GADSDEN — Etowah County is at a turning point and State Sen. Andrew Jones says the future is looking bright.
“We’re having kind of a sea change in Etowah County,” said Jones (R-Centre), who represents Senate District 10, which includes all of Etowah and Cherokee counties and part of DeKalb. “A lot of our legacy union employers have kind of gone out, and we’ve been looking for a spark. I think that moment is finally starting to arrive.”
It was 25 years ago that two of the region’s largest industrial employers, Goodyear and Gulf States Steel, closed their doors. Goodyear shut down its plant in 1999, laying off more than 1,300 workers. Just a year later, Gulf States Steel followed, impacting approximately 1,250 hourly workers and nearly 300 salaried employees. The economic gap left local leaders searching for a new path forward.
That path led to leaders investing in the county’s 1,200-acre mega-site along I-59, equipped with rail access and poised for development. The state has invested $17 million into the site, which Jones describes as “the best piece of property in the state that’s ready to go.”
“We’ve had a lot of interest,” he said. “The challenge is that some of the employers have been too small. With a site that big, we want a major employer, two or three thousand workers. We can’t have small potatoes.”
The mega-site is just one piece of a broader plan to reshape the region’s economy.
Gadsden State Community College recently launched an advanced manufacturing facility to prepare students for high-demand, high-wage careers. Earlier this year, the state committed $8.5 million to build a Challenger Learning Center aimed at boosting interest in STEM fields among students.
“Those things, training workers, getting students excited about science and technology, and having a site ready to land a major employer, really have the potential to change the landscape there,” Jones said.
He said that while Etowah County once thrived on traditional industry, economic shifts forced local leaders to rethink the region’s identity.
“If you’re not evolving your business landscape and your climate, you’re going to be behind,” Jones said. “Now that you have these pieces falling into place, we really have the potential to grow like we’re seeing in the rest of North Alabama.”
Or, as Jones puts it, “Big things are happening in Etowah County. Everybody should come check it out.”
