Uncommon HSV

We Huntsvillians forget what a unique place we live in. Or maybe we never felt it at all because we’ve been here long enough for it to become normal. We’ve become accustomed to living around rocket scientists, engineers, PhD’s, FBI agents, in a nature-loving culture in the cotton-growing Bible Belt.

We’ve proven that Colorado isn’t the only state with an abundance of mountain (aka hills) hiking trails and organizations like the North Alabama Land Trust that work tirelessly to keep North Alabama green. And our more-than-competent city government has helped secure a vast array of industries that has helped make the economy resilient over a period of decades.

There were enough union sympathizers here in the 1860’s to preserve the largest collection of antebellum homes in the state. And regarding history, Huntsville was the first Alabama city to ban public segregation.

Of course, our identity is tied closely to the beginnings of NASA. It’s debatable (depending on how you slice the details), but we have been called the birthplace of NASA, with its largest center still in operation here. Having the world’s largest space museum also contributes to our identification with space.

Huntsville has helped secure Alabama’s spot as one of the top states for automotive manufacturing, which has contributed to Alabama’s and Huntsville’s well-below-average unemployment rate.

Is it all good? Or am I depending on smoke and mirrors to pump up something I’m trying to sell? To be honest, all of Alabama has a dark past when it comes to racial injustice. I know that’s news to no one. But I believe that today you will find a different Alabama than the one closely identified with its racist past.

In the present we are a melting pot of many peoples. Not just the country, but the world has literally come to Huntsville. And that began in the 60’s.

We are still unmistakably Southern. Churches dot the landscape, and most people talk openly about their faith. We say “y’all” (after all, why doesn’t the English language have a plural “you?”) And, possibly best of all, Huntsville is a friendly place.

Perhaps the biggest surprise about Huntsville to me is its size. Although it has grown to become the largest city in the state, I’m surprised that it’s not one of the largest in the Southeast. Who knows? Maybe that’s in our future. But it’s not bad just the way it is.

On a side note, if you want information about another really cool, unique place in North Alabama, read the Muscle Shoals section of my Day Trips page.