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Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area

Encyclopedia : H : HU : HUN : Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area

 

Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area 

Separate Metro Areas
 Huntsville Metropolitan Area 
 Decatur Metropolitan Area


Core Cities
 Huntsville 
 Decatur


Counties Included
Jackson 
 Lawrence 
 Limestone 
 Marshall 
 Madison 
 Morgan


Area
 - Total
 - Water
 
11,577 km² (4,487 mi²)
499 km² (194.61 mi²)


Population
  
 
510,088 /km²


Time zone
 Central: UTC–6



The Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area is the most populated Sub-Region of North Alabama, and is the second fastest growing region in the State of Alabama, with 510,088 living within the CSA.


The CSA is situated along the Tennessee River, and is made up of two separate Metropolitan Areas that are usually referred to as one.  These MSA's are: Huntsville Metropolitan Area, and Decatur Metropolitan Area.


The cities included are: Athens, Decatur, Guntersville, Hartselle, Huntsville, Madison, and Scottsboro, as well as: Jackson County, Lawrence County, Limestone County, AL, Madison County, AL, Marshall County, AL, and Morgan County, AL.
Huntsville is the largest city in the area with a population of 164,146 people, and a metro population of 368,661. Decatur is the second largest city with a population of 54,528 people, and a metro population of 148,345. (All populations are based on the 2004 Estimated Population).  



Contents




Counties

Alabama


Metropolitan areas included





Cities


Primary cities



Suburbs with more than 10,000 inhabitants



Suburbs with less than 10,000 inhabitants



Education


K-12 education

School systems by county:


Madison

Limestone
Morgan
Jackson
Marshall
Lawrence


Institutions of higher education



Geography

The geography of the Huntsville-Decatur Metro Area ranges from the tall peaks of the southern Appalachian Mountains, to the low valleys formed by the Tennessee River.   Decatur, AL 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 Mountain.





Infrastructure


Roadways

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


Interstate 565 begins at the very edge of the Decatur City Limits at a major interchange with Interstate 65.  At the interchange, Alternate US 72 and Alabama State Route 20 turn into a controlled access highway taking up the name Interstate 565 as it passes under Interstate 65 receiving traffic from the north - (Nashville), and south - (Birmingham / Decatur) 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/Alabama 20, interchange to the US 31/Alabama 20/ Alternate US 72 interchange in Decatur's Limestone County limits.  Eventually the extended Interstate Highway will cross the Tennessee River's Wheeler Lake connecting with the proposed Memphis to Atlanta Highway.



Huntsville/Madison roadways

As Interstate 565 exits the northern portion of the Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge, Madison Boulevard (formerly Alabama 20) branches off of the interstate leading intoMadison.  After Madison Boulevard converges with Interstate 565 9 miles down the road, Research Park Boulevard, an important north/south expressway serving Cummings Research Park, [Madison Square Mall], and Redstone Arsenal bypasses Huntsville's busier Memorial Parkway.


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 Junction" to locals, the I-565/Memorial Parkway interchange carries over 150,000 vehicles a day. Memorial Parkway stretches from the Tennessee River to Normal. 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 Gurley as US 72.




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 - (US 31), and The Beltline - Alabama 67.


6th Avenue begins as both Alabama 20/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.  Alabama 20/Alternate US 72 continues west towards The Shoals, 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-(Alabama 67).  After that intersection, 6th Avenue continues southward now under the name of Decatur Highway towards Hartselle and Birmingham.


The Beltline was built as a western bypass to cure 6th Avenue of its congestion problem.  In doing so, the city leaders made the perfect mistake.  In the process of relieving 6th Avenue of its horrendous traffic problems, another problem arose. The area around the Beltline experinced 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 2007. 


There are also plans to construct a controlled access beltway from Interstate 65 south of the city to Alternate US 72 in Lawrence County, known as Veteran's Parkway.



Economy

The economy of the Huntsville-Decatur Metro Area is made up mostly of Technical, Aerospace, Manufacturing, and Defensive jobs, and companies.  More engineers per capita live in this metropolitan area than anywhere else in the United States.  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 Airport is the second busiest in Alabama, and still growing, trailing Birmingham International Airport in Birmingham.  The Port of Decatur, along the Tennessee River, has grown to be the largest/busiest along the Tennessee River; the Port of Decatur, as well as Port of Huntsville, are almost assured great futures.



TVA (
TVA has been improving the quality of life in the states of Tennessee, Alabama, and Kentucky for over seven decades.  The Tennessee Valley Authority was established by FDR's New Deal plan, creating numerous dams, 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.  Now, what has been created is one of the fastest growing regions in the Southeast, with some cities experiencing growth as large as 19.4% each year.  The TVA has turned many tired southern towns into some of the most technologically advanced cities in the country.  Specifically, the Tennessee Valley of Alabama, has experienced high population growth, along with some of the best education in the country, high quality of living, has helped to fuel the Huntsville area's explosion into the aerospace, bio-technical, and other research areas into the market of the U.S..  The Tennessee Valley Authority's fore most mission is to create affordable, and reliable power, and to promote sustainable economic development.  The Tennessee Valley Authority has grown to be the largest public utility provider in the United States.



TVA links



Major employers



See also



External links
















 



 State of Alabama
History | People | Governors | Metropolitan Areas
 






Capital
Montgomery




Regions
 North Alabama | Central Alabama | Greater Birmingham | South Alabama | Black Belt | Mobile Bay 


Cities
 Anniston | Auburn | Birmingham | Decatur | Dothan | Florence | Gadsden | Hoover | Huntsville | Mobile | Montgomery | Tuscaloosa




 Counties
 Autauga | Baldwin | Barbour | Bibb | Blount | Bullock | Butler | Calhoun | Chambers | Cherokee | Chilton | Choctaw | Clarke | Clay | Cleburne | Coffee | Colbert | Conecuh | Coosa | Covington | Crenshaw | Cullman | Dale | Dallas | DeKalb | Elmore | Escambia | Etowah | Fayette | Franklin | Geneva | Greene | Hale | Henry | Houston | Jackson | Jefferson | Lamar | Lauderdale | Lawrence | Lee | Limestone | Lowndes | Macon | Madison | Marengo | Marion | Marshall | Mobile | Monroe | Montgomery | Morgan | Perry | Pickens | Pike | Randolph | Russell | Shelby | St. Clair | Sumter | Talladega | Tallapoosa | Tuscaloosa | Walker | Washington | Wilcox | Winston
























 




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