The city name of Montgomery, Alabama denotes visions as the birthplace of the Civil Rights Movement and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s speeches for equality. However, Montgomery is also home to some of the best baseball and football games and fans around. Sports fans make sure they attend in record crowds, with the Cranston Bowl stadium packed and the baseball scoreboards as the main focus for each point that’s gained. The Montgomery area has its roots that extend back to the colonial days of settlement and is actually built upon the land of two Native American tribes.
Montgomery was settled by a Scottish trader that found the area appealing due to its close proximity to the Alabama River. He married a woman from one of the Native American tribes, either the Coushatta or Alabama and due to their own tribal legacies, the land in turn belonged to their children. Europeans began to relocate to the Montgomery area in the early 1800’s and this generated a boom in the cotton industry which, along with soybeans and peanuts, prevailed for many years. The growth and prosperity of Montgomery led it to become the state capitol and progress continued so that it became the first city to have electric street cars.
Music was and is a major influence in the culture of Montgomery. From jazz, country and blues, the art is an expression of a lifestyle and time. Many performers of excellence have their roots in Montgomery from all genres.
The Civil Rights Movement is thought to have blossomed from the educated African Americans at the University of Montgomery. The 1955 incident involving the arrest of Rosa Parks when she refused to relinquish her bus seat to a white man sparked the beginning of a movement that was destined to change the face of the country.
The era of violence and upheaval took its toll on the city and it was many years before the winds of change calmed to an acceptance of necessity. There came a time for the city to revitalize itself and when the decision was made, everyone embraced the plans. The historic areas were given focus as they ensured the unique architectural styles of the city were maintained. New and modern downtown areas, including a convention center, stadium and a facelift for the riverwalk area was planned. The people of Montgomery worked toward having a city they were proud of and added shopping malls and plazas. The cultural portion of Montgomery is addressed through the many galleries and museums as well as musical events and concerts.
Sports is a hot area of interest for the people of Montgomery. They are host to competitions of all sports including football and baseball and have the honor of having a number of top world athletes from the Montgomery area. Cranston Bowl has the highest tech baseball scoreboards and fans of the football games are some of the most devoted found anywhere.
The people of Montgomery have the kind of open armed welcome attitude to those that visit their city. A blend of southern attitude and pride in their city makes any visitor pleased to walk down her streets. There is a kindred spirit bonding that a visitor feels as the people share the love of their history and their city. These are people with deep rooted traditions and values and yet have shown that they can and do embrace the change that is needed in our society today.