as previously mentioned, lee county (auburn/opelika) would be great.
auburn is a big college town, though the student population does not consume the whole city. there are tons of places to rent in the areas, but you will probably want to make sure you don't get stuck in a complex that is primarily student housing.
the area has grown quite a bit over the past decade or 15 years.
there are of course several bars to choose from, but keep in mind again that it is predominantly a college crowd.
auburn has a very good school system for this part of the state as well.
if i were you i would aim to be within the auburn city limits to take advantage of these schools, but perhaps closer to the opelika side of things to be away from a lot of the students and the university.
best of luck...
oh, and i am an auburn university student right now so please feel free to ask any questions. i'm off to an 11am class right now
