Montgomery, Alabama

Where Montgomery is

Montgomery is the seat of Montgomery County in the middle of Alabama, at 32.37°N, 86.30°W. The city stands on the south bank of the Alabama River, a short way below the point where the Coosa and Tallapoosa rivers join to form it. The land is part of the Black Belt, a band of dark prairie soil that crosses the state from west to east. Elevation downtown is about 220 ft. Interstate 65 runs north to Birmingham and south to Mobile, and Interstate 85 begins here and runs northeast to Atlanta.

How it became the capital

Alabama has had four capitals. The first legislature met at Huntsville in 1819; Cahaba, at the mouth of the Cahaba River, served from 1820 to 1826; Tuscaloosa was the capital from 1826 to 1846. The legislature then voted to move to Montgomery, which was better placed for the growing plantation districts of the Black Belt and had river traffic to Mobile. In February 1861 delegates from the seceding states met in the Montgomery capitol and formed the Confederate States of America, and the city served as the first Confederate capital until the government moved to Richmond in May of that year.

Population

The city had about 200,600 residents at the 2020 Census, a few hundred fewer than Birmingham. Huntsville, with about 215,000, became the largest city in Alabama in 2020, pushing Birmingham to second and Montgomery to third. The Montgomery metropolitan area, which adds Autauga, Elmore and Lowndes counties, has about 386,000 people.

The capitol

The Alabama State Capitol stands at the top of Dexter Avenue on Goat Hill. The first capitol on the site burned in 1849; the present Greek Revival building was completed in 1851 and enlarged with wings in 1885, 1906 and 1912. Jefferson Davis took the oath as Confederate president on its front steps, and the Selma to Montgomery march ended in front of it in 1965. The legislature now meets in the State House across the street, but the governor's office remains in the capitol.

Distances to other cities

Montgomery is on Central Time, as is all of Alabama. Its position near the geographic center of the state, roughly 100 miles from both the Tennessee line and the Gulf coast, was one of the arguments used for it in 1846.

Related maps

• Alabama map — the whole state with borders, cities and counties.
• Alabama county map · blank Alabama map · printable Alabama map.
• All 50 state capitals on one map, and the state capitals quiz.
• South region · East South Central division · Central Time Zone.