This district is located about 1,5 kilometers west of Erlangen's city center. It originated around 800, when the Franks intensified their development of the Main and Regnitz region.
The history of the town's affiliation over the centuries begins with the Forcheim church estate, continues with the Würzburg Haug Abbey and the Diocese of Bamberg. In the 11th/12th centuries, Alterlangen was assigned to the Büchenbach Cathedral Provost's Office and the parish there, until 1920, when it was transferred to the Sacred Heart parish in Erlangen. This year also saw the entire incorporation into Erlangen, with 446 residents (63 properties) and 336 hectares of municipal area.
After the Second World War, an intensive construction phase began in Alterlangen, carried out by private developers. Between 1969 and 1973, the "Langen Johann“, a striking and imposing 27-story residential building, which with its height of 80 meters is considered the largest residential building in Bavaria applies.
To accommodate the growing population, the Catholic parish of St. Heinrich was established in 1964, and the Protestant parish of Johanneskirche was established in 1960 to accommodate the rapidly increasing Protestant population. At the end of the 2.000th century, Alterlangen had 5773 inhabitants; today, the population is approximately 8.500 (as of 2006).
