Hey guys. I want to ask the Alabamans how living is in The Heart of Dixie. I'm 17 now and I plan to enlist in the Marine Corps this summer or next. Then when I get out I want to live in Alabama with the girl I want to marry someday.

I want to ask where the best area in Alabama is to live. For example, if someone asked me where the best place in Maryland is to live I would say either far Western Maryland, Southern Maryland, or the Eastern shore. I want to live either way out in the country or in a small town. I come from a small town in far Western Maryland. I like it here but I've always liked Alabama and the whole Deep South thing. I'd take Greenbow, just outside the county of Greenbow, but apparently that's not real.

So, where would you guys recommend as a good place to live in Alabama?

North Alabama (Huntsville/Decatur) = The Best Jobs and Mountainous terrain.....very good living in my opinion.

South Alabama (Dothan/Mobile) = Good Jobs and Flat terrain but close to the beach. Also good living......except don't live in the heart of Mobile. The Suburbs are good.

Central Alabama (Montgomery) = Good Jobs but LOTS of racism.....meaning Black racism towards Whites.....also a bunch of corruption.

Central Alabama (Birmingham) = Good Jobs but lots of crime. Suburbs are nice though.

West Alabama (Tuscaloosa) = Good Jobs but VERY crowded in my opinion. Plus if you're not an Alabama Footbal Fan, you're not welcome there....lol

East Alabama (Gadsten/Anniston/FT. Payne) = Don't know much about this area but Some PRETTY country



Just my Opinion

GC

Quoted: North Alabama (Huntsville/Decatur) = The Best Jobs and Mountainous terrain.....very good living in my opinion. GC

Just moved to Hville a month or so ago myself and have already decided this is where I want to stay.

Quoted: Hey guys. I want to ask the Alabamans how living is in The Heart of Dixie. I'm 17 now and I plan to enlist in the Marine Corps this summer or next. Then when I get out I want to live in Alabama with the girl I want to marry someday. I want to ask where the best area in Alabama is to live. For example, if someone asked me where the best place in Maryland is to live I would say either far Western Maryland, Southern Maryland, or the Eastern shore. I want to live either way out in the country or in a small town. I come from a small town in far Western Maryland. I like it here but I've always liked Alabama and the whole Deep South thing. I'd take Greenbow, just outside the county of Greenbow, but apparently that's not real. So, where would you guys recommend as a good place to live in Alabama?

Muscle Shoals, if you're wealthy and you don't want even medium-sized-city action.  I don't mean it's expensive to live there, but there ain't many hi-paying jobs.  I wish I could move there and bring my career with me.  My wife's from M.S.  

Quoted: Hey guys. I want to ask the Alabamans how living is in The Heart of Dixie. I'm 17 now and I plan to enlist in the Marine Corps this summer or next. Then when I get out I want to live in Alabama with the girl I want to marry someday. I want to ask where the best area in Alabama is to live. For example, if someone asked me where the best place in Maryland is to live I would say either far Western Maryland, Southern Maryland, or the Eastern shore. I want to live either way out in the country or in a small town. I come from a small town in far Western Maryland. I like it here but I've always liked Alabama and the whole Deep South thing. I'd take Greenbow, just outside the county of Greenbow, but apparently that's not real. So, where would you guys recommend as a good place to live in Alabama?

I moved here 6 years ago from DE. I live in a fairly small town in Shelby County but not so far that it's a long drive from anything. There's lots of really nice places and people here, just depends on how close or far you want to be from anything.

height=8

Quoted: So, where would you guys recommend as a good place to live in Alabama?

That's going to depend on what you plan to do for a living after you get out of the service.
Over all property values are still reasonable (for now) as compared to the rest of the country.
I moved to south Alabama as a kid after living in Florida, Chicago, Los Angeles, & Texas.
I moved away a couple of times but I keep ending up back in Dixie.  It is a beautiful state,
just like they say.  I have lived in the Birmingham area now for 15 years.  If you don't mind
a little commute you can have country living and big city wages.

My only advice to you is if this "girl" is not already a part of your life,  Move here first then
find her.  Don't marry a girl from another part of the country and expect her to relocate
with you.  Ask me how I know this???????  I've always want to live in or around Arizona
but I'm still in Dixie and probably always will.  It's not a bad thing, I love her still.  Just
something to think about.

Quoted: North Alabama (Huntsville/Decatur) = The Best Jobs and Mountainous terrain.....very good living in my opinion. South Alabama (Dothan/Mobile) = Good Jobs and Flat terrain but close to the beach. Also good living......except don't live in the heart of Mobile. The Suburbs are good. Central Alabama (Montgomery) = Good Jobs but LOTS of racism.....meaning Black racism towards Whites.....also a bunch of corruption. Central Alabama (Birmingham) = Good Jobs but lots of crime. Suburbs are nice though. West Alabama (Tuscaloosa) = Good Jobs but VERY crowded in my opinion. Plus if you're not an Alabama Footbal Fan, you're not welcome there....lol East Alabama (Gadsten/Anniston/FT. Payne) = Don't know much about this area but Some PRETTY country  More mountanous country, but not much in the way of high tech jobs or jobs period.  Low cost of living, IRC. Just my Opinion GC

Agrees with what I know (I live in north Alabama plus with inputs in red above.

Quoted: Hey guys. I want to ask the Alabamans how living is in The Heart of Dixie. I'm 17 now and I plan to enlist in the Marine Corps this summer or next. Then when I get out I want to live in Alabama with the girl I want to marry someday. I want to ask where the best area in Alabama is to live. For example, if someone asked me where the best place in Maryland is to live I would say either far Western Maryland, Southern Maryland, or the Eastern shore. I want to live either way out in the country or in a small town. I come from a small town in far Western Maryland. I like it here but I've always liked Alabama and the whole Deep South thing. I'd take Greenbow, just outside the county of Greenbow, but apparently that's not real. So, where would you guys recommend as a good place to live in Alabama?

Run Far Far away as quickly as you can, It is Awful here!

(Is he gone yet?)

Wooo Hooo Then lets party!!!

Alabama living is great,unless you're in Birmingham dying.

Quoted: Alabama living is great,unless you're in Birmingham dying.

That's about the truth.  I't been a long-long time since I was in B'ham for a reason other than mine, or another's medical problem.  

+1 alabama is great been here most of my life except for couple years in northwest fla.  i live in central ala just below montgomery, country life is great here.

height=8

Quoted: +1 alabama is great been here most of my life except for couple years in northwest fla.  i live in central ala just below montgomery, country life is great here.

Snakeshooter1

What part of Crenshaw County do you live in?
I graduated from Brantley in '83.

I read in another thread that Blount County is a very nice county with low taxes, gun friendliness, and conservative values. Right now Blount County is at the top of my list. I was scanning through the various towns in Blount and saw the town of Nectar with a population of 233. I live in a small town with a population of approximately 7,000 so 233 sounds nice. I also read in the other thread that you can get an older house with 15-20 acres for about 200K? Sounds even better.

Is there any counties that are like Blount that I should look at?

Look at Cullman County and Limestone County

Winston County is nice too although I bought in Blount

Can't remember, is AL a Shall Issue or May Issue State? If it's May then really how tough are they in issueing CCP?

We are looking at moving in the next year or so and have been considering AL as well. Probably the mid to Northern part, still doing research on that right now.

Quoted: Can't remember, is AL a Shall Issue or May Issue State? If it's May then really how tough are they in issueing CCP? We are looking at moving in the next year or so and have been considering AL as well. Probably the mid to Northern part, still doing research on that right now.

May issue, although, until recently, no one seems to have ever heard of being turned down for a permit:  www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=8&f=31&t=257502

I appreciate all of the replies guys. I think what I'll do is take a road trip sometime this summer to the areas you guys suggested. I'd like to see how some of the areas look too. Does all of Alabama look like the way it is shown in Forrest Gump? The way it looks in that movie is where I'd love to live.

I think N. Al. is prettier if one likes mountains, etc.  N.E. Al. down to B'ham are the foothills of the Smokies. Tenn. Valley is nice.

No it's the sad truth, but Alabama isn't as country as the rest of those living outside the deep south seem to think... at least the cities for that matter. The big 4 - Birmingham, Huntsville, Montogmery, Mobile... all have major interstate junctions [Birmingham-59/20/65], [Montgomery-65/85], [Mobile-65/10] running through them with the exception of Hunstville which has I-65 access, but it doesn't exactly run through the city. It's fairly urban inside the cities, and all of the big 4 have sprawling suburbs, Orange beach and Gulf Shores south of Mobile are entertaining excessive growth at the moment. Mobile also just had the tallest building in between Dallas and Atlanta built.. the RSA Tower. Birmingham is kinda gritty, it's a great city nonetheless, awesome jobs, schooling, industry, but the hot spot for living is the suburban areas south and southwest I believe. Montgomery is a city on the move, although most seem to ignore all that's going on, it is. Hyundai has been building all of there cars & suvs in Montgomery for over a year now.... and Montgomery is reaking the benefits. More hotels are needed, improved roadways, and improved school system that was almost a total loss IMO. Montgomery's suburban areas to the north are MORE than booming, especially Prattville. I honestly don't have much to say about Huntsville, because I've never visited, but I know that the job market is amazing there, and I'm sure the property home values are good as well. We all know that leads to a good school system. My rant is over.

height=8

Quoted: I appreciate all of the replies guys. I think what I'll do is take a road trip sometime this summer to the areas you guys suggested. I'd like to see how some of the areas look too. Does all of Alabama look like the way it is shown in Forrest Gump? The way it looks in that movie is where I'd love to live.

My area does somewhat. I live on the Eastern Shore of Mobile Bay. Really a great little town, but there is incredible growth. So many people are moving here from Mobile and Florida and all over the place. It all depends what you're looking for. Prices are skyrocketing here, all the cotton farmers and pecan orchards are selling out to developers. Proximity to the beach is a big plus. Job opps depend on what you want to do. Really a beautiful area. Huntsville is a nice town I have family there, as well as a bit farther north. Really location will depend somewhat on what you want to do. No matter where you live in AL you have it pretty good (especially if you like the outdoors). I live a couple of minutes away from good fishing on the bay, and a couple of hours from great hunting.

Being from the coastal plain, I really appreciate the beauty of the northern half of the state, where small hills and mountains begin to take shape. At the same time the whole "Forest Gump" thing is very nice too, I suppose you mean huge oak trees covered with Spanish moss? They are plentiful here. Alabama is a growing state and has a lot of potential. I wish it wouldn't be developed any more but that is inevitable.

I've lived here my whole life-I'm 18 now. Next year I will be moving up to Tuscaloosa though for college....Roll tide?

ETA If I were older and moving to AL and thinking about having kids, I would be sure to pick an area with a good public school system, or private school. The overall condition of the public school system isnt that great here, but I live in a city with supposedly the best or second best county system in the state. That is why my parents moved to this area (from Mobile).

Take a look at Chilton Co. it's my home and has been for 30 years.