"Growing up in Huntsville--this mountainous city worthy of Norman Rockwell's insights--I was shadowed by the giants of the rocket and space programs." So writes Jan Davis in her introduction to Huntsville/Madison County: To the Edge of the Universe. In fact, she says, "It is almost impossible to grow up in Huntsville and not develop a fascination with space travel and exploration."

The giants who built the city into a major rocket center insisted that their chosen home have the very best social and cultural amenities. And, although it is in many ways an unassuming northern Alabama town, Huntsville is also a place where growing up in the shadow of greatness is easy, thanks to the wealth of schools and colleges, parks, cultural facilities, and recreational outlets.

Huntsville is also a business and high-tech mecca, with its many private and public institutions comprising an impressive economic zone. As Davis points out, more than 50 Fortune 500 companies have operations in the area.

But Huntsville's charms are so diverse that the city holds fascination for everyone. From ice skating to music to history to museums to country cooking, Huntsville remains above all "a city of wonderful contradictions, always unpredictable and capable of delight."