1 City (1990 pop. 159,789), seat of Madison co., N Ala.; inc. 1811. A major center for U.S. space research, Huntsville is the site of the Redstone Arsenal, the U.S. army's control and procurement center for guided missiles and rockets. NASA's George C. Marshall Space Flight Center (est. 1960) and the U.S. Space and Rocket Center, the world's largest space museum, are also in the city. Although Huntsville's economy centers around the aerospace and high-technology industries, motor vehicle engines, tires, glass, machinery, electrical equipment, and copper tubing are also produced. The constitutional convention of the Alabama Territory was held in 1819 in Huntsville, where the first state legislature also met. Numerous antebellum buildings remain. Huntsville is the seat of Oakwood College, Alabama A&M Univ., and the Univ. of Alabama at Huntsville.

2 City (1990 pop. 27,925), seat of Walker co., E central Tex.; inc. 1845. Located in a pine area, it has many sawmills. Farming and livestock trading add to the city's economic base. Manufactures include mirrors, signs, oil- and gas-field equipment, and lumber. Huntsville, the home of Samuel Houston, contains his grave (with an impressive monument), his restored home, and other memorials. Also in the city are Sam Houston State Univ. and the headquarters of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Institutional Division (including a prison). An annual rodeo held by the prisoners draws many spectators.

The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright© 2004, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Lernout & Hauspie Speech Products N.V. All rights reserved.

-22940-