[bullittman]

is there any difference in the people of ft payne, pine ridge and valley head, mentone? any difference in heat and humidity?

[Southlander]

Originally Posted by bullittman

is there any difference in the people of ft payne, pine ridge and valley head, mentone? any difference in heat and humidity?

I don't know a lot, but do know that Mentone has a lot of transplants, plus a lot of vacation homes that are empty for large blocks of time. Mentone is also a higher elevation, so it is slightly cooler...but the difference would not be noticeable to a lot of people.

[harry chickpea]

Valley Head appears to be almost entirely locals. Mentone, especially along the bluff edge, has a lot of transplants. Ft. Payne is a mix, with more visible hispanic culture.

The difference in weather is pretty complex, and there are a lot of micro-climates. Ft. Payne sits at the bottom of Lookout Mtn, but also has a ridge west of town, and then Sand Mtn further west. Valley Head has even less afternoon sun, due to another ridge. That can cool things off late in the day. You couldn't pay me to live in Valley Head because of the lack of sunlight.

On Lookout Mtn, there can be a lot of breezes, while most of the valley is relatively calm. The dew point can be a little higher in Ft. Payne at night, which means it doesn't get as cold as you might expect, since cold sinks. I've seen morning frost at DeSoto St Park while Ft. Payne has none. Also, the road on Lookout Mtn between Ft Payne and Mentone is commonly foggy at night during the summer and early fall.

I guess that one way to describe the difference is that Lookout Mountain tends very slightly towards being a high desert, and Railroad Valley and Will's Valley are more moist and sheltered.

[bullittman]

thanks, i would like to escape the humidity. i would like an older home with local people. so where would i look , if not mentone. what other towns are on lookout mtn?

[harry chickpea]

Cloudland comes to mind, but I think that is in GA. Dogtown seemed hot and small when we were there this summer. There still may be some brow available on the south side of Ft Payne. Gaylesville isn't on the mountain, but otherwise seems to fit.

[Bravo35223]

Originally Posted by bullittman

thanks, i would like to escape the humidity. i would like an older home with local people. so where would i look , if not mentone. what other towns are on lookout mtn?

I am going to be perfectly honest with you. If your goal is to 'escape humidity' this is not really possible in Alabama. It's a humid climate - period.

Sub-tropical? No - not like Florida or as bad as Houston or New Orleans, but there's no place in Alabama that could be considered anywhere close to a dry climate.

I have close friends who have a home on the brow in Mentone. It's beautiful with a beautiful view. We spent the night with them one summer evening after they hosted a party there. The main thing you will find about the climate in that area is that it is Cooler than many parts of Alabama because it is more elevated.

But's it's still humid, especially in the Spring and Summer. Alabama DOES have a much drier Fall, with decidedly lower humidity and this is the best time of the year - weatherwise.