Huntsville

"Before you get started on this travel guide, we wanted to give you some quick background on the city. Huntsville, Alabama, AKA The Rocket City, was primarily a cotton manufacuturing town prior to the Civil War. In 1862 the town was controlled by the Union in order to block the railroad to Northern Alabama which was a major supply/transporation route for the confederates. Unlike many other towns in the South that were ransacked and burnt to the ground, Huntsville was treated very well and very little damage was caused, leaving behind a city full of history. During World War 2, the city brought in over 20,000 new residents as the army designated Redstone Arsenal to the South of the city. By the end of the war the facility was no longer needed and transistioned several times until 1950. At this time, operation paper clip began and brought in nearly 1,000 workers, 200 being from Nazi Germany, led by Wernher Von Braun. By 1958 the city was nicknamed "The Rocket City" for its success in space: Explorer 1 & Jupiter-C launch. Several years later another big push of people came and NASA's Space and Flight Center was created. Now this city is considered a hot spot for rocket scientists and FBI agents. The city continues to grow and is the second largest tech and research hub in the United States. "