‘City of opportunity’: Huntsville mayor delivers State of the City address

HUNTSVILLE- At a sold-out State of the City address Tuesday, Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle delivered good news about Alabama’s largest city.

Battle revealed his vision for the Rocket City and noted the sharp rise in population.

“We want to be that place where people want to live, one worthy of our intellectual capital, enticing to newcomers, a place where our grown children would return and raise their families,” he said in his 16th address. “Fast forward to today and look at us now. Huntsville’s population has increased 38% to over 241,000. Remember, we started at 180,000 in 2008. We’re adding about 17 people a day. And we’ve gone from Alabama’s fourth biggest city to its largest and fastest growing nationally.

“Huntsville ranks in the top 25 fastest growing cities and is the 95th largest city in the U.S.”

The mayor also emphasized the changing levels of education among Huntsville’s residents.

“And if you thought we were smart back in 2008, we’re even smarter now,” Battle said. “Sixteen years ago, about 38% of our community held a bachelor’s degree, 15% had a graduate degree, and 87% had a high school diploma. Today, those academic numbers have shot up. 93% graduated from high school. 54% of our population has a bachelor’s degree, and 20% earned a graduate degree.

“So, when we say that we’re a smart place, we really mean it.”

The higher levels of education have opened up further opportunities for much of the city’s population, he said.

“The higher the education, the more job options and better pay. We offer more opportunities to everybody,” Battle said. “The city’s median household income has grown by 74%. It leads the state and is also 37% higher than the U.S. average.

“We’ve become a city of opportunity, a place where people can earn a good wage, send their children to good schools, and feel safe.”