Something to ponder as you wait to pay for a cartload of Kirkland-branded paper towels at the Costco that opens Friday on Highway 72 in Madison County: What does Huntsville have in common with both Austin, Texas, and Anchorage, Alaska?

One answer: The Rocket City has just joined them in a small (but growing) cohort of metro areas with multiple Costco stores. That’s significant for Alabama’s second-largest metro area in ways that might not be so obvious.

The new location is the warehouse store’s fifth in Alabama. In addition to the Huntsville store, Mobile, Montgomery and Birmingham (well, Hoover) have one apiece.