State Route 21 (SR 21) is a

state highway A state highway, state road, or state route (and the equivalent provincial highway, provincial road, or provincial route) is usually a road that is either ''numbered'' or ''maintained'' by a sub-national state or province. A road numbered by a ...

that extends from the

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

state line, near Atmore in Escambia County to

Piedmont it, Piemontese , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...

Calhoun County Calhoun County is the name of several counties in the United States of America named after U.S. Vice President John C. Calhoun: * Calhoun County, Alabama * Calhoun County, Arkansas * Calhoun County, Florida * Calhoun County, Georgia * Calhoun Cou ...

. The route travels almost the entire length of the state from the northeast to the southwest. It is the longest signed state route in Alabama.

Route description

Starting at the northern terminus of Florida State Road 97 at the

state line south of Atmore, the route travels north through Atmore, passing under an intersection with

Interstate 65 Interstate 65 (I-65) is a major north–south Interstate Highway in the central United States. As with most primary Interstates ending in 5, it is a major crosscountry, north–south route, connecting between the Great Lakes and the Gulf ...

at exit 57, then enters

Monroe County Monroe County may refer to seventeen counties in the United States, all named for James Monroe: * Monroe County, Alabama *Monroe County, Arkansas * Monroe County, Florida * Monroe County, Georgia *Monroe County, Illinois *Monroe County, Indian ...

and travels northeast through Frisco City and Monroeville and is

concurrent Concurrent means happening at the same time. Concurrency, concurrent, or concurrence may refer to: Law * Concurrence, in jurisprudence, the need to prove both ''actus reus'' and ''mens rea'' * Concurring opinion (also called a "concurrence"), a ...

with SR 47 for part of this section. SR 21 then once again becomes a standalone route passing through Beatrice and Oak Hill. In Lowndes County, SR 21 begins its first concurrency with US 80, and the two highways enter Montgomery, the state capital, from the southwest. SR 21 then diverges northeastward from US 80 for a short concurrency with US 31, then travels concurrently with US 80 once again (as well as US 82) around the Montgomery city center, diverging from US 82 at US 231 and traveling concurrently with US 231 northward to

Sylacauga Sylacauga is a city in Talladega County, Alabama, United States. At the 2020 census, the population was 12,578. Sylacauga is known for its fine white marble bedrock. This was discovered shortly after settlers moved into the area and has been ...

at an interchange with US 280. From Sylacauga, SR 21 turns northeastward toward Talladega. The route travels close to the

Talladega National Forest The Talladega National Forest is located in the U.S. state of Alabama and covers 392,567 acres (613.39 sq mi, or 1,588.66 km2) at the southern edge of the Appalachian Mountains. Before it was bought by the federal government in the 1930s, th ...

and the

Talladega Superspeedway Talladega Superspeedway, nicknamed “'Dega”, and formerly named Alabama International Motor Speedway (AIMS) from 1969 to 1989, is a motorsports complex located north of Talladega, Alabama. It is located on the former Anniston Air Force Base ...

. From here, SR 21 continues generally northeastward through the cities of

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

, Anniston, and

Jacksonville Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the List of United States cities by area, largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the co ...

before terminating at an intersection with U.S. Highway 278 in

. The route is paved throughout and often multi-lane.

Major intersections

References

*''Rand McNally: The Road Atlas 2002'', Rand McNally and Company 2001

External links

{{Attached KML, display=title,inline
Southeastroads.com web page on SR-21 with photos
021 Highways in Montgomery, Alabama Transportation in Escambia County, Alabama Transportation in Monroe County, Alabama Transportation in Wilcox County, Alabama Transportation in Lowndes County, Alabama Transportation in Montgomery County, Alabama Transportation in Elmore County, Alabama Transportation in Coosa County, Alabama Transportation in Talladega County, Alabama

Route description

Major intersections

See also

References

External links