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Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area>
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| Separate Metro Areas |
Huntsville Metropolitan Area The Huntsville Metropolitan Area is a metropolitan statistical area in northern Alabama. The Huntsville Metropolitan Area's population was estimated at 395,645.-Counties:The metro area comprises two counties:Limestone and Madison.-Places:...
Decatur Metropolitan AreaThe Decatur Metropolitan Area is a moderately urban region of North-Central Alabama. The 2008 estimate population is 150,125, one third of which resides within the boundaries of its core city, Decatur, Alabama....
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| Core Cities |
HuntsvilleHuntsville is a city located primarily in Madison County in the central part of the far northern region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Huntsville is the county seat of Madison County. The city extends west into neighboring Limestone County. Huntsville's population was 180,105 as of the 2010 Census....
DecaturDecatur is a city in Limestone and Morgan Counties in the U.S. state of Alabama. The city, affectionately known as "The River City", is located in Northern Alabama on the banks of Wheeler Lake, along the Tennessee River. It is the largest city and county seat of Morgan County...
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| Counties Included In the United States, a county is a geographic subdivision of a state , usually assigned some governmental authority. The term "county" is used in 48 of the 50 states; Louisiana is divided into parishes and Alaska into boroughs. Parishes and boroughs are called "county-equivalents" by the U.S...
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LawrenceLawrence County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama, and is included in the Decatur Metropolitan Area, as well as the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area. It was named after James Lawrence, a captain in the United States Navy from New Jersey. As of the 2010 census, the population was...
LimestoneLimestone County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama, and is included in the Huntsville Metropolitan Area.It is also included in the merged Huntsville-Decatur Metro Area. Its name comes from Limestone Creek, a local stream. In 2000, the population was 65,676. As of 2010 the county's...
MadisonMadison County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama, and is a major part of the Huntsville Metropolitan Area.It is also included in the merged Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area. The county is named in honor of James Madison, fourth President of the United States of America, and the...
MorganMorgan County is the most populous county in the Decatur Metropolitan Area, and the second most populous county in the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area in the U.S. State of Alabama. It was created by the Alabama Territorial legislature on February 6, 1818 from land acquired from the...
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AreaArea is a quantity that expresses the extent of a two-dimensional surface or shape in the plane. Area can be understood as the amount of material with a given thickness that would be necessary to fashion a model of the shape, or the amount of paint necessary to cover the surface with a single coat...
- Total
- Water |
11,577 km² (4,487 mi²)
499 km² (194.61 mi²) |
PopulationA population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...
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510,088 |
Time zoneA time zone is a region on Earth that has a uniform standard time for legal, commercial, and social purposes. In order for the same clock time to always correspond to the same portion of the day as the Earth rotates , different places on the Earth need to have different clock times...
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Central: UTCCoordinated Universal Time is the primary time standard by which the world regulates clocks and time. It is one of several closely related successors to Greenwich Mean Time. Computer servers, online services and other entities that rely on having a universally accepted time use UTC for that purpose...
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The
Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical AreaThe United States Office of Management and Budget defines micropolitan and metropolitan statistical areas. Metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas consist of one or more counties...
is the most populated sub-region of
North AlabamaNorth Alabama is a region of the U.S. state of Alabama, generally considered to include 12 counties: Cherokee, Colbert, DeKalb, Franklin, Jackson, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Limestone, Madison, Marshall, Morgan, and Winston, with a combined population of 958,247, or 20.84% of the state's population as...
, and is the second fastest growing region in the State of
AlabamaAlabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
, with 510,088 living within the CSA. It is also currently the 65th largest CSA in the country.
The CSA is situated along the
Tennessee RiverThe Tennessee River is the largest tributary of the Ohio River. It is approximately 652 miles long and is located in the southeastern United States in the Tennessee Valley. The river was once popularly known as the Cherokee River, among other names...
, and is made up of two separate metropolitan areas (
DecaturThe Decatur Metropolitan Area is a moderately urban region of North-Central Alabama. The 2008 estimate population is 150,125, one third of which resides within the boundaries of its core city, Decatur, Alabama....
and
HuntsvilleThe Huntsville Metropolitan Area is a metropolitan statistical area in northern Alabama. The Huntsville Metropolitan Area's population was estimated at 395,645.-Counties:The metro area comprises two counties:Limestone and Madison.-Places:...
) that are usually referred to as one. The Decatur MSA lies south of the Tennessee River, and the Huntsville MSA lies north.
Significant cities included in the CSA include
AthensAthens is a city in Limestone County, Alabama, United States. As of the 2000 census, the population of the city is 18,967. According to the 2009 U.S. Census estimates, the city had a population of 24,234...
,
DecaturDecatur is a city in Limestone and Morgan Counties in the U.S. state of Alabama. The city, affectionately known as "The River City", is located in Northern Alabama on the banks of Wheeler Lake, along the Tennessee River. It is the largest city and county seat of Morgan County...
,
HartselleHartselle is the second largest city in Morgan County, Alabama, United States, about south of Decatur, and is included in the Decatur Metropolitan Area, and the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area. As of the 2006 census estimates, the population of the city is 13,479. Hartselle was...
,
HuntsvilleHuntsville is a city located primarily in Madison County in the central part of the far northern region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Huntsville is the county seat of Madison County. The city extends west into neighboring Limestone County. Huntsville's population was 180,105 as of the 2010 Census....
, and
MadisonAs of the census of 2000, there were 29,329 people, 11,143 households, and 8,067 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,266.5 people per square mile . There were 12,121 housing units at an average density of 523.4 per square mile...
, as well as
LawrenceLawrence County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama, and is included in the Decatur Metropolitan Area, as well as the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area. It was named after James Lawrence, a captain in the United States Navy from New Jersey. As of the 2010 census, the population was...
,
LimestoneLimestone County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama, and is included in the Huntsville Metropolitan Area.It is also included in the merged Huntsville-Decatur Metro Area. Its name comes from Limestone Creek, a local stream. In 2000, the population was 65,676. As of 2010 the county's...
,
MadisonMadison County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama, and is a major part of the Huntsville Metropolitan Area.It is also included in the merged Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area. The county is named in honor of James Madison, fourth President of the United States of America, and the...
, and
MorganMorgan County is the most populous county in the Decatur Metropolitan Area, and the second most populous county in the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area in the U.S. State of Alabama. It was created by the Alabama Territorial legislature on February 6, 1818 from land acquired from the...
counties.
Huntsville is the largest city in the area with a population of 180,105 people, and a metro population of 417,593. Decatur is the second largest city with a population of 55,758 people, and a metro population of 149,549. (All populations are based on the 2006 Estimated Population).
Counties
- Lawrence
Lawrence County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama, and is included in the Decatur Metropolitan Area, as well as the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area. It was named after James Lawrence, a captain in the United States Navy from New Jersey. As of the 2010 census, the population was...
- Limestone
Limestone County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama, and is included in the Huntsville Metropolitan Area.It is also included in the merged Huntsville-Decatur Metro Area. Its name comes from Limestone Creek, a local stream. In 2000, the population was 65,676. As of 2010 the county's...
- Madison
Madison County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama, and is a major part of the Huntsville Metropolitan Area.It is also included in the merged Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area. The county is named in honor of James Madison, fourth President of the United States of America, and the...
- Morgan
Morgan County is the most populous county in the Decatur Metropolitan Area, and the second most populous county in the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area in the U.S. State of Alabama. It was created by the Alabama Territorial legislature on February 6, 1818 from land acquired from the...
Suburbs with more than 20,000 inhabitants
- Athens
Athens is a city in Limestone County, Alabama, United States. As of the 2000 census, the population of the city is 18,967. According to the 2009 U.S. Census estimates, the city had a population of 24,234...
- Madison
As of the census of 2000, there were 29,329 people, 11,143 households, and 8,067 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,266.5 people per square mile . There were 12,121 housing units at an average density of 523.4 per square mile...
Suburbs with 10,000 - 19,999 inhabitants
- Hartselle
Hartselle is the second largest city in Morgan County, Alabama, United States, about south of Decatur, and is included in the Decatur Metropolitan Area, and the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area. As of the 2006 census estimates, the population of the city is 13,479. Hartselle was...
- Monrovia
Monrovia is an unincorporated community in Madison County, Alabama, United States. It is bordered on the south by the city of Madison, on the southeast by the city of Huntsville, on the west by Limestone County and on the north by the community of Harvest....
Suburbs with 5,000 - 9,999 inhabitants
- Arab
Arab is a city in both Cullman County, Alabama and Marshall County, Alabama in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Alabama, located ten miles from Guntersville Lake and Guntersville Dam, and is included in the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area...
- Harvest
- Meridianville
Meridianville is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Madison County, Alabama, United States, and is included in the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area. As of the 2010 census, the population of the community is 6,021....
Suburbs with less than 4,999 inhabitants
- Ardmore
Ardmore is a town in Limestone County, Alabama, United States, and is included in the Huntsville-Decatur Metro Area. It is home to the Saturn 1B Rocket, at the Alabama Welcome Center, just south of the Tennessee border, on Interstate 65. As of the 2010 census, the population of the town is 1,194....
- Ardmore, Tennessee
Ardmore is a city in Giles and Lincoln counties in the U.S. state of Tennessee. The population was 1,213 at the 2010 census. Ardmore is the site of a Tennessee Department of Tourist Development Welcome Center...
- Burningtree Mountain
Burningtree Mountain is a large, unincorporated, existing mostly as a subdivision inside the city of Decatur, Alabama in Morgan County, and is included in the Decatur Metropolitan Area, as well as the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area.-See also:...
- Caddo
Caddo is an unincorporated community along Alabama State Highway 24 between Decatur and Moulton in Lawrence County, Alabama, United States. Caddo is a feeder community or suburb of Decatur and is part of both the Decatur Metropolitan Area and the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area...
- Courtland
Courtland is a town in Lawrence County, Alabama, and is included in the Decatur Metropolitan Area, as well as the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area. As of the 2000 census, the population of the town is 769.-Geography:...
- Danville
Danville is an unincorporated community in Morgan County, Alabama, United States, and is included in the Decatur Metropolitan Area, as well as the larger Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area. A noteworthy Danville native was world famous gold medalist at the 1936 Summer Olympics, Jesse Owens....
- Elkmont
Elkmont is a town in Limestone County, Alabama, United States, and is included in the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area. As of the 2000 census, the population of the town is 470.-Geography:Elkmont is located at 1....
- Eva
Eva is a town in Morgan County, Alabama, and is included in the Decatur Metropolitan Area, as well as the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area. As of the 2000 census, the population of the town is 491.- Geography :...
- Falkville
Falkville is a town in Morgan County, Alabama, in the United States, and is included in the Decatur Metropolitan Area, as well as the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area. As of the 2000 census, the population of the town is 1,202.-Geography:...
- Gurley
Gurley is a town in Madison County, Alabama, United States, and is included in the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area. As of the 2000 census, the population of the town is 876.-History:...
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- Hazel Green
Hazel Green is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Madison County, Alabama, United States, and is included in the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area. As of the 2010 census, the population of the community is 3,630.-History:...
- Hillsboro
Hillsboro is a town in Lawrence County, Alabama, and is included in the Decatur Metropolitan Area, as well as the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area. As of the 2000 census, the population of the town is 608.-Geography:...
- Hulaco
Hulaco is an unincorporated community located in extreme southeastern Morgan County, Alabama and is included in the Decatur Metropolitan Area, as well as the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area....
- Lacey's Spring
Lacey's Spring is an unincorporated community in northeastern Morgan County, Alabama, United States at the base of Brindley Mountain. It is included in the Decatur Metropolitan Area, as well as the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area....
- Lester
Lester is a town in Limestone County, Alabama, United States, and is included in the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area. As of the 2000 census, the population of the town is 107.-Geography:Lester is located at ....
- Mooresville
Mooresville is a town in Limestone County, Alabama, United States, located southeast of the intersection of Interstates 565 and 65, and north of Wheeler Lake....
- Morgan City
Morgan City is an unincorporated community located in Morgan County, Alabama, and is included in the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area, as well as the Decatur Metropolitan Area. It's a small city....
- Moulton
Moulton is a city in Lawrence County, Alabama, and is included in the Decatur Metropolitan Area, as well as the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area. As of the 2000 census, the population of the city is 3,260. The city is the county seat of Lawrence County.-Geography:Moulton is located at ...
- Moulton Heights
Moulton Heights is an unincorporated suburb of Decatur in Morgan County, Alabama, United States, and is included in the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area, as well as the Decatur Metropolitan Area...
- New Hope
New Hope is a city in Madison County, Alabama, United States, and is included in the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area. As of the 2000 census, the population is 2,539.-History:...
- New Market
New Market is a census-designated place in Madison County, Alabama, United States, and is included in the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area. As of the 2000 census, the population of the CDP is 1,864...
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- North Courtland
North Courtland is a town in Lawrence County, Alabama, and is included in the Decatur Metropolitan Area, as well as the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area. As of the 2000 census, the population of the town is 799.-Geography:...
- Owens Cross Roads
Owens Cross Roads is a town in Madison County, Alabama, United States, and is included in the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area. As of the 2010 Census, the population of the town is 1,521.-Geography:...
- Paint Rock
Paint Rock is a town in Jackson County, Alabama, United States, along the Paint Rock River, and is included in the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area. As of the 2000 census, the population of the town is 185....
- Priceville
Priceville is the third largest municipality in Morgan County, Alabama, and is included in the Decatur Metropolitan Area, as well as the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area. As of the 2006 census estimate, the population of the town is 2,380....
- Redstone Arsenal
Redstone Arsenal is a United States Army base and a census-designated place adjacent to Huntsville in Madison County, Alabama, United States and is part of the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area...
- Somerville
Somerville is a town in Morgan County, Alabama. It is included in the Decatur Metropolitan Area, as well as the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area. As of the 2000 census, the population of the town is 347. Somerville was the county seat of Morgan County from 1818 to 1891, when the seat...
- Tanner
Tanner is a small town in central southern Limestone County, Alabama, United States, and is included in the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area. It lies along the Tennessee River, next to the city of Athens....
- Toney
Toney is an unincorporated community in the northwestern part of Madison County, Alabama, United States. A part of the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area, it is located at an elevation of 827 feet .-Public services:...
- Town Creek
Town Creek is a town in Lawrence County, Alabama, United States, and is included in the Decatur Metropolitan Area, as well as the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area...
- Triana
Triana is a town located on the southern county line of Madison County, Alabama, United States, and is included in the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area. As of the 2000 census, the population of the town is 458.-Geography:...
- Trinity
Trinity is a town in Morgan County, Alabama, and is included in the Decatur Metropolitan Area, as well as the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area. As of the 2000 census, the population of the town is 1,841.-Geography:...
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K-12 education
School systems by county:
Madison
Limestone
Morgan
Lawrence
Institutions of higher education
- Calhoun Community College System
Calhoun Community College is a two-year institution of higher learning, located in Decatur, Alabama, United States.The largest of the 27 two-year institutions comprising the Alabama Community College System, Calhoun is an open-admission, coeducational, comprehensive community college dedicated to...
- Calhoun Decatur Campus
- Calhoun Redstone Arsenal Campus
- Calhoun Huntsville/Cummings Research Park Campus
- University of Alabama in Huntsville
The University of Alabama in Huntsville is a state-supported, public, coeducational research university, located in Huntsville, Alabama, United States, is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award baccalaureate, master's and doctoral degrees, and is organized in five...
- Alabama A&M University
- Oakwood College
Oakwood University is a private university located in Huntsville, Alabama, United States. It is owned and operated by the Seventh-day Adventist Church...
- Huntsville Regional Medical Campus of the University of Alabama at Birmingham
The University of Alabama at Birmingham is a public university in Birmingham in the U.S. state of Alabama. Developing from an extension center established in 1936, the institution became an autonomous institution in 1969 and is today one of three institutions in the University of Alabama System...
School of Medicine http://main.uab.edu/uasom/2/show.asp?durki=3868;
- Athens State University
Athens State University, located in Athens, Alabama, USA, is a two-year upper level university. Athens State is the only two-year upper level university in the state of Alabama. Thirty-three different majors are offered to junior and senior students....
;
- Georgia Institute of Technology
The Georgia Institute of Technology is a public research university in Atlanta, Georgia, in the United States...
's two sites Huntsville http://www.gtri.gatech.edu/hrl/;
- Faulkner University
Faulkner University is a private Christian university, located in Montgomery, Alabama, USA, and affiliated with the Church of Christ. The University was founded in 1942 as Montgomery Bible School. In 1953 the school's name was changed to Alabama Christian College . In 1965, the college was moved to...
;
- Columbia College
Columbia College is a private co-educational liberal arts university based in Columbia, Missouri. The school offers day and evening classes on its Columbia Campus, extension courses through its nationwide campuses and ties with U.S. military bases , and online courses...
;
- Virginia College
Virginia College is a non Regionally Accredited chain of private for-profit post-secondary institutions located primarily in the Southeastern United States. It is a Proprietary college which, in comparison to traditional colleges or universities, offers classes related to specific professions...
Huntsville;
- Florida Institute of Technology
Florida Institute of Technology, also known as Florida Tech, is an independent private technical research university located in Melbourne, Florida, United States. Founded in 1958 as Brevard Engineering College, the institute has been known by its present name since 1966. Florida Tech's curriculum...
, and
- Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University is a private university in the US specializing in aviation and aerospace engineering. It teaches the science, practice, and business of aviation and aerospace. Called "The Harvard of the Sky" by Time Magazine in 1979, Embry-Riddle has a history dating back to...
http://fusion.erau.edu/ec/wwc/centerinfo.cfm?CODE=F3.
Geography
The geography of the Huntsville-Decatur Metro Area ranges from the tall peaks of the southern
Appalachian MountainsThe Appalachian Mountains #Whether the stressed vowel is or ,#Whether the "ch" is pronounced as a fricative or an affricate , and#Whether the final vowel is the monophthong or the diphthong .), often called the Appalachians, are a system of mountains in eastern North America. The Appalachians...
, to the low valleys formed by the Tennessee River. Decatur sits on the southern shore of the Tennessee River, while Huntsville lies about 10 miles from the Tennessee River, and sits at the base of
Monte Sano MountainMonte Sano State Park is a mountaintop retreat located in Huntsville, Alabama. It has 1930s Civilian Conservation Corps rustic cottages, built during the Great Depression, and a prime location with hiking trails overlooking scenic views, picnic areas, and modern campsites...
.
- Tennessee Valley
The Tennessee Valley is the drainage basin of the Tennessee River and is largely within the U.S. state of Tennessee. It stretches from southwest Kentucky to northwest Georgia and from northeast Mississippi to the mountains of Virginia and North Carolina...
- Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge
The Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge is a 35,000 acre National Wildlife Refuge located along the Tennessee River near Decatur, Alabama...
- Monte Sano State Park
Monte Sano State Park is a mountaintop retreat located in Huntsville, Alabama. It has 1930s Civilian Conservation Corps rustic cottages, built during the Great Depression, and a prime location with hiking trails overlooking scenic views, picnic areas, and modern campsites...
- Joe Wheeler State Park
Joe Wheeler State Park is located on along Wheeler Lake in Northwest Alabama, USA. The park includes a resort lodge, full service convention facilities, restaurant, campground, a marina with 140 boat slips, a 2.5-mile looped trail for hiking and biking, and an 18 hole championship golf course.The...
Roadways
The heart of the Huntsville-Decatur Metro Area (Huntsville, Decatur, and Madison) is linked together by the 22 mile strip of
Interstate 565-External links:***...
.
Interstate 565 begins at the very edge of the Decatur City Limits at a major interchange with
Interstate 65Interstate 65 is a major Interstate Highway in the United States. The southern terminus is located at an intersection with Interstate 10 in Mobile, Alabama, and its northern terminus is at an interchange with Interstate 90 , U.S. Route 12, and U.S...
. At the interchange, Alternate US 72 and
State Route 20State Route 20 ' runs from the Tennessee state line northwest of Florence, Alabama, east to I-65 east of Decatur in the northwestern Alabama...
turn into a controlled access highway taking up the name Interstate 565 as it passes under Interstate 65 receiving traffic from the north - (
NashvilleNashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
), and south - (
BirminghamBirmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
/ Decatur / Hartselle) on top of the nearly 40,000-51,000 vehicles per day driving from Decatur to Huntsville on the Alternate US 72 Corridor.
Plans are underway to extend Interstate 565 from the Interstate 65/Alternate US 72/State Route 20 interchange to the US 31/State Route 20/Alternate US 72 interchange in Decatur's Limestone County limits. Eventually the extended Interstate Highway will cross the Tennessee River's
Wheeler LakeWheeler Lake is located in the northern part of the United States state of Alabama, between Rogersville and Huntsville. Created by Wheeler Dam along the Tennessee River, it stretches 60 miles from Wheeler Dam to Guntersville Dam...
connecting with the proposed Memphis to Atlanta Highway.
Huntsville/Madison roadways
As
Interstate 565-External links:***...
exits the northern portion of the
Wheeler National Wildlife RefugeThe Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge is a 35,000 acre National Wildlife Refuge located along the Tennessee River near Decatur, Alabama...
, Madison Boulevard (formerly
State Route 20State Route 20 ' runs from the Tennessee state line northwest of Florence, Alabama, east to I-65 east of Decatur in the northwestern Alabama...
) branches off of the interstate leading into Madison. After Madison Boulevard converges with Interstate 565 nine miles down the road, Research Park Boulevard, an important north/south expressway serving
Cummings Research ParkCummings Research Park, located primarily in the city of Huntsville, Alabama is the second largest research park in the United States, and the fourth largest in the world. The Research Triangle Park in North Carolina is the only research park in the United States that is larger. Cummings Research...
,
Madison Square Mall, and
Redstone ArsenalRedstone Arsenal is a United States Army base and a census-designated place adjacent to Huntsville in Madison County, Alabama, United States and is part of the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area...
bypasses Huntsville's busier
Memorial ParkwayMemorial Parkway is a major thoroughfare in Huntsville, Alabama. It, in whole or in part, follows U.S. Route 231, U.S. Route 431, U.S. Route 72, and State Route 53 through the Huntsville city limits...
.
Interstate 565 winds past the US Space and Rocket Center. As it approaches downtown, the interstate becomes elevated. About a half mile after the elevated portion of the interstate begins is the largest interchange in Huntsville. Also known as "
Malfunction JunctionMalfunction Junction is a derisive nickname given by motorists to a confusing, dangerous, or otherwise problematic interchange.-Alabama:*Interstates in Birmingham. This interchange is the busiest in Alabama, and has been the site of many accidents, including roadway punctures and two fiery...
" to locals, the I-565/Memorial Parkway interchange carries over 150,000 vehicles a day. Memorial Parkway stretches from the Tennessee River to
NormalNormal, Alabama is the site of Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University.AAMU is situated in the city limits and northern part of Huntsville, Alabama, USA in Madison county....
. The Parkway feeds the congested 7-lane University Drive, also known as US 72. Also fed by the Parkway is the narrow, 5-lane Governors Drive (US 431) that serves southeast Huntsville, Hampton Cove, and
Huntsville Hospital.
Eventually, Interstate 565 climbs up Chapman Mountain, and descends the other side towards
GurleyGurley is a town in Madison County, Alabama, United States, and is included in the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area. As of the 2000 census, the population of the town is 876.-History:...
as US 72.
Decatur roadways
Decatur, being only a midsized city, has not yet seen the conveniences of a drastically controlled access highway passing through the city limits.
Decatur's main roadways are 6th Avenue - (
U.S. Route 31U.S. Route 31 is a long north–south highway connecting northern Michigan to southern Alabama, with its northern terminus at Interstate 75 near Mackinaw City, Michigan, and southern terminus at the combined U.S. Route 90 & U.S. Route 98 at Spanish Fort, Alabama...
), and
The BeltlineThe Beltline is a western bypass located completely within the city limits of Decatur, Alabama. It was built as an extension of Alabama State Route 67, and is the northern terminating end of the highway...
-
State Route 67State Route 67 is a state highway in Alabama that connects the city of Decatur to U.S. Highway 231 at Rainbow Crossing in Blount County. This road serves as a link between Decatur and Gadsden.-Route description:...
.
6th Avenue, part of U.S. Route 31, begins as both
State Route 20State Route 20 ' runs from the Tennessee state line northwest of Florence, Alabama, east to I-65 east of Decatur in the northwestern Alabama...
/Alternate US 72, and US 31 are carved out of the "Steamboat Bill" Hudson Memorial Bridge that crosses the Tennessee River at the north central part of town. AL 20/Alt US 72 continues west towards
The ShoalsThe Shoals is a metropolitan area in northwestern Alabama, officially known as the Florence-Muscle Shoals Metropolitan Area, including the cities of Florence, Muscle Shoals, Tuscumbia, and Sheffield, and the counties of Lauderdale and Colbert...
, after The Beltline begins in the vicinity of the Solutia plant. After the Tennessee River bridges 6th Avenue continues southward where it eventually intersects with The Beltline. After that intersection, 6th Avenue continues southward now under the name of Decatur Highway towards Hartselle and
BirminghamBirmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
.
The Beltline was built as a western bypass to cure 6th Avenue of its congestion problem. The area around the Beltline experienced rapid growth, causing even worse traffic problems. The city's approach to this is to widen the road to six lanes, which should be completed by 2010.
Economy
The economy of the Huntsville-Decatur Area is made up mostly of Technical, Aerospace, Manufacturing, and Defensive jobs, and companies. Huntsville is also home to the second largest research park in the country,
Cummings Research ParkCummings Research Park, located primarily in the city of Huntsville, Alabama is the second largest research park in the United States, and the fourth largest in the world. The Research Triangle Park in North Carolina is the only research park in the United States that is larger. Cummings Research...
.
The Huntsville-Decatur Metro Area is the second fastest growing region/metro area in the state of Alabama because of the ample job opportunities being instilled in the area. Both ports in the metro area are two of the busiest in the state.
Huntsville International AirportHuntsville International Airport , also known as Carl T. Jones Field, is an airport located 9 miles southwest of the central business district of Huntsville, a city in Madison County, Alabama, United States...
is the second busiest in Alabama, and still growing, trailing
Birmingham International AirportSouthwest Airlines carried the most passengers through BHM in 2007; transporting 1.14 million passengers, 35.6% of total BHM passengers. Additionally, Southwest Airlines operates BHM as a connecting airport for over 180 different flight pairs.Southwest uses Las Vegas and Phoenix to connect...
in Birmingham. The
Port of DecaturThe Port of Decatur is a transshipment port on the Tennessee River, in the city of Decatur, Alabama, United States of America. The port was founded in 1971.- Port facilities :...
, along the Tennessee River, has grown to be the largest/busiest along the Tennessee River.
Tennessee Valley Authority
The
Tennessee Valley AuthorityThe Tennessee Valley Authority is a federally owned corporation in the United States created by congressional charter in May 1933 to provide navigation, flood control, electricity generation, fertilizer manufacturing, and economic development in the Tennessee Valley, a region particularly affected...
(TVA) was established by President
Franklin D. RooseveltFranklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
's
New DealThe New Deal was a series of economic programs implemented in the United States between 1933 and 1936. They were passed by the U.S. Congress during the first term of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The programs were Roosevelt's responses to the Great Depression, and focused on what historians call...
plan, creating numerous
damsDriot-Arnoux Motorsport is a racing team from France, involved in many areas of motorsports. DAMS was founded in 1988 by Jean-Paul Driot and former Formula One driver René Arnoux. It is headquartered near Le Mans, only 2 km from the Bugatti Circuit.- History :The year after its foundation,...
, locks, nuclear power plants, coal power plants, along with many others, to create jobs along one of the most poverty ridden regions in the United States. The TVA has turned many tired North Alabama towns into some of the most technologically advanced cities in the country. A high quality of living, has helped to fuel the Huntsville and Decatur area's explosion into the
aerospaceAerospace comprises the atmosphere of Earth and surrounding space. Typically the term is used to refer to the industry that researches, designs, manufactures, operates, and maintains vehicles moving through air and space...
, bio-technical, and other research market areas of the U.S..
The Tennessee Valley Authority has grown to be the largest public utility provider in the United States.
TVA links
Major employers
- ADTRAN
ADTRAN, Inc. is a provider of telecommunications networking equipment and internetworking products.Its headquarters are in Huntsville, Alabama.The company is ISO 9001 and TL9000 certified.ADTRAN was a NASDAQ-100 Index stock from 1996 to 1998....
- Athens Limestone Hospital - Athens/Limestone County
- Boeing
The Boeing Company is an American multinational aerospace and defense corporation, founded in 1916 by William E. Boeing in Seattle, Washington. Boeing has expanded over the years, merging with McDonnell Douglas in 1997. Boeing Corporate headquarters has been in Chicago, Illinois since 2001...
- Decatur/Huntsville
- United Launch Alliance
United Launch Alliance is a joint venture of Lockheed Martin and Boeing. ULA was formed in December 2006 by combining the teams at these companies which provide spacecraft launch services to the government of the United States. U.S...
- Decatur
- Calhoun Community College System
Calhoun Community College is a two-year institution of higher learning, located in Decatur, Alabama, United States.The largest of the 27 two-year institutions comprising the Alabama Community College System, Calhoun is an open-admission, coeducational, comprehensive community college dedicated to...
- Decatur/Huntsville
- Cinram
Cinram International Income Fund is a Toronto, Ontario-based manufacturer of pre-recorded DVDs, VHS videocassettes, CD-Audio, CD-ROMs, and audio cassettes. Cinram was established in 1969 in Montreal by Isidore Philosophe and Samuel Sokoloff....
- Huntsville
- Cummings Research Park
Cummings Research Park, located primarily in the city of Huntsville, Alabama is the second largest research park in the United States, and the fourth largest in the world. The Research Triangle Park in North Carolina is the only research park in the United States that is larger. Cummings Research...
- Decatur General Hospital system - Decatur
- Huntsville Hospital System
The Huntsville Hospital System also known as Huntsville Hospital is a public, not-for-profit hospital campus consisting of several sites and buildings originating in the downtown area of Huntsville, Alabama...
- Huntsville
- International Paper
International Paper Company is an American pulp and paper company, the largest such company in the world. It has approximately 59,500 employees, and it is headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee.-History:...
- Courtland/North Courtland/Lawrence County
- Intergraph
Intergraph Corporation is an American software development and services company. It provides enterprise engineering and geospatially powered software to businesses, governments, and organizations around the world. Intergraph operates through two divisions: Process, Power & Marine and Security,...
- Madison
- Marshall Space Flight Center
The George C. Marshall Space Flight Center is the U.S. government's civilian rocketry and spacecraft propulsion research center. The largest center of NASA, MSFC's first mission was developing the Saturn launch vehicles for the Apollo moon program...
- Huntsville/Madison County
- Meow Mix
Meow Mix is a variety of dry and wet cat food known for its advertising jingle. It is a product of Del Monte Foods.-Company background:The Meow Mix Company operates from a facility in Decatur, Alabama, and also produces Alley Cat brand cat food products. Originally a product of Ralston Purina,...
- Decatur
- Nucor Corporation - Decatur
- Parkway Medical Center - Decatur
- Redstone Arsenal
Redstone Arsenal is a United States Army base and a census-designated place adjacent to Huntsville in Madison County, Alabama, United States and is part of the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area...
- Huntsville/Madison County
- SAIC
SAIC is a FORTUNE 500 scientific, engineering and technology applications company headquartered in the United States with numerous federal, state, and private sector clients...
- Huntsville
- Teledyne Brown Engineering - Huntsville
- Toyota - Huntsville
- TVA
The Tennessee Valley Authority is a federally owned corporation in the United States created by congressional charter in May 1933 to provide navigation, flood control, electricity generation, fertilizer manufacturing, and economic development in the Tennessee Valley, a region particularly affected...
- Decatur/Limestone County
- University of Alabama in Huntsville
The University of Alabama in Huntsville is a state-supported, public, coeducational research university, located in Huntsville, Alabama, United States, is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award baccalaureate, master's and doctoral degrees, and is organized in five...
- Huntsville
- Vulcan Materials Company
Vulcan Materials Company , based in Birmingham, Alabama is principally engaged in the production, distribution and sale of construction materials. Vulcan is the largest producer of construction materials, primarily gravel, crushed stone, and sand, and employs approximately 9,700 people at over 356...
- Trinity, Huntsville
Huntsville links
Decatur links