederate States of America. On April 11 of that year, the telegram containing the orders to fire on Ft. Sumter was sent from the Winter Building on Dexter Avenue, thus beginning the War Between the States.
Nearly a century later, Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a city bus and ushered in a new era of social change across the nation. In 1965, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. ended the Selma to Montgomery Civil Rights March on the Capitol steps, a block away from the church where he began his career as a minister.
In addition to making history as the birthplace of the Civil War and the Civil Rights Movement, Montgomery has seen many other milestones. The country's first electric streetcar system began operating in Montgomery in 1886. And, in 1910, the Wright Brothers brought their daring aviation deeds to Alabama's capital city, establishing the nation's first school for powered flight.
Today, Montgomery combines the qualities of a leading cultural and recreational center with such assets as world-class theatre, museums, history, family activities and irresistible, down-home Southern food. Experience Montgomery, where the heart and soul of the South are ready to welcome you!
Montgomery is located at the intersection of I-65 and I-85, direct arteries to Atlanta, Washington D.C., Birmingham, New Orleans and the Gulf Coast area. U.S. Highways 31, 231, 331, 80 and 82 cross through the city as well. The Alabama River winds its way through Montgomery and provides navigable connections to the Gulf of Mexico to the south as well as to the Great Lakes to the north.
Community Information
American School Directory
Alabama Shakespeare Festival
Jubilee CityFest
Montgomery Ballet
The Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts
Old Alabama Town
W.A. Gayle Planetarium
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