Nestled together in north-central Alabama, Blount, Etowah and St. Clair counties benefit from their proximity to interstates, railroads, airports and the Birmingham and Huntsville metropolitan areas. Leading industries in the three counties are automotive suppliers, metalworking, agriculture and food processing, health care, higher education and tourism.
Etowah County continues to make progress on developing the Northeast Alabama Regional (NEAR) Megasite. The 1,100-acre site lies adjacent to I-59 and Norfolk Southern Railway. Most recently, the county received a $4.6 million Site Evaluation Economic Development Strategy (SEEDS) grant from the Alabama Department of Commerce that, along with a $3.45 million local match from American Rescue Plan funds, will allow the county to fully extend water service to the megasite, ultimately connecting to a new 500,000-gallon elevated water storage tank. It also will pay for sewer infrastructure.
Officials in Rainbow City broke ground on the Challenger Learning Center last fall. The STEM-focused school is the first of its kind in Alabama and will feature a simulator where middle and high school students can role-play during a realistic simulated space mission. Nearby, the city also is building a 40,620-square-foot recreation center.
In St. Clair County, SEEDS funding totaling $2.5 million is helping smaller communities develop industry-ready sites to attract new business. The Commercial Development Authority in Moody received $407,902 in SEEDS funding to extend sewer service to a new 192-acre park located just off I-20 and the St. Clair Industrial Development Board received $2.1 million to acquire a 250-acre rail-served commerce park along I-59 in Springville.
Businesses in Pell City have been expanding their footprints. Douglas Manufacturing announced a nearly $11.7 million expansion of its production facility that is expected to create 50 new jobs; Ford Meter Box announced plans for a $23.2 million expansion; and Allied Mineral Products broke ground on a $23.5 million expansion that will add a 200,000-square-foot production facility.
Blount County opened a new Multi-Purpose Center in Cleveland last fall. The facility will be used for rodeos, fairs and livestock shows. It also houses the offices of the Blount County’s Extension, Economic Development Council, Tourism Office and Advanced Ag Academy. The site of the former agri-business center in Oneonta will become a regional sports complex.
A new shopping center is under development in Oneonta, the county seat. The property will feature national chains Marshalls, Five Below, Ulta and Rack Room Shoes, with potential for additional stores. It also includes several outparcel lots for future development.
Each county is served by local community colleges and nearby two- and four-year institutions that offer a variety of degree programs and technical and career training opportunities to build and maintain a highly skilled workforce. In Etowah County, Gadsden State Community College celebrated the opening of a new $24 million Advanced Manufacturing and Workforce Skills Training Center. Jefferson State Community College’s St. Clair-Pell City campus continues to expand its “fast track” short-certificate program offerings and recently introduced a 15-week Women in Welding scholarship program. In Blount County, Wallace State Community College’s Oneonta campus graduated its first nursing cohort in August 2024 and has expanded its workforce training options with the addition of a full-time CDL instructor.
Residents and visitors alike find plenty of ways to enjoy the region’s natural beauty and charm.
Blount County is home to three of Alabama’s 13 covered bridges and holds a Covered Bridge Festival each October. Rickwood Caverns State Park features a mile of underground caverns with 260-million-year-old limestone formations. The Locust Fork River is popular for kayaking and whitewater rafting.
Noccalula Falls Park in Gadsden offers plenty of family-friendly outdoor recreation, and Christmas at the Falls is one of the community’s biggest tourism revenue earners, drawing more than 100,000 visitors each year. Gadsden is preparing to break ground on a $20 million mixed-use development along the Coosa River. Patrick Lawler, the developer behind Gunterville’s City Harbor Project, is leading the development. The city is also developing the Downtown Gadsden Greenway with funds awarded by the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership.
Historic sites, museums and a wide variety of outdoor activities make St. Clair County a top recreational destination. Logan Martin Lake, with its 17,000 acres, offers residents and visitors swimming, boating and more. New restaurants and travel facilities are in the works.
Katherine MacGilvray is a Huntsville-based freelance contributor to Business Alabama.
For more on Blount, Etowah & St. Clair counties, see the links below:
This story appears in the April 2025 issue of Business Alabama.
