city, seat (1836) of Marshall county, northeastern Alabama, U.S., on Guntersville Lake, about 35 miles (55 km) southeast of Huntsville. First settled about 1785 by John Gunter (for whom it was named) on the site of a Cherokee village at the southernmost point of the Tennessee River, it developed as a transfer port for goods being shipped south. Completion (1939) of Guntersville Dam (7 miles 【11 km】 northwest) on the Tennessee stimulated industrialization. The area's economy is now based on tourism, shipping, manufacturing (including apparel, electronic equipment, prebuilt homes, and automotive parts), poultry processing, and agriculture (including poultry and livestock). Guntersville Lake, formed by the dam, has 950 miles (1,500 km) of shoreline, occupies 108 square miles (280 square km), and provides a variety of recreational opportunities. Lake Guntersville State Park is located on the lake just outside the city, and Buck's Pocket State Park is nearby. Inc. 1847. Pop. (1990) 7,038; (2000) 7,395.