Just 13 miles north of Montgomery, Prattville is a city with multiple personalities that work together to create a place that’s earned itself the name “The Preferred Community.”

The city was modeled after a New England village, yet has all the hospitality and warmth indicative of its deep-South locale. Although ranked as one of the fastest growing areas in Ala-bama, Prattville maintains a quaint charm, and its close-knit, small-town atmosphere belies the many metropolitan opportu-nities and modern amenities offered.

It’s a harmonious marriage of seeming opposites that’s made its residents swell with hometown pride and eager to welcome everyone to their special spot in Central Alabama’s River Re-gion. “Our neighborly feel and sense of place make Prattville such a great city to live in or just to visit,” said Jeremy Arthur, president of the Prattville Area Chamber of Commerce.

A History of industry

In 1818, Autauga County was established, a full year before Alabama even became a state. The area got its big boost when in 1835, the city’s namesake, New Hampshire native and industrialist Daniel Pratt, bought nearly 2,000 acres at the fall line of Autauga Creek, the area that is now downtown Prat-tville. Pratt established a town and began manufacturing his cotton gins, and his company quickly became the foremost producer of cotton gins in the world. In addition to the gin fac-tory, Pratt established a sawmill, a gristmill, a cotton factory and an operation that produced sashes, doors and blinds. Pratt is widely considered “Alabama’s First Industrialist,” and as his enterprises prospered, so did Prattville. In 1866, after the Civil War, Prattville became the county seat, and Pratt was unani-mously elected the town’s first intendant (mayor). From these humble beginnings, the Prattville community has seen increas-ing growth and is home to almost 35,000 people today.

PrattvilleForward Progress

HProud of its past and enjoying its present, Prattville is looking ahead to even better times to come.

sigHts to see

Prattville’s original nickname is “The Fountain City,” thanks to its many artesian wells. Some have been capped, but there are plenty still offering up gallons of sweet, clear, mineral-rich water, and a few allow citizens and visitors to fill containers and take the water home. Find public artesian wells throughout the historic downtown area including a large well covered by a tin-roofed wellhouse located on Doster Road just past Stanley-Jensen Stadium.

It is history that’s flowing free at the Prattaugan Museum/Heri-tage Center. This circa 1840 Greek Re-vival home contains numerous interesting artifacts from the Pratt Family, as well as other items depicting the history of fami-lies who settled Autauga County. There’s also a public artesian well at this site.

Efforts to preserve heritage in the form of old homes and other structures resulted in the creation of Old Prattvillage. Property owners remodeled existing houses and worked with the Autauga County Heri-tage Association in relocating the historic Mims Hotel and Slaton House to the area.

Another preserved architectural treasure is Buena Vista, a circa1830 structure on the National Register of Historic Places. Legend has it that Andrew Jackson pat-terned the staircase at his home The Hermitage after visiting Buena Vista.

To fully explore the Prattville area’s natural beauty, Wilderness Park is a must-see. Giant oriental bamboo plants soar 60 feet to form a canopy in the sky. The bamboo competes with native trees and shrubs to form this most unusual area, which also contains Alabama’s second largest beech tree.

On the banks of the beautiful Alabama River, Cooter’s Pond Park features two boat ramps, docks, a riverwalk and pavilions. The name was taken from the Native American word “kutawh” meaning turtle. A popular, and usually quite productive, fish-ing hole by the same name abuts the park, which also features a “pick and eat” nut grove with pecans and other nuts available for sampling. The Park has been home to the BassMaster Elite 50 and many other local, state and regional angling events.

Another place that begs a visit is Prattville’s huge Bass Pro Shop, an outdoor enthusiast’s dream-come-true, with cascad-ing waterfalls, fish aquariums, a restaurant, fudge shop and retail space galore.

downtown deligHts

The Daniel Pratt Historic District in downtown has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1984. Pratt’s careful planning resulted in a pleasing and efficient layout of manufacturing, retail businesses, churches, schools and resi-dences. The rest of downtown retains much of this same feel

and has been reinvigorated in recent years, now boasting locally owned shops and boutiques, restaurants and more.

The Creekwalk is nestled along the banks of Autauga Creek and winds through a portion of the historic downtown area. Heritage Park offers a great view of Pratt’s dream showcased in the Autauga Creek Dam and the Pratt Manufacturing Com-plex, which is still in operation today as Continental Eagle.

tHe grAss is greener

World-class golf is played on the rolling fairways and picture-perfect greens at Prat-tville’s Capitol Hill, the crown jewel of the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail. An adjacent state-of-the-art conference center and ho-

tel, Prattville Marriott at Capitol Hill, offers excellent ameni-ties for business groups and individuals. The LPGA Navistar Classic golf tournament has been played at Capitol Hill since 2007. Last year, over 50,000 people attended the event.

looking AHeAd

Arthur outlined the reason behind his city’s enthusiasm about the future. “We are excited by our community’s unlimited potential and continued opportunities for growth,” he said. In-deed, Prattville is definitely “on the grow.” Yet, it is the linkage of its roots, its present success and a confident vision of the future that make Prattville the unique city it is. “There is no shortage of pride when we talk about Prattville,” Arthur said. “Combine our rich history, our quality of life and our focus on the future, and it all adds up to success. We are a community that is moving forward, and the best is yet to come.”