Since the early days of the space age in the 1950s and ’60s, engineers have flocked to Huntsville, aka “Rocket City,” to join the teams at NASA, McDonnell Douglas, and Boeing. These companies landed Department of Defense contracts and produced more and more spin-off companies, all requiring engineering and tech talent, says John Norris, chief economist at Oakworth Capital Bank in Birmingham, Alabama.
More recently, Huntsville has attracted Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos’ space venture, Blue Origin, which is investing $200 million to build its BE-4 rocket engine here, and Aerojet Rocketdyne, which is bringing 800 new jobs to town. The FBI is also moving 1,800 of its employees to a new center in Huntsville.
Get to know Huntsville with these videos:
LOW COST OF LIVING:
Part of what attracts companies to Huntsville, Alabama’s second largest city, is its low cost of living. With a median home price of $150,000, housing in Huntsville leaves tech workers with plenty of disposable income. Even in Madison, a bedroom community west of Huntsville that’s the most popular among locals searching for homes on Trulia, the median price for a house—$190,000—is still less than the nationwide median.
POPULATION:
Huntsville has an estimated population of 190,501 and has been consistently named as one of the best places to live and work in the entire country. Living in Huntsville offers residents a dense suburban feel and most residents own their homes. Huntsville is one of the fastest growing cities in the state and is expected to be the largest city in the state within the new few years. The economic growth of Huntsville is unparalleled, with the 2nd largest research park in the country and one of the highest populations of engineers and scientists in the world.
HUNTSVILLE IN THE NEWS:
- 5 New Reasons to Visit Huntsville, AL in 2020 … Read more
- Why This Southern Town Is a Great Place to Live and Work … Read more
- Job Magnet: How Huntsville, AL is Defying The Odds … Read more
- How to get one of those new Huntsville jobs in 2020 … Read more
- The FBI is building a $1 billion campus in Huntsville, Alabama … Read more
- Giant Mixed use development coming to South Huntsville …. Read more
- 22 big things coming to Huntsville, Alabama … Read more
- Billions of dollars in economic growth in the works for Huntsville … Read more
- Massive south Huntsville development approved by city council … Read more
- Alabama’s Rocket City is Teeming with Engineers … Read more
- US Space & Rocket Center among Time magazine’s coolest places in the world … Read more
LINKS TO EXPLORE:
- Huntsville Residential Information
- Huntsville Downtown
- Huntsville Churches
- Huntsville Schools
- Colleges
- Huntsville-Madison County Chamber of Commerce
- Huntsville Visitors and Convention Center
- Lowe Mill Arts & Entertainment
- Huntsville Shopping
- Huntsville Restaurants
- US Space & Rocket Center
- Early Works Children’s History Museum
- Burritt on the Mountain
- Stovehouse
- Botanical Garden
- Huntsville Museum of Art
