MORGAN COUNTY
Located just south of Limestone and Madison Counties, Morgan County enjoys all the advantages of being part of the state’s fastest-growing region. Its diverse industrial base, which consists of aerospace, metals, chemicals and food processing and includes Fortune 500 and Global 500 companies, is supported by a variety of factors, among them, the strength of its logistics infrastructure.
Morgan County is home to one of the largest barge terminals along the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway, and Decatur, the county seat, is a railroad hub served by Norfolk Southern and CSX Transportation. Last year, the Alabama Port Authority and CSX announced that Decatur will be the site for a new intermodal transfer facility that will enhance rail connectivity from the Port of Mobile through central and northern Alabama.
Access to an extensive waterway, rail and highway network is a major draw for the county’s thriving aerospace industry. United Launch Alliance operates a 1.6 million-square-foot plant in Decatur where it manufactures heavy-lift rockets. Recently, ULA’s Atlas V rocket has begun delivering the first grouping of operational broadband satellites for Amazon’s Project Kuiper as part of the world’s largest commercial launch agreement.
In 2023, five companies in Morgan County, including Nucor Towers & Structures, Bunge North America and Polyplex USA, announced new or expanded projects, representing a total investment of $199.2Â million and creating 209 jobs. And in Hartselle, Cerrowire became the first tenant in the Morgan County Business Park when it opened a new 270,000-square-foot metal clad cable plant.
Last year, GreenPoint Ag announced a $6.25Â million plant expansion and plans to relocate its headquarters to Decatur, a $17Â million investment project. In Priceville, IMS announced plans to begin a $2.68Â million expansion of its facility.
Alongside industry expansion, communities in Morgan County are also growing, offering more residential and recreational options for residents.
In Decatur, several housing development projects that cater both to families and to young professionals are taking shape. They include Bank Street Station, a mixed-use development with roughly 200 apartments and retail space in downtown Decatur; Kenzie Meadows, which plans to include 60 three-bedroom townhomes and 200 single-family homes; and River Loft Apartments, a mixed-use complex with 100 apartment units.
A new recreation center is being built at Wilson Morgan Park in Decatur. The $52.5Â million project will include a 103,000-square-foot enclosed facility and an overhaul of the surrounding outdoor space.
And a new $7Â million event center in the eastern part of the county is scheduled to open this fall. The facility features a double gym and walking track; basketball, pickleball and volleyball courts; and a multipurpose room for events.
LIMESTONE COUNTY
In 2024, Limestone County remained the fastest-growing county in Alabama for the fourth year in a row, indicating that its location squarely in the center of the state’s fastest-growing region and within the Huntsville metropolitan statistical area, its economic opportunities and its high rankings for quality of life continue to make it an attractive location for industrial and residential growth.
Limestone County has established itself as a hub for automotive and advanced manufacturing. The county’s top industrial employer, Mazda Toyota Manufacturing, supports a network of automotive suppliers, including several on-site partners, that have generated thousands of jobs and helped bolster the region’s automotive industry.
The county continues to grow in other key industries as well. Its proximity to Redstone Arsenal, NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center and Cummings Research Park in Huntsville make Limestone County a draw for aerospace and biotechnology-related companies. It is also home to distribution centers for Target and Amazon, both top employers in the county.
These industries are fueled by extensive workforce development resources, including initiatives and programs spearheaded by area institutions including Athens State University, Calhoun Community College and Robotics Technology Park.
Pryor Field Regional Airport, a public-use airport centrally located between Athens, Decatur and Huntsville, is at the center of a $32.7Â million aviation infrastructure investment. Aleut Real Estate LLC (ARE), a subsidiary of Alaska-based The Aleut Corp., broke ground in June on a hangar that will serve as a maintenance, repair and overhaul facility for commercial and military aircraft. Strata-G Solutions, an Aleut-owned, defense engineering and manufacturing firm based in Huntsville, will work alongside ARE on project development.
Athens, the county seat, was the second-fastest growing city in the state in 2024. Thousands of housing unit projects recently have been approved to accommodate new residents, and several new business developments are in the works as well, including a new Publix, a new Food City and several new dining options. Even with all of its growth, Athens, with its picturesque downtown square and small-town charm, also is undergoing revitalization efforts.
Katherine MacGilvray is a Huntsville-based freelance contributor to Business Alabama.
For more on Limestone and Morgan counties, see the links below:
This story appears in the August 2025 issue of Business Alabama.
