Look Into Cullman, Alabama!

We are pleased that you are interested in doing business in Cullman, Alabama.  The Cullman Area Chamber of Commerce and its members extend our warmest invitation for you to Look Into Cullman.

Cullman is ideally located just off I-65 in the heart of North Alabama.  We are centrally located just 45 miles south of Huntsville and 45 miles north of Birmingham.  Cullman County, home to the City of Cullman, is also served by two U.S. highways, two Alabama highways, a CSX railroad, a small airport, and is located minutes away from several major interstates and two international airports.

Our economy is extremely diverse.  Cullman County has approximately 120 manufacturing/distribution companies employing from nine to 1,300 people producing a variety of goods ranging from automobile bumpers to dungarees, kitchen cabinets to printed circuit boards, and pleasure boats to ultra-precise parts for the aerospace and defense industry.  Agriculture is the lifeblood of the area's economy.  In fact, Cullman County is ranked as one of the top sixty counties in America for total agricultural income.  Equally noteworthy is Cullman County's top ten national ranking for new and expanding industries between 2001 and 2003 according to Site Selection magazine.  Most recently the publication ranked Cullman #3 in the top 100 Micropolitan areas for corporate facilities.  What's more, Cullman ranked:     

• #1 in all of Alabama for new and expanding industries
• #1 Small Community out of 17 southeastern states by SEDC
• #3 in expanding jobs,
• #4 in expanding investments,
• #5 in total jobs and
• #7 in total investment out of 17 southeastern states by SEDC."

Cullman County is also fast becoming a regional retail center.  Taxable retail sales in Cullman County grew by more than 33 percent between 1999 and 2004 increasing from $562 million to more than $746 million.  There are shopping centers at each end of town and a variety of smaller retail centers around Cullman.  Cullman has its share of major chain retailers, but mixed in are niche stores that serve a growing market for specialty clothing, gifts and hard-to-find items.

Between 1990 and 2004, the City of Cullman experienced a growth rate of 8.5 percent, and Cullman County was the fourteenth fastest growing of Alabama's 67 counties between 1998 and 2004.  Cullman County experienced a 19 percent Total Employment Growth in 2003, ranking as the seventh fastest growing total employment county in the state.  By 2010, an estimated 27,000 total laborers will be employed within the county.

Tourism is also an important aspect of the area's economic makeup.  A statewide survey conducted in 2003 found the largest single travel expenditure made was by tourists on eating and drinking.  This accounted for 27 percent of Alabama's travel and tourism spending during the year.  As a result, 53 percent of all travel-related jobs created in 2003 can be attributed to various eating and drinking establishments. 

Cullman County benefited greatly from this gain, showing its own 19 percent rate of growth in the travel-related sector between 2002 and 2003.  Overall, Cullman County now has an estimated 1 percent share of the state's travel-related employment force.

An increase in lodging tax revenues indicates an increase in travelers who are choosing Cullman County as a temporary home away from home.  This increase can be credited to numerous developmental and recreational influences.  Work performed on the new dvanced Heat Treat, Cullman Castings and Yutaka Technologies' plants and our many expanding industries, as well as work performed by CSX personnel on area railroad facilities, drew out-of-town professionals. An increase in sports tournaments, weddings and family reunions held in the area also contributed to the surge. Pass-through traffic also brought more visitors to stay at the county's hotels and motels.

A low crime rate, progressive hospitals and healthcare facilities, excellent public and private schools, many churches and outstanding recreational opportunities help create the tremendous quality of life Cullman's citizens enjoy.

There is a good housing market in Cullman with residential areas on all sides of town.  Home types are varied and range from modest to mansions.  Cullman's Historic District is a showcase for beautiful Victorian homes and cottages featuring detailed gingerbread woodwork, porches, balconies, stained glass and iron fences.

Most of all, it's the people that make our community special - people who look out for each other, have a strong work ethic and a deep sense of community pride.  The combination of a family-oriented lifestyle, availability of a skilled work force, good transportation and a strong, diverse economy add up to a powerful argument for a business to grow in the Cullman area.

If you have any questions or need any additional information, please contact:
Jessica Waldrop (256) 734-0454 or 1-800-314-5114 or jwaldrop@cullmanchamber.org.