The Decatur, Alabama Metropolitan Statistical Area is a moderately urban region of North-Central

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County , LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham , area_total_km2 = 135,765 ...

. The 2020 Census put the population of the metropolitan area at 152,740, of which one-third resides within the boundaries of its core city,

Decatur, Alabama Decatur (dɪˈkeɪtə(r)) is the largest city and county seat of Morgan County (with a portion also in Limestone County) in the U.S. state of Alabama. Nicknamed "The River City", it is located in northern Alabama on the banks of Wheeler La ...

, It is also considered to be part of the

North North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography. Etymology The word ''north ...

, Northwest, and North-Central regions of Alabama. The metropolitan area is the combined area of the City of Decatur and the surrounding areas in suburban, rural, and more developed parts of Morgan and Lawrence Counties. The Decatur Metropolitan Area is apart of the Huntsville-Decatur CSA, With

Huntsville Huntsville is a city in Madison County, Limestone County, and Morgan County, Alabama, United States. It is the county seat of Madison County. Located in the Appalachian region of northern Alabama, Huntsville is the most populous city in th ...

and

Madison Madison may refer to: People * Madison (name), a given name and a surname * James Madison (1751–1836), fourth president of the United States Place names * Madison, Wisconsin, the state capital of Wisconsin and the largest city known by this ...

being other Principal cities in the CSA.

Cities and towns

Principal cities

* Decatur * Hartselle *

Moulton Moulton may refer to: Places in the United Kingdom ;In England *Moulton, Cheshire * Moulton, Lincolnshire **Moulton Windmill * Moulton St Mary, Norfolk * Moulton, Northamptonshire ** Moulton College, agricultural college ** Moulton Park, indus ...

(Has its own MSA, but has lands in Morgan County)

Other cities and towns

* Courtland *

Eva Eva or EVA may refer to: * Eva (name), a feminine given name Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional characters * Eva (Dynamite Entertainment), a comic book character by Dynamite Entertainment * Eva (''Devil May Cry''), Dante's mother in t ...

* Falkville * Hillsboro * North Courtland * Priceville * Somerville * Town Creek *

Trinity The Christian doctrine of the Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the central dogma concerning the nature of God in most Christian churches, which defines one God existing in three coequal, coeternal, consubstantial divine persons: God th ...

Unincorporated communities

* Burningtree Mountain * Caddo * Cotaco * Danville * Five Points * Flint * Florette * Hatton * Hulaco * Lacey's Spring * Landersville * Mallard Creek * Morgan City * Moulton Heights * Mount Hope * Neel * Oakville * Pittsburg * Punkin Center * Red Bank * Ryan * Speake * Tanner * Valhermoso Springs * Wheeler * Wren

Transportation

Major Highways

* Interstate 65 ''(

Lacon Lacon can refer to: ;People: * Demetrius Lacon (late 2nd century BC), Greek philosopher * Lacon family, a Sardinian dynasty * Lacon baronets, of the English baronetcy * William Lacon (ca. 1540–1609), English politician * Roland Lacon (ca. 1537� ...

to Decatur ( Limestone County))'' - enters the area at the southern Morgan County line between Morgan and Cullman Counties, near Lacon. Bends around a mountain where it passes over US 31. It continues north towards Hartselle where it enters the city limits for about 3 miles. Leaving Hartselle, I-65 travels towards Decatur where small portions of the city limits leak over into rural Priceville. I-65 soon is lifted onto a bridge (over the

Tennessee River The Tennessee River is the largest tributary of the Ohio River. It is approximately long and is located in the southeastern United States in the Tennessee Valley. The river was once popularly known as the Cherokee River, among other name ...

), linking Morgan County and Limestone County. After entering Limestone County, an interchange with I-565, Alt US 72, and Alabama 20 give routes to

(to the east), and Decatur (to the west). * U.S. Highway 31 ''(

to Decatur ( Limestone County))'' - from the southern Morgan County line between Morgan and Cullman Counties, near Lacon. The route continues north, passing under

I-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 ...

, towards Hartselle. After traversing through Hartselle, US 31 briefly enters unincorporated land, but quickly enters the Decatur city limits. As the highway passes through Decatur, it gives access to places such as: Decatur High School / Ogle Stadium, Cooks Natural Science Museum, and views of the downtown area. US 31 leaves the metro area after passing over the Captain William J. Hudson "Steamboat Bill" Memorial Bridges into Limestone County where the Decatur city limits end. (near the

Calhoun Community College Calhoun Community College is a public community college in Tanner, Alabama. It is the 2nd largest of the 24 two-year institutions that make up the Alabama Community College System. History The college was founded in 1946 and named after John C ...

) *
U.S. Highway 72 Alternate ''( Decatur ( Limestone County) to

)'' - enters the metro area in the Limestone County portion of Decatur at the interchange with

and I-565. (I-565 terminates here). Crosses the

on the Captain William J. Hudson "Steamboat Bill" Memorial Bridges, combined with

US 31 U.S. Route 31 or U.S. Highway 31 (US 31) is a major north–south U.S. highway connecting southern Alabama to northern Michigan. Its southern terminus is at an intersection with US 90/ US 98 in Spanish Fort, Alabama. It ...

and State Route 20, into urban northern Decatur. Alt 72 bends west and continues into the industrial portion of Decatur. The Port of Decatur, and such notable industries as The United Launch Alliance,

Solutia Solutia Inc. was an American manufacturer of materials and specialty chemicals including polyvinyl butyral (PVB), ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA), and thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) interlayers for laminated glass, aftermarket window films, prote ...

Vulcan Materials Vulcan Materials Company () is an American company based in Birmingham, Alabama. It is principally engaged in the production, distribution and sale of construction materials. Vulcan is the largest producer of construction materials, primarily gra ...

, and 3M have operations along this route. The United Launch Alliance is especially important, since all satellite launch vehicles used by

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil List of government space agencies, space program ...

, are produced at this single location. Alt 72 eventually leaves the metro area as it exits Lawrence County, and enters

Colbert County Colbert County () is a county located in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Alabama. As of the 2020 census the county's population was 57,227. The county seat is Tuscumbia. The largest city is Muscle Shoals. The county is named i ...

The Shoals ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

. *

U.S. Highway 231 U.S. Route 231 (US 231) is a north-south United States Numbered Highway System, U.S highway that is a parallel route of U.S. Route 31, US 31. It runs for from St. John, Indiana, St. John, Indiana, at U.S. Route 41 in Indiana, US 41 ...

''( Lacey's Spring to southern Morgan County)'' - enters the metro area from southern

. Crossing the

, connecting

and northeastern Morgan Counties. US 231 continues south, passing through Morgan City, towards the Gadsden area. * State Route 20 ''( Decatur ( Limestone County) to western Lawrence County)'' - enters the metro area in the Limestone County portion of Decatur at the interchange with

and I-565. (I-565 terminates here). Crosses the

on the Captain William J. Hudson "Steamboat Bill" Memorial Bridges, combined with

and U.S. Highway 72 Alternate, into urban northern Decatur. Alabama 20 bends west and continues into the industrial portion of Decatur. The Port of Decatur, and such notable industries as The United Launch Alliance,

, and 3M have operations along this route. The United Launch Alliance is especially important, since all satellite launch vehicles used by

, are produced at this single location. Alabama 20 eventually leaves the metro area as it exits Lawrence County, and enters

. * 20px State Route 24 * 20px State Route 33 * 20px State Route 36 * 20px State Route 67 ''( Hulaco to US 72 Alt./ SR 20 ( Decatur))'' - enters the area at Hulaco and continues to Somerville. Passes by the old Morgan County Courthouse. Travels through Priceville (past the

Racking Horse World Celebration Arena The Celebration Arena is a 5,000-seat indoor arena located in Priceville, Alabama, near Decatur. It contains a 150-by-300-foot () arena floor that can be used not only for sporting events as well as rodeos and horse shows (most notably the world c ...

), and enters Decatur at an interchange with

. As SR 67 crosses 6th Avenue (

) it becomes known as the

Beltline The Atlanta BeltLine (also Beltline or Belt Line) is a open and planned loop of multi-use trail and light rail transit system on a former railway corridor around the core of Atlanta, Georgia. The Atlanta BeltLine is designed to reconnect nei ...

, a bypass that was constructed to alleviate traffic problems on the swollen 6th Avenue. The highway continues on a north-northwesterly curve and terminates at US 72 Alt./ SR 20 inside Decatur.

References

{{Coord, 34, 34, 52, N, 86, 59, 0, W, display=title Geography of Morgan County, Alabama Geography of Lawrence County, Alabama Geography of Limestone County, Alabama Metropolitan areas of Alabama Huntsville-Decatur, AL Combined Statistical Area