Huntsville tops in population growth

City adds 6,727 people since year 2000, census says

Thursday, June 22, 2006

By TAYLOR BRIGHT

Times Montgomery Bureau tbright@htimes.com

MONTGOMERY - It hasn't taken BRAC to make Huntsville and Madison County grow briskly.

Between 2000 and 2005, Huntsville added more people than any city in Alabama, according to the latest U.S. Census estimates.

In a state where many of the urban hubs are losing population, Huntsville and Madison, which ranked third in the number of people added, continue to grow.

According to numbers released Wednesday, Huntsville added 6,727 people in the last five years - an increase of 4.2 percent.

Madison added 6,567 people in the last five years, an increase of 22.4 percent.

"Huntsville and Madison are perennially the fastest-growing cities in Alabama," said Annette Watters, manager of the Alabama State Data Center at the University of Alabama.

After Huntsville, Madison was behind only Auburn, which added 6,620 people, in the number of people who moved to town since 2000.

Overall, Huntsville's population increased to more than 166,000.

As well as Huntsville did, Madison County did even better.

"There are a lot of attractive places to live in Madison County that are not inside the city limits of Huntsville," Watters said.

The county grew by 7.7 percent, increasing to 298,192 people.

Watters said the area will continue to grow, especially with the announcement of the Base Realignment and Closure Commission transfers. Redstone Arsenal is set to gain 4,700 Department of Defense jobs from BRAC moves, and another 5,000 contractor jobs are expected to follow.

"The recent BRAC announcements are really going to keep it in a high growth mode for the rest of the decade," Watters said.

Madison County's neighbor to the west, Limestone County, increased its population 7.3 percent.

Decatur grew at a much smaller pace, adding 926 people, an increase of 1.7 percent.

While North Alabama cities showed healthy growth, Alabama's larger cities did not.

Birmingham lost more than 11,000 people - nearly 5 percent of its population. Mobile lost more than 7,600 people - about 3.8 percent of its population.

"Birmingham was the biggest single loser," Watters said

Watters said that just because some of the major cities lost population doesn't mean the metro areas they anchor are dying.

"The metro area is not in trouble," Watters said. "There are a lot of fast-growing areas that are part of the Birmingham economy that are not incorporated Birmingham."



Huntsville tops in population growth City adds 6,727 people since year 2000, census says Thursday, June 22, 2006 By TAYLOR BRIGHT Times Montgomery Bureau tbright@htimes.com MONTGOMERY - It hasn't taken BRAC to make Huntsville and Madison County grow briskly. Between 2000 and 2005, Huntsville added more people than any city in Alabama, according to the latest U.S. Census estimates. In a state where many of the urban hubs are losing population, Huntsville and Madison, which ranked third in the number of people added, continue to grow. According to numbers released Wednesday, Huntsville added 6,727 people in the last five years - an increase of 4.2 percent. Madison added 6,567 people in the last five years, an increase of 22.4 percent. "Huntsville and Madison are perennially the fastest-growing cities in Alabama," said Annette Watters, manager of the Alabama State Data Center at the University of Alabama. After Huntsville, Madison was behind only Auburn, which added 6,620 people, in the number of people who moved to town since 2000. Overall, Huntsville's population increased to more than 166,000. As well as Huntsville did, Madison County did even better. "There are a lot of attractive places to live in Madison County that are not inside the city limits of Huntsville," Watters said. The county grew by 7.7 percent, increasing to 298,192 people. Watters said the area will continue to grow, especially with the announcement of the Base Realignment and Closure Commission transfers. Redstone Arsenal is set to gain 4,700 Department of Defense jobs from BRAC moves, and another 5,000 contractor jobs are expected to follow. "The recent BRAC announcements are really going to keep it in a high growth mode for the rest of the decade," Watters said. Madison County's neighbor to the west, Limestone County, increased its population 7.3 percent. Decatur grew at a much smaller pace, adding 926 people, an increase of 1.7 percent. While North Alabama cities showed healthy growth, Alabama's larger cities did not. Birmingham lost more than 11,000 people - nearly 5 percent of its population. Mobile lost more than 7,600 people - about 3.8 percent of its population. "Birmingham was the biggest single loser," Watters said Watters said that just because some of the major cities lost population doesn't mean the metro areas they anchor are dying. "The metro area is not in trouble," Watters said. "There are a lot of fast-growing areas that are part of the Birmingham economy that are not incorporated Birmingham." © 2006 The Huntsville Times © 2006 al.com All Rights Reserved.