Huntsville is a city centrally located in the northern most part of the U.S. state of Alabama. It is located in Madison County and extends west into neighboring Limestone county. Huntsville is the county seat of Madison County, and the fourth-largest city in Alabama. Huntsville is the largest city in the four-county Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area.

Today, Huntsville, Alabama USA is one of the most recognized cities in the Southeast - consistently named as one of the best places to live and work by a variety of national publications. Our city is regularly named as a premier location for both business and quality of life.

The Huntsville area remains one of the South's fastest-growing. The county's population is estimated at 260,000. It has the highest per capita income in the Southeast. Atlanta's is second. The nearby city of Madison, just west of Cummings Research Park, is experiencing rapid growth. The Hampton Cove area on U.S. 431 south is the fastest growing residential area within Huntsville's city limits.

The Huntsville community provides a strong atmosphere for social and recreational enjoyment for the entire family. Nestled in the rolling foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, the natural beauty of the area contains unlimited opportunities for hiking, biking, golfing, outdoor exploration and water sports on the Tennessee River. The mild climate allows for outdoor enjoyment throughout much of the year with Monte Sano Mountain State Park providing a unique outlet for recreational opportunities. Home to minor league professional baseball and hockey teams, Huntsville also strongly supports college athletics with the University of Alabama in Huntsville and Alabama A&M University hosting frequent events.

A legacy of the space program which benefits visitors is the renowned U.S. Space & Rocket Center. Guests can experience astronaut-training activities, feel simulated weightlessness and view large-screen movies filmed by astronauts in space. The Center's U.S. Space Camp attracts young people from throughout the world who spend a week experiencing space flight training and participate in mock space missions. It was Von Braun himself who inspired Space Camp. He suggested that the space museum develop an intensive youth science program to stimulate chidren's interest in math and science. Guided bus tours of the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center take visitors through large hangar-sized buildings such as where engineers are building the nation's first permanent space station. They also visit giant outdoor test stands where America's rockets have been test fired.

Adjacent to the space museum is the beautiful Huntsville Botanical Garden which features floral and aquatic gardens.Despite becoming the space capital of America, Huntsville maintains close contact with its past. The literal birthplace, "the big spring," still flows from a rock bluff underneath the 1835 Regions Bank. It winds through a lushly landscaped park into a lake surrounded by scores of trees. A new three-story building to house the Huntsville Museum of Art has been built in Big Spring Park.Facing the park is the city's civic and convention center named for the legendary German-born rocket scientist. The Von Braun Center contains an arena, exhibit hall, banquet hall, theater and meeting rooms. A variety of special events, ranging from tours of historic homes in the spring to the Big Spring Jam music festival in September and brillantly lighted Christmas festivals in December, fill the annual calendar of events. Air travelers arrive at the Huntsville International Airport just 12 miles west of Huntsville. Some 70 jet flights depart daily in addition to several weekly non-stop freight flights to Europe.

Housing Cost

Estimated median house or condo value in 2009: $155,500

Mean prices in 2009: All housing units: $184,261; Detached houses: $189,024; Townhouses or other attached units: $146,869; In 2-unit structures: $135,635; In 3-to-4-unit structures: $118,003; In 5-or-more-unit structures: $130,638; Mobile homes: $55,108; Occupied boats, RVs, vans, etc.: $117,172

Demographics

Population in July 2009: 179,653. Huntsville covers 174.0 square miles. It sits at an elevation of 641 feet above sea level. Area code 256.

Weather

Huntsville, AL climate is warm during summer when temperatures tend to be in the 70's and cold during winter when temperatures tend to be in the 40's.

The warmest month of the year is July with an average maximum temperature of 89.40 degrees Fahrenheit, while the coldest month of the year is January with an average minimum temperature of 30.70 degrees Fahrenheit.

Temperature variations between night and day tend to be moderate during summer with a difference that can reach 20 degrees Fahrenheit, and fairly limited during winter with an average difference of 19 degrees Fahrenheit.

The annual average precipitation at Huntsville is 57.51 Inches. Rainfall is fairly evenly distributed throughout the year. The wettest month of the year is March with an average rainfall of 6.68 Inches.

Information provided by idcide.com and city data.com