page_title: History of Montgomery, Alabama
section_title: Reconstruction and modernization
hierarchical_section_title: History of Montgomery, Alabama / Reconstruction and modernization
caption_attribution_description: English: 1887 bird's eye illustration of Montgomery, Alabama, USA.
context_page_description: Montgomery, Alabama, 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 Civil Rights Movement, including the Montgomery bus boycott and the Selma to Montgomery marches.
context_section_description: In 1886 Montgomery became the first city in the United States to install citywide 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.  Cloverdale and Highland Park saw much of their growth during the height of the Lightning Route.  On March 19, 1910, Montgomery became the winter home of the Wright brothers' Wright Flying School. The men frequented Montgomery and founded several airfields, one of which developed into Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base after the Wrights began working with the government to produce planes for military use.
caption: 1887 bird's eye illustration of Montgomery.
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