Madison County

Administrative district of north-central Alabama; area 2,088 sq km/806 sq mi, population (1990) 239,000. Madison County is situated north of the Tennessee River and south of the Tennessee state line. Huntsville, the county seat, and its suburbs account for most of its population.

The Redstone Arsenal and Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge occupy much of the southwestern part of Madison County. In the north and east, cotton and lumber are the main products, while recreational areas along the Tennessee River attract tourists.

Madison County

Administrative district of southwestern Illinois; area 1,886 sq km/728 sq mi, population (1990) 249,200. Its seat is at Edwardsville.

To the west, the border of Madison County runs along the Mississippi River (the Missouri–Illinois state line), extending north from opposite the city of St Louis past the mouth of the Missouri River. Most of the county's population lives in the southwest, which forms part of the St Louis industrial complex. In this area are the manufacturing and mining cities of Alton, Wood River, Granite City, Collinsville, Edwardsville, and Glen Carbon. Agricultural areas in the north and east grow wheat, fruit, and vegetables.