Metro area's growth 27th in U.S.

Census ranking reflects jobs here, chamber official says

The Huntsville metro area saw the state's greatest population surge in 2008 and ranked 27th nationally, up 34 spots from 2007.

The metro area, which includes Limestone County, grew by 9,323 people from 2007 to 2008, a 2.4 percent increase according to U.S. Census Bureau figures released Wednesday. Those new arrivals brought the population for the Huntsville metro area to 395,645 as of July 1, making it the 127th largest metro area out of 361 in the U.S.

"The Census ranking absolutely reflects our job growth here," said Ethan Hadley, vice president for economic development at the Huntsville/Madison County Chamber of Commerce. "The jobs are the magnet, and we see it only going up. BRAC is happening, we're experiencing growth in our diversified industries and we continue to experience growth from the 1995 BRAC."

Huntsville is expected to add some 4,700 direct jobs through the 2005 BRAC, the military Base Realignment and Closure process. Thousands more support jobs are also expected to be created by the transfer of three major military commands to Redstone Arsenal by 2011.

The metro areas of Raleigh-Cary, N.C., and Austin-Round Rock, Texas, topped the U.S. population growth list.

There was also population growth across every metro area in Alabama, except Montgomery, the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs noted. Auburn-Opelika was second to Huntsville, with 1.9 percent growth.

"In most situations, growth is a good thing," ADECA spokeswoman Crystal Bonvillain said. "The growth we're seeing in Alabama shows people who are coming here think it's a good place to live. We hope we'll continue to see the growth."