State Route 79 is a 117 miles (188.3 km) route that extends northeastward from Birmingham

Birmingham, Alabama

Birmingham 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...

 to the Tennessee

Tennessee

Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...

 state line. Prior to the completion of Interstate 65, SR-79 was the southern part of the route that connected Birmingham and Huntsville

Huntsville, Alabama

Huntsville 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....

.

The southern terminus of SR-79 is at the interchange of Tallapoosa Street with Interstate 20/Interstate 59 (Exit 128) near Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport. Prior to the completion of I-20/I-59, the terminus of SR-79 was at its junction with U.S. Highway 31, U.S. Highway 78 and U.S. Highway 280 at the intersection of 8th Avenue North and 24th Street in downtown Birmingham.

Route description

The highway is four-laned from Interstate 20/59 to a gap in Sand Mountain

Sand Mountain

Sand Mountain may refer to:* Sand Mountain, a ski resort, in the fictional city of Bikini Bottom* Sand Mountain , the fourth-highest point in Florida* Sand Mountain , a Singing sand dune in Nevada...

, where it passes under two Alabama Power transmission lines, one coming from the Miller Steam Plant. After leaving Tarrant

Tarrant, Alabama

Tarrant is a city in Jefferson County, Alabama, United States southeast of Fultondale. At the 2000 census the population was 7,022.-Geography:Tarrant is located at .According to the U.S...

, there is little retail development along Highway 79 in Jefferson County, although Wal-Mart plans to build a Wal-Mart Supercenter

Wal-Mart

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. , branded as Walmart since 2008 and Wal-Mart before then, is an American public multinational corporation that runs chains of large discount department stores and warehouse stores. The company is the world's 18th largest public corporation, according to the Forbes Global 2000...

 just south of Pinson

Pinson, Alabama

Pinson is a city in Birmingham, Alabama, United States northwest from Center Point. At the 2000 census, the population was 5,033.-Geography:This city is located at .According to the U.S...

.

After leaving Birmingham and Jefferson County

Jefferson County, Alabama

Jefferson County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of Alabama, with its county seat being located in Birmingham.As of the 2010 U.S. Census, the population of Jefferson County was 658,466...

, the route of SR-79 takes it through rural areas of Blount County

Blount County, Alabama

Blount County is a county located in the U.S. state of Alabama. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 57,322. Its county seat is Oneonta.Blount County is a dry county.-History:...

, Marshall County

Marshall County, Alabama

Marshall County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama, and is included in the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area. Its name is in honor of John Marshall, famous Chief Justice of the United States. As of 2010 the population was 93,019...

 and Jackson County

Jackson County, Alabama

Jackson County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama. Its name is in honor of Andrew Jackson, general in the United States Army and President of the United States of America. As of 2010, the population was 53,227. The county seat is Scottsboro. Jackson County is a prohibition or dry county,...

 and is largely a two-lane highway. Due to population growth in the area, there are long range plans to widen SR-79 to four lanes into southwestern Blount County. Aside from Birmingham, the only cities with a population exceeding 5,000 that SR-79 passes through are Guntersville

Guntersville, Alabama

Guntersville is a city in Marshall County, Alabama, United States and is included in the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area. At the 2010 census, the population of the city was 8,197. The city is the county seat of Marshall County. Guntersville is located in a HUBZone as identified by the...

 and Scottsboro

Scottsboro, Alabama

Scottsboro is a city in Jackson County, Alabama, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population of the city is 14,770. Named for its founder Robert Scott, the city is the county seat of Jackson County....

.

North of Scottsboro, SR-79 leads toward Winchester, Tennessee

Winchester, Tennessee

Winchester is a city in and the county seat of Franklin County, Tennessee, United States. It is part of the Tullahoma, Tennessee Micropolitan Statistical Area.- History :...

. North of the Tennessee state line, the route is numbered State Route 16.

Major intersections