Relocating to Fort payne, AL (Muscle Shoals, Valley: houses, travel, lease)

[rosev]

Has anybody relocated to the Fort Payne area? My realtor advised me to find somebody that has moved there to find out what they think of the area. But I will take any information from anybody. Thank you

[over florida]

My wife and I are in the process of relocating to NE Alabama, we recently spent some time in that whole area and have decided on Guntersville, Fort Payne has been overtaken by hispanics and has a lot of hispanic grocery stores, I think they all work in the sock factories around there. Good luck!

[RonHei]

I owned two businesses in Fort Payne for almost 15 years, Discount Travel and Computer Solutions. Computer Solutions is still there. I founded it in 1985. Same owners as 1995 when I sold it. I moved to Florida in 1995.

There are over 200 sock mills in DeKalb County, and the mill owners have a strangle hold on the economy to keep wages depressed. (I was also the President of the Chamber of Commerce there). I once said on a radio interview there, that anyone with enough courage to steal and sell a car in the early 50's, bought a knitting machine and founded a sock mill. That's how they got their modern day "wealth".

Needless to say, that "endeared" me to the mill owners. :-)

My implication was, that "they" put on airs like they think they are "aristocrats" when many, not all, are simply poor whites with money.

That said. The area is absolutely beautiful, the people basically good people and friendly, tho somewhat clannish (don't be surprised if you don't get a cold shoulder here and there because you ain't "from" here).

As long as you have a good trade and are "good at it", you will prosper there. The north end of town is where the "flight" folks go/went. There are fair amount of decent houses "in town", and its not a bad commute from outside of town. Traffic is NOT unbelievable like it is down in Florida.

All depends on what you want to do as to where you go to do it. The county is STILL "dry" and probably will be as long as people in the Fort Payne cemetery keep "voting". :-)

[urableesingtome]

RonHei, I am glad you moved to Florida, I take it you don't realize the COUNTY is dry but Ft Payne is wet ignorance is bliss is it not!!!.As far as the hispanic community the hosiery industry is slowly dying and the hispansics are leaving.The homes they bought are being foreclosed on. I say live and let live you never know as the song goes when you are dealing with an angel. The folks here are friendly, we have many things to offer, we are 45 minutes south of Chattanooga, Tn. The summers here are HOT and HUMID, the winters start around January and stay til early April. We have Little River preserve, you can swim, ride horses or four-wheelers on the preserve. We have many people who are traveling and stop and end up living here that speaks volumes. We have the mountains Sand and Lookout, we have ridges and Valleys, we have great people and we have the bad, Ft Payne is like anywhere else we live and let live and if we get where we don't like it we move!!!! If you have kids, the schools are good, we have Wills VAlley which is a wonderful school for kindergarden through 3rd grade. The they proceed to Williaams Avenue for grades 4th through 6th, then to Middle School 7th and 8th and on to the high schoool grades 9 through 12. Some of the grades may over lap at Williams Ave and the Middle School. Ft Payne runs the length of a valley and on to Lookout Mountain. We have some great places to eat so ignore some of the negative comments and check it out yourself

[RonHei]

I'm glad too. And I don't hide behind cutsey pen names. What it is, is what it is. Fort Payne is a nice place. MOST of the people are nice as well. One simply has to adjust to the realities of the nuances of where they are. May have to look that up.

[rosev]

Thank you for your information. One of the things we are worried about, is our kids fitting in, especially to an area that "we ain't from." My sister just move to Green Hill from Muscle Shoals, she hasn't had any problems. And my mom and dad just bought a house in Killen-- no problems there either, actually, just the opposite. We want more of a scenic area, that's why we like the Fort Payne area. Thank you again!

[mizkat221]

WE bought 7.5 acres on the mountain by Ft. Payne. We now have our home up for sale in Bradenton FL & are excited about the move to Ft. Payne. We have spent time there and everyone has been friendly thus far. We enjoy the "laid back" attitude, and the fact that everyone waves as they drive by, even if they don't know you!!! We are tired of the traffic here in FL and the fact that we can't ride our motorcycles without fear! Bradenton has been expeiencing one motorcycle death a week recently (according to the local hospital). If your kids are into sports, they will fit in!! Ft. Payne is very sports-minded. Just read the local paper! We look forward to being your "new" neighbors!

[jimcmcgee]

Fort Payne is a small city of 15,000. It got it's name as a stockade for the Cherokee Indian removal of 1838. It experienced a coal and iron "boom" period in the late 1880's and early 1890's. The city is "wet" and offers several good restaurants, as well as a large recreation program and progressive government. It is the home of the "Alabama" band and they have chosen to remain residents. For more info, check out www.tourdekalb.com and www.fortpayne.com. Following is an official advertising release from the City of Fort Payne:

THE CITY OF FORT PAYNE, ALABAMA
Simply, the best!
WE'VE DONE IT AGAIN! The honors just keep coming.

In the early and mid-1990's, author Norman Crampton twice selected Fort Payne as one of “The 100 Best Small Towns in America.”

In 2003, Gerald W. Sweitzer and Kathy M. Fields published their book, “The 50 Best Small Southern Towns,” and Fort Payne was again selected as a distinguished and unique place to live. Sweitzer and Fields selected towns that were “charming, livable places affording a gentler way of life,” and Crampton's book was a guide to “the best in small town living.”

In 2004, Jack Schultz's book, “Boom Town USA – The 7 ½ Keys to Big Success in Small Towns,” designated Fort Payne as a “Golden Eagle.” He uses the term to describe the 100 best small towns that “are the creme de la creme of small towns in America,” adding, “They not only excel in most of the 7 ½ keys, but also have much to offer in a number of other critical areas that impact a town's quality of life.”

What more can we say? We are honored, of course. Our quality of life is not a secret. We have known it all along...now, the world knows it. Excellent transportation, schools, recreation, healthcare facilities, cultural events, and scenic beauty are readily available. Yet, we still maintain our small town character with good neighbors and a strong work ethic. We are proud to be so honored!

[NotYourTypicalSoutherner]

Originally Posted by jimcmcgee

Fort Payne is a small city of 15,000. It got it's name as a stockade for the Cherokee Indian removal of 1838. It experienced a coal and iron "boom" period in the late 1880's and early 1890's. The city is "wet" and offers several good restaurants, as well as a large recreation program and progressive government. It is the home of the "Alabama" band and they have chosen to remain residents. For more info, check out www.tourdekalb.com and www.fortpayne.com. Following is an official advertising release from the City of Fort Payne:

THE CITY OF FORT PAYNE, ALABAMA
Simply, the best!
WE'VE DONE IT AGAIN! The honors just keep coming.

In the early and mid-1990's, author Norman Crampton twice selected Fort Payne as one of “The 100 Best Small Towns in America.”

In 2003, Gerald W. Sweitzer and Kathy M. Fields published their book, “The 50 Best Small Southern Towns,” and Fort Payne was again selected as a distinguished and unique place to live. Sweitzer and Fields selected towns that were “charming, livable places affording a gentler way of life,” and Crampton's book was a guide to “the best in small town living.”

In 2004, Jack Schultz's book, “Boom Town USA – The 7 ½ Keys to Big Success in Small Towns,” designated Fort Payne as a “Golden Eagle.” He uses the term to describe the 100 best small towns that “are the creme de la creme of small towns in America,” adding, “They not only excel in most of the 7 ½ keys, but also have much to offer in a number of other critical areas that impact a town's quality of life.”

What more can we say? We are honored, of course. Our quality of life is not a secret. We have known it all along...now, the world knows it. Excellent transportation, schools, recreation, healthcare facilities, cultural events, and scenic beauty are readily available. Yet, we still maintain our small town character with good neighbors and a strong work ethic. We are proud to be so honored!

My mother-in-law has worked at a sock factory there for nearly 20 years, and she just lost her job due to plant closings. Just about all of the sock factories are gone...so where is the news article about layoffs and the loss of jobs & industry to the area? I'm not being sarcastic...I really wonder what Fort Payne is going to do now that it's no longer "Sock Capital of the World". Any plans for new industry? New jobs?

I do agree that Fort Payne is a beautiful place. I absolutely LOVE Desoto state park & the Mentone area.

P.S. A little history tidbit for you: The area was also dubbed "Fort Misery" in the 1800s thanks to the Cherokee removal. Some present-day residents would agree...probably most wouldn't. Visit there and draw your own conclusion! Alabama is a place where the experience is totally relative to what sort of personality you have. You'll either love it or hate it!

[DaddyJ]

I'd say that's true. If you're used to having a full schedule and a fast paced lifestyle you may like the city life much better but for the small southern town you may find that it's boring and many of us have to do alot of very hard work to earn time for pleasure rather than worry about money. As anywhere there's a scale of aristocracy in virtually every community. I don't know alot about Ft. Payne but I know that Sand Mountain has alot of farming. Chicken Houses and growing potatoes was really big several years ago. Flea markets in Collinsville and Mountain Top are often times some of the best family entertainment around as well as a social outing.