Walnut Creek Airport

While no single official reason is documented, the closure is consistent with economic factors common to small general aviation airports. These factors typically include declining air traffic, rising maintenance and insurance costs, and the land becoming more valuable for alternative development. The subsequent redevelopment of the site into a large-scale solar farm confirms the land was repurposed for a more profitable commercial venture.

The site of the former airport has been completely redeveloped and is now the location of the Canton Solar Farm (also known as MS Solar 3), a major photovoltaic power station operated by NextEra Energy Resources for Mississippi Power. The entire area, including the former runway, taxiways, and apron, is covered by thousands of solar panels. The faint outline of the north-south runway is still partially visible in satellite imagery beneath the solar array.

Walnut Creek Airport (formerly assigned the FAA identifier 4M7) was a public-use general aviation airport established sometime between 1972 and 1978. It served the city of Canton and the surrounding Madison County area. The facility featured a single asphalt runway, designated 18/36, with a length of approximately 3,000 feet. It primarily catered to private pilots, recreational flying, and small business aircraft, providing a vital link for the local community's transportation and agricultural needs before its closure.

There are zero plans or prospects for reopening the airport. The land has been permanently and extensively repurposed for industrial-scale energy generation. The cost and logistics of dismantling the multi-million dollar solar farm to reconstruct a small airport that was previously closed for economic reasons make any such prospect entirely infeasible.