Huntsville annexation approved, city now expanded to 227 square miles

The Huntsville City Council approved the annexation of more than 1,000 acres of land south of the Tennessee River. This addition to the city limits not only places Huntsville in four counties, but also means the Rocket City is geographically as large as some of the most populated cities in the county.

Here’s what to know:

Recent annexation expands the Rocket City into 4 counties

The newly annexed property lies primarily along McCutcheon Loop Road in Morgan County, with a smaller portion extending along Vaughn Road in Marshall County.

The portion of Marshall County annexed now means that Huntsville how includes acreage in four counties (Madison, Limestone, Morgan and now Marshal counties).

Huntsville first annexed land south of the Tennessee River in Morgan County in 2018, and already includes Madison and Limestone counties within its city limits. Marshall County would become the city’s fourth.

The petition does not request any city services as part of the annexation. If approved, the ordinance would expand Huntsville’s industrial base and allow the city to regulate the quarry where SRM operates.

Huntsville now on par with major U.S. cities

The annexation approved last week, coupled with an annexation in March that included more than 600 acres, means the Rocket City now spans approximately 227 square miles.

To put that into perspective, Chicago spans 234 square miles (according to ChooseChicago) Tucson is a little more than 240 square miles (according to Visit Tucson) and New Orleans is just under 170 square miles.

While there are cities in the country that are more than three times our size, Huntsville’s continued expansion makes us far and away the largest city in the state. Here are the five largest cities in the state geographically:

1. Huntsville (227.2 square miles)
2. Montgomery (159.9 square miles)
3. Mobile (150.8 square miles)
4. Birmingham (147.1 square miles)
5. Dothan (90.2 square miles)

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