- District identifier: AL-HD-021
- Legislative chamber: Alabama House of Representatives (105 single-member districts)
- Current district key: sldl:01:21
- Knowledge base wiki path: explore/places/al/lower/21
- Incumbent representative: Rex Reynolds (Republican Party), assumed office via special election on March 27, 2018, re-elected in 2018 and 2022, per the Alabama Legislative Services Agency Directory.
- Redistricting adoption: Boundaries drawn during the 2021 special session under Act 2021-555 and maintained under the Alabama House District Map 2021.
¶ 2. Geography and Communities
- County jurisdiction: Situated entirely within north-central and northeastern Madison County, Alabama, as delineated on official chamber cartography via the Alabama Legislative Services Agency Map Viewer.
- Municipal and unincorporated communities: Encompasses north-central sections of Huntsville, Alabama, extending northward through the unincorporated suburban and exurban communities of Meridianville, Alabama, and Hazel Green, Alabama, reaching near the Tennessee state border.
- Primary transportation spine: Anchored by U.S. Highway 231 (Memorial Parkway / 431 North), the dominant north-south multi-lane arterial connecting rural northern Madison County commuters with urban Huntsville.
- Watershed and terrain: Lies within the Middle Tennessee-Elk and Wheeler Lake hydrological basins, characterized by karstic limestone geology, rolling farmland undergoing rapid residential conversion, and tributaries feeding the Flint River basin.
¶ 3. Population and Electorate
- Total population estimate: 54,552 persons (margin of error ±2,168), sourced from the Census Reporter ACS 2020-2024 5-Year Profile.
- Household income: Median household income reported at $102,067 in 2024 inflation-adjusted dollars (margin of error ±$4,048), reflecting an affluent suburban workforce aligned with Huntsville's defense, aerospace, and engineering sectors.
- Poverty metrics: Poverty universe of 52,667 persons, with 4,187 individuals recorded below the federal poverty line (margin of error ±908), establishing a low poverty incidence of approximately 8.0%.
- Housing profile: Predominantly owner-occupied single-family residential subdivisions interspersed with legacy agricultural parcels.
¶ 4. Elections and Political Context
- 2022 General Election: Rex Reynolds (Republican) won election on November 8, 2022, receiving 12,386 votes (95.9%), with 523 write-in votes (4.1%), according to certified returns recorded by Ballotpedia District 21 Archive.
- 2018 General Election: Rex Reynolds (Republican) defeated C. Terry Jones (Democratic Party) on November 6, 2018, securing 13,311 votes (61.3%) to 8,391 votes (38.6%).
- 2018 Special Election: Reynolds first entered the House following a special election on March 27, 2018, following the death of Representative Jim Patterson, winning with 2,433 votes (52.8%) against Democrat C. Terry Jones's 2,170 votes (47.1%).
- 2026 Election cycle: Major-party primary elections were scheduled for May 19, 2026, leading toward the November 3, 2026 general election, with candidate filings and certifications managed through the Alabama Secretary of State Elections Division.
¶ 5. Economic and Civic Anchors
- Local educational anchors: Public education delivered primarily by the Madison County School System, including Hazel Green High School and surrounding middle/elementary schools located inside the northern portion of the district, as cataloged by the Madison County Board of Education.
- Regional research and employment hub: While situated outside the district boundaries to the south and west, Redstone Arsenal and Cummings Research Park serve as the primary economic drivers for commuting residents residing in District 21.
- Regional healthcare institutions: The northern Madison County populace is served primarily by the Huntsville Hospital Health System, operating major acute care and trauma facilities located in nearby central Huntsville.
- Civic and commercial nodes: Strip retail centers, agribusiness supply outlets, and suburban commercial clusters centered along the U.S. Highway 231 corridor through Meridianville and Hazel Green.
¶ 6. People and Organizations to Map
- Rex Reynolds: State Representative; former Huntsville City Administrator and Public Safety Director; owner of Reynolds Consulting Services, LLC.
- Madison County Commission: Governing body overseeing public works, zoning, and road maintenance across unincorporated Meridianville and Hazel Green.
- Huntsville City Council: Municipal authority governing annexed areas within District 21's southern boundaries.
- Open research questions:
- What relationship, if any, exists between residential expansion along the U.S. Highway 231 corridor in Meridianville and Hazel Green and commuter access to major research facilities at Cummings Research Park and Redstone Arsenal?
- What relationship, if any, exists between Rex Reynolds serving as Chair of the House Ways and Means General Fund Committee and state capital allocations for regional emergency communications, forensic facilities, or mental health diversion programs in Madison County?
- What relationship, if any, exists between rapid suburban subdivision development across northern Madison County and local stormwater capital requests submitted to the Madison County Commission?
¶ 7. Representation and Legislative Work
- Committee leadership: Rex Reynolds serves as Chair of the House Ways and Means General Fund Committee, placing the district at the center of Alabama's executive agency appropriations, criminal justice budgeting, and state Medicaid funding, as documented on the Alabama Legislative Information System Online.
- Additional committee roles: Serves as Chair of the Madison County Legislation Committee, handling local bills and constitutional amendments specific to Madison County operations.
- Policy areas of focus: State budgeting, public safety retirement benefits, emergency response modernization, and infrastructure funding supporting northern Alabama's metropolitan growth.