The Rocket City has been nicknamed “Crane City” because of a recent influx of cranes – the tall, steel machines, not the feathered creatures.

Now, the red clay is taking center stage as projects are growing from the ground up for housing, retail and entertainment.

A crane towers over the vertical supports at the Huntsville Amphitheater site.

Photographer Steve Babin recently took a quick trip with his trusty camera to capture a few images of our growth.

Trader Joe’s is seen in a nearly finished state at MidCity District. The legendary supermarket is slated to open by the end of the year. Trader Joe’s is known, not for branded items but for a store full of unique and interesting products, along with everyday basics, in the Trader Joe’s label.

Also coming to life in MidCity is the Huntsville Amphitheater. Recently, the 8,000-seat facility resembled Stonehenge as its vertical foundations were set into place. The concrete base for the seats rises from the red clay, like so many steps to the skies.

A sea of red clay stretches toward the Stovehouse and will be the site of The Range and The Foundry.

In no time at all, the vertical columns and concrete base will support arches as the structure resembles the likes of Rome’s Colosseum.

As we travel from MidCity to Huntsville’s Westside, the seeds are being sown for the Range and Foundry development. Stretching along Governors Drive from 14th Street to the Caterpillar dealership adjacent to the Stovehouse, the red clay will soon give rise to the bones of a sprawling work-eat-live development.

The Range is a three-story, 49,000 square-foot commercial office and studio space. The Foundry will be 271 multi-family flats and 14 townhomes.

Also, part of the development are more than 4,300 square feet of mixed use live/work units, and 51 stacked flats; 5,500 square feet of retail space, with an additional 676 parking spaces.

The Hampton Inn and Suites is part of downtown Huntsville’s hotel boom.

Taking Governors Drive to Clinton Avenue, we pass Campus 805 on our way downtown and its booming hotel construction.

We travel about a half-mile and, on the right, is the growing Constellation development at the intersection of Clinton Avenue and the Parkway – the city’s “front door.” Constellation Huntsville will feature a 200,000 square-foot office tower, 219 apartments, about 25,000 square feet of retail space, about 20,000 square feet of small office space, multiple restaurants and a parking deck.

After about a quarter-mile more, the first to greet us is the Hampton Inn and Suites at the corner of Clinton Avenue and Monroe Street.

The seven-floor location is across from Mars Music Hall and will provide lodging for visitors and parking spaces for those of us frequenting the myriad events at the Von Braun Center.

In the center of Huntsville’s downtown, we’ve got a new parking garage on Greene Street, a new hotel at 106 Jefferson Street and, adjacent to the VBC, the growing CityCentre and its Eclipse residential project adjacent to the AC hotel.

In Huntsville’s storied history, booms were the sound of growth as rocket engines roared to life. Now, a half-century later, a different kind of boom is taking over to bring growth to the Rocket City.