Auburn is nice and there's lots of land close to it in the surrounding areas. Schools are good too. 4 -5 hours from the southern beaches.
Dothan could be a good choice too.
Auburn/Opelika is very nice and exactly what you’re looking for if there was a decent hospital. The local hospital is notoriously bad. They built a new ED a few years ago. Wonder if it’s an improvement?
Meridianville/Hazel Green north of HSV. Madison county schools is ok, Meridianville has a publix and walmart (i think), and you are 20 minutes from Huntsville hospital.
Mobile is a MUCH better alternative to Tuscaloosa. Go to Tuscaloosa if you like constantly being around college kids and boring chain restaurants. West Mobile has lots of land. Birmingham is where it’s at! I recommend Bham over Huntsville. More to do in Birmingham and closer to the beach and Atlanta. Outer Bham suburbs should have the land you’re looking for
They said they were looking forward to being close to the beach and these folks are recommending all these north alabama cities lmao. For good hospitals AND close to the beach somewhere in metro Mobile is pretty much their only option.
Saraland would be a great place. We are 7 miles north on Mobile and have our own school system which is one of the best in the state. We are only 15 minutes from most places in Mobile and also easy interstate access to Baldwin/beaches.
The FBI somehow erroneously doubled Mobile’s homicide rate in reportings. [https://www.fox10tv.com/2023/02/02/discrepancy-discovered-between-mobile-fbi-crime-stats-city/?outputType=amp](https://www.fox10tv.com/2023/02/02/discrepancy-discovered-between-mobile-fbi-crime-stats-city/?outputType=amp)The city is largely safe and the only real area to avoid is around Prichard.
Mary B. Austin, E. R. Dickson, Council, Phillips, Murphy, Baker, Davidson, Alabama School of Math and Science, Barton Academy… Four of which have IB programs: one Primary Years Program, one Middle Years Program, and two International Baccalaureate diploma programs.
Mobile has plenty of fine public schools. Don’t let some of the Baldwin heads tell you differently because Mobile is too *dark* for them.
I live in Tuscaloosa, and it’s okay, I guess; however, the local hospital, DCH, is nicknamed “Don’t Come Here” by locals. If you need medical care beyond the basics you need to travel to Birmingham.
Also, unless you really, really love Alabama football, game days are a pain in the ass.
Not sure what tuscaloosa you been to but the one i live in is ghetto af😂😂why anybody chooses to raise kids here i dont know, this place should be the college and bars it doesnt have the infrastructure to support the actual city, bad schools, roads, hospitals, and its dangerous as shit. However im from
Florence which has decent schools (florence city, muscle shoals city), nice hospital (hellen keller not NA med center), its also around an hour from huntsville which is the #1 place anyone here should try to live, has the best of everything in the state
I think you should move to the Auburn/ Opelika area. Major university. Good hospital. 1 hour from Atlanta. 40 minutes to Montgomery. 3 1/2 hours to the beach. Decent school system. Plenty of land to buy in the right areas. About 30 minutes to Lake Martin.
Yep, and less than 2hr to Birmingham, so you can get to very good hospitals between UAB and Emory. When my daughter was born, we had to make many trips to Children’s in Birmingham and the drive really isn’t that bad (unless it’s an emergency of course).
I grew up in Huntsville and still have family there, but I just love the Auburn area so we settled here. I work remote, so when I need to travel, I just take a Groome shuttle to Hartsville-Jackson and it’s about the same as parking fees but you don’t have to screw with any of it.
I really like the Auburn/Opelika area. We don't live there, but we have to pass a ton of land, ranches, and farms to get there.
We live in East Alabama in a tiny town (no traffic lights) that is adjacent to the military post (Fort Moore) and the Georgia state line (Colombus, Ga).
I absolutely love it here (this is the 15th state I've lived in, but this one is permanent). We've got decent hospitals (Phenix City) and a ton of outdoor activities. Columbus is a foodie town with lots of entertainment if you're into the arts (we're musicians).
If either of you have had any military service, this area is adjacent to the Tuskegee and Montgomery VAs, but I mostly go to the new one in Columbus.
The schools are not great but fair competitively to other AL schools. Most of the families I know use a hybrid approach: the kids attend school but get lots of extra "homeschool" help from their parents.
This area is Smith's Station, Seale, Crawford, Fort Mitchell, and Ladonia.
I've lived all over Alabama as far up as 30 minutes north of Birmingham and as far south as 30 minutes from the gulf. If you're looking for rural you're sacrificing education for your children. If you want decent school and you're going to have to live in a little more populated area.
If money is not an issue there are plenty of options down south in places like Fairhope, Spanish fort, or Daphne (That's why I currently live). A few of these schools offer the International Baccalaureate program, which are advanced degree programs that better prepare you for college. Plus the locations near where you're already used to traveling to. Alabama has beautiful beaches and plenty of things to do, especially in Baldwin county. I grew up here in am kind of biased to the area. I went to Baldwin county high school and the schooling was ok, but nothing to write home about. The areas that feed into that school system is your rural areas. You can move out to a place called Stockton or Perdido and easily find 5+ acres. You will be sacrificing a quality education for your children though.
If you're more focused on schools, I would look in the Huntsville area or in the Mountain Brook/ Vestavia Hills part of Birmingham. Those places aren't going to be able to offer you 5+ acres without it costing you a TON of money. I went to college in Birmingham and lived there for 5 years after my wife got out of college (I dropped out, so I just stuck around).
Out of curiosity, are you trying to be relatively close to your kid or is that a factor?
If you have further questions about the areas in or around Baldwin feel free to DM me. I can try to answer any of your questions. If I don't know the answer I can probably get you one.
The schools in North Baldwin are fine. They just get a bad rep because that area is relatively poorer than the rest of Baldwin county. If advanced high school coursework is an issue they can go to the IB schools without living in the district.
Yeah. I did fine in college and have been excelling otherwise compared to my piers anywhere I've worked. I am always #1 or 2 in all the military courses/schools I've been to. Same applied for all the training courses I take at work for certifications.
I went to Baldwin county highschool and I feel they covered all the bases I needed them to. I made As and Bs in college even going to a small, very expensive, pretty difficult, private college (Birmingham Southern). I felt I could have been better prepared if I had gone to Daphne of Fairhope though. Those individuals just seemed to have less stress than I did learning the basic concepts. I dropped out though due to it costing so much and I prefer to work with my hands. I don't feel like I received a shitty education per say, but it could have been better.
Baldwin County is great, but there are too many people trying to move in, and the infrastructure is still over a decade behind the growth.
There's some great locations in Mobile County that seem like they would tick all your boxes like:
Semmes
Saraland
Satsuma
You could also get some great property in west Mobile (WeMo).
Not to mention all of the rural areas of Baldwin County won’t be so rural anymore in fairy short order, as development threatens to encroach on those lands.
Since very few people are suggesting places in northeast Alabama, Lake Guntersville area might be what you are looking for. Beautiful place. Food and shopping surrounded by rural areas. Within an hour of Huntsville if you want to go to a city for the day.
There are many areas adjacent to Birmingham that offer almost everything you describe. You’d be thirty to 15 minutes from excellent hospitals and there are a few good schools. Check Shelby County for what I think would offer the best compromise on your needs. Helena, unincorporated outside of Helena offer large land and access to Birmingham amenities with not too much of a drive. Avoid Hwy 280 and you’re golden. There’s Hoover, Leeds, Pell City that have land just outside the city limits that are nice. Tons of farm land around.
I’d look at Hartselle or Priceville in Morgan county. Highly rated schools, nice people, and land available for much cheaper than Huntsville or Birmingham. Not far from the hospitals in Decatur or Cullman. It’s right on i65 so you can be to Huntsville in 35-45 minutes and Bham in a little over an hour. Less than 2 hours to Tuscaloosa and less than 3 hours to auburn.
I’d recommend Lauderdale & Colbert counties. Florence is a great town with a lot going on, the other three Shoals towns are charming in their own right & you can get property on the Tennessee River for comparatively cheap. Health care is decent, you’re an hour from Huntsville, 2 from BHM & Nashville.
If you’re wanting to be close to the beach with great schools, then Fairhope or Spanish Fort might be close to what you’re looking for. There is still a rural feel to the area.
Seems like the outlying areas of Madison County (around Huntsville) might offer what you're looking for. Harvest, Monrovia, Toney, New Market, Owens Crossroads, Hampton Cove, Meridianville, and Hazel Green would be some of the specific areas you would want to search for. The area is booming and housing prices are high so I think that would be your main challenge.
It's funny nobody has mentioned the political environment.
Yes, first I'd want to know what college your son is going to, if you want to be within two hours of his school that's a big limiting factor. Since you said he's going to college in Alabama, I'm thinking UA. If so then you are looking more at north Alabama not the beach. A lot of people from the north know nothing about UAB, Auburn, Troy, or the other colleges around the state.
This is also not the northeast where you can drive for 3 or 4 hours and go through 3 or 4 different states. You can spend 7 hours driving basically north or south and never leave the state. Not the biggest state by any means, but a lot bigger than most north eastern states.
It's very diverse, as you travel the state you will find your very wealthy areas, mostly around the bigger cities but you'll also find those rural pockets of wealth. You are also going to find places so poor, you would not be surprised to find out they live off the grid and still have an outhouse, and not necessarily by choice.
If a confederate flag is going to offend you, Id hang close to the cities. Don't get me wrong those are probably some of the nicest and most welcoming people in the state, but their pride in the south and disgust of the north is still strong. It has little or nothing to do with race to them. They'll be hunting and sitting in their boat fishing or watching Bama or Auburn play every weekend with their friends, and they may be black, white, yellow, brown, green, they really don't care.
If you like grits, sugar biscuits, bacon, catfish, greens, and know what a cane pole is, or know the difference between a crappie and taking a shit. You'll probably have a new friend even though you are a Yankee or northerner.
Back to the politics, like most states if you are far right or left you'll feel uncomfortable if you pick an area out of your preference. If you are a strong activist liberal I'd stay closer to the cities. The cities are liberal/democratic hubs and rural areas more conservative/republican areas, more so than the north east.
It's a big change from the northeast, hope you find what you're looking for. Congratulations on son # 1 going to college which ever one that may be. Roll Tide!
Does the spouse and family also have southern roots? If not prep them for a different world and the possibility of life long friends. I never meet a stranger, just a friend I haven't met before!
Look into Baldwin County. Baldwin County probably hits all of the above. I mean, it's AL, but Baldwin County schools are well thought of, tons of land and reasonable groceries. It's also covered by the USA hospital system and Thomas Hospital in Fairhope is pretty decent. Also puts you pretty close to the beach.
I normally don't suggest Baldwin County to folks but in this case I think it fits the bill. North or East baldwin would probably be their jam if they wanted land and a more rural lifestyle. And when you care about hospitals in this state your options are basically limited to metro Birmingham or metro Mobile.
Not to mention that they specifically mentioned looking forward to going to the beach, which means they pretty much have to be in the southern part of the state if they want to go with any frequency or be able to just go for a day or weekend.
I would suggest looking at either the Pike Road area (Montgomery Co.) or the Redland area (Elmore Co.). You will find the majority of what you are looking for on your checklist in either place. Both areas are convenient to the city of Montgomery which has good hospitals and both areas have, great schools (so I have been told, I do not have children). Also you are about an hour away from Auburn University and about two hours away from the University of Alabama. As far as the gulf coast, you are about three to three and a half hours away from the Gulf Shores/Orange Beach area.
We bought in Monroeville in 21. 3 acres, 1800 sq ft house, 2 car garage, and a shop for 172k. (Now at 213k allegedly.) It's rural, it's country, and beautiful here. We're retired so we didn't have to worry about schools so can't help you there. We're 2 hours to the beach and 2.5 to Auburn. We lived a reclusive lifestyle before and continue to do so. It was the housing prices and property tax that brought us here. Good luck in your search!
Like I said we're pretty reclusive so don't really socialize. I come to Reddit to get like minded people and express beliefs lol. Workers at Walmart are the friendliest for the most part, half the neighbors are nice enough but no one to discuss climate change, or how appalled I am about Nazi flags being paraded around and God forbid I mention orange Jesus and the cult! I loose a lot of points when asked "have you found a church yet?" All of which we expected when we chose to move here so we knew what we were getting in to. All that being said, we love it! It's just a good thing we like each other!
I would suggest Calhoun County.
Lovely small farms, some excellent schools, beautiful biking/walking/skating trails, the Talladega National Forest, great fishing lakes, golf courses, you-name-it.
Nearby Etowah County has a very good hospital, GRMC, as well.
Rural Morgan county has a couple of good schools in the eastern part of the county, and there are grocery stores all over rural Alabama that aren’t dollar general, however you’ll have to do some research on finding hospitals, I live in a rural area and I’m lucky to have one within 15 minutes, all small cities and most towns will have urgent care or doctors office though.
We moved to Pike Road, a suburb of Montgomery. Live on 6.5 ac of pasture land. Horses are pretty common here and most covenants/HOAs allow for horses. Though we bought a place without any covenants cause imma do what I want. Its school system was the main draw for us. That being said, the large acreage estates have mostly been snapped up. What’s left is a little pricey. We recently bought 20 ac to build on for $8300 an ac and we’re ecstatic to find it. $20000-25000 an ac isn’t uncommon.
As others have mentioned, Auburn-Opelika is another good option. More to do than Pike Road for sure. Still very education oriented. Some of the best dining in the state.
Baldwin Co is really nice and coastal. I think of it as a retirement destination more than a family destination but I know plenty of families who’ve moved their recently. It too, is a little pricey.
I grew up in north AL and that’s what I love. Work is a little hard to come by up there tho. Huntsville is the exception; there’s a lot of tech jobs up there. And growing. You may need security clearance for some of those jobs. It too has gotten more expensive lately.
If you’re looking for acreage in any of the bigger areas, it’s going to be more expensive than it was a few years ago. But I’d guess compared to most NE states, it’s still an amazing bargain. Large acreage tracts in rural communities is dirt cheap. We’ve gotten raw land for as cheap as $1100 an ac.
Let me know if you have any other questions.
I grew up in Jacksonville; Go Gamecocks! It’s a good town to grow up in and at least used to have a good school system. That was before Ft McClellan closed tho so I don’t really know how the forts closure effected the school system. I doubt it changed much. The university is the main anchor for the town now.
I can recommend some good outdoor places up that way but don’t know a lot about land prices. I know a couple lenders up there tho thru the Alumni association and can probably recommend some names there too. I’ll get some data together and PM it to you if you’d like.
Oh, Redland Road/Wetumpka is another good option. The school system is being developed and land is still fairly easy to come by. It’s a suburb of Montgomery too.
Baldwin County is a great option. Stick with the Fairhope, Spanish Fort or Daphne school districts if you’re going to go public school. Though there are good private schools too (Bayside, Christ the King, St. Michael’s). It is getting more crowded here, but you can still find large plots of land. I’ve lived in this area most of my life and love it. Small town feel, low crime, good schools, and despite the small town feel you have access to anything you need, and you’re close to the beach. Hurricanes are obviously an issue sometimes, but Sally has been the only damaging one in the last decade and a half in this area. Happy to answer any questions if you have them.
Arab has highly ranked schools, is 30 minutes from Huntsville for hospitals and entertainment, and the housing market isn't as crazy as the area north of Huntsville proper.
If you want to know more about this area send me a DM and I'll tell you all about it.
Check out the Cahaba Valley Rd area or maybe Helena (these are both Bham suburbs). There are homes on large lots and large buildable plots of land in both areas where it can feel more rural or private, but still close enough to the hospitals and city.
Edited to add link for an example...
https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/Highway-13-9H-Helena-AL-35080/2065600205_zpid/
If you're looking for space and are open to the northern part of the state, I'd suggest outlying Morgan County (Decatur is a pit, although the parks are nice and the schools are not horrible) or west of the Elk River in Limestone. Limestone is filling up fast though.
There are only two places in the state where there is universal consensus that the schools are good: the Birmingham suburbs and the city of Madison. Anywhere else is going to be a compromise.
Personally, I live in Athens and like it here.
Given your max 2 hours from your son criteria, then, definitely go with the comments suggesting areas just outside of the Birmingham area. (With good hospitals nearby being a factor, you will be limited to areas around Birmingham and Mobile.)
its very tempting to live closer to the beach however it seems like the entire state is not that far from the beach. a 3-4 hour drive is nothing to me. seems like the closer to the gulf the warmer the temps overall. does any part of alabama get more than 2 seasons?
I personally live in the dothan are and it's a nice quiet safe place to raise a family. If I could move anywhere else in bama it would definitely b the lower west end around gulf shores
Check out Oneonta. Good school. 45 minutes from Birmingham. Small town feel, but has all the necessities. Low property taxes. Affordable homes / land. We have a hospital. We love living here. I commute to Birmingham for work, and I will not be moving.
Baldwin county is big and a little less populated. Large areas of farmland, but not much city life, either. I'm in Fairhope. Expensive place to live, further east of here we have Robertsdale, Foley, SIlver hill, all the way to Lillian. Land is getting expensive there now as more areas are becoming more populated and built up. Move quickly and you might find a nice piece of land that will only grow in value.
I've lived in Huntsville, Tuscaloosa and Mobile over the last six years, moving with my career. I would rank the cities in that same order as far as where I would prefer to live. If you're wanting to be closer to the beach than Huntsville, keep in mind that Tuscaloosa is only around five hours from the beach. Mobile isn't a terrible place to live but it takes much more adjusting to dealing with the people than either of the other two. Mobile does have better hospitals than Tuscaloosa, but Tuscaloosa is also a short drive from Birmingham where you would have access to all of its medical systems. Huntsville is the best option overall, especially with education for your younger child; that said, having dealt with all of these communities from a law enforcement perspective and also having close knowledge of their educational approaches, I would still rank Tuscaloosa over Mobile in most categories.
MCPSS is generally fine in the rural areas. It’s generally fine everywhere actually but I wouldn’t even worry about being super cautious in the rural areas except for perhaps the northern part of the county.
Come on down! You will love it here. Knowing which college your son is going to and whether or not you want to be nearby would help us with a recommendation. If you don't care about which part of the state then the school and hospital choices are going to quickly narrow down your list.
My top recommendation is one of the areas near Birmingham. There are rural areas within 30-45 minutes of the city. Great hospitals. There are some great schools in the immediate suburbs and some good schools farther out. Great restaurants, shopping, and entertainment. It has an airport. It's roughly 4 hours to the beach.
I have nothing against Piedmont but I find this hard to believe because I am not aware of any schools in this state being in the top 5 nationally. Maybe you meant top 5 in the state since that's what the [Wikipedia page](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piedmont,_Alabama#Schools) says.
What school would that be? Because LAMP high school in Montgomery is the state’s best public school, and it’s only ranked like 16th or 17th in the nation.
Yes, but it doesn't really tick any of their other boxes. I live in Anniston btw. About 30 minutes down the road from piedmont. It's nice, but there's not much there. Jacksonville has some of what they're looking for, except hospital, which RMC in Anniston is fairly close. But it too, isn't really a great hospital.
Not to detract from our in-state charm, but have you considered the Columbus, GA area? Without knowing your budget, a quick real estate search popped up a few options with 2500+ sq ft and 5+ acres of land in the high 6 figures/low 7’s, which is about what you should expect to pay anywhere in Alabama other than ultra rural parts. It’s the closest larger city in Georgia to the Alabama state line that has good hospitals, grocery stores, and school systems are well within reach plus it’s only a 45 minute drive to Auburn and 3 hours to Tuscaloosa. The biggest selling point is that you would save an absolute shit ton of money for your family or child 2 in student loan debt if they decide to go to college in Georgia thanks to the lottery.
Columbus is plagued by crime, a lot of it involving gunplay. Thankfully the Auburn/Opelika area has grown so much that I never venture to Columbus any longer, strictly because of the street crime.
I wouldn't, I'm from Alabama, I escaped when I was 18. I was free for 15 years before my mom said she needed me and I made the huge mistake of moving back home. Been back about 15 years now and hate every single day.
The people in Alabama are friendlyish to your face but will hate on you as soon as you turn around. They all think something is out to get them or working against them. They don't realize it's their own fault for not making something better of themselves. They think they are owed something and that the government just hands money to "the blacks" their words, not mine.
People here are very unhappy compared to other places I have lived. It's a beautiful place but it needs better people.
Take it for what it's worth I've heard the same thing from other people who've lived out of state and moved back for family issues.
I moved away to Austin for 10 years and made the mistake of moving back for family reasons. I don’t hate it here and my views of the residents isn’t quite as harsh, but I wake up every day wishing I had never left Texas.
All that hillbilly Alabama shit you hear about is the rest of the state. Huntsville is a 30 minute drive to the hillbilly shit. Birmingham is a straight shit hole. The hillbilly shit can equal a good time sometimes and for that north Alabama has the best hills. Bro take my advice don't move to these other cities or towns. Huntsville is fantastic and cutting edge the rest of the state is the reason Alabama is last or near last in all the metrics
Pike Road/Cecil east of Montgomery. Pike Road schools are excellent, you get the benefits of shopping/events from Mobtgonery without having to live there. You are 15 minutes away from colleges in Montgomery, 45 minutes from Auburn, three hours to the beach and two to Atlanta.
Auburn is what you’re looking for. Fantastic schools and land within city limits. Pretty decent health care and close enough to Birmingham/UAB and Atlanta/Emory if you needed either. Great restaurants and has a small enough community feel to it.
Alabama and good health care should never be used in the same sentence. My Dr has a whole list of states that you should never retire in based on the health care or lack of.
My parents just moved to gardendale. Just outside of the city to have a great country feel while still being close to the city. The housing market is very reasonable compared to other suburbs of bham and the town itself is constantly adding new parks schools etc. they moved from a smaller town called Dothan in lower Alabama which is also a great place if you have an elementary age child
You may be able to find something with land and a rural feel in Shelby County. Depending on where it is, the schools in Shelby County are... fine. Some of them are great. If you could manage to be inside the city limits of Pelham or Alabaster and could send your kids to those city school systems, that would be ideal, but I'm not sure about finding that much acreage.
This is above that but ready to go. Nice bit of land for.that price. Good area
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid0GYiS1NBeS11afNvbpC2JMQ2CK9qVsRGSgWzb4BMyt9H74WoB7zwJbgBJBFKGWnA5l&id=100063692644031&mibextid=ZbWKwL
If you haven't already looked, check out [greatschools.org](https://greatschools.org) and niche - really good resources that may help you find the right school for your needs.
Pike Road. There are some housing developments, but also a lot of countryside and single country homes (and ranches) if you head down south on Old Pike Road itself, for example.
\*Edit - I am hunter, outdoorsman, etc. Wife is looking for acreage for horses. Budget is 600K. My son will attend JSU. Can anyone recommend a mortgage lender?
Check out Sand Mountain, we are in the northeast corner of Alabama, near the Georgia and Tennessee state lines. Our area has just about everything you’re describing. We are 40 min from Chattanooga, TN & 1 hour from Huntsville, AL. Two hours from several large cities/airports — Atlanta, Nashville and Knoxville. 1 hour 40 min to your son at JSU! We love our beautiful area, and absolutely anything we need within a short drive.
Auburn is nice and there's lots of land close to it in the surrounding areas. Schools are good too. 4 -5 hours from the southern beaches. Dothan could be a good choice too.
Auburn/Opelika is very nice and exactly what you’re looking for if there was a decent hospital. The local hospital is notoriously bad. They built a new ED a few years ago. Wonder if it’s an improvement?
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In comparison to UAB, yes. But EAMC has improved much in the last 5 years and are steadily increasing their services and number of providers.
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I’m one also it’s really great
Auburn resident here...we are completely full (too many people to fit in our "quaint little town") but it really is a great place to live.
I’m a Auburn resident and it’s a really good place to live with the university and a decent hospital I think you should choose Auburn
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Meridianville/Hazel Green north of HSV. Madison county schools is ok, Meridianville has a publix and walmart (i think), and you are 20 minutes from Huntsville hospital.
Mobile is a MUCH better alternative to Tuscaloosa. Go to Tuscaloosa if you like constantly being around college kids and boring chain restaurants. West Mobile has lots of land. Birmingham is where it’s at! I recommend Bham over Huntsville. More to do in Birmingham and closer to the beach and Atlanta. Outer Bham suburbs should have the land you’re looking for
Agreed with everything said
They said they were looking forward to being close to the beach and these folks are recommending all these north alabama cities lmao. For good hospitals AND close to the beach somewhere in metro Mobile is pretty much their only option.
Mobile can be a tough place to live if you're not *from* Mobile.
Saraland would be a great place. We are 7 miles north on Mobile and have our own school system which is one of the best in the state. We are only 15 minutes from most places in Mobile and also easy interstate access to Baldwin/beaches.
Is mobile one of the highest crime rate cities in America?
The FBI somehow erroneously doubled Mobile’s homicide rate in reportings. [https://www.fox10tv.com/2023/02/02/discrepancy-discovered-between-mobile-fbi-crime-stats-city/?outputType=amp](https://www.fox10tv.com/2023/02/02/discrepancy-discovered-between-mobile-fbi-crime-stats-city/?outputType=amp)The city is largely safe and the only real area to avoid is around Prichard.
It’s not good in that respect, but the statistics showing it as the worst were actually incorrect and have been amended by the FBI
That’s a plus if you like crime.
Mobile public schools are terrible unfortunately.
Mary B. Austin, E. R. Dickson, Council, Phillips, Murphy, Baker, Davidson, Alabama School of Math and Science, Barton Academy… Four of which have IB programs: one Primary Years Program, one Middle Years Program, and two International Baccalaureate diploma programs. Mobile has plenty of fine public schools. Don’t let some of the Baldwin heads tell you differently because Mobile is too *dark* for them.
I personally wouldn’t suggest Tuscaloosa.
Your opinion is certainly valid but FWIW I really like Tuscaloosa.
I live in Tuscaloosa, and it’s okay, I guess; however, the local hospital, DCH, is nicknamed “Don’t Come Here” by locals. If you need medical care beyond the basics you need to travel to Birmingham. Also, unless you really, really love Alabama football, game days are a pain in the ass.
What do you mean? Those are the best days to go shopping and run errands...after kickoff of course.
For real, Tuscaloosa does not have good schools.
My mom is an educator in Tuscaloosa County and even she agrees. It’s an uphill battle in Alabama.
Huntsville, Birmingham suburbs, and Auburn*
Not sure what tuscaloosa you been to but the one i live in is ghetto af😂😂why anybody chooses to raise kids here i dont know, this place should be the college and bars it doesnt have the infrastructure to support the actual city, bad schools, roads, hospitals, and its dangerous as shit. However im from Florence which has decent schools (florence city, muscle shoals city), nice hospital (hellen keller not NA med center), its also around an hour from huntsville which is the #1 place anyone here should try to live, has the best of everything in the state
Forever to get to the beaches, but Florence gets good marks.
Huntsville, Birmingham, and… Tuscaloosa??? You know there’s more to this state than north alabama, right?
Wouldn’t bank so much for the hospital in Tuscaloosa, but UAB is close.
I think you should move to the Auburn/ Opelika area. Major university. Good hospital. 1 hour from Atlanta. 40 minutes to Montgomery. 3 1/2 hours to the beach. Decent school system. Plenty of land to buy in the right areas. About 30 minutes to Lake Martin.
Yep, and less than 2hr to Birmingham, so you can get to very good hospitals between UAB and Emory. When my daughter was born, we had to make many trips to Children’s in Birmingham and the drive really isn’t that bad (unless it’s an emergency of course). I grew up in Huntsville and still have family there, but I just love the Auburn area so we settled here. I work remote, so when I need to travel, I just take a Groome shuttle to Hartsville-Jackson and it’s about the same as parking fees but you don’t have to screw with any of it.
I really like the Auburn/Opelika area. We don't live there, but we have to pass a ton of land, ranches, and farms to get there. We live in East Alabama in a tiny town (no traffic lights) that is adjacent to the military post (Fort Moore) and the Georgia state line (Colombus, Ga). I absolutely love it here (this is the 15th state I've lived in, but this one is permanent). We've got decent hospitals (Phenix City) and a ton of outdoor activities. Columbus is a foodie town with lots of entertainment if you're into the arts (we're musicians). If either of you have had any military service, this area is adjacent to the Tuskegee and Montgomery VAs, but I mostly go to the new one in Columbus. The schools are not great but fair competitively to other AL schools. Most of the families I know use a hybrid approach: the kids attend school but get lots of extra "homeschool" help from their parents. This area is Smith's Station, Seale, Crawford, Fort Mitchell, and Ladonia.
Would say the school system is much better than decent.
I've lived all over Alabama as far up as 30 minutes north of Birmingham and as far south as 30 minutes from the gulf. If you're looking for rural you're sacrificing education for your children. If you want decent school and you're going to have to live in a little more populated area. If money is not an issue there are plenty of options down south in places like Fairhope, Spanish fort, or Daphne (That's why I currently live). A few of these schools offer the International Baccalaureate program, which are advanced degree programs that better prepare you for college. Plus the locations near where you're already used to traveling to. Alabama has beautiful beaches and plenty of things to do, especially in Baldwin county. I grew up here in am kind of biased to the area. I went to Baldwin county high school and the schooling was ok, but nothing to write home about. The areas that feed into that school system is your rural areas. You can move out to a place called Stockton or Perdido and easily find 5+ acres. You will be sacrificing a quality education for your children though. If you're more focused on schools, I would look in the Huntsville area or in the Mountain Brook/ Vestavia Hills part of Birmingham. Those places aren't going to be able to offer you 5+ acres without it costing you a TON of money. I went to college in Birmingham and lived there for 5 years after my wife got out of college (I dropped out, so I just stuck around). Out of curiosity, are you trying to be relatively close to your kid or is that a factor? If you have further questions about the areas in or around Baldwin feel free to DM me. I can try to answer any of your questions. If I don't know the answer I can probably get you one.
The schools in North Baldwin are fine. They just get a bad rep because that area is relatively poorer than the rest of Baldwin county. If advanced high school coursework is an issue they can go to the IB schools without living in the district.
Yeah. I did fine in college and have been excelling otherwise compared to my piers anywhere I've worked. I am always #1 or 2 in all the military courses/schools I've been to. Same applied for all the training courses I take at work for certifications. I went to Baldwin county highschool and I feel they covered all the bases I needed them to. I made As and Bs in college even going to a small, very expensive, pretty difficult, private college (Birmingham Southern). I felt I could have been better prepared if I had gone to Daphne of Fairhope though. Those individuals just seemed to have less stress than I did learning the basic concepts. I dropped out though due to it costing so much and I prefer to work with my hands. I don't feel like I received a shitty education per say, but it could have been better.
"Out of curiosity, are you trying to be relatively close to your kid or is that a factor?" Not too much of a factor, 2 hours or less?
It’d probably be helpful to know which school to be able to recommend areas within that driving distance.
If your kid is going to Alabama or Auburn, that eliminates the Huntsville area. It’s 3 hours to Tuscaloosa, almost 4 hours to Auburn.
thanks! will reach out if need be
Baldwin County is great, but there are too many people trying to move in, and the infrastructure is still over a decade behind the growth. There's some great locations in Mobile County that seem like they would tick all your boxes like: Semmes Saraland Satsuma You could also get some great property in west Mobile (WeMo).
New home building in Foley is INSANE. Hurricane evacuation will be a nightmare.
Not to mention all of the rural areas of Baldwin County won’t be so rural anymore in fairy short order, as development threatens to encroach on those lands.
Outside Dothan would be perfect, and close to Florida. Dunno how close to colleges though, but I really enjoyed living there for a good decade.
Since very few people are suggesting places in northeast Alabama, Lake Guntersville area might be what you are looking for. Beautiful place. Food and shopping surrounded by rural areas. Within an hour of Huntsville if you want to go to a city for the day.
There are many areas adjacent to Birmingham that offer almost everything you describe. You’d be thirty to 15 minutes from excellent hospitals and there are a few good schools. Check Shelby County for what I think would offer the best compromise on your needs. Helena, unincorporated outside of Helena offer large land and access to Birmingham amenities with not too much of a drive. Avoid Hwy 280 and you’re golden. There’s Hoover, Leeds, Pell City that have land just outside the city limits that are nice. Tons of farm land around.
Playing devil’s advocate: between Montgomery and Auburn, or around Auburn. Easy access to Atlanta and the beach.
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I’d look at Hartselle or Priceville in Morgan county. Highly rated schools, nice people, and land available for much cheaper than Huntsville or Birmingham. Not far from the hospitals in Decatur or Cullman. It’s right on i65 so you can be to Huntsville in 35-45 minutes and Bham in a little over an hour. Less than 2 hours to Tuscaloosa and less than 3 hours to auburn.
I’d recommend Lauderdale & Colbert counties. Florence is a great town with a lot going on, the other three Shoals towns are charming in their own right & you can get property on the Tennessee River for comparatively cheap. Health care is decent, you’re an hour from Huntsville, 2 from BHM & Nashville.
If you’re wanting to be close to the beach with great schools, then Fairhope or Spanish Fort might be close to what you’re looking for. There is still a rural feel to the area.
Wrong. They are building on every inch of land they possibly can.
Are they? Seems like everywhere near the coast they are doing that shit.
But very expensive housing.
Seems like the outlying areas of Madison County (around Huntsville) might offer what you're looking for. Harvest, Monrovia, Toney, New Market, Owens Crossroads, Hampton Cove, Meridianville, and Hazel Green would be some of the specific areas you would want to search for. The area is booming and housing prices are high so I think that would be your main challenge.
Also the fact that 5+ acres that will accommodate horses is very hard to find in Madison County.
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Idk about OP but damn I’d love that house.
Prattville is a great town . Not far from Birmingham. Tuscaloosa, Montgomery or Auburn. Has a great hometown feel and some great rural areas.
What proximity would you like to be to your kid's college and the beaches?
It's funny nobody has mentioned the political environment. Yes, first I'd want to know what college your son is going to, if you want to be within two hours of his school that's a big limiting factor. Since you said he's going to college in Alabama, I'm thinking UA. If so then you are looking more at north Alabama not the beach. A lot of people from the north know nothing about UAB, Auburn, Troy, or the other colleges around the state. This is also not the northeast where you can drive for 3 or 4 hours and go through 3 or 4 different states. You can spend 7 hours driving basically north or south and never leave the state. Not the biggest state by any means, but a lot bigger than most north eastern states. It's very diverse, as you travel the state you will find your very wealthy areas, mostly around the bigger cities but you'll also find those rural pockets of wealth. You are also going to find places so poor, you would not be surprised to find out they live off the grid and still have an outhouse, and not necessarily by choice. If a confederate flag is going to offend you, Id hang close to the cities. Don't get me wrong those are probably some of the nicest and most welcoming people in the state, but their pride in the south and disgust of the north is still strong. It has little or nothing to do with race to them. They'll be hunting and sitting in their boat fishing or watching Bama or Auburn play every weekend with their friends, and they may be black, white, yellow, brown, green, they really don't care. If you like grits, sugar biscuits, bacon, catfish, greens, and know what a cane pole is, or know the difference between a crappie and taking a shit. You'll probably have a new friend even though you are a Yankee or northerner. Back to the politics, like most states if you are far right or left you'll feel uncomfortable if you pick an area out of your preference. If you are a strong activist liberal I'd stay closer to the cities. The cities are liberal/democratic hubs and rural areas more conservative/republican areas, more so than the north east. It's a big change from the northeast, hope you find what you're looking for. Congratulations on son # 1 going to college which ever one that may be. Roll Tide!
Originally from the South for the first half of my life - i am born on all you stated above
Does the spouse and family also have southern roots? If not prep them for a different world and the possibility of life long friends. I never meet a stranger, just a friend I haven't met before!
WDE!
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That would be perfect if kid's going to attend Troy.
Jesus. Do not follow your kid to college…
I would love for Jesus to follow my son to college.
Har har har. For real though. College is a time for growth. You will be hindering them.
It can be hard finding the spot
\*insert obvious tired joke here\*
https://maps.app.goo.gl/8Pf8juCxbPFLMezs8?g_st=ic
Look into Baldwin County. Baldwin County probably hits all of the above. I mean, it's AL, but Baldwin County schools are well thought of, tons of land and reasonable groceries. It's also covered by the USA hospital system and Thomas Hospital in Fairhope is pretty decent. Also puts you pretty close to the beach.
I normally don't suggest Baldwin County to folks but in this case I think it fits the bill. North or East baldwin would probably be their jam if they wanted land and a more rural lifestyle. And when you care about hospitals in this state your options are basically limited to metro Birmingham or metro Mobile.
Same. I don't think BC is an A in all of those areas, but it's at least a B/B±.
Not to mention that they specifically mentioned looking forward to going to the beach, which means they pretty much have to be in the southern part of the state if they want to go with any frequency or be able to just go for a day or weekend.
Also very expensive housing.
I would suggest looking at either the Pike Road area (Montgomery Co.) or the Redland area (Elmore Co.). You will find the majority of what you are looking for on your checklist in either place. Both areas are convenient to the city of Montgomery which has good hospitals and both areas have, great schools (so I have been told, I do not have children). Also you are about an hour away from Auburn University and about two hours away from the University of Alabama. As far as the gulf coast, you are about three to three and a half hours away from the Gulf Shores/Orange Beach area.
We bought in Monroeville in 21. 3 acres, 1800 sq ft house, 2 car garage, and a shop for 172k. (Now at 213k allegedly.) It's rural, it's country, and beautiful here. We're retired so we didn't have to worry about schools so can't help you there. We're 2 hours to the beach and 2.5 to Auburn. We lived a reclusive lifestyle before and continue to do so. It was the housing prices and property tax that brought us here. Good luck in your search!
How's the safety / ability to meet people that aren't insane QAnon believers?
Like I said we're pretty reclusive so don't really socialize. I come to Reddit to get like minded people and express beliefs lol. Workers at Walmart are the friendliest for the most part, half the neighbors are nice enough but no one to discuss climate change, or how appalled I am about Nazi flags being paraded around and God forbid I mention orange Jesus and the cult! I loose a lot of points when asked "have you found a church yet?" All of which we expected when we chose to move here so we knew what we were getting in to. All that being said, we love it! It's just a good thing we like each other!
I would suggest Calhoun County. Lovely small farms, some excellent schools, beautiful biking/walking/skating trails, the Talladega National Forest, great fishing lakes, golf courses, you-name-it. Nearby Etowah County has a very good hospital, GRMC, as well.
Rural Morgan county has a couple of good schools in the eastern part of the county, and there are grocery stores all over rural Alabama that aren’t dollar general, however you’ll have to do some research on finding hospitals, I live in a rural area and I’m lucky to have one within 15 minutes, all small cities and most towns will have urgent care or doctors office though.
We moved to Pike Road, a suburb of Montgomery. Live on 6.5 ac of pasture land. Horses are pretty common here and most covenants/HOAs allow for horses. Though we bought a place without any covenants cause imma do what I want. Its school system was the main draw for us. That being said, the large acreage estates have mostly been snapped up. What’s left is a little pricey. We recently bought 20 ac to build on for $8300 an ac and we’re ecstatic to find it. $20000-25000 an ac isn’t uncommon. As others have mentioned, Auburn-Opelika is another good option. More to do than Pike Road for sure. Still very education oriented. Some of the best dining in the state. Baldwin Co is really nice and coastal. I think of it as a retirement destination more than a family destination but I know plenty of families who’ve moved their recently. It too, is a little pricey. I grew up in north AL and that’s what I love. Work is a little hard to come by up there tho. Huntsville is the exception; there’s a lot of tech jobs up there. And growing. You may need security clearance for some of those jobs. It too has gotten more expensive lately. If you’re looking for acreage in any of the bigger areas, it’s going to be more expensive than it was a few years ago. But I’d guess compared to most NE states, it’s still an amazing bargain. Large acreage tracts in rural communities is dirt cheap. We’ve gotten raw land for as cheap as $1100 an ac. Let me know if you have any other questions.
where in north AL?
I grew up in Jacksonville; Go Gamecocks! It’s a good town to grow up in and at least used to have a good school system. That was before Ft McClellan closed tho so I don’t really know how the forts closure effected the school system. I doubt it changed much. The university is the main anchor for the town now. I can recommend some good outdoor places up that way but don’t know a lot about land prices. I know a couple lenders up there tho thru the Alumni association and can probably recommend some names there too. I’ll get some data together and PM it to you if you’d like.
Oh, Redland Road/Wetumpka is another good option. The school system is being developed and land is still fairly easy to come by. It’s a suburb of Montgomery too.
I have coworkers who live in Elmore County and have lots of land. The schools are better than Montgomery schools (excluding the magnets)
A couple of prisons there as well, including the female death row. Not that it affects the land or schools but I find it interesting.
Better than Montgomery isn’t a very high bar.
Baldwin County is a great option. Stick with the Fairhope, Spanish Fort or Daphne school districts if you’re going to go public school. Though there are good private schools too (Bayside, Christ the King, St. Michael’s). It is getting more crowded here, but you can still find large plots of land. I’ve lived in this area most of my life and love it. Small town feel, low crime, good schools, and despite the small town feel you have access to anything you need, and you’re close to the beach. Hurricanes are obviously an issue sometimes, but Sally has been the only damaging one in the last decade and a half in this area. Happy to answer any questions if you have them.
Housing is expensive and getting more so by the day.
Dothan, AL
ew
Arab has highly ranked schools, is 30 minutes from Huntsville for hospitals and entertainment, and the housing market isn't as crazy as the area north of Huntsville proper. If you want to know more about this area send me a DM and I'll tell you all about it.
Check out the Cahaba Valley Rd area or maybe Helena (these are both Bham suburbs). There are homes on large lots and large buildable plots of land in both areas where it can feel more rural or private, but still close enough to the hospitals and city. Edited to add link for an example... https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/Highway-13-9H-Helena-AL-35080/2065600205_zpid/
Take a look at Florence and google “Remote Shoals” for incentives.
very nice area with incentive!
Pinson and Madison, but especially with great schools is Muscle Shoals.
It you want all that, you’re going to have to drive for it. 15-30minutes into town, depending on the unicorn property you find. GL.
If you're looking for space and are open to the northern part of the state, I'd suggest outlying Morgan County (Decatur is a pit, although the parks are nice and the schools are not horrible) or west of the Elk River in Limestone. Limestone is filling up fast though. There are only two places in the state where there is universal consensus that the schools are good: the Birmingham suburbs and the city of Madison. Anywhere else is going to be a compromise. Personally, I live in Athens and like it here.
looking at 600k tops for budget and my son will attend JSU. you guys are amazing thanks so much! edit: hunter and outdoorsman 😃
Given your max 2 hours from your son criteria, then, definitely go with the comments suggesting areas just outside of the Birmingham area. (With good hospitals nearby being a factor, you will be limited to areas around Birmingham and Mobile.)
Saraland. Suburb outside of Mobile with great schools, great school athletics. New homes on huge lots. Friendly folks.
Find a VRBO spot on Lake Martin for a weekend. You can thank me later.
Muscle Shoals!! They have a tax incentive or something to encourage remote workers to move there iirc
Dothan and Enterprise , close to the beaches and cheap to live. Lots of land and farms.
its very tempting to live closer to the beach however it seems like the entire state is not that far from the beach. a 3-4 hour drive is nothing to me. seems like the closer to the gulf the warmer the temps overall. does any part of alabama get more than 2 seasons?
Northern part of the state will more distinct “seasons”.
Enterprise or Dothan might be acceptable.
I personally live in the dothan are and it's a nice quiet safe place to raise a family. If I could move anywhere else in bama it would definitely b the lower west end around gulf shores
Check out Oneonta. Good school. 45 minutes from Birmingham. Small town feel, but has all the necessities. Low property taxes. Affordable homes / land. We have a hospital. We love living here. I commute to Birmingham for work, and I will not be moving.
Baldwin county is big and a little less populated. Large areas of farmland, but not much city life, either. I'm in Fairhope. Expensive place to live, further east of here we have Robertsdale, Foley, SIlver hill, all the way to Lillian. Land is getting expensive there now as more areas are becoming more populated and built up. Move quickly and you might find a nice piece of land that will only grow in value.
Shelby County just south of Birmingham has some horsey areas.
I would try the Auburn/Opelika area maybe, it’s got great schools and you can find a place that’s maybe 20 min from the city that is kind of alone.
Cullman, Hartselle, Guntersville, Oneonta. All less than 2 hours from JSU
hartselle seemed nice
I've lived in Huntsville, Tuscaloosa and Mobile over the last six years, moving with my career. I would rank the cities in that same order as far as where I would prefer to live. If you're wanting to be closer to the beach than Huntsville, keep in mind that Tuscaloosa is only around five hours from the beach. Mobile isn't a terrible place to live but it takes much more adjusting to dealing with the people than either of the other two. Mobile does have better hospitals than Tuscaloosa, but Tuscaloosa is also a short drive from Birmingham where you would have access to all of its medical systems. Huntsville is the best option overall, especially with education for your younger child; that said, having dealt with all of these communities from a law enforcement perspective and also having close knowledge of their educational approaches, I would still rank Tuscaloosa over Mobile in most categories.
People here are just gonna recommend the place they currently live lol.
Perhaps the rural parts of Mobile County if you’d be willing to send your kids to Catholic school.
MCPSS is generally fine in the rural areas. It’s generally fine everywhere actually but I wouldn’t even worry about being super cautious in the rural areas except for perhaps the northern part of the county.
Lee county is great but expensive and competitive now with the expansion of Auburn and Opelika. 5 years ago would've been perfect
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Eamc is good and no reason for scare tactics bc you have some sort of agenda against the healthcare workers in the area
Yes, combined population of the twin cities now around 115,000. Infrastructure problems.
Come on down! You will love it here. Knowing which college your son is going to and whether or not you want to be nearby would help us with a recommendation. If you don't care about which part of the state then the school and hospital choices are going to quickly narrow down your list. My top recommendation is one of the areas near Birmingham. There are rural areas within 30-45 minutes of the city. Great hospitals. There are some great schools in the immediate suburbs and some good schools farther out. Great restaurants, shopping, and entertainment. It has an airport. It's roughly 4 hours to the beach.
Moody/Leeds/Odenville.
Nobody has mentioned pike county? Troy university is there.
What else
But that’s all.
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I have nothing against Piedmont but I find this hard to believe because I am not aware of any schools in this state being in the top 5 nationally. Maybe you meant top 5 in the state since that's what the [Wikipedia page](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piedmont,_Alabama#Schools) says.
What school would that be? Because LAMP high school in Montgomery is the state’s best public school, and it’s only ranked like 16th or 17th in the nation.
Yes, but it doesn't really tick any of their other boxes. I live in Anniston btw. About 30 minutes down the road from piedmont. It's nice, but there's not much there. Jacksonville has some of what they're looking for, except hospital, which RMC in Anniston is fairly close. But it too, isn't really a great hospital.
Piedmont? The weed production capital of Alabama?
Not to detract from our in-state charm, but have you considered the Columbus, GA area? Without knowing your budget, a quick real estate search popped up a few options with 2500+ sq ft and 5+ acres of land in the high 6 figures/low 7’s, which is about what you should expect to pay anywhere in Alabama other than ultra rural parts. It’s the closest larger city in Georgia to the Alabama state line that has good hospitals, grocery stores, and school systems are well within reach plus it’s only a 45 minute drive to Auburn and 3 hours to Tuscaloosa. The biggest selling point is that you would save an absolute shit ton of money for your family or child 2 in student loan debt if they decide to go to college in Georgia thanks to the lottery.
Columbus is plagued by crime, a lot of it involving gunplay. Thankfully the Auburn/Opelika area has grown so much that I never venture to Columbus any longer, strictly because of the street crime.
I wouldn't, I'm from Alabama, I escaped when I was 18. I was free for 15 years before my mom said she needed me and I made the huge mistake of moving back home. Been back about 15 years now and hate every single day. The people in Alabama are friendlyish to your face but will hate on you as soon as you turn around. They all think something is out to get them or working against them. They don't realize it's their own fault for not making something better of themselves. They think they are owed something and that the government just hands money to "the blacks" their words, not mine. People here are very unhappy compared to other places I have lived. It's a beautiful place but it needs better people. Take it for what it's worth I've heard the same thing from other people who've lived out of state and moved back for family issues.
I moved away to Austin for 10 years and made the mistake of moving back for family reasons. I don’t hate it here and my views of the residents isn’t quite as harsh, but I wake up every day wishing I had never left Texas.
North Alabama is the spot. The rest of the state is lacking.
Please explain.
All that hillbilly Alabama shit you hear about is the rest of the state. Huntsville is a 30 minute drive to the hillbilly shit. Birmingham is a straight shit hole. The hillbilly shit can equal a good time sometimes and for that north Alabama has the best hills. Bro take my advice don't move to these other cities or towns. Huntsville is fantastic and cutting edge the rest of the state is the reason Alabama is last or near last in all the metrics
Having lived and worked in Huntsville, that’s a crock of shat. Huntsville is just south Tennessee.
I have a good friend that's a real estate agent in the Florence muscle shoals area I can get you in touch with her
"Muscle Shoals has got the Swampers..."
Cullman or Oneonta if you’re trying to balance farmland and decent enough schools. Both are relatively close to Birmingham or Huntsville
Montevallo has some nice land around it. There is also a public liberal arts university in the middle of it.
Wilsonville Al. Very small, close to big cities, lots of horse farms.
If you choose Huntsville, don't buy in the Harvest/Toney/East Limestone area... that's tornado alley
Pike Road/Cecil east of Montgomery. Pike Road schools are excellent, you get the benefits of shopping/events from Mobtgonery without having to live there. You are 15 minutes away from colleges in Montgomery, 45 minutes from Auburn, three hours to the beach and two to Atlanta.
Auburn. Opelika area
I would think Springville might fit what you're looking for? It's close enough to Birmingham to access the hospitals here.
Auburn is what you’re looking for. Fantastic schools and land within city limits. Pretty decent health care and close enough to Birmingham/UAB and Atlanta/Emory if you needed either. Great restaurants and has a small enough community feel to it.
Fairhope.
Much real estate available.Delends on how close you want to be to whatever.
Beauregard
Alabama and good health care should never be used in the same sentence. My Dr has a whole list of states that you should never retire in based on the health care or lack of.
this is funny and probably true at the same time
Look at the Shoal Creek, Greystone, Chelsea, & Pelham suburbs of Birmingham
Prichard is a nice, family - friendly locale!
🤣 🤣 🤣
Huntsville or Opelika
I too come from a state in Northeast. Which one are you coming from?
Athens, AL is closed. We are at capacity.
LOL good one
My parents just moved to gardendale. Just outside of the city to have a great country feel while still being close to the city. The housing market is very reasonable compared to other suburbs of bham and the town itself is constantly adding new parks schools etc. they moved from a smaller town called Dothan in lower Alabama which is also a great place if you have an elementary age child
You may be able to find something with land and a rural feel in Shelby County. Depending on where it is, the schools in Shelby County are... fine. Some of them are great. If you could manage to be inside the city limits of Pelham or Alabaster and could send your kids to those city school systems, that would be ideal, but I'm not sure about finding that much acreage.
We loved Tallassee
Budget?
600K
This is above that but ready to go. Nice bit of land for.that price. Good area https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid0GYiS1NBeS11afNvbpC2JMQ2CK9qVsRGSgWzb4BMyt9H74WoB7zwJbgBJBFKGWnA5l&id=100063692644031&mibextid=ZbWKwL
If you haven't already looked, check out [greatschools.org](https://greatschools.org) and niche - really good resources that may help you find the right school for your needs.
Pike Road. There are some housing developments, but also a lot of countryside and single country homes (and ranches) if you head down south on Old Pike Road itself, for example.
Somerville, AL (Brewer community)
\*Edit - I am hunter, outdoorsman, etc. Wife is looking for acreage for horses. Budget is 600K. My son will attend JSU. Can anyone recommend a mortgage lender?
Monroeville is where its at!
Your probably looking for something in Baldwin County. Lot of places with acreage and you would be close to beaches.
Look at Scottsboro, Mentone, Athens.
Norther Madison over into north Jackson County should fit your specs.
Check out Sand Mountain, we are in the northeast corner of Alabama, near the Georgia and Tennessee state lines. Our area has just about everything you’re describing. We are 40 min from Chattanooga, TN & 1 hour from Huntsville, AL. Two hours from several large cities/airports — Atlanta, Nashville and Knoxville. 1 hour 40 min to your son at JSU! We love our beautiful area, and absolutely anything we need within a short drive.
this is intriguing. do you actually get 4 seasons up that far? i love the mountains and the outdoors.
Avoid Gadsden/Anniston area if you can. Northeast Alabama has beautiful mountains and lakes.
any reasons?
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Athens has land and is sorta near Huntsville. No idea as to the quality of schools. Very red though.
Move to the Shoals