Huntsville possesses a truly diverse population. Over 10 percent of the 160,000 residents are natives of other countries. There are over 100 languages and dialects spoken in Huntsville. Scores of foreign national flags ring the roof of the headquarters of an international computer manufacturing firm headquartered in Huntsville. Huntsvilles visitor attractions offer a wealth of activities for the native and international visitor alike.

 

A legacy of the space program, which benefits visitors, is the renowned United States Space & Rocket Center. Guests can experience astronaut training activities, view large-screen movies filmed by astronauts in space, and feel simulated. The Centers U.S. Space Camp attracts young people from throughout the world who spend a week experiencing space flight training and participate in mock space missions. It was Von Braun himself who inspired Space Camp. He suggested that the space museum develop an intensive youth science program to stimulate children’s interest in math and science.

 

Huntsville maintains close contact with its past, despite becoming the space capital of America. Adjacent to the space museum is the beautiful Huntsville Botanical Garden.  The Botanical Garden features floral and aquatic gardens. The literal birthplace, "the big spring," still flows from a rock bluff underneath the 1835 Regions Bank. It winds through a lushly landscaped park into a lake surrounded by scores of trees. Facing the park is the citys convention center named for the legendary German-born rocket scientist. Air travelers arrive at the Huntsville International Airport just 12 miles west of Huntsville. Some 70 jet flights depart daily in addition to several weekly non-stop freight flights to Europe.