The MSA is anchored by significant jobs at Jacksonville State University, the Northeast Alabama Regional Medical Center, Stringfellow Hospital, the Anniston Army Depot, and the Department of Homeland Security at McClellan.

McClellan has transitioned from being a closed military base, to becoming the home of hundreds of residents, new retail growth, and now more than 3,000 jobs spread out over more than 20 employers.

Alabama Public Private Faith Christian School Interstate 20 runs through the southern portion of the county, connecting Atlanta with Birmingham.

Construction to widen to six lanes from the Talladega Speedway to Golden Springs Road (also known as the Eastern Bypass) is complete as of 2015[update].

Amtrak's Crescent train connects Anniston with the cities of New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, Charlotte, Atlanta, Birmingham and New Orleans.

Areawide Community Transportation System provides local bus service in Anniston and Oxford with four routes running on an hourly schedule from the Multimodal Station.

An industrial department completed with full infrastructure is present at McClellan and in December 2014 its largest employer International Automotive Components of Luxembourg announced a 350 job expansion at the park.

Temple Beth EL, dedicated in 1893, has the oldest building in the state continuously and currently being used for Jewish worship.

The Coldwater cover bridge sits at Oxford Lake Park, it was saved from demolition back in the early 1990s.

The Anniston–Oxford area is home to many restaurants ranging from American, Italian, Greek, Cuban, Cajun, Mexican, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Southern cuisines.

Many locally own dining establishments are located in the downtown Anniston, Buckner Circle, and around Jacksonville Square, as well as major chain restaurants along the interstate in Oxford.

The most significant news about the region came in a CBS 60 Minutes investigation [2] that revealed Anniston to be among the most toxic cities in the country.

The current lead-in on CBS' website states: Imagine a place so saturated with toxic, cancer-causing chemicals that it's in the dirt people walk on, the air they breathe - even the blood that pumps through their veins.