north Alabama

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File:North Alabama counties shaded map.png

North Alabama is a region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Several geographic definitions for the area exist, with all descriptions including the nine counties of Alabama's Tennessee Valley region. The North Alabama Industrial Development Association also lists Cherokee, Cullman, Franklin, and Winston counties in the region.{{Cite web|title=North Alabama Industrial Development Association|url=https://www.naida.com/}} The Alabama Mountain Lakes Tourist Association expands the definition further to include Blount, Etowah, and Marion counties.{{Cite web|title=About North Alabama {{!}} Visit North Alabama|url=https://www.northalabama.org/plan/about-north-alabama/|access-date=2021-11-02|website=www.northalabama.org}}

Huntsville is the region's largest metropolitan area.{{cite web|date=2010|title=Data|url=https://www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/cph-2-2.pdf|access-date=2019-07-09|website=www.census.gov}} Decatur and Florence-Muscle Shoals are classified as metropolitan areas as well. Albertville, Cullman, Fort Payne, and Scottsboro are each the hubs of their own micropolitan regions.{{Cite web|title=Alabama Metropolitan & Micropolitan Statistical Areas|url=https://alabama.hometownlocator.com/cities/msa/|access-date=2021-11-04|website=alabama.hometownlocator.com}} Other cities of notable size include Madison and Athens.

Locals tend to refer to this area as the "Tennessee Valley" in reference to the Tennessee River, which flows through the northernmost part of the state. Large parts of North Alabama are low upland, the eastern regions part of the Cumberland Plateau, marked by tablelands incised with gorges, some of them, such as Little River Canyon in DeKalb County, of considerable depth.{{cite web|url=http://www.topozone.com/alabama/ |title=Alabama Topographic Maps by Topo Zone |publisher=Topozone.com |access-date=2019-07-09}}

Climate

North Alabama has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa). It experiences hot, humid summers and generally mild winters, with average high temperatures ranging from near 90 °F (32.2 °C) in the summer to 49 °F (9.4 °C) during winter.{{Cite web|date=2021|title=Koppen Classification|url=http://hanschen.org/koppen}}

Geography

North Alabama is bordered to the north by Middle Tennessee, to the east by northwest Georgia, to the south by Central Alabama and the Birmingham metropolitan area, and to the west by North Mississippi. The entire region is located in the Central Time Zone.

= Topography =

File:Little River Canyon National Park,Gaylesville,AL.jpg

The Tennessee River traverses nearly the entire width of North Alabama, flowing southwest into the state near Bridgeport, and flowing northwest out of the state near Waterloo. All of the region’s metropolitan areas are located in the Tennessee River valley. TVA hydroelectric dams create the reservoirs of Guntersville Lake, Wheeler Lake, and Wilson Lake along the river’s course through Alabama. Alabama Power also manages two reservoirs in the region, maintaining Weiss Lake on the Coosa River and Lewis Smith Lake on the Black Warrior River.

Geologically, the Cumberland Plateau, marked by wooded steep-sided plateaus separated by deep valleys, dominates the eastern portion of the region. The Highland Rim, covered mostly by the Tennessee River delta, includes the north-central and northwestern portions of the region. The Valley and Ridge section, defined by narrow ridges separated by steep valleys, covers parts of the southeastern portion of the region. The far western areas of the region are covered by a northern stretch of the East Gulf Coastal Plain.{{Cite web|date=2021|title=Encyclopedia of Alabama – Geography of Alabama|url=http://encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h-1549}}

= Counties =

North Alabama comprises the following counties, according to the most common definition of the region.

Cherokee (County seat: Centre)
Colbert (County seat: Tuscumbia)
Cullman (County seat: Cullman)
DeKalb (County seat: Fort Payne)
Franklin (County seat: Russellville)
Jackson (County seat: Scottsboro)
Lauderdale (County seat: Florence)
Lawrence (County seat: Moulton)
Limestone (County seat: Athens)
Madison (County seat: Huntsville)
Marshall (County seat: Guntersville)
Morgan (County seat: Decatur)
Winston (County seat: Double Springs)

File:Downtown Huntsville, Alabama.jpg

File:Main_Street_Madison_Alabama_May_2011_01.jpg

= Metropolitan areas =

Huntsville–Decatur-Albertville combined statistical area (Pop. 774,480)
Huntsville metropolitan area (Pop. 481,681. Principal cities: Huntsville, Madison, Athens){{Cite web|date=May 5, 2021|title=Resident Population in Huntsville, AL (MSA)|url=https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/HUNPOP|website=Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis}}
Decatur metropolitan area (Pop. 152,740. Principal cities: Decatur, Hartselle, Moulton){{Cite web|date=May 5, 2021|title=Resident Population in Decatur, AL (MSA)|url=https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/DCTPOP|website=Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis}}
The Shoals (Pop. 148,779. Principal cities: Florence, Muscle Shoals, Sheffield, Tuscumbia){{Cite web|title=Resident Population in Florence-Muscle Shoals, AL (MSA)|url=https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/FLOPOP|website=Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis}}

File:Decatur Alabama - Tennessee River view.jpg

= Micropolitan areas =

Economy

The northern areas of Alabama contain a wide variety of industrial, manufacturing, and high-tech corporations with both large and small operations.{{cite web|url=http://www.huntsvillealabamausa.com/index.php?option=com_content&view...id |title=Home – Huntsville/Madison County Chamber |publisher=Huntsvillealabamausa.com |date=2019-06-28 |access-date=2019-07-09}} Each of the three economic centers in the region (Huntsville, Decatur, and Florence) have a distinct type of economic base. The entire region relies heavily on row-crop, cattle and poultry production. Agribusiness plays a vital role in The Valley. Some of the largest row-crop operations in the state reside on farms in The Valley.

The Huntsville area is home to the U.S. Army’s Redstone Arsenal, the largest employer in the region, as well as NASA’s Marshall Spaceflight Center.{{Cite web|date=2011|title=Top of the List: Alabama's largest employers|url=https://www.bizjournals.com/birmingham/blog/2011/04/top-of-the-list-alabamas-largest.html}}{{Cite web|date=2020|title=2020 Leading Employers Huntsville/Madison County, Alabama|url=https://hsvchamber.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/2020-Leading-Employers-June-2020.pdf}} Nearby Cummings Research Park, the second largest research park in the nation, is home to high-tech defense contracting firms such as Boeing, SAIC, and Dynetics.{{Cite web|date=2021|title=Cummings Research Park|url=https://cummingsresearchpark.com/}} Huntsville has also increasingly become a center for auto manufacturing, with Toyota Manufacturing Alabama and the joint venture Mazda Toyota Manufacturing USA both located in the city.

The Decatur area, in the central part of the region, has long been a center for shipping and manufacturing due to its location on the Tennessee River. It is home to numerous industrial and manufacturing companies, including General Electric, Nucor, and 3M. Food processing facilities such as Wayne Farms and Gemstone Foods have significant facilities in the area as well. United Launch Alliance produces launch vehicles for NASA and other agencies at its manufacturing, assembly, and integration facility in Decatur. The Tennessee Valley Authority also has roots in the area.{{Cite web|date=2021|title=Morgan County Economic Development Association – Top Employers|url=https://mceda.org/facts-maps/top-employers}}

The Florence-Muscle Shoals area, also known as "The Shoals", hosts an array of manufacturing companies, including North American Lightning, Constellium, and FreightCar America. Many residents of the Shoals are employed in healthcare and education.{{Cite web|date=2021|title=North Alabama Industrial Development Association – Our Region|url=https://www.naida.com/our-region/}}

File:Wilson Dam from TVA.jpg is a part of the Tennessee Valley Authority's valuable impact on the North Alabama economy.]]

Tourism

The most visited attractions in North Alabama are the U.S. Space and Rocket Center, Wheeler Wildlife Refuge, the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail, and Point Mallard Park. Other popular destinations include Lake Guntersville State Park, Joe Wheeler State Park, Huntsville Botanical Gardens, Little River Canyon National Preserve, the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament, the Alabama Music Hall of Fame, and the Cook Museum of Natural Science. The area’s largest annual festival is the W.C. Handy Music Festival.{{Cite web|date=2021|title=Sweet Home Alabama – Alabama Department of Tourism|url=https://tourism.alabama.gov/2016/02/u-s-space-rocket-center-is-alabamas-number-one-tourism-attraction/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160212193615/http://tourism.alabama.gov/2016/02/u-s-space-rocket-center-is-alabamas-number-one-tourism-attraction/|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 12, 2016}}