Madison County is a county of the U.S. state
of Alabama.
As of the 2010 Census, the population was
334,811, making it the third-most populous
county in Alabama.
Its county seat is Huntsville.
The county is named in honor of James Madison,
fourth President of the United States of America
and the first President to visit the state
of Alabama.
Madison County covers parts of the former
Decatur County.
Madison County is included in the Huntsville,
Alabama Metropolitan Statistical Area.
== History ==
Madison County was established on December
13, 1808 by the governor of the Mississippi
Territory.
It is recognized as the "birthplace" of Alabama,
which was founded there on December 14, 1819.
For much of the county's history, the economy
revolved mainly around agriculture.
Madison County was one of the largest cotton-producing
counties in the state, and textile mills operated
around the county.
This changed when a group of German rocket
scientists, led by Wernher von Braun, came
to Redstone Arsenal in 1950.
They developed, among others, the Redstone
rocket, which was modified to launch the first
two Americans into space.
Tens of thousands of jobs came to the area
as a result of the Space Race, and the population
of Madison County rose from 72,903 in 1950
to an estimated 2015 population of 353,089.
== Geography ==
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county
has a total area of 813 square miles (2,110
km2), of which 802 square miles (2,080 km2)
is land and 11 square miles (28 km2) (1.4%)
is water.The topography in the southern and
eastern portions of the county is dominated
by the dissected remnants of the Cumberland
Plateau, such as Keel Mountain, Monte Sano
Mountain and Green Mountain.
The northern and western portions of the county
are flatter.
=== Rivers ===
Tennessee River
Flint River
Paint Rock River
=== 
Adjacent counties ===
Lincoln County, Tennessee (north)
Franklin County, Tennessee (northeast)
Jackson County (east)
Marshall County (southeast)
Morgan County (southwest)
Limestone County (west)
=== National protected area ===
Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge (part)
== Demographics ==
As of the census of 2000, there were 276,700
people, 109,955 households, and 75,319 families
residing in the county.
The population density was 344 people per
square mile (133/km2).
There were 120,288 housing units at an average
density of 149 per square mile (58/km2).
The racial makeup of the county was 72.06%
White, 22.78% Black or African American, 0.77%
Native American, 1.86% Asian, 0.06% Pacific
Islander, 0.59% from other races, and 1.89%
from two or more races.
Nearly 1.91% of the population were Hispanic
or Latino of any race.
According to the 2000 census, the largest
ancestry groups in Madison County were English
50.2%, African 22.78%, Scots-Irish 8.71%,
Irish 4.3%, Scottish 4.12%, and Welsh 2.9%
=== 2010 ===
According to the 2010 U.S. Census:
65.9 White(non-Hispanic)
24.6% Black
0.8% Native American
2.5% Asian
0.0% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander
2.3% Two or more races
4.7% Hispanic or Latino (of any race)There
were 109,955 households, out of which 33.00%
had children under the age of 18 living with
them; 53.40% were married couples living together,
11.80% had a female householder with no husband
present, and 31.50% were non-families.
Nearly 27.20% of all households were made
up of individuals, and 7.40% had someone living
alone who was 65 years of age or older.
The average household size was 2.45, and the
average family size was 3.00.
In the county, the population was spread out
with 25.60% under the age of 18, 9.40% from
18 to 24, 31.50% from 25 to 44, 22.70% from
45 to 64, and 10.80% who were 65 years of
age or older.
The median age was 36 years.
For every 100 females, there were 95.30 males.
For every 100 females age 18 and over, there
were 92.10 males.
The median income for a household in the county
was $44,704, and the median income for a family
was $54,360.
Males had a median income of $40,779 versus
$26,534 for females.
The per capita income for the county was $23,091.
About 8.10% of families and 10.50% of the
population were below the poverty line, including
14.10% of those under age 18 and 9.60% of
those age 65 or over.
== Communities ==
=== 
Cities ===
Huntsville (county seat; partly in Limestone
County)
Madison (partly in Limestone County)
New Hope
=== 
Towns ===
Gurley
Owens Cross Roads
Triana
=== 
Census-designated places ===
Harvest
Hazel Green
Meridianville
Moores Mill
New Market
Redstone Arsenal
=== 
Unincorporated communities ===
== 
Education ==
The Madison County School System runs public
schools throughout the unincorporated areas
of the county and the incorporated and unincorporated
communities of Gurley, New Hope, Meridianville,
Hazel Green, Toney, Monrovia, New Market,
and Owens Cross Roads.
The system runs 14 elementary schools, 4 middle
schools, 5 high schools and a ninth grade
school, and a career/technical center.
High schools in the Madison County School
System are:
Buckhorn High School (New Market, Alabama)
Hazel Green High School
Madison County High School (in Gurley)
New Hope High School
Sparkman High School (in Harvest)There are
a number of private schools serving Madison
County.
These include Randolph School, Madison Academy,
Westminster Christian Academy, Faith Christian
Academy, and several others.
== Transportation ==
=== 
Major highways ===
Interstate 565
U.S. Highway 72 (University Drive in Huntsville
city limits)
U.S. Highway 231 (Memorial Parkway in Huntsville
city limits)
U.S. Highway 431 (Governors Drive in Medical
District of Huntsville; Memorial Parkway for
rest of length in Huntsville City Limits)
State Route 53 (Jordan Lane in much of Huntsville
city limits)
State Route 255 (Research Park Boulevard)
=== Rail ===
Norfolk Southern Railway
Huntsville and Madison County Railroad Authority
== 
Politics ==
Madison County was formerly an overwhelmingly
Democratic county as with most of the rest
of Alabama, with only a narrow loss by Al
Smith in 1928 due to Prohibitionist anti-Catholicism
disrupting this trend until the 1960s.
Even in 1964, the county nearly voted against
Barry Goldwater due to its opposition to the
Arizona Senator’s privatization plans for
the Tennessee Valley Authority.
However, since that time the county has become
solidly Republican due to opposition by its
white majority to Democratic Party social
liberalism, with the only national Democratic
nominee to carry the county since 1960 being
Deep South native Jimmy Carter in 1976.
== Places of interest ==
Madison County is home to Monte Sano State
Park, the U.S. Space & Rocket Center, and
part of the Flint River.
It also contains Hampton Cove Golf Course,
part of the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail.
There is a historical marker for Lincoln School
and Village which were incorporated into Huntsville
in 1956.
== See also ==
National Register of Historic Places listings
in Huntsville, Alabama
National Register of Historic Places listings
in Madison County, Alabama
Properties on the Alabama Register of Landmarks
and Heritage in Madison County, Alabama
Redstone Arsenal cemeteries
