Puebla, Mexico Travel Tips

Puebla was one of the first cities established by the Spaniards which was not built upon the ruins of conquered indigenous settlements making it the most European of all the colonial cities. This led to the rapid development of the Spanish culture and traditions in Mexico. The Spaniards elected an ideal location for their new city, between one of Mexico's major port cities, Veracruz, and the capital, Mexico City, which made Puebla one of the most important cities in the colonial period.

The population of Puebla was 1,290,094 in 2000. Locals are called Poblanos. The indigenous language of the region, Náhuatl, is still spoken in some areas of the Puebla Valley. The busy city of Puebla, Mexico lies approximately 129 km southeast of the country's capital, Mexico City and sits at approximately 2,149 meters above sea level. Only 8 years after the city's founding, Puebla was well on its way to becoming an important industrial, cultural, and educational center. Puebla is well-known for its characteristic colonial architecture, flavorful cuisine, exquisitely decorated Talavera pottery, onyx figures, and unique textiles.

PUEBLA'S NICKNAMES

Puebla has a diverse history as shown in its many nicknames, Angelopolis (City of Angels), City of Tiles, and Heroic City of Zaragoza.

According to fable, a band of angels appeared before one of the founders of Puebla, Bishop Julian Garcés, instructing him on where to locate the new city. Consequently, Puebla has been known as Angelopolis or the City of Angels.

At the Battle of Puebla, only four decades after Mexico's independence, General Ignacio Zaragoza's army defeated the French expeditionary forces on May 5, 1862. The much celebrated holiday, Cinco de Mayo and Puebla's new nickname, Heroica Puebla de Zaragoza, are results of the Battle of Puebla. The citizens of Puebla sided with the French refusing to help the Mexican soldiers. This infuriated Ignacio Zaragoza to write a letter back to Mexico City petitioning to burn down the city. The officials in Mexico City weren't quite as angry with the Poblanos for not helping the Mexican troops; and instead of having the city torched, they decided to give the city a mockery nickname, Heroic City of Zaragoza, as punishment.

Talavera has been produced in the city since its foundation, and any visitor to Puebla will quickly notice the exquisite pottery that lines many of the churches and streets of the city giving the city yet another nickname, the City of Tiles. This pottery is known as Talavera Poblana, named after the Spanish city, Talavera de la Reina.

TOURISM

Puebla is situated in a moderate climate with sunny day and cool nights. Daytime temperatures generally range from 21.1 - 26.6 degrees Celsius cooling down to 4.4 - 10 degrees Celsius at night. From November to March rainfall is almost obsolete. However, from April through October afternoon rain showers are quite common.

The city streets of Puebla are laid out systematically. Streets running East or West are even-numbered north of El Zocalo, the center square and odd-numbered to the south. Streets running North or South are even-numbered to the east of El Zócalo and odd-numbered to the west.

There are numerous things to do in the city for travelers and tourists. Tours through historic downtown Puebla are given on double-decker busses letting tourists enjoy the city's architecture, museums, and monuments without the trouble of finding those places on their own. Some of the most popular sites to visit are the African Safari Zoo, the Amparo Museum, and the pyramid of Cholula. The pyramid of Cholula is the largest by base-size and total volume in the New World. The National Museum of Mexican Railroads and the Chihuahua Pacific Railway are also two stops that many visitors make while in Puebla. At the National Museum of Mexican Railroads you can find old steam engines, passenger coaches, diesel engines, and cabooses. The Automobile Museum is a must stop for anyone with love for rare and classic vintage cars. The Automobile Museum houses the Popemobile which was used by John Paul II on one of his visits to Mexico. El Barrio del Artista, located in downtown Puebla, is exceptional for viewing and purchasing great works of art created by local artists.

Built in a mixed neoclassical style, the Puebla Cathedral is one of the most astonishing colonial structures in Puebla. Another impressive structure is the Capilla del Rosario in the Iglesia de Santo Domingo. The Capilla del Rosario, inlaid with gold, is a wonderful example of Mexican baroque. The Biblioteca Palafoxiana, located in the Casa de la Cultura, is a baroque-style library. The library houses 42,000 volumes donated on September 5, 1646 by Spanish bishop Juan de Palafox y Mendoza. The volumes are beautifully displayed in a carved wood setting.

There are many fascinating archeological sites around the Puebla Valley. The Texcal Cave, near Lake Valsequillo, became a home to humans around 7,000 B.C. Another captivating site is the Tenapa Pyramid in Cholula, which is one of the largest pre-columbian structures in the Americas with a height of 1,315 feet. Another archeological site worth visiting are the polychrome murals at the fortress of Cacaxtla. The polychrome murals date from 600 - 1100 A.D. and are located in the adjacent state of Tlaxcala.

Situated in the Trans-Mexican volcanic belt, the Puebla Valley is the home of many intriguing geologic features. Four volcanoes, Popocatépetl standing at 17,883 feet above sea level, Iztaccíhuatl standing at 17,338 feet above sea level, La Malinche standing at 14,632 feet, and Citlaltépetl, also known as the Pico de Orizaba, standing at 18,855 feet above sea level, surround the city of Puebla creating an impressive view. Popocatépetl is an active volcano, occasionally spouting water and ash from its core. Snow-capped Popocatepetl and Ixtaccihuatl are located approximately 40 kilometers east of Puebla. La Malinche is situated north of the city and Citlaltepetl is situated to the east. The Valley of Puebla is home to three rivers, the Atoyac, the Alseseca, and the San Francisco River. The Atoyac River runs through the northern, eastern, and southern portions of the Puebla Valley. The Atoyac River flows into the Lake of Valsequillo.

El Centro Histórico, is comprised of approximately 100 blocks in the middle of the city, however, the majority of historic sites lie within a four-block radius of El Zócalo, the central square. In the historic center of Puebla you can find many Spanish colonial-style buildings. Several buildings were severely damaged in the earthquake of 1999. However, most of the historical buildings have been restored while only a few were left in unrepairable condition.

LOCAL CUISINE

Two of Puebla's most popular dishes are mole sauce and camote. Mole, which is known as Mexico's national dish, is a spicy cinnamon chocolate sauce served with turkey or chicken, and Camote is baked sweet potatoes topped with crème. Other popular Poblano dishes include chiles en nogada, which is meat-stuffed chilies covered in a walnut sauce and pomegranate seeds, and tacos arabes, which is seasoned pork served in puffy wheat tortillas. A traditional Poblano beverage is rompope, an egg and rum based drink similar to eggnog drank in the United States. The chalupa, a corn tortilla topped with salsa, onions, and meat is also very popular in Puebla.

EDUCATION

Today, there are many options for students in Puebla, with more than 20 universities located within the city. Puebla and its surrounding metropolitan area is home to many top universities, including the state university, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla (BUAP), the Universidad de las Américas, Puebla (UDLA), the Universidad Iberoamericana (UIA), Tecnológico de Monterrey (ITESM), Universidad Anáhuac, Universidad Madero(UMAD), Universidad del Valle de México (UVM), and the Universidad Popular Autónoma del Estado de Puebla (UPAEP).

HEALTH & SAFETY

If you plan to visit Puebla, you should be aware of some health and safety precautions so that you may enjoy your trip to the fullest. You should not consume tap water in Mexico. With that in mind, you should also be very cautious of home-made beverages, such as horchata and jamaica, and water-based desserts, such as ice-cream, snow-cones, gelatins, and popsicles sold by street vendors. Also, you may want to request your beverages without ice. If you are unsure of the beverage, it is best to get a bottled water or soda. You may consume fruits with skins or hulls such as melons, oranges, peaches, and bananas. Strawberries should be avoided since they are grown on the ground and cannot be peeled.

You should carry Pepto-Bismol tablets, antacid tablets, a small bar of soap, and plenty of towelettes or tissue with you at all times. Many public restrooms do not provide tissue or soap; so you will want to keep these two items handy. Toilet paper should be tossed in the waste basket and not in the toilet due to the out-dated sewage system.

CURRENCY

The majority of stores only accept Mexican pesos as payment. Therefore, you should always carry plenty of cash for shopping, taxis, buses, etc. Many stores will not accept bills larger than $200 pesos which is approximately $20 USD. You will want to carry around $100 Mexican pesos in small change for buses, taxis, and tips. You may exchange your traveler's checks at any large bank, but traveler's checks are not recommended due to extremely long waiting periods. The banks in Mexico always have extremely long lines due to the use of cash, instead of checks and cards and the lack of people using internet banking and automatic check deposit. However, if you must go to the bank, you should draw your number, sit down, read, and wait your turn. It is not unusual to wait an hour and even sometimes two hours before the clerks can attend you. The line for the ATM is much shorter. It is advisable to withdraw only small amounts of money at a time. You may use your credit or debit card to make withdrawals from an ATM. However, you should call your bank or credit card agency to inform them that you will be traveling out of the country so that they can activate your card for other countries if needed.

Puebla is an ideal place to vacation, to learn Spanish, or even to relocate with its moderate climate, great location, delicious cuisine, and friendly residents!

We hope that you enjoyed this article about Puebla, Mexico and that you will find it useful on your journey into Mexico. We invite you to visit our website http://www.lacasamexicana.us, where you will find high-quality talavera pottery made in the studio of Tomas Huerta [http://www.lacasamexicana.us/mexican-talavera-pottery.htm] in Puebla, Mexico.

Hamilton College - Omaha Information

Hamilton College: Omaha is an extraordinary and totally unique concerning its studies. This college provides help services to students when they need any type of help, support and counseling. There are many services provided by the Hamilton College and these services are academic help services such as, Extensive Undergraduate Evening or Early Morning Classes, disability services are also provided by this university, so ensure yourself that you contact these services when you need any kind of help. This college has Early Morning and Extensive Undergraduate Classes.

The courses that are provided at Hamilton College: Omaha are Business, Marketing and Management, Computer Science, Telecommunications, Computer Networking, Health and Clinical Sciences, Nursing-Practical, Medical Assistance etc. FAFSA are the financial support forms. Financial assist stance for learners is ardently available at this college. The size of the college is near about 700 degree-seeking undergrads. This college provides Associate degrees. The percentage of American Indian is very less in comparison to the native of Alaska. There are only three percent of Asians per Pacific Islander.

There is much more to see in Omaha apart from the biggest number of civic golf courses in USA like the houses of Henry Doorly Zoo, an aquarium, and the world's largest indoor rainforest. The Old Market place that offers historical walks near cobblestone streets and historic buildings. The Dental Assistance degrees are designed to offer students with technical skills, knowledge, and work habits needed for entry-level situation like dental assistance. This program prepare each and every student related to dental profession to function like an integral part of the team of dentists as well as to assist, laboratory procedure and related office under the supervision and direction of dentists.

This program complete after a time period of 50 weeks and minimum 64 recognized hours. When the students complete their targeted program, the former students will be rewarded a diploma.

The main reason of the program of Massage Therapy is to offer learners with a basic and solid foundation of skills and knowledge in the fields of physiology, hydrotherapy, and body therapy, anatomy, and massage to allow them to turn into employable like entry-level Massage Therapist and set-up their personal business. This program offers students to enhance their skills, knowledge and training required to clear and take the NCBTMB certificate as well as other related local and state certification and licensure requirements.

Want to know more about Hamilton College Omaha? Click the link to authors site.

Prague, Czech Republic

Located on the River Vltava in central Bohemia, Prague (Czech: Praha), is the capital and largest city in Czech Republic. As of 2007, Prague had an estimated population of 1,194,407, with 1,941,803 living in the metropolitan area.

Prague is a very popular and beautiful city with many historic buildings and sites. It is from this heritage that many of Prague's nicknames are derived: "the mother of cities", "the golden city", and most especially, "city of a hundred spires". Prague suffered less damage during World War II than many other cities in central Europe, and buildings can be found in many architectural styles including Art Noveau, Baroque, Cubist, Gothic, Neo-Classical, Renaissance, as well as modern.

Some of the famous sights of Prague include:

- The Astronomical Clock (Czech: Prazský orloj) - A medieval astronomical clock mountained on the southern wall of the Old Town City Hall in Old Town Square.

- The Charles Bridge (Czech: Karluv most) - A picturesque bridge constructed during the 14th and 15th centuries.

- The Church of Saints Cyril and Methodius - which contains a museum to the Czechoslovakian assassins of the Nazi Reinhard Heydrich

- The Lennon Wall - a historic wall which is filled with John Lennon and Beatles inspired graffiti.

- The Old Town (Czech: Staré Mesto)

- The Petrín lookout tower (Czech: Petrínská rozhledna) - A 195 foot (60 meter) observation tower, which resembles version of Paris' Eiffel Tower, although vastly reduced in scale. Despite its comparative small size, because the Petrín lookout tower is located at the top of a large hill, it reaches nearly the same altitude as the Eiffel Tower.

- Prague Castle (Czech: Prazský hrad) - which is arguably the largest castle in the world, and dates back to 870.

- Wenceslas Square (Czech: Václavské námestí) - The center of business and culture in Prague's New Town.

- Zizkov Television Tower - A large television tower on the top of a hill, with an observation deck at 325 feet (100 meters) above ground level. Sculptures of crawling babies by the Czech artist, David Cerný, were added to the tower's pillars in 2000 as a temporary installation, but made a permanent addition in 2001.

As well being its history, today Prague is also a center of culture. There are many theaters, museums and galleries, and the cities hosts film, music, writers and fashion festivals and shows.

Because of its culture and historical heritage, is one of the world's most popular tourist destinations, and the sixth most visited European city after London, Paris, Rome, Madrid and Berlin.

By S. Tanna. First published at http://www.travelguide2czechrepublic.com/c1_cities_prague.php - Visit this link for more information, photographs, weather, guide books, maps, etc.

For more information about the Czech Republic, please visit http://www.travelguide2czechrepublic.com/

Romantic Destinations in Kentucky

Kentucky is a hidden gem when it comes to beautiful states. Romantic destinations in Kentucky are a great way to enjoy intimate time together and fall in love with this state.

Romantic Destinations in Kentucky

The Bluegrass State, also known as the great state of Kentucky, is one of the south's most beautiful areas. The gorgeous mountain ranges, many forests and lakes make this state a perfect spot for couples who enjoy outdoor activities. If you love horses, Kentucky is an ideal spot as well. Churchill Downs, home to the Kentucky Derby, is a great spot to visit and experience even outside of Derby season. Of course, the intimate nature of the many historical spots (over two dozen) as well as important places like the Cumberland Gap make romantic destinations in Kentucky very special events.

The historical sites located within the state of Kentucky include such diverse spots as the Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Site and the Belle of Louisville, an authentic steamboat. The Cumberland Gap was discovered by the explorer Dr. Thomas Walker, and after it was found in 1750 hundreds of thousands of people were able to make their way through this easier route past the mountains. Couples who enjoy adventure can follow the same path these original settlers took - all 20,200 acres of it in the Cumberland Gap National Park.

One beautiful spot for romantic destinations in Kentucky is the Honeymoon Mansion Bed and Breakfast and Wedding Chapel, found in New Albany, Kentucky. Not just for couples looking to get married (although that is their specialty here at the Honeymoon Mansion), this ornate Victorian mansion is a great place for a romantic stay. It is on the National Register of Historic Places, and was built all the way back in 1850 - it survived through the Civil War! Located on "mansion row" in New Albany, the Honeymoon Mansion Bed and Breakfast is in good, perfectly kept company.

The rooms here at the Honeymoon Mansion are all restored to their Antebellum glory, with each of the rooms being named after a famous individual of the times. The luxurious Abraham Lincoln suite, for example, offers a couple looking for romance beautiful scarlet tapestries, as well as a queen size cherry wood bed and a marble Jacuzzi. For breakfast, all guests enjoy an all-you-can-eat sit down meal, with southern fare such as biscuits and gravy, home fries and different kinds of eggs. This sumptuous breakfast is served each morning in the Honeymoon Mansion's Breakfast Room.

If you and your loved one are in the mood for one of the romantic destinations in Kentucky, New Albany is a great town to fill your needs. With the many historic buildings and sites, as well as the beauty of the local inns and bed and breakfasts, you will definitely find what you are looking for.

Richard Rspad is with Resort Spa Destinations - reviews and articles on spa resorts.

Controlling Your Closet

San Francisco living is great - many of us are fortunate to live in beautiful, historic buildings that are just bursting with character. Another thing that's bursting is our closets. With more clothing and belongings than ever before, it can be a constant struggle to find places to put all our "stuff," especially in closets that were designed twenty-five, fifty, or a hundred years ago. Our lives, and our storage needs, are very different than our predecessors, yet if we want to live in San Francisco, we have to devise ways to shoehorn our belongings into closets that were designed for wardrobes from a bygone era. But how do you fit a modern wardrobe into a Victorian-era closet? I've got a few ideas for you.

The first step is to get rid of what you don't need - that way, you can see exactly what you need to find storage space for. One of the best ways to do this is to take everything out of your closet, and start sorting it into piles. I like to recommend that my clients create piles for "Keep" (things you definitely wear), "Sell" (things that you can probably make money by selling at used clothing stores), "Donate" (things that are usable but that you probably can't sell), "Trash" (things that nobody will want or be able to use), and finally a "Don't Know" pile, for things you're not sure what to do with. The "Keep," "Sell," "Donate," and "Trash" piles are pretty straightforward, but what about the "Don't Know" pile?

"Don't Know" is for items that you like, but never wear or use. If you really can't part with that $300 dress that you never wore, and you can't bear to give up those soccer cleats for that league you were planning on joining two years ago, put those items into a box, and seal the box with tape. If you haven't opened the box to use those items in six months, it's time to sell, donate or trash those items, because chances are you won't be using them anytime soon.

So how do you store everything that went into your "Keep" pile effectively in your tiny San Francisco closet? The key is to maximize every available inch of storage space in the closet. Look up, look down, look all around, and you'll find that there just might be a lot more potential storage space in your closet than you originally may have thought. I'm often surprised at just how much storage space there can be in a closet - you just have to be creative about how you use it.

For instance, if your closet has only one rod, you can gain 50% more storage space by hanging another rod. Closet rods are available inexpensively at local hardware stores, and if you don't want to install one permanently, you can get a removable secondary rod that hangs down off of your primary rod (I often suggest these to renters). No space in your room for a traditional dresser? Try some plastic, stackable drawers that you can use to fit in the floor space under where your clothes hang. I highly recommend the transparent or semi-transparent drawers rather than the opaque ones, because it's very convenient to be able to see what's in your drawers without having to actually open them up. If you have shelves above your closet rod, you can fold and stack sweaters and shirts, or use the space for transparent shoe boxes, which stack nicely. Don't ignore the space behind the closet door, which can be a great spot for hanging a shoe rack, accessories organizer, or for installing a hook to hang long items such as coats and dresses.

So if your closet is currently on overflow, don't despair. Use a few tips that I've suggested, and your closet will soon be your friend.

Joshua Zerkel, CPO® is the founder of Custom Living Solutions, a San Francisco-based productivity and organizing consulting firm. Joshua specializes in helping busy entrepreneurs save time, be more productive and make more money by getting organized at home and at work. Visit http://www.customlivingsolutions.com for your FREE copy of "The Top 12 Mistakes to Avoid when Getting Organized".

Welcome to Gabon - The World's Last Eden!

A Peaceful Oasis on the African Mainland

Did you know that the young Republic of Gabon, about the size of Colorado, can claim a Guinness World Record in this century? Here, you'll find an entire country with endless ecological wonders and virgin environment. 83 percent of its national soil is covered by tropical rainforests. But there's more! Due to its wise ecological policy, perhaps one of the world's best environmental projects, Gabon -- the only French-speaking country which has not had civil wars in the world -- boasts a host of  wild animals, including water birds, lowland gorillas, forest elephants and hippos as well as whales and dolphins. Curiously, Gabon is one of the few nations in the world, where you can see numerous hippos "going to the beach".

Today, the African nation, a patchwork of ethnic groups, boasts a UNESCO World Heritage Site: The Lopé-Okanda National Park ( also known as the Ecosystem and Relict Cultural Landscape of Lopé-Okanda ). The property contains a vast diversity of species, including endangered wild animals.

All these treasures make the country the perfect site to practice eco-tourism and be, of course, in contact with nature. Over the last years,Gabon, a resource-rich republic, has been recognized by nature lovers as one of the most beautiful wildlife sanctuaries on the Planet.

This rainforest nation - the Earth's eighty-third largest country - lies in Western Africa and borders Congo, Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea. Despite being one of the world's most sparsely populated countries, Gabon gathers over 40 ethnic groups: Fang ( they make up some 23 % of the population ), Eshira, Bapounou, Bateke, Bantu, Mbede, Okande, Bauti,and other groups.

Present day Gabon was one of the four dependencies of French Equatorial Africa in the first half of the 20th century. On August 17, 1960, it declared its independence from Paris. From then onwards, the country became one of the most modern and peaceful nations in the region. Gabon has largely escaped the civil strife that has plagued several black African states. As such, it is a place of peace and beauty; a country that hasn't had a conflict for four decades.

The country is endowed with vast natural resources: oil, manganese, uranium, and timber. Due to offshore oil exploitation - one of Sub-Saharan Africa' s biggest oil producers - it lies among most prosperous states on the continent. By the mid-1990s, Gabon was ranked 114th out of 170 nations in the UN' s Human Development Index.

Libreville - The Capital City

Libreville, surrounded by wilderness, is one of the most modern metropolises in Sub-Saharan Africa, as well as the country's largest city. In this French-speaking city, therefore, there are international-class hotels, skyscrapers, shopping centers, historical buildings ( its palaces have been fantastically preserved! ), modern museums and, of course, traditional restaurants. Apart from that, here you can buy the famous African masks - it is known for its excellent crafts and their music as well - and other things, from pottery and fresh tropical fruit to natural medicines and regional clothes.

A Paradise Lost

This rich-oil country is not a very big republic, about the size as the United Kingdom, but it has a much smaller population, only 1.5 million; here the wild animals outnumbers the number of people. Indeed, it is one of the last unspoiled African regions awaits.

The Gabonese Republic is one  of the world's most unknown republics, nonetheless it is home to the third/ fourth largest swathe of African rainforest ( after Congo's wilderness and Botswana's jungle ). Likewise, this region boasts a number of beautiful beaches and lagoons, where there are plenty surprises.
 
Since then, the Colorado-size land is proud of its rich ecology. Gabon's nature reserves have a documented record number of species among mammals, exotic birds, fishes, reptiles, amphibians, snails, crustaceans, insects, arachnids, and butterflies ( virtually impossible to quantify! ). But there are more " world records" : The park lands are home to up to 80.000 African elephants, as well as over 35.000 gorillas, and 64.000 chimpanzees, among other mammals. As such, Gabon is a "perfect living laboratory" for the study of the wildlife/rainforest biodiversity on the African mainland.

For a small nation, it gathers several national parks: 13 nature paradises! The country's most well-known tropical parkland is the Loango National Park. Loango's land area is 32,000 km2, which is four times the size of Connecticut or Northern Ireland. Contrary to most parks, this nature reserve boasts over  100 km2 of coastline with plenty of heavenly beaches, where there are a host of "special hosts" : elephants, apes, and buffaloes as well as leopards and mandrills. Most of them go there to walk or even to find tropical fruits. Even so, this site boasts another fabulous spectacle: Here you will be able to observe whales and dolphins!

Since then, Gabon boasts other tourist spots as well, like the Lopé-Okanda National Park, a pristine wilderness where there are over 4,000 lowland gorillas. Aside from wild mammals, it contains evidence for settlement stretching over four centuries from the Palaeolithic and Neolithic to the modern-day Gabon; it holds a number of petroglyphs. This amazing property, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2007, lies in the heart of the country. Without a doubt, Gabon is the world's last Eden. Let's go to Africa!

Alejandro Guevara Onofre: He is a freelance writer. Alejandro is of Italian, African and Peruvian ancestry. He has published more than seventy-five research paper in English, and more than twenty in Spanish, concerning the world issues, Olympic sports, countries, and tourism. His next essay is called "The Dictator and Alicia Alonso". He is an expert on foreign affairs. Alejandro is the first author who has published a world-book encyclopedia in Latin America.

He admires Frida Kahlo (Mexican painter), Jose Gamarra (former president of the Bolivian Olympic Committee, 1970- 1982), Hillary Clinton (ex-First Lady of the USA), and Jimmy Carter (former President of the USA). Alejandro said: "The person who I admire the most is Josamarra . He devoted his professional and personal life to sport. Jose played an important role in the promotion of Olympics in Bolivia - it is one of the Third World's poorest countries - and Latin America. His biography is interesting". The sportspeople he most admires is Olympic volleyball player Flo Hyman. "This African-American sportswoman is my idol."

Scottsboro Preserves Its Historic Past

Scottsboro, Alabama, incorporated in 1870, is a city rich in history. Its past has been well preserved in its historic districts and structures that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The downtown historic district contains the courthouse square. Its tree-lined streets are lined with historic homes. Most of the properties are privately owned, but a walk or drive around town affords visitors the opportunity to view a number of these historic structures.

The Public Square Historic District contains Scottsboro's quaint courthouse square. The Jackson County Courthouse, constructed in 1911-12, is the attractive centerpiece. The brick structure was designed in the Neo-Classical style, with four Doric columns supporting its front portico. The building is topped with a cupola containing a clock. The courthouse was the site of the 1931 trial of the Scottsboro Boys, nine young black defendants accused of raping a white woman. Some people consider this trial to be the beginning of the civil rights movement in America. More than two dozen of the buildings surrounding the square have been designated as historic structures. Most are one or 2-story brick commercial structures from the early 20th century.

The Scottsboro Railroad Depot, at North Houston Street and Maple Avenue, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The brick building was constructed in 1860-61 as a passenger and freight depot for the Memphis and Charleston Railroad. On January 8, 1865 it became the focus of an intense Civil War battle between Union forces that held the depot and Confederate troops under the command of Brig. Gen. H.B. Lyon. Confederate artillery eventually drove the Union soldiers from the building. This depot is one of only three remaining pre-Civil War depots in Alabama.

The Brown-Proctor House on South Houston Street is another property listed on the National Register. The Greek-Revival style mansion, built in 1880, currently houses the Jackson Heritage Center. Visitors may tour the home as well as Sagetown, the center's pioneer village. A number of authentic buildings have been moved to the location for preservation, including cabins, a school, and Jackson County's first courthouse, built in 1868.

The College Hill Historic District includes ten structures on College Avenue between Scott and Kyle Streets. This area was Scottsboro's first subdivision. Homes in the district date from 1909 to the 1940s. The building styles include Bungalow, Craftsman, and Classical-Revival.

The preservation efforts in the historic districts show Scottsboro's commitment to honoring its history. This picturesque town in northeast Alabama is well worth a visit.

Nova Sisk is the director of sales for Hampton Inn $ Suites Scottsboro hotel. The Hampton Inn & Suites Scottsboro hotel in Alabama is located in the mountain/lakes region of northern Alabama surrounded by majestic mountains and rich valleys, located minutes from Lake Guntersville.

For more information visit: http://www.hamptonscottsboro.com.