MADISON, Ala. — Andrea Williams is a Madison native and has had the pleasure of seeing the city grow.
"When I grew up here in the eighties and nineties, you at least drove by four or five cotton fields before you went to school," Williams said. "If you went to Liberty, you went by a lot of cotton fields. The first thing that changed was that now it's all houses or churches."
From cotton fields to Toyota Field, the city of Madison has become a hot spot in the greater Huntsville area. Williams' family has owned Madison Station Antiques for over 30 years and says the city has a lot to offer.
"It has drawn so many people because of the school ratings and things," Williams said. "You know, about ten years ago with people from St. Louis and other areas moving into the area and that has changed. Madison and Madison County as a whole."
According to Mayor Paul Finley, the influx was expected.
"I think we've seen it coming for a while, that when you're Madison, you're going to grow," Finley shared. "There's two primary reasons. First, our schools were just named the number two school district in the state, one of the tops in the nation. And secondly, we're surrounded by probably the best city in the nation right now. We're going to grow. It's exciting to be able to do that."
Needing to improve on the infrastructure as a city grows is inevitable, but it can be a headache. "I think we've seen it coming for a while, but when you're Madison, you're going to grow. So yes, we all have traffic problems, but if you ask them, would you rather have that or move? they're staying here right now," Finley explained.
The city is working to address the concerns of traffic through the newly approved budget. "Folks say help us as we manage that growth. So, I'm excited about this budget because I think it does," Finley said. "It has multiple projects that move traffic and make it easier for folks to get to and from where they want to go."
Williams isn’t too concerned about the traffic. She says the growth is good for business.
"We get people from all over. you know, they're visiting, they're working here, and they stop by. they have come from Florida during the hurricane. We've seen some of those visitors today and just a wide variety and what really excites us is when we see young people come in," Williams said.
Both say it's the younger generations helping the city grow. "People have moved to Madison at the rate of a family of four a day for the last 40 years. Do I see that changing, no," Finley said.
Williams shares "What I've loved about it is I have kids now that are 18 and 20 and they have things to do. and so, I don't think young people are going to go off like I did. they're going to stay here and raise their families."