The city's nickname is ""The Rocket City"" for its close history with U.S. space missions. Huntsville has been important in developing space technology. Since the 1950s, when the German scientists headed by Wernher von Braun, brought to the United States at the end of World War II through Operation Paperclip, managed to develop rockets for the U.S. Army. Their work included designing a rocket, that carried the first U.S. satellite and astronauts into space.
The Saturn V, used by the Apollo program manned Moon missions, was developed at Marshall Space Flight Center. Huntsville continues to play an important role in the United States' Space Shuttle and International Space Station programs.
Huntsville's economy was nearly crippled and growth came to a near standstill in the 1970s following the closure of the Apollo program. The emergence of the Space Shuttle and the ever-expanding field of missile defense in the 1980s helped give Huntsville a resurgence that has continued into the 21st century.
Burlington, Vermont
Burlington is a city in the American state of Vermont. It is the county seat of Chittenden County. Burlington was first settled in 1783. It became a city in 1865.
Burlington is Vermont's largest city. It has a population of about 40,000 people. It is the smallest American city that is also the largest in its state. Burlington has a metropolitan population of about 210,000.
The city is located on the east bank of Lake Champlain. Burlington has an area of about 15.5 sq miles. It sits at an elevation of 200 feet. The suburb of Shelburne is 7 miles nearby Burlington.
Although there is no formal twinning agreement, Burlington takes part in the annual Burlington International Games with
Loretta Spencer
Loretta Purdy Spencer was the mayor of Huntsville, Alabama. Her first term began October 4, 1996. Her last term ended on November 3, 2008. Spencer is the first woman to be elected mayor of Huntsville.
Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Tuscaloosa is a city and county seat of Tuscaloosa County, Alabama. Tuscaloosa has a population of about 84,000 people and a metro population of about 117,000 people. Tuscaloosa has an area of about . It sits at a height of 223 feet.
Hoover, Alabama
Hoover is a city in Jefferson County, Alabama.
Hoover has a population of about 69,000 people.
Hoover has an area of about 43 miles and sits at a height of 577 feet.
Dothan, Alabama
Dothan is a city and county seat of Houston County. The city has a population of about 65,000 people. Dothan has an area of about and sits at a height of .
Kou Shibasaki
Decatur, Alabama
Decatur is a city and county seat of Morgan County, Alabama. It has a population of about 56,000 people. Decatur has an area of about 60 miles and sits at a height of about 561 feet.
Auburn, Alabama
Auburn is a city in Lee County, Alabama, United States. It is the largest city in eastern Alabama. In 2009, it had a population of 57,833. It is a principal city of the Auburn-Opelika Metropolitan Area.
Auburn is a college town and is the home of Auburn University. Auburn is known for its fast growing during the last years. It is currently the fastest growing metropolitan area in Alabama. It is also the nineteenth-fastest growing metro area in the United States since 1990. Auburn is among the top ten list of best places to live in United States for the year 2009. The city's unofficial nickname is “The Loveliest Village On The Plains”. This comes from a line in the poem “The Deserted Village” by Oliver Goldsmith: “Sweet Auburn! loveliest village of the plain...”
The first settlers arrived in the winter of 1836 from Harris County, Georgia. The leader of these settlers was the judge John J. Harper. They wanted to build a town that would be the religious and educational center for this area.
Auburn was firstly official mentioned on February 2, 1839. At this time it covered an area of . By that time, Methodist and Baptist churches and also a school were built. In the mid-1840s, different academies for boys and girls were founded in addition to the primary school. By 1858, of the about 1,000 free residents of Auburn, some 500 were students.
In 1856, the state legislature allowed to build a Methodist college, the East Alabama Male College in Auburn. This college, now Auburn University, opened its doors in 1859. It offered a classical and liberal education.
With the Civil War in 1861, Auburn quickly emptied. All of the schools and most businesses closed. Auburn was the site of a hospital for Texan Confederate soldiers.
After the Civil War, Auburn went in a long depression. Public schools did not reopen until the mid-1870s. Most businesses remained closed. A series of fires in the 1860s and 1870s burned down the downtown area. East Alabama Male College was turned over to the state in 1872.
In 1892, the college became the first four-year college in Alabama where women are allowed to study. This, combined with new funding businesses, allowed the city to start expanding again. By 1910, Auburn's population had returned to its pre-war level. SIAA Conference championships won by the Auburn college’s football team brought attention and support to Auburn. It helped fill the city's coffers.
Money began to flow into Auburn again with America's entry into World War II. Auburn’s campus was turned into a training ground for technical specialists in the armed forces. After the war, Auburn was flooded by soldiers returning to school on the G.I. Bill.
Because of this increase of students, Auburn began a period of growth that lasted through the 1950s and 1960s. Auburn grew outside of the original boundaries of the city. Auburn grew to an area of nearly . In 1957, the construction of Interstate 85 began. This connected Auburn to the major cities of the state. It allowed for Auburn University to schedule more home football games in Auburn. It also pushed the tourism sector in Auburn.
Growth slowed somewhat in the 1970s. A series of budget cuts made it clear that Auburn's economic concentration on Auburn University put the city in a bad position.
A series of reports in the 1980s and 1990s made the Auburn public school system among the top in the state. Between 1980 and 2003, Auburn's population grew by 65%. Auburn's economy expanded by 220%. With growth came issues of urban sprawl. This has become the primary political issue in Auburn at the turn of the 21st century.
The city of Auburn is in western Lee County. It borders the city of Opelika to the northeast and by Chambers County to the north. The city borders in south to the Macon County line.
Auburn is located at (32.597684, -85.480823). According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of in 2000, of which, of it is land and of it (1.11%) is water. The elevation of Auburn at City Hall is above sea level. Although because of Auburn’s topography, elevation ranges from above sea level to above sea level.
Auburn has a council-manager government led by an eight-member city council, a mayor, and an appointed city manager.
The city council acts as the legislative part of the city. It passes laws, regulates and appoints citizens to the city's various boards, including the Auburn City Board of Education. Each member of the city council is elected for a four-year term from one of eight geographic areas. Area one1 is designed to ensure African-American representation on the council.
Members of the Auburn City Council as of August 2010 are:
The mayor of Auburn is elected to a four-year term. The mayor has no administrative duties, as the City Manager serves as the CEO. As such, the position of mayor in Auburn is primarily symbolic. The current mayor of Auburn is Bill Ham, Jr.
The day-to-day operations of Auburn are run by the City Manager. The City Manager is responsible for the appointment and dismissal of all department heads. He advises the council on policy matters, creates and administers the city budget. The current City Manager of Auburn is Charlie Duggan.