Ivan Gillis

Active Retirement Communities

 State:     Alabama

City:       Montgomery

Montgomery is the capital, second most populous city,  and the fourth most populous metropolitan area in the Southern U.S. state of Alabama, and is the county seat of Montgomery County.  It is located southeast of the center of the state, in the Gulf Coastal Plain. The city population was 201,568 as of the 2000 census.  Montgomery is the primary city of the Montgomery Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had a 2000 population of 346,528, making it the fourth largest in the state.

The city was incorporated in 1819, as a merger of two towns situated along the Alabama River. It became the state capital in 1846. In February 1861, Montgomery was selected as the first capital of the Confederate States of America, until the seat of government moved to Richmond, Virginia in May of that year. During the mid-20th century, Montgomery was a primary site in the African-American Civil Rights Movement, including the Montgomery Bus Boycott and the Selma to Montgomery marches.

Today, in addition to housing many Alabama government agencies, Montgomery has a large military presence due to Maxwell Air Force Base,  public universities Alabama State University, Troy University (Montgomery campus), and Auburn University-Montgomery, private colleges/universities Faulkner University, Huntingdon College, and ABA-accredited law school Thomas Goode Jones School of Law, high-tech manufacturing including Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama,  and cultural attractions like the Alabama Shakespeare Festival and Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts.

Beginning February 4, 1861, representatives from Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and South Carolina met in Montgomery to form the Confederate States of America. Montgomery was named the first capital of the nation, and Jefferson Davis was inaugurated as President on the steps of the State Capitol. On April 12, 1865, following the Battle of Selma, Major General James H. Wilson captured Montgomery for the Union.

In 1886 Montgomery became the first city in the United States to install city-wide electric street cars along a system that was nicknamed the Lightning Route.  The system made Montgomery one of the first cities to "depopulate" its residential areas at the city center through transportation-facilitated suburban development.

Montgomery was thrust into the spotlight of the early African-American Civil Rights Movement. On December 4, 1955, Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her bus seat to a white man, sparking the Montgomery Bus Boycott. The Montgomery Improvement Association was created by Martin Luther King, Jr., then the pastor of Dexter Avenue Baptist Church, and E.D. Nixon, a lawyer and local civil rights advocate, to organize the boycott. In June 1956, Judge Frank M. Johnson ruled that Montgomery's bus segregation was illegal.

Martin Luther King would return to Montgomery in 1965. Local civil rights leaders in Selma had been protesting Jim Crow laws blocking Blacks from registering to vote. Following the shooting of a man after a civil rights rally, the leaders decided to march to Montgomery to petition Governor George Wallace to allow free voter registration.

There is a rich history of musical performers with roots in Montgomery. Jazz singer and pianist Nat King Cole,  country singer Hank Williams,  blues singer Big Mama Thornton, Melvin Franklin of The Temptations,  and guitarist Tommy Shaw of Styx  are among the many musicians to get their start in Montgomery. Author and artist Zelda Sayre was born in Montgomery. In 1918, she met F. Scott Fitzgerald, who was a soldier stationed at an Army post nearby. The house where they lived is today used as the F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald Museum.  Sidney Lanier lived in Montgomery and Prattville immediately after the Civil War, while writing his novel Tiger Lilies

Income & Housing Costs Numbers:

Estimated median household income in 2008: $42,691 (it was $35,627 in 2000)

Montgomery:	$42,691
Alabama:	$42,666

Estimated median house or condo value in 2008: $117,000 (it was $84,600 in 2000)

Montgomery:	$117,000
Alabama:	$121,500

Median gross rent in 2008: $737.

Dec. 2009 cost of living index in Montgomery: 82.9 (low, U.S. average is 100)

In-Depth Facts and Figures as listed below, plus other information:

·        Climate Charts

1.      Average Temperature

2.      Precipitation (Rain)

3.      Humidity

4.      Wind Speed (MPH)

5.      Snowfall

6.      Sunshine

7.      Cloudy Days

·        Tornado Activity History

·        Hospitals & Medical

·        Airports

·        Colleges/Universities

·        High Schools

·        Locations of Interest

·        Shopping Centers

·        Churches

·        Lakes/Streams/Rivers/Creeks/Parks

·        Tourist Attractions

·        Banks

·        Housing Costs Information

·        Crime Statistics

·        Radio Stations AM/FM

·        TV Broadcast Stations

·        Discussion Forums

For the above information and photos, click this link:

http://www.city-data.com/city/Montgomery-Alabama.html

Total Tax Burden--Data for Calculation

http://www.retirementliving.com/RLstate1.html#ALABAMA

Listing of Active Retirement Communities:

http://www.retirenet.com/location/communities/7-alabama/1-active-lifestyles?city=36116-montgomery

Visit our Senior Cruising Site at: http://seniorcruisers.org

Other sites of interest:

World of Collectibles

http://www.collectibleshg.info

Information on: Architectural Collectibles, Art Collectibles, Artist Trading Cards , Books & Paper Collectibles, Brand Name Products Collectibles, Clothing Fabric & Textiles Collectibles, Collectibles UnLimited, Doll Collectibles, Household & Furnishings Collectibles, Militaria Collectors, Movies & TV Collectibles, Music Collectibles, Musical Instruments Collectibles, Nature And Animal Collectibles, Numismatics (Currency Collecting), Pottery & Glass Collectibles, Technology Collectibles, Theme Collectibles

DOGS

http://www.zcanines.com

Information on:  Overview Of Dogs, Sporting Dogs, Hounds Dogs, Terrier Dogs, Toy Dogs, Non-Sporting Dogs, Herding Dogs, Miscellaneous Class Dogs, Foundation Stock Service® Breeds Dogs

CATS

http://www.zcats.com

Information on: Cats Overview, Abyssinian Cat, America Cat Bobtail, American Curl Cat, American Shorthair Cat, American Wirehair Cat, Balinese Cat, Birman Cat, Bombay Cat, British Shorthair Cat, Charteux Cat, Colorpoint Shorthair Cat, Cornish Rex Cat, Devon Rex Cat, Egyptian Mau Cat, European Burmese Cat, Exotic Cat, Havana Brown Cat, Japanese Bobtail Cat, Korat Cat, LaPerm Cat, Maine Coon Cat, Manx Cat, Norwegian Forest Cat, Ocicat Cat, Oriental Cat, Persian Cat, Himalayan Cat, Ragamuffin Cat, Russian Blue Cat, Scottish Fold Cat, Selrik Rex Cat, Siamese Cat, Siberian Cat, Singapura Cat, Somali Cat, Sphynx Cat, Tonkinese Cat, Turkish Angora Cat, Turkish Van Cat

BIRD WATCHING

http://www.zavians.com

Information on:  Overview Of Birds, Ostriches-Emus-Kiwis, Gulls, Plovers, Loons, Grebres, Albatrosses, Penguins, Pelicans, Tropical Birds, Storks, Flamingos-Birds, Falcons-Birds, Eagles-Birds, Hawks-Birds, Cranes-Birds, Doves And Pigeons, Parrots,Cuckoos, Owls, Nightjars, Hummingbirds, Kingfishers-Birds, Woodpeckers, Mousebirds, Passerines 

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