Moody Growth Soaring Inviting, small-town feel a big draw

In the shadow of Birmingham’s metropolitan region is what had been seen as just another small Alabama town – a crossroads people passed through to get somewhere else.

Those days are quickly fleeting with Moody soaring to Number 1 on the growth charts while managing to hold on to its small-town appeal.

It is warm, inviting and a quiet escape from the frantic busyness of city life, and its population underscores that notion with its replacement of Pell City (albeit by a few residents) as St. Clair County’s largest city.

On an early morning in March, the quiet is punctuated with the raucous sound of a jackhammer. Across the way, a dump truck lumbers along to the beeping of that monotonous warning signal. The buzz of a power saw joins the chorus. Noise to some, perhaps, but to Moody Mayor Joe Lee it’s the sound of music.

“We’re actually the largest municipality in St. Clair County now,” said Lee. “According to the latest census, we beat out Pell City. We beat them by just a few, but we are the largest.”

If the Mayor sounds proud, it’s with good reason. His city is experiencing a surge in industrial, commercial and residential growth, unlike any other in the town’s history. Ribbon cuttings, groundbreakings, grand openings are all signs of the times.

It’s hard to keep up with some days, said Lee, adding that Moody’s unprecedented growth spurt can be summed up in a single word –location.

“We have easy access to I-20. Turn right and you go to Birmingham