The peaceful Tennessee Valley isn’t quite as peaceful as it used to be. The roar of contracted moving companies is bringing thousands of employees to Redstone Arsenal as a result of the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC). Army Materiel Command will make its new home at Redstone Arsenal, bringing with it a four-star general billet and a new clout to the already teeming defense and space sector of the Huntsville and Madison, Alabama communities.
A total of 4,700 Army and federal agency jobs are moving to Redstone Arsenal and an estimated 20,000 people total could be moving to the area as a result of BRAC related transfers and growth, according to Joe Ritch, chair of the Tennessee Valley BRAC Committee.
The Tennessee Valley community has worked hard to welcome incoming employees with open arms. Several websites offer resources for incoming workers and tout the benefits and amenities of the community overall and Redstone Arsenal itself.
“We are a community where 90 percent of us are from somewhere else anyway, so when you start talking about embracing newcomers, we were all embraced at one time ourselves,” said Huntsville major Tommy Battle.
Madison and Huntsville, the two cities closest to Redstone Arsenal, have seen significant growth according to census data. Madison is the fastest growing city in the state and 10th largest; Huntsville is now the second largest metro area in the state.
Numerous town hall meetings were held and incentives were offered to encourage employees to make the shift from the hustle and bustle of the metro Washington, D.C. area to the relative calm of the Tennessee Valley. It seems the area itself offers some of the best advantages, with lower cost of living and a significantly shorter commute.
While it’s government employees making the move today it is the projected move of thousands of contract and support jobs that keeps the Tennessee Valley region growing. Huntsville was recently named one of the top 10 best cities for job opportunities, and if steady growth continues Huntsville could help move the state’s unemployment numbers down.
“We’ve had a lot of success,” said Brian Hilson, former president and CEO of the Huntsville/Madison County Chamber of Commerce. “We expected to be successful here and we have been. Expectations for employment growth and diversification and the continued strength of the economy are very high and they should be – and that’s what people will continue to see in Huntsville for many years to come.”
