Civil Municipal Magazine Aug 2023

190 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 4, ISSUE 8 unnoticed by the Mayor who outlines to us that it is this strategic location that represents a big draw for commercial and industrial business prospects showing interest in the city. “Residents can easily commute 30 to 45 minutes to Huntsville and many of us have driven back and forth for years either to work, shop, or enjoy our recreation.” The Mayor also highlights that “Scottsboro is located at the intersection of US Highway 72, Alabama Highway 79, and Alabama Highway 35. “They [the highways] converge right here in the Scottsboro city limits.” Tourism is also a big draw and generates revenue for the city. “The city’s natural assets play a huge part in its residential growth,” the Mayor states. “It is a very diverse area,” he offers. “We have the Appalachian Mountains as well as the of an inflationary climate gripping the country and supply chain shortages still lingering from the pandemic. Despite some other regions experiencing a slight slowdown in residential and commercial growth, the residents of Scottsboro are enjoying a boom of sorts. For the city’s mayor, Jim McCamy, this growth is not unexpected and the city has an economic development plan to meet such welcome growth. “We have a population of approximately 15,500 people and we are a historic town dating back to civil war times through to the current day,” Mayor McCamy relays to us as we sat down with city officials to discuss the city’s current and upcoming initiatives. “The city was originally a cotton and textile manufacturing center in North Alabama and we are only 40 miles east of Huntsville and 60 miles southwest of Chattanooga, Tennessee,” he continues. This geographical advantage does not go