Morgan County is a county in the north-central part of the U.S. state of Alabama. As of the 2020 census, its population was 123,421. The county seat is Decatur. On June 14, 1821, it was renamed in honor of American Revolutionary War General Daniel Morgan of Virginia. It is a prohibition or dry county, although alcohol sales are allowed in the cities of Decatur, Hartselle, and Priceville. Morgan County is included in the Decatur, AL Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Huntsville-Decatur-Albertville, AL Combined Statistical Area. It is a part of the North, Northwest, and North-Central regions of Alabama.
Interstate 65 (I-65) is a major north–south interstate highway in the central United States. As with most primary interstates ending in 5, it is a major crosscountry, north–south route, connecting between the Great Lakes and the Gulf of Mexico. Its southern terminus is located at an interchange with I-10 in Mobile, Alabama, and its northern terminus is at an interchange with US 12 (US 12) and US 20 in Gary, Indiana, just southeast of Chicago. I-65 connects several major metropolitan areas in the Midwest and Southern US. It connects the four largest cities in Alabama: Mobile, Montgomery, Birmingham, and Huntsville. It also serves as one of the main north–south routes through Nashville, Tennessee; Louisville, Kentucky; and Indianapolis, Indiana, each a major metropolitan area in its respective state.
Decatur is the largest city and county seat of Morgan County in the U.S. state of Alabama. Nicknamed "The River City," it is located in northern Alabama on the banks of Wheeler Lake along the Tennessee River. The population was 57,938 at the 2020 census.
Hartselle is the second largest city in Morgan County, Alabama, United States, 13 miles (21 km) south of Decatur. It is part of the Decatur Metropolitan Area and the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area.
U.S. Route 31 or U.S. Highway 31 (US 31) is a major north–south U.S. highway connecting southern Alabama to northern Michigan. Its southern terminus is at an intersection with US 90/US 98 in Spanish Fort, Alabama. Its northern terminus is at an interchange with Interstate 75 (I-75) south of Mackinaw City, Michigan.
U.S. Route 72 (US 72) is an east–west United States highway that travels for 317.811 miles (511.467 km) from southwestern Tennessee, throughout North Mississippi, North Alabama, and southeastern Tennessee. The highway's western terminus is in Memphis, Tennessee and its eastern terminus is in Chattanooga. It is the only U.S. Highway to begin and end in the same state, yet pass through other states in between. Prior to the U.S. Highway system signage being posted in 1926, the entire route was part of the Lee Highway.
U.S. Route 231 (US 231) is a north–south U.S highway that is a parallel route of US 31. It runs for 912 miles (1,468 km) from St. John, Indiana, at US 41 to south of US 98 in downtown Panama City, Florida. One of its most notable landmarks is the William H. Natcher Bridge, a 0.853 miles (1.373 km) long cable-stayed bridge that connects Rockport, Indiana, to Owensboro, Kentucky, spanning the Ohio River.
The Tennessee Valley is the drainage basin of the Tennessee River and is largely within the U.S. state of Tennessee. It stretches from southwest Kentucky to north Alabama and from northeast Mississippi to the mountains of Virginia and North Carolina. The border of the valley is known as the Tennessee Valley Divide. The Tennessee Valley contributes greatly to the formation of Tennessee's three legally recognized sectors.
Interstate 565 (I-565) is a 22-mile-long (35 km) Interstate spur that connects I-65 in Decatur with U.S. Route 72 (US 72) in Huntsville in the US state of Alabama.
The Huntsville–Decatur–Albertville, Alabama, combined statistical area is the most populated sub-region of North Alabama, and is the second largest combined statistical area in the State of Alabama after Birmingham. The Huntsville-Decatur-Albertville CSA had a total of 879,315 people in 2022 and ranks 68th in the country.
State Route 67 (SR 67) is a 47.107-mile-long (75.811 km) state highway in the U.S. state of Alabama that connects the city of Decatur to U.S. Route 231 at Rainbow Crossing in Blount County. This highway serves as a connector between Decatur and Gadsden.
Alternate U.S. Route 72 exists in Alabama on the south side of the Tennessee River between Muscle Shoals and Decatur, while US 72 follows on the north side of the river between Florence and Athens. US 72 Alt. crosses the Tennessee River at Decatur, along with US 31, and follows the entire route of Interstate 565 (I-565). SR-20 was co-signed with US 72 Alt. from Muscle Shoals to Huntsville but has since been truncated to the junction of I-65 just east of Decatur.
U.S. Route 31 (US 31) in Alabama runs north–south up through the heart of Alabama for 386.449 miles (621.929 km). US 31 proper begins at a junction with US 90 and US 98 in Spanish Fort and exits the state into Tennessee running concurrently with Interstate 65 (I-65) near Ardmore. US 31 enters the limits of major cities Montgomery, Birmingham, and Decatur. Throughout the state, with the exception of its concurrency with I-65 north of Athens, US 31 runs concurrently with the unsigned State Route 3. Today, aside from portions through major towns and cities, US 31 is largely a rural two-lane highway. The route has largely been supplanted by I-65, with which it has eight junctions and two concurrencies.
Area codes 256 and 938 are telephone area codes in the North American Numbering Plan (NANP) for North Alabama, as well as some eastern portions of the state. The two area codes form an overlay plan for the same numbering plan area. Area code 256 was created in 1998, and 938 was added in 2010.
State Route 20 (SR 20) is a 73.978-mile-long (119.056 km) state highway in the northern part of the U.S. state of Alabama. It travels from the Tennessee state line, where it continues as Tennessee State Route 69, northwest of Florence, east to Interstate 65 (I-65), east of Decatur. It crosses the Tennessee River at Florence and also at Decatur
Research Park Boulevard runs from I-565 to Bob Wade Lane on the north and west sides of Huntsville in Madison County, Alabama. Much of the route is a limited access highway, with the entire route planned to be limited access. Plans call for the road to be extended to create a near-complete bypass around Huntsville.
Interstate 65 (I-65) meanders across 366 miles (589 km) of the Alabama countryside linking six of the state's 10 largest cities. The highway links together many important roadways that make commerce inside and outside of the state's boundaries possible. It starts at I-10 near Mobile. The route passes through the major cities of Montgomery, Birmingham, Decatur, Huntsville, and Athens before entering Tennessee in the north near the town of Ardmore, Alabama.
State Route 36 (SR 36) is a 44.5-mile-long (71.6 km) east–west state highway in the northern part of the U.S. state of Alabama. The western terminus of the highway is at its intersection with SR 33 at Wren, an unincorporated community in Lawrence County. The eastern terminus of the highway is at its intersection with U.S. Route 231 (US 231) at Lacey’s Spring in Morgan County.
U.S. Route 231 (US 231) in Alabama runs north–south up through the eastern half of Alabama for 306.273 miles (492.899 km). US 231 enters the state from Florida south of Madrid and exits into Tennessee, running councurrently with US 431 north of Hazel Green. US 231 passes through the major cities of Dothan, Troy, Montgomery, and Huntsville.
The Huntsville Metropolitan Statistical Area is a metropolitan statistical area on the northern border of Alabama. The metro area's principal city is Huntsville, and consists of two counties: Limestone and Madison. As of the 2020 United States census, the Huntsville Metropolitan Area's population was 491,723, making it the 2nd-largest metropolitan area in Alabama and the 113th-largest in the United States.
