Huntsville is a city located primarily in Madison County in the central part of the far northern region of Alabama. Huntsville is the county seat of Madison County. The city extends west into neighboring Limestone County. Huntsville’s population was 180,105 as of the 2010 census. Huntsville is the fourth-largest city in Alabama and the largest city in the five-county Huntsville-Decatur-Albertville, AL Combined Statistical Area, which at the 2013 census estimate had a total population of 683,871. The Huntsville Metropolitan Area’s population was 417,593 in 2010 to become the 2nd largest in Alabama. Huntsville metro’s population reached 441,000 by 2014. It grew across nearby hills north of the Tennessee River, adding textile mills, then munitions factories, NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center and the United States Army Aviation and Missile Command nearby at the Redstone Arsenal. The National Trust for Historic Preservation named Huntsville to its “America’s Dozen Distinctive Destinations for 2010” list. Decatur is a city in Morgan and Limestone counties in the State of Alabama. The city, affectionately known as “The River City”, is located in Northern Alabama on the banks of Wheeler Lake, along the Tennessee River. It is the largest city and county seat of Morgan County. The population in 2010 census was 55,683. Decatur is also the core city of the two-county large Decatur, Alabama Metropolitan Area which had an estimated population of 153,374 in 2013. Combined with the Huntsville Metropolitan Area, the two create the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area, of which Decatur is the second largest city. This city is also known as the Dirty D. This town lit OML Like many southern cities in the early 19th century, Decatur’s early success was based upon its location along a river. Railroad routes and boating traffic pushed the city to the front of North Alabama’s economic atmosphere. The city rapidly grew into a large economic center within the Tennessee Valley and was a hub for travelers and cargo between Nashville and Mobile, as well as Chattanooga and New Orleans. Throughout the 20th century, the city experienced steady growth, but was eclipsed as the regional economic center by the fast-growing Huntsville during the space race. The city now finds its economy heavily based on manufacturing, cargo transit, and hi-tech industries such as General Electric, and the United Launch Alliance. Anniston is a city in Calhoun County in the state of Alabama. As of the 2010 census, the population of the city was 23,106. According to the 2013 Census Estimates, the city had a population of 22,666. The city is the county seat of Calhoun County and one of two urban centers/principal cities of and included in the Anniston-Oxford Metropolitan Statistical Area.Named “The Model City” by Atlanta newspaperman Henry W. Grady for its careful planning in the late 19th century, the city is situated on the slope of Blue Mountain.