Huntsville

About Huntsville

Huntsville is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Alabama. The population was 215,006 at the 2020 census, making it the 100th-most populous city in the U.S., while the Huntsville metropolitan area has an estimated 542,000 residents and is the second-most populous metropolitan area in the state. As of July 1, 2025, the city's population was estimated to be 233,627 – an 8.7% increase since the 2020 Census. This makes it among the top 20 fastest growing cities in the US. Huntsville is the county seat of Madison County, with portions extending into Limestone County, Marshall County, and Morgan County.

Huntsville is located in the Appalachian region of northern Alabama, south of the state of Tennessee. It was founded within the Mississippi Territory in 1805 and became an incorporated town in 1811. When Alabama was admitted as a state in 1819, Huntsville was designated for a year as the first capital, before the state capitol was moved to more central settlements. The city developed across nearby hills north of the Tennessee River, adding textile mills in the late nineteenth century.

Major growth in Huntsville took place in the decades following World War II. During the war, the U.S. Army established Redstone Arsenal in the vicinity, with a chemical weapons plant and related facilities. After the war, additional research was conducted at Redstone Arsenal on rockets, followed by adaptations for space exploration. NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, the United States Army Aviation and Missile Command, the FBI's operational support headquarters and most recently the United States Space Command, all were sited at Redstone Arsenal.

Text: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Huntsville weather: 7-day forecast

Source: National Weather Service (NOAA).

Live webcams in Huntsville

Webcams: Windy.com

Living in Huntsville

Median household income

$74,714

Median home value

$293,600

Median rent

$1,171/mo

Median age

36.9

Map of Huntsville

Tap any street on the map to see it in Street View below. Map: © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Huntsville Street View

Drag the image to look around and tap the arrows on the ground to move. If it says there is no imagery, tap a nearby street on the map above.

Huntsville, AL population

Huntsville had 215,006 residents in the 2020 Census.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Decennial Census.

Huntsville at a glance

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau (Gazetteer, ZCTA), USGS GNIS, Wikidata.

Towns near Huntsville

• Redstone Arsenal1.6 mi SE
• Madison5.2 mi W
• Triana8.1 mi SW
• Harvest12.4 mi NW
• Mooresville12.4 mi W
• Meridianville14.0 mi N
• Moores Mill14.3 mi NE
• Owens Cross Roads14.4 mi SE
• Priceville16.4 mi SW
• Somerville16.7 mi SW
• Gurley16.8 mi E
• Athens17.0 mi W

Straight-line distance between town centers.

Frequently asked questions about Huntsville