The Montgomery, Alabama Metropolitan Statistical Area (commonly known as the Tri-Counties or the River Region) is a metropolitan area in central Alabama. As of 2020, the MSA had a population of 386,047, ranking it 142nd among United States Metropolitan Statistical Areas. That number is up +3.07% from the 2010 census number of 374,536.

Counties

Communities

Places with more than 200,000 inhabitants

Places with 10,000 to 35,000 inhabitants

Places with 1,000 to 10,000 inhabitants

Places with fewer than 1,000 inhabitants

Unincorporated places

Demographics

As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 346,528 people, 129,717 households, and 90,298 families residing within the MSA. The racial makeup of the MSA was 57.32% White, 40.27% African American, 0.31% Native American, 0.77% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.37% from other races, and 0.94% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.20% of the population.

The median income for a household in the MSA was $35,567, and the median income for a family was $42,304. Males had a median income of $31,881 versus $22,995 for females. The per capita income for the MSA was $16,996.

Combined Statistical Area

The original Montgomery–Alexander City Combined Statistical Area (CSA) was made up of six counties in central Alabama. The statistical area included the Montgomery Metropolitan Statistical area and the former Alexander City Micropolitan Statistical Area, composed of Coosa and Tallapoosa Counties. As of the 2000 Census, the CSA had a population of 400,205 (though a July 1, 2009 estimate placed the population at 417,965).[3] In 2013, the United States Office of Management and Budget removed the Alexander City Micropolitan Statistical Area and Montgomery-Alexander City Combined Statistical Area from the list of metropolitan areas.[4]

In September of 2018 the OMB reinstated Montgomery CSA. Officially named the Montgomery–Selma–Alexander City, AL CSA, it consisted of the 4 county Montgomery MSA, the Selma, AL (Dallas County) micropolitan area, and a re-added Alexander City (Coosa County and Tallapoosa County) micropolitan area. This seven-county area was, to date, the largest extent of the Montgomery area.

When the OMB revised its definitions in 2023, Alexander City was again removed from the CSA with Tallapoosa County added to the nearby Columbus–Auburn–Opelika combined statistical area and with Coosa County becoming part of the Talladega–Sylacauga Micropolitan Statistical Area.[5]

The current CSA (Montgomery–Selma, AL CSA) consists of one metropolitan area and one micropolitan area, totaling five counties:

Politics

Presidential election results[6]
Year DEM GOP Others
2016 47.4% 78,178 49.5% 81,560 3.1% 5,057
2012 49.8% 84,149 49.5% 83,720 0.7% 1,240
2008 48.2% 82,009 51.2% 87,020 0.5% 948
2004 42.0% 60,622 57.6% 83,135 0.5% 675
2000 44.3% 56,522 54.3% 69,235 1.4% 1,826
1996 44.7% 53,897 51.1% 61,599 4.1% 4,980
1992 40.8% 51,884 48.8% 62,141 10.4% 13,248
1988 39.3% 40,205 59.8% 61,216 0.9% 944
1984 39.1% 42,337 60.0% 65,001 0.8% 913
1980 42.7% 41,837 53.3% 52,249 4.0% 4,000
1976 47.8% 39,659 50.6% 42,044 1.6% 1,338
1972 26.1% 18,540 71.7% 50,968 2.2% 1,584
1968 23.8% 16,513 12.1% 8,387 64.1% 44,476[7]
1964 – 78.0% 33,708 22.0% 9,515
1960 48.6% 14,981 49.6% 15,278 1.8% 555

For the first half of the 20th century, the Montgomery metropolitan area leaned towards the Democratic Party, as did the rest of the Solid South. It was one of the first regions in Alabama to flip towards the Republican Party, narrowly voting for Richard Nixon in 1960. With the one exception of George Wallace's third-party win in 1968, the Montgomery MSA would continue voting for Republicans, by varying margins, until Barack Obama's narrow victory there in 2012. No candidate has won the MSA by more than 3 percentage points in the most recent three presidential elections.

Transportation

See also

References

  1. ^ "Population and Housing Occupancy Status: 2010". United States Census Bureau, Population Division.[dead link]
  2. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  3. ^ "Table 2. Annual Estimates of the Population of Combined Statistical Areas: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2009 (CBSA-EST2009-02)". 2009 Population Estimates. United States Census Bureau, Population Division. March 23, 2010. Archived from the original (CSV) on April 20, 2010. Retrieved March 24, 2010.
  4. ^ OMB BULLETIN NO. 13-01: Revised Delineations of Metropolitan Statistical Areas, Micropolitan Statistical Areas, and Combined Statistical Areas, and Guidance on Uses of the Delineations of These Areas. Office of Management and Budget. February 28, 2013.
  5. ^ "OMB Bulletin No. 23-01" (PDF). www.whitehouse.gov. July 21, 2023. Retrieved May 1, 2024.
  6. ^ "Our Campaigns". Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  7. ^ 43,585 (62.8%) to George Wallace

External links

32°21′42″N 86°16′45″W / 32.36167°N 86.27917°W / 32.36167; -86.27917