[bluetulip]

Just found out we will be relocating to Alabama soon. The job location is between Montgomery and Auburn.

We're wondering which area would be best for us to live in with a 30 minute or less commute? We're younger attitude but middle aged, he's white-collar professional and I'm an artist. We like going out for a "burger and a beer" close to home, occasional fine dining, decent shopping, as well as other amenities, nearby. Going fishing is a biggie too.

We intend to rent for a few months while we get to know the area better...are short term or month to month rentals a problem?

We'll be looking in the under $350,000 range when we purchase....2300+sqft house, 3/4+acre, pool , ...am I being realistic in the hope of finding a place on that budget??

Thanks for any incite provided!

[LCTMadison]

East of Montgomery or Auburn, or the Prattville area which is just north of Montgomery. Would stay outside Montgomery for sure.

Personally, I love Auburn. Great town. Has been nationally ranked in several publications recently for best place to live, buy real estate, raise a family, ect. I went to school there and have several friends that settled there and have raised their kids. Excellent schools. Easy commute to Montgomery. Relatively low crime. Lake Martin is not too far away (30ish minutes if that) for great fishing and recreation. Auburn overall is a pretty laid back, chill town....being a college town there are lots of great burger and beer places (Niffers!) and some excellent "better" dining (Irish Bread Pub is a must visit). Shopping is ok, not going to be like a bigger city....there is a decent mall but I love the boutiques and such around downtown. Birmingham is the mecca of shopping in AL, its less than 2 hours up 280 and you are just over an hour to Atlanta straight down 85.

And there is NOTHING like Auburn on gameday in the fall

[bluetulip]

Thanks for the info LCTMadison. Will be checking Auburn out....and I am sure you are right about the football fever there!! Know my husband is looking forward to it!
Prattville unfortunately would be a hour drive each way to work...so it's out for us. So you think that being within Montgomery isn't a good idea...may I ask why you feel that? And do you mean anywhere within the city?

[LCTMadison]

My broker's brother in law was with the Montgomery police force for years until he retired a few years ago. I've just heard too many stories about the crime in and around the Montgomery area from him. Even he didn't live in Montgomery. I have several friends that live on the eastern side, and I have a lot of friends in Prattville. Some of it is personal bias as well....I just do not find Montgomery appealing at all but the growth on the east side down 85 seems to be a pretty nice area. From the description of your self and your lifestyle, Auburn just seems like a better fit to me.

[bluetulip]

Thanks again LCTMadison...appreciate you taking the time. I've spent time today online looking for a corporate rental for us for a few months while we house hunt, and sell our home here. Will be checking out Auburn as soon as we get to AL. , also on Montgomery eastside.

[LCTMadison]

On of the big perks for me in regards to the Auburn area is the proximity to ATL.....you would probably enjoy a day trip/evening out to Atlanta every now and then, and its a quick, easy drive. When I was a student we would go to ATL almost every weekend for shopping, going out, etc. There is just so much there.

Good luck, I hope you find the area that fits your lifestyle the best!


Oh...and War Eagle!

[bhamoutlook]

Originally Posted by bluetulip

Just found out we will be relocating to Alabama soon. The job location is between Montgomery and Auburn.

We're wondering which area would be best for us to live in with a 30 minute or less commute? We're younger attitude but middle aged, he's white-collar professional and I'm an artist. We like going out for a "burger and a beer" close to home, occasional fine dining, decent shopping, as well as other amenities, nearby. Going fishing is a biggie too.

We intend to rent for a few months while we get to know the area better...are short term or month to month rentals a problem?

We'll be looking in the under $350,000 range when we purchase....2300+sqft house, 3/4+acre, pool , ...am I being realistic in the hope of finding a place on that budget??

Thanks for any incite provided!

If you have to be in that area, I would suggest Prattville/Millbrook. That way you can be close to work but still be just a skip and jump from Birmingham for weekends. It only takes about an hour to get to the edge of Birmingham from Prattville. You will find a much better shopping and nightlife experience in Birmingham.

[point80]

Housing in the area is fairly low cost. I don't think you'll have any issues within that price range. In fact you should do quite well.

You are not going to want to live in Prattville/Millbrook, as that will be about 25 minutes farther out than living in East Montgomery. And what are you really gaining? You can always check out Birmingham on the weekend.

There are some old threads to check out on life in Montgomery and Auburn. I think you would enjoy either one. Day to day Montgomery probably has more of what you're looking for in terms of diversions and things to do. Auburn has the advantage of being a bit closer to Atlanta and having all that comes with the presence of a big university.

Please beware of the Montgomery haters. Like many American city centers Montgomery was pretty derelict by the late 80s. It has since rebounded very nicely. It offers a small but enjoyable downtown core now, and there are some older neighborhoods with the kind of creative atmosphere that an artist such as yourself might appreciate. Definitely have a look around. Best of luck with the move!

[Trojan1998]

I've lived in Monrgomery for the last sixteen years. Montgomery is a great city on the move. Downtown Montgomery is very nice with a lot of new development over the last few years with a lot more to come. The minor league baseball stadium downtown on the river with all of the restaurants within a two block radius can't be beaten anywhere in Alabama.

I live in the Cloverdale neighborhood which is in midtown Montgomery. It is an artsy area that is home to the Cloverdale Playhouse (a community amateur theatre that is managed by my co-worker's husband), an independent movie theatre called Capri, an art gallery, one of the best seafood restaurants anywhere called Jubilee, the coolest tex-mex restaurant you've ever seen called El Rey, and several other great shops and restaurants all in walking distance. Cloverdale is also home to Huntingdon College which adds to the charm of the neighborhood. The residents of Cloverdale are highly educated, appreciate their neighborhood, take great care of it, and it is safe.

Cloverdale in Montgomery is much nicer than living in Auburn. Plain and simple.

[bluetulip]

Thanks for all the info! We'll be going on a house hunting trip in the next couple of weeks and will be checking out your recommendations.