North Alabama Overview

Economic Profile

The Huntsville area is noted for high-tech and defense-related industries, and automobile manufacturers have been rapidly expanding in the area.

North Alabama represents only 16 percent of the land area of the state yet is responsible for 38 percent of the new and expansion jobs created in recent years.

A poll in Expansion Management magazine ranked Florence 20th and Huntsville 42nd among the 50 hottest MSAs for manufacturing expansions and relocations.

Counties

Cherokee County

Colbert County

Cullman County

DeKalb County

Franklin County

Jackson County

Lauderdale County

Lawrence County

Limestone County

Madison County

Marshall County

Morgan County

Winston County

Transportation

Major air: Huntsville International (Foreign Trade Zone No. 86), Northwest Alabama Regional Airport; 14 general aviation airports; Huntsville International Intermodal Center

Major highways: Interstates 65, 565 and 59; U.S. Highways 72 and 31

Rail: CSX Transportation, Norfolk Southern Corp.

Water: Tennessee River with minimum nine-foot channel depth, connecting via Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway to deep-water Port of Mobile

Power Distributors

Albertville Municipal Utilities Board

Arab Electric Cooperative

Cherokee Electric Cooperative

City of Athens Utilities

City of Florence Utilities

Cullman Electric Cooperative

Cullman Power Board

Decatur Utilities

Fort Payne Improvement Authority

Franklin Electric Cooperative

Guntersville Electric Board

Hartselle Utilities

Huntsville Utilities

Joe Wheeler Electric Membership Corporation

Marshall-DeKalb Electric Cooperative

Muscle Shoals Electric Board

North Alabama Electric Cooperative

Russellville Electric Board (AL)

Sand Mountain Electric Cooperative

Scottsboro Electric Power Board

Sheffield Utilities

Tuscumbia Electricity

Education

Higher Education - Public

Athens State University - Athens

Alabama A & M University - Huntsville

University of Alabama in Huntsville

University of North Alabama - Florence

Northwest Shoals Community College - Muscle Shoals

Northeast Alabama Junior College - Rainsville

Calhoun State Community College - Decatur

G.C. Wallace State Community College - Hanceville

Snead State Community College - Boaz

J.F. Drake State Technical College - Huntsville

Higher Education - Independent

Oakwood College - Huntsville