Madisonville is at the junction of Hwys 21 and 90, US 75 and 190, and I-45, on Town Creek in central Madison County. It was founded in 1853 as the county seat.
Although it remains a center of agricultural trade, Madisonville has diversified and witnessed the establishment of a variety of local industries.
Development of a 110-acre industrial park in the early 1970s attracted new business, and production of petroleum has benefited the economy since 1973. Despite a slump in the 1980s, oil and gas field servicing remains among the town's most important industries.
By 1970 the population had increased to 2,881. It climbed to 3,660 in 1980 and reached an estimated 4,107 in the late 1980s. In the early 1990s, however, it was reduced somewhat by economic recession, so that by 1992 it stood at an estimated 3,569.
The annual Sidewalk Cattlemen's Association Celebration in June attracts visitors from throughout the state.