The Huntsville Area

Huntsville/Madison County, Alabama is located in the middle of the southeastern United States, with over four million people within a 100-mile radius. The Huntsville community serves as the primary economic hub of the north Alabama and southern Tennessee region. Our city is regularly cited as a premier location for both business and quality of life; for example, Forbes recently named Huntsville the number one place to weather the current economic downturn, and Huntsville boasts the highest per capita rate of Ph.D.s in the United States.

The Huntsville area remains one of the South’s fastest-growing.  The metropolitan area’s population is estimated at 386,632, with 171,327 residents in the city proper (as of 2007).  Huntsville’s population truly reflects international cultures, and cultural, religious and racial diversity are hallmarks of Huntsville’s cultural climate.  Of the city residents, more than 10 percent are natives of other countries, and more than 100 languages and dialects are spoken here. In addition to the mainline churches of Protestantism traditional in the South, many other denominations can be found here, including Catholic, Russian Orthodox, Islamic, Jewish, Hindu, and Buddhist. The African-American community is an integral part of the intellectual, business, and political strength of the city. For example, Alabama A&M University, a historically black university since 1890, offers a wide array of undergraduate and graduate programs, attracting both U.S. and foreign students. The counties adjoining Madison County combine to form an eight-county regional market with a population totaling 800,000 people.

The Huntsville/Madison County economy is known as one of the strongest economies in the South, with low unemployment, strong job growth, and income levels leading the region.  Over 300 international and domestic corporations in Huntsville/Madison County are involved in the design and production of electronics and computer-related technology. Huntsville’s Cummings Research Park is the country’s second largest research and technology park, containing 220 companies employing 22,000 people involved in technology research and development. Huntsville/Madison County’s manufacturing industry represents a diverse mix of technology, assembly, and production operations from both domestic and international corporations, comprising one-fourth of the local employment base.

Huntsville/Madison County is also home to the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center and has representation from nearly every major U.S. aerospace corporation with over 90 companies employing more than 11,000 people in the local aerospace industry. In addition, Huntsville/Madison County plays a key role in the U.S. Army’s technology development programs. The Army’s Aviation & Missile Command and Space & Missile Defense Command both support a thriving engineering economy for contractors supporting the technology activity of the Army in Huntsville.

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