Huntsville was founded by European Americans in 1805 and became an incorporated town in 1811. When Alabama was admitted as a state in 1819.
Huntsville incorporated as a city on February 24, 1860. Huntsville extends south into Morgan County and has become the largest city in the state.
Since 2000, Huntsville has become the second-largest technology and research park in the nation, and ranks among the top 25 most educated cities in the nation.
It is considered in the top of the nation’s high-tech hotspots, and one of the best Southern cities for defense jobs. It is the number one United States location for engineers most satisfied with the recognition they receive, with high average salary and low median gross rent.
In 2005, Forbes magazine named the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area as 6th best in the nation for doing business. In 2015, Forbes ranked Huntsville as the top city for engineers in the United States.
Local online entrepreneurs and retail startups have grown in recent years thanks to the demand for startup ventures and the need for more goods and services.