Wikipedia

Huntsville–Decatur-Albertville combined statistical area

(Redirected fromHuntsville-Decatur, AL Combined Statistical Area)

TheHuntsville–Decatur–Albertville combined statistical areais the most populated sub-region ofNorth Alabama,and is the second largest combined statistical area in the State ofAlabamaafterBirmingham.[1]The Huntsville-Decatur-Albertville CSA had a total of 879,315 people in 2022 and ranks 68th in the country.[2]

Greater Huntsville
Combined Statistical Area
Map
Map of Huntsville-Decatur-Albertville, AL-TNCSA
Huntsville metropolitan area
Decatur metropolitan area
Albertville micropolitan area
Fort Payne micropolitan area
Fayetteville micropolitan area
City of Huntsville
City of Decatur
Coordinates:34°39′00″N86°47′13″W/ 34.650°N 86.787°W/34.650; -86.787
CountryUnited States
StateAlabama
Tennessee
Metro areas
Core cities
Constituent countiesDeKalb,Lawrence,Limestone,Lincoln,Madison,Marshall,Morgan
Area
• Total
12,200 km2(4,710 sq mi)
• Land11,770 km2(4,545 sq mi)
• Water420 km2(164 sq mi)
Population
• Total
852,756
Time zoneUTC−06:00(Central)

The CSA is situated along theTennessee River,and is made up of two separate metropolitan areas (DecaturandHuntsville) and 3 Micropolitan areas (Albertville,Fort Payne,andFayetteville) that are usually referred to as one. The Decatur MSA, Albertville μSA, and Fort Payne μSA are south of the Tennessee River and the Huntsville MSA and Fayetteville μSA are north of it.

Significant cities included in the CSA includeAlbertville,Arab,Athens,Boaz,Decatur,Fayetteville,Fort Payne,Guntersville,Hartselle,Huntsville,andMadison,as well asDeKalb,Lawrence,Limestone,Lincoln,Madison,Marshall,andMorgancounties.

Huntsville is the largest city in the area with a population of 215,006 people,[3][4]and a metro population of 502,728. Decatur is the second largest city with a population of 57,938 people,[5]and a metro population of 156,758.[6]Mooresville is the smallest town in the CSA with 47 people.

Counties

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Metropolitan areas included

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Cities

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All places listed have their populations listed from the2020 US Censusdata. All unincorporated places do not have their population data recorded unless it is aCDP.

Core cities

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Cities with more than 50,000 inhabitants

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Cities with 10,000–30,000 inhabitants

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Cities and communities with 5,000–9,999 inhabitants

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Cities, and towns with more than 2,000–4,999 inhabitants

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Cities and towns with less than 2,000 inhabitants

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Unincorporated places

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Education

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K–12 education

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School systems by county:

Madison

Limestone

Morgan

Lawrence

Institutions of higher education

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Geography

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The geography of the Huntsville-Decatur Metro Area ranges from the tall peaks of the southernAppalachian Mountains,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 ofMonte Sano Mountain.

Infrastructure

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Roadways

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The heart of the Huntsville–Decatur Metro Area (Huntsville, Decatur, and Madison) is linked together by the 22 mile strip ofInterstate 565.

Interstate 565 begins at the eastern edge of the Decatur city limits near the interchange withInterstate 65.At the interchange,Alternate US 72andState Route 20become a controlled access highway as it passes under Interstate 65 receiving traffic from the north – (Nashville), and south – (Birmingham/ Decatur / Hartselle) in addition to the nearly 40,000-51,000 vehicles per day 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 theUS 31/State Route 20/Alternate US 72 interchange in the Limestone County portion of Decatur. Eventually the extendedInterstate Highwaywill cross the Tennessee River'sWheeler Lakeintersecting the once proposed Memphis to Atlanta Highway.[citation needed].

Huntsville/Madison roadways

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AsInterstate 565passes the northern portion of theWheeler National Wildlife Refuge,Madison Boulevard (formerlyState Route 20) branches off of the interstate leading into Madison. BeyondMadison Boulevard's convergence with Interstate 565 nine miles beyond,Research Park Boulevard,an important north/south expressway connectingCummings Research Park,MidCity (a mixed used development at the location of the former Madison Square Mall[10]), andRedstone Arsenal,bypasses the portions of Huntsville's busierMemorial Parkway.

I-565 passing by theU.S. Space & Rocket Center

Interstate 565 winds past theUS Space and Rocket Centerand approaches downtown as an elevated freeway. About a.5 miles (0.80 km) after the elevated portion of the interstate begins is the largest interchange in Huntsville.[citation needed]TheI-565/Memorial Parkway interchange carries over 150,000 vehicles a day. Memorial Parkway stretches from the Tennessee River toNormal.The Parkway feeds the 7-laneUniversity Drive,also known asUS 72.Also intersecting the Parkway is the 5-laneGovernors Drive(US 431) that serves southeast Huntsville, Hampton Cove, and Huntsville Hospital.[11]Interstate 565 ascends Chapman Mountain, and descends the other side towardsGurleyas US 72.

Decatur roadways

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Decatur's main roadways are 6th Avenue – (U.S. Route 31), and Beltline Road –State Route 67.

6th Avenue, part of U.S. Route 31, begins as bothState Route 20/Alternate US 72,and US 31 are carved out of the"Steamboat Bill" Hudson Memorial Bridgethat crosses the Tennessee River at the north central part of town. AL 20/Alt US 72 continues west towardsThe Shoals,after The Beltline begins in the vicinity of theSolutiaplant. 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 ofDecatur Highwaytowards Hartselle andBirmingham.

The Beltline was built as a western bypass to reduce congestion on 6th Avenue.[citation needed]The area around the Beltline experienced rapid growth, causing additional traffic problems.[citation needed]The city's approach to this was to widen the road to six lanes, which was to be completed by 2010.[clarification needed]

Economy

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The economy of the Huntsville-Decatur Area has significant technical, aerospace, manufacturing, and defensive components. Huntsville is also home to the second largest research park in the country,Cummings Research Park.

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 Airportis the second busiest in Alabama, and still growing, trailingBirmingham International AirportinBirmingham.ThePort of Decatur,along the Tennessee River, has grown to be the largest/busiest along the Tennessee River.

Tennessee Valley Authority

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TheTennessee Valley Authority(TVA) was established by PresidentFranklin D. Roosevelt'sNew Dealplan, creating numerousdams,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 theaerospace,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.

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Major employers

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References

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  1. ^"U.S. Statistical Areas"(PDF).www.whitehouse.gov.RetrievedNovember 20,2023.
  2. ^Bureau, US Census."Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas Population Totals and Components of Change: 2020-2021".Census.gov.Retrieved2022-04-15.{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help)
  3. ^"Explore Census Data".data.census.gov.Retrieved2022-04-15.
  4. ^"Huntsville Statistics".maps.huntsvilleal.gov.Retrieved2023-11-20.
  5. ^"Explore Census Data".data.census.gov.Retrieved2022-04-15.
  6. ^Bureau, US Census."Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas Population Totals and Components of Change: 2020-2021".Census.gov.Retrieved2022-04-15.{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help)
  7. ^Huntsville City Schools
  8. ^[1]ArchivedNovember 27, 2005, at theWayback Machine
  9. ^"Find a Location | Embry-Riddle Worldwide".Fusion.erau.edu. Archived fromthe originalon 2008-12-27.Retrieved2013-07-10.
  10. ^"Madison Square Mall".Archived fromthe originalon 2016-11-05.Retrieved2006-02-22.
  11. ^Huntsville Hospital
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