“We like to be the Mayberry of North Alabama.”
— Priceville Mayor Sam Helfin
Known as the “Crossroads of North Alabama,” the town of Priceville in Morgan County is one of the fastest growing municipalities in the state. Bordered by the Tennessee River, Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge, and just 15 minutes from Huntsville International Airport, Priceville sits at the literal crossroads where I-65 and AL 67 meet.
As part of the City Focus series, 256 Today spoke with Priceville Mayor Sam Heflin.
What has changed most in Priceville since you began serving on the city council 14 years ago before being elected to Mayor?
“Well I’ve lived here since 1976, except when I went to the Marine Corps, and I would say the number of people. Priceville still has a small-town feel, close enough to Huntsville, Madison, Birmingham, and Nashville to get the convenience of the big city but still with a small-town atmosphere. Everybody’s family.”
“We’re a bedroom community and we know that and we don’t ever want to be anything else.”
What is the biggest challenge facing Priceville?
“Retail. We don’t want smokestacks, but we do need to recruit more retail.”
“We’ve been a hidden gem for a long time and all the developers have found Priceville as far as houses so we also need to make sure our infrastructure and schools system stay ahead of the growth. We have stayed on top of it for now while being financially sound with the money that comes into the city.”
A lot of the challenges you are describing sound similar to the challenges the city of Madison has faced in recent years. Priceville has often been described as the next Madison. Do you feel like Priceville is the next Madison?
“I’ve heard that since I’ve been on city council. We don’t want to be the next Madison. They have their own history and growth issues. I do try to look at some of the things Madison has gone through and I try to make sure we are staying ahead of that with our infrastructure. There’s some places in Madison it takes longer to get to the airport or Arsenal than it does if you live in Priceville.”
What are you most excited about for the city of Priceville?
“We’ve got a new Event & Recreation Center under construction going up next to City Hall, it’s about an 8-million dollar project. If you drive down I-65 you can see it going up. It’s going to be a beautiful addition to our city.”
What is Priceville most proud of?
“I would say the people and the community involvement. We were just voted as the 3rd best suburb to live in the state of Alabama. We’re always out in the community doing something, stop on by.”
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