A look at what makes the ‘Rocket City’ one of the healthiest job markets in the nation and what we can do to try to catch up.
Space race: Why Huntsville, Ala., is beating the SpringsHUNTSVILLE, Ala. — More than 8,000 engineers in this city lost their jobs in 1995 with a single stroke of Bill Clinton’s presidential pen. Clinton had ended the so-called Stars Wars missile defense program, throwing Huntsville’s economy into a tailspin. With the loss of thousands of high-paying jobs, nearly every sector of the city’s job market was affected. […] Huntsville’s charms surprise newcomers every dayHUNTSVILLE, Ala. — When Mirian Dyns moved from Stanford University in California to Huntsville’s HudsonAlpha Institute, she was worried about the schools, about activities for her three boys and about making the small Alabama city home after life in California. Two years later, those worries have been put to rest. […] As NASA’s fortunes rise, fall, so do Huntsville’sHUNTSVILLE, Ala. — You can find uncertainty mixed with optimism in this town. The optimism comes from studies that find aerospace companies plan to hire 15,469 people nationwide this year. A good share of those jobs is likely to land in Huntsville. […] German innovation transformed city into powerhouseHUNTSVILLE, Ala. — Were it not for the efforts of a former Nazi scientist, Huntsville today might still be what it was in the 1950s: the watercress capital of the world. […] |
How they stack upThe aerospace and defense industries in Huntsville account for nearly 158,000 direct and indirect jobs in a city of slightly more than 405,000. In Colorado Springs, population 380,000, the total is estimated at 80,000, representing the largest single sector of the economy. Wages in Huntsville grew by 4.2 percent last year, slightly higher than the national average. Huntsville’s total payroll increased by 6 percent. In comparison, wages in Colorado Springs grew 2.2 percent in 2009, while overall payroll declined 2.7 percent as a result of workforce reductions and a shrinking pool of high-paying, high-tech jobs Huntsville Colorado Springs |
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Voices of Huntsville
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Related LinksHuntsville economic and population demographics |
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“There is a strong economic development emphasis here, from the chamber of commerce, the Alabama Congress, city staff, mayors — it’s all be a top priority for all groups. Not just in northern Alabama — for the state as a whole. It’s a concentrated group effort, there are strong voices, strong cooperation.”
“Huntsville changed my mind about moving here. What I found was a research park that’s bigger than anything in eastern Virginia, where I was living. It suggested to me that I think twice about this place. They sold themselves. It’s a good program, gaining reputation every day.”
“Huntsville has more diversity of government customers here. The Springs has one huge customer, the Air Force. The diversity here includes the Army Aviation and Missile Command, the Materiel Command, NASA. There are defense missile and space intelligence agencies here. Nearly every Fortune 500 company is here, and they provide opportunity for big contracts.”
“Huntsville has cracked the code. It can and is growing a knowledge-based economy. There’s a strong sense in the city’s ability. Very smart people — physicists, engineers, scientists are using what they know to develop industries we all want to be involved in.”
