10 Alabama Towns That Are Growing So Fast It's Out of Control

Ten Alabama towns growing faster than their schools, sewers and roads, ranked on the Census Bureau's newest count. Since the 2020 census Alabama as a whole grew 3.3%. Every town on this list grew at least 17%, and several have already tried to put on the brakes. HOW THE LIST WAS MADE U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 population estimates for incorporated places (July 1, 2025), against the April 2020 estimates base, for every Alabama town with 5,000 people or more, ranked by percent growth. The Bureau redraws the 2020 base to today's city limits, so a town cannot climb this list by annexing people who already lived next door. Semmes (+21%) is set aside: its estimate added four people from July 2024 to July 2025, and its new-home permits fell from 166 in 2023 to 32 in 2024 (Census Building Permits Survey). "Out of control" in this film means the record: what each town's own school system, sewer plant, council or planning board has said or done. Every number in the narration was checked against a saved copy of its source before the voice was recorded. Every picture shows the town it names: drone footage filmed over Madison, Foley and Pike Road by local creators (Creative Commons), USDA aerial photographs where the ground itself is the proof (the same ground in two different years) or where no licensed drone footage of a town exists, and Creative Commons and public-domain photographs. Nothing in the film is AI-generated. Town names follow local pronunciation, checked against Alabama TV newscasts. Which town should have been on this list? Tell us in the comments. CHAPTERS 0:00 A school, a sewer plant and one planning night 1:13 How the list was made 1:58 #10 Springville, St. Clair County · +17% 3:14 #9 Lincoln, Talladega County · +18% 4:31 #8 Madison, Madison and Limestone counties · +19% 6:11 #7 Odenville, St. Clair County · +22% 7:25 #6 Pike Road, Montgomery County · +26% 8:55 #5 Athens, Limestone County · +35% 10:42 #4 Margaret, St. Clair County · +38% 12:11 #3 Foley, Baldwin County · +46% 14:34 #2 Loxley, Baldwin County · +72% 16:59 #1 Triana, Madison County · +81% 19:29 The next five, and who hit the brakes 20:40 Owens Cross Roads, Harvest, Silverhill, Semmes 21:31 All ten SOURCES U.S. Census Bureau: Vintage 2025 subcounty estimates and methodology; 2010 census; Building Permits Survey; 2025 Gazetteer. Springville: ABC 33/40, Nov. 2022 and Nov. 2024; US Infrastructure, Oct. 2025; Encyclopedia of Alabama. Lincoln: ABC 33/40, Sept. 2023 and June 9, 2026; City of Lincoln; Encyclopedia of Alabama. Madison: Madison City Schools; 256 Today; WAFF 48, Nov. 2025; ALDOT, Aug. 2026; City of Madison plan; City of Huntsville. Odenville: ABC 33/40, July 2025 and Nov. 2022; St. Clair County Schools; Encyclopedia of Alabama. Pike Road: WSFA 12 News, Oct. 2021, May 2024 and Aug. 2025; WAKA 8, Aug. 2026; Pike Road Schools; Encyclopedia of Alabama. Athens: The News Courier, May 15, 2026; WAFF 48, March and Sept. 2025; WHNT News 19, 2024; Encyclopedia of Alabama. Margaret: WBRC 6, Sept. 2024 and May 2025; The Trussville Tribune, Jan. 2022; City of Margaret agenda, April 2026; Encyclopedia of Alabama. Foley: FOX10 News, May 16, 2026; Gulf Coast Media, Aug. 2024 and Oct. 2025; City of Foley, May 2025, and its Fall 2025 newsletter; Gulf Shores News, Aug. 2025; Encyclopedia of Alabama. Loxley: Gulf Coast Media, 2019 to 2024; City of Loxley planning commission agendas, Jan. and April 2026; FOX10 News, April 2024 and March 17, 2026; Encyclopedia of Alabama. Triana: Town of Triana: 2022 moratorium ordinance, Comprehensive Plan Score Card (Aug. 2025), planning commission minutes (May and June 2026); 256 Today; Encyclopedia of Alabama. The next five: ABC 33/40 (Chelsea); The Fairhope Times; Gulf Coast Media (Robertsdale); City of Opelika and the Opelika Observer. CREDITS Video (YouTube, CC BY): Manan P (AeroVenture), Madison drone footage, 2024 · Manan P, Madison in snow, 2025 · Manan P, Madison in September, 2024 · Orange Beach Alabama Living, Aberdeen subdivision, Foley, 2024 · GrafixGuy, Pike Road development, 2024 · GrafixGuy, Pike Road Publix, 2021 · Adam Jusino, Logan Martin Lake, 2023. NASA Marshall Space Flight Center drone video (public domain, via Wikimedia Commons). Photos (Creative Commons): Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0: formulanone; Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0: Chris Pruitt Thumbnails: frames of "Discover Foley Alabama's Most AFFORDABLE New Construction Homes: Aberdeen Subdivision", Orange Beach Alabama Living (YouTube, 2024), CC BY. Aerial photographs: USDA National Agriculture Imagery Program (NAIP), via USGS The National Map and the Microsoft Planetary Computer (public domain). Public domain photographs: Historic American Buildings Survey, Library of Congress. Maps: U.S. Census Bureau TIGER.