Welcome to Alabama's "Literary Capital"

Welcome to Monroeville, Alabama’s “Literary Capital”, and one of America’s most famous southern towns!

I write this letter on the heels of high school proms and graduations, and the successful completion of the eighth Alabama Writers Symposium and the fifteenth play season for the Monroe County Heritage Museums production of “To Kill A Mockingbird”. April and May, 2005, were bustling as the towns of Beatrice, and neighboring Camden sponsored magnificent home tours of their communities.

“Miss Minnie & Me” Antiques and Gifts opened on Main Street in Beatrice. The Monroeville Area Chamber of Commerce became a part of the University of Alabama’s Entrepreneurial Research Network in April, 2005, joining six other rural communities in an endeavor to assist in small business start-ups and expansions. Monroeville graduated from the “Alabama Communities of Excellence” program and received recognition from the Governor’s office as one of Alabama’s best small towns. The Monroeville Area Chamber of Commerce, with assistance from the Monroe County Tourism Board, completed a new series of commercials airing on Mediacom promoting Monroe County for tourism/ relocation, entitling the campaign, “Discover the Treasures of Monroe County.”

In May, 2005, VF Intimates completed its state of the art, 90,000 square foot distribution center and hired an additional sixty employees. Standard Furniture is completing their 193,000 square foot addition, projected completion date December 2005, and the hiring of another one hundred fifty jobs. The new jail, over a $ 6.2 million dollar capital investment by Monroe County is ready for occupancy in October, 2005.

In February, 2005, the Monroeville Area Chamber of Commerce moved into new offices on downtown square, at 63 North Mount Pleasant Street. On a sad note, on June 30th, 2005, Monroeville bid farewell to Medline as the company closed its 225,000 square foot facility on Vanity Fair Drive. Medline has had a presence in Monroe County since 1993. The company is shifting its manufacturing of medical and surgical garments and supplies from Monroeville to contract facilities in Mexico, as a further sign of the global economy.

Progress may be seen in the “El Camino East/West Corridor” signs placed across Alabama on U. S. Highway 84. Alabama officially joins Louisiana and Mississippi in declaring their portion of the 1,729 mile highway the “El Camino” Corridor. In 2005, the Texas legislature passed their corresponding legislation and received approval to erect their signage. Monroe County has formed a partnership with neighbors Conecuh, Clarke and Butler in lobbying for four laning this corridor across the western portion of Alabama. In August, 2005, U. S. Senator Jeff Sessions, U. S. Congressman Jo Bonner, and Governor Bob Riley held a joint press conference at Monroe County Courthouse to announce $ 8.8 million in federal funding for the project, as well as Riley’s commitment to four lane from Monroeville to the interstate.

In another exciting partnership, Monroe, Conecuh and Escambia counties officially kicked off the Coastal Gateway Economic Development Authority on Tuesday, June 7th, with announcement of the hiring of Director Wiley Blankenship. The CGEDA has raised $ 2.2 million in the three counties toward future development projects, and has established an office on fifty acres at Alabama 43 and Interstate 65. Director Blankenship is busily seeking new jobs for the tri-county area.

Monroe County “Leadership Now” graduated its 13th class in May, 2005, and some twenty-two participants joined the alumni list now numbering over two hundred forty.

Even though Monroe County is some one hundred miles inland from the Gulf of Mexico, Hurricane Ivan devastated Monroe County with its destructive winds in September, 2004. During the summer of 2005, the county was in the projected paths of Tropical Storm Cindy and Hurricane Dennis, but thankfully was spared. On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina devastated the states of Louisiana, Mississippi and coastal areas in Alabama. Monroe County served as a point of refuge following this destructive storm, providing a haven for many residents of affected areas, and escaping any major damages. Many of the evacuees of Katrina have elected to remain indefinitely in Monroe County, and we welcome them and their families.

As we look forward to an eventful Fall/Winter, 2005, we can be excited about the progress of our community and the growth prospects for the future.

Please join the Monroeville Area Chamber of Commerce in “discovering the treasures of Monroe County.”

Best regards,
Sandy Smith,
Executive Director
September, 2005