In trying to complete the Cracker Barrel project, there were many obstacles to overcome. It might have seemed as though this was an easy task considering all the information was right at our fingertips. However, working through the process at times became tedious. Things don’t always function in the way that is expected, but with unrelenting effort we were able to conquer the Cracker Barrel question.

To begin a cartographic model was drawn in order to guide us more quickly and efficiently through the project. This was also used as a checklist as we progressed. Beginning the technological portion, we decided the most general criteria were involving the transportation network. In finding sites that the specification of having interstate frontage near a major interchange, the field was significantly narrowed. There were approximately three or four large interchanges. The two largest on I59 were at the intersections of I759 and Hwy 77. After locating these, we were starting to assume that our site might likely be located near one of them, but continued the succeeding steps with open minds.

The next step we took was to limit the parcels to all those that were 2.5 acres or larger. This did take out a few of the parcels, but the majority of those that were located near the interchanges still met this requirement. So to this modification we additionally implemented a layer that showed the commercial zoning. Surprisingly, there were very few areas that were 2.5 acres in a commercial zone. One cluster of such land laid to the far west of the city of Gadsden and another to north. The prior was not on I59, which is the predominant Interstate, and the latter was too far away from the main city. Now, justifiably we could limit our attention to the I59/I759 and I59/77 intersections. The second had more parcels in close proximity that met all of the previously discussed characteristics and additionally the required traffic count. I59 had 24,190 vehicles per day, while Hwy 77 had 15,000. Now our sights were set on this region.

We limited the field to two parcels, both highly accessible at the I59/77 intersection. One was on the upper west side, Parcel ID 679. The other was on the lower east, Parcel ID 13. With group analysis and discussion, our first choice was the latter. The reasons for this being it was a much larger area - 22.8 acres and more traffic since it would be passed in route to Gadsden, thus being closer to other commercial development.

With a narrowed focus, we could perform the more complicated tasks utilizing the buffers. To start we made sure that our map units were correct, then we created the five-mile buffer for population. After several tries, we successfully summed the total population for all tracts that fell completely or partially within the buffer. This calculation was 60,158. Just to be positive that our parcel actually fit the criterion, we recalculated using only the tracts that fell completely with the buffered area. In this case the population was 28, 390 which still fell within the guideline of a 25,000 minimum total population.

The same process that was used for population was also used for determining the average income in a five mile radius. As is usually the case, challenges arose. Some tracts listed low or no income. When trying to calculate an average this is a major concern. With your guidance, we were able to get around this obstruction and calculate the per capita income. In our selected parcel it was $15,271.

After working through our cartographic model, we came to the conclusion that Parcel 13 southeast of the I59/77 interchange would be the most suitable site for a new Cracker Barrel in Etowah County. Even though some criteria were assumed to have been met, such as a 10,000 square foot building with 185 parking places being possible in a 22.8 acre lot, we were able to manipulate the provided data to conclude the majority.