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 ...
*
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 ...
(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
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 ...
(to the east), and Decatur (to the west).
*
U.S. Highway 31 ''(
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))'' - 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
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 ...
)'' - enters the metro area in the
Limestone County portion of Decatur at the interchange with
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 ...
and
I-565. (I-565 terminates here). Crosses 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 ...
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 ...
of
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
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 ...
. Crossing 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 ...
, connecting
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 ...
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
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 ...
and
I-565. (I-565 terminates here). Crosses 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 ...
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
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,
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. Alabama 20 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 ...
of
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 ...
.
*
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
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 ...
. As SR 67 crosses 6th Avenue (
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 ...
) 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.
See also
*
List of Metropolitan areas of Alabama
The following is a list of the largest metropolitan areas in Alabama. As of 2020, Huntsville was the largest city, but Birmingham has a bigger metropolitan area. The table data is from the Us Census in 2010 and 2020.
See also
* List of ...
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