Down to 20 .. let the games begin

Expanding I565 west to Muscle Shoals would be a great attraction for businesses. Eventually expanding it west to Corinth and Memphis, and east to Scottsboro and Chattanooga would benefit all of north Alabama.

I agree with your thinking but there would be too many Barnie Fife's out there setting up speed zones to issue tickets for the local government for they are not going to let something like that go untapped or unrestricted by setting up their own speed limits and traps.  Also North Alabama has, in Huntsville, an untapped international airport that can be easily expanded, river access for barge traffic and east/west rail service from both Norfolk Southern and CSX Railway company.

There are still lots of ample acreage for companies and industry to utilize if the State so wanted to establish an industrial/manufacturing corridor.  I'm sure other  States have similar to offer.  I know one area in which Georgia has taken advantage and built up is their attraction to the film industry and Hollywood.  Georgia makes tons of money off of the Film and entertainment industry these days.  

As for Amazon.com's new 2nd HQ I don't know what area of Atlanta is looking to make Amazon the offer but having lived in the Atlanta I can envision just about any area. The southern end of Atlanta, to me, seems more untapped, in need,  and provides closer access to Atlanta Hartsfield Airport and also is set for expansion into Fayette, Clayton, and Henry Counties.  Most of the affluent growth, so far, in the Atlanta areas, has been into the Northern and Northwestern counties and areas over the last several years. That's where the Braves moved their new stadium to, from the inner city and where most of the professional athletes live along with many other affluent business folks.   Counties like Cobb, Forsyth, Cherokee, Hall and Pickens counties but those areas are also farther removed from critical international airport access that Amazon.com has specified that it wants and needs.  

I think it's great that Toyota/Mazda has chosen Huntsville and North Alabama to expand into and I wish there was a lot more coming so that the employment situation in this area could improve.  As it is we are still reeling from the loss of the paper Plant at Courtland and Hillshire Farms as well as other industries such as in the Barton area haven't really taken off as they had hoped.  There are still a lot of folks in the Shoals area that would like to find better employment so there is a need but I don't know that we have the leadership to make all that happen.  North Alabama still is in a technologically stagnant area.  Cities like Chattanooga have long ago established a technology sector and even established, years ago, a Gigabyte access zone whereby through their local power utility Internet speeds of up to Gigabyte were available to individuals, businesses, and industry most anywhere in the whole city area.  Contrast that to Florence's venture with Floweb years ago.  The idea may have been good but someone somewhere had absolutely no vision or knowledge into it's implementation and I don't know if this area will ever overcome that.

gbrk posted:

I agree with your thinking but there would be too many Barnie Fife's out there setting up speed zones to issue tickets for the local government for they are not going to let something like that go untapped or unrestricted by setting up their own speed limits and traps.  Also North Alabama has, in Huntsville, an untapped international airport that can be easily expanded, river access for barge traffic and east/west rail service from both Norfolk Southern and CSX Railway company.

There are still lots of ample acreage for companies and industry to utilize if the State so wanted to establish an industrial/manufacturing corridor.  I'm sure other  States have similar to offer.  I know one area in which Georgia has taken advantage and built up is their attraction to the film industry and Hollywood.  Georgia makes tons of money off of the Film and entertainment industry these days.  

As for Amazon.com's new 2nd HQ I don't know what area of Atlanta is looking to make Amazon the offer but having lived in the Atlanta I can envision just about any area. The southern end of Atlanta, to me, seems more untapped, in need,  and provides closer access to Atlanta Hartsfield Airport and also is set for expansion into Fayette, Clayton, and Henry Counties.  Most of the affluent growth, so far, in the Atlanta areas, has been into the Northern and Northwestern counties and areas over the last several years. That's where the Braves moved their new stadium to, from the inner city and where most of the professional athletes live along with many other affluent business folks.   Counties like Cobb, Forsyth, Cherokee, Hall and Pickens counties but those areas are also farther removed from critical international airport access that Amazon.com has specified that it wants and needs.  

I think it's great that Toyota/Mazda has chosen Huntsville and North Alabama to expand into and I wish there was a lot more coming so that the employment situation in this area could improve.  As it is we are still reeling from the loss of the paper Plant at Courtland and Hillshire Farms as well as other industries such as in the Barton area haven't really taken off as they had hoped.  There are still a lot of folks in the Shoals area that would like to find better employment so there is a need but I don't know that we have the leadership to make all that happen.  North Alabama still is in a technologically stagnant area.  Cities like Chattanooga have long ago established a technology sector and even established, years ago, a Gigabyte access zone whereby through their local power utility Internet speeds of up to Gigabyte were available to individuals, businesses, and industry most anywhere in the whole city area.  Contrast that to Florence's venture with Floweb years ago.  The idea may have been good but someone somewhere had absolutely no vision or knowledge into it's implementation and I don't know if this area will ever overcome that.

In general, the state governments set the speed limits on the interstates.