[Kim Gallagher]

Does anyone out there have any info on Sheffield? My husband and I will be retireing in 1 1/2 years and are looking for a area to retire to. We are looking at AL or TN. Judging by the real estate web sites you seem to get more bang for your buck in Al then TN. I have found several nice houses in AL. We will be coming up from FL in Oct. to look at various areas in both states. Any input would be much appreciated.

[Keeper]

Great time to visit.. fall colors should be pretty this year. Kim, what are you looking for in a city? Shopping, medical care, safety, boating, etc.

I moved up to NE AL from Tampa almost 3 years ago. I love it here. There is very little crime where I live and rush hour consist of 6 cars waiting at a light. I am 10 miles (15 min) to Lake Guntersville and 25 minutes to H'ville for shopping or movies and Publix.

Property taxes are LOW compared to FL. If you are retiring with a pension you may not have to pay AL state income tax on it. I can get you the list if you are interested. SS is not taxed. Sales tax varies depending on the city and there is a tax on food.

Not sure if we have anyone who lives in Sheffield but hopefully someone can give you more info about the area.

[Southlander]

Sheffield is a small, very quiet city within a group of three more: Florence (across on the north side of the Tennessee River), Tuscumbia and Muscle Shoals. Together, they're known as the "Quad Cities" or the "Shoals Area."
Sheffield, Tuscumbia and Muscle Shoals all run together, although they're separate municipalities. The area near the river is pretty, with bluffs, creeks and greenery. Out in the country, it's non-stop cotton and soybean fields. The University of North Alabama is in Florence, and has a fine music department. UNA offers events and cultural activities. The University of North Alabama - Home Page
Some more links: Florence Lauderdale Tourism > Home
Shoals Chamber of Comerce | We Make It Happen!
The Shoals. Alabama.
Shoals Art - Florence, Alabama
There are a number of wonderful golf courses. Tuscumbia is the home of Helen Keller, celebrated each year with a festival and performances of "The Miracle Worker."
All four are fairly small cities. It's about an hour and 15 minutes to Huntsville, a couple of hours to Memphis or Birmingham, and about three hours to Nashville.
Welcome!

[Kim Gallagher]

Originally Posted by Keeper

Great time to visit.. fall colors should be pretty this year. Kim, what are you looking for in a city? Shopping, medical care, safety, boating, etc.

I moved up to NE AL from Tampa almost 3 years ago. I love it here. There is very little crime where I live and rush hour consist of 6 cars waiting at a light. I am 10 miles (15 min) to Lake Guntersville and 25 minutes to H'ville for shopping or movies and Publix.

Property taxes are LOW compared to FL. If you are retiring with a pension you may not have to pay AL state income tax on it. I can get you the list if you are interested. SS is not taxed. Sales tax varies depending on the city and there is a tax on food.

Not sure if we have anyone who lives in Sheffield but hopefully someone can give you more info about the area.

My husband and I are looking for all of the above. We both come from small towns in N.Y., and moved to Fl six years ago (big mistake). I found a house on a realtors web site and fell in love with it. I could not beleive it was only $83,000.00. I would buy it tomorrow, but I tend to think with my heart not my head! I have a question for you, do you have a actual change of seasons in AL? FL is always hot there is no change.
We do not have a pension but have 401 k's and other savings. There is a web site that I have looked at that has the various taxes of states. Al does not seem to bad, better then NY or FL!
I know you have probably been asked this a thousand times what about tornados in the area I am interested in? We have the hurricanes, but tornados scare the heck out of me.
I am really looking foward to visiting both AL and TN, everytime we plan on the trip something happens to pospone it , not this time this time we are coming.

[Keeper]

The weather can affect how pretty fall is around here. If it is really dry then the leaves fall before turning. It has been a fairly wet year so we should have a pretty fall.
Ahh yes tornadoes, well we have a lot of warnings/watches for them. All of the northern part of AL has them as does TN. Since I came back 2 years ago, there have been a couple that touched down which caused damage but that is for all of N. AL not just the area you are looking into. The TV stations do a fantastic job of tracking them and warn ppl if there is any sign of one. They stay on the air until all threat has past. There are also sirens that go off if there is one spotted anywhere near the area. Actually, there hasn't been a tornado as bad as the one that hit 'The Villages' in FL since I have been here. It is unnerving especially the first year to be sure but if you watch TV and have a weather radio you will be fine.

I live just fine on a small pension and SS. I own my home so all I have to pay yearly is HOI and PT. My house cost about the same amt as the one you are looking at and my PT is less than $200.00 a year.

It does get cold but usually warms up during the day usually. Every couple of years we get more than just a dusting of snow.

I have to say the ppl up here are so nice and caring. If you want more details let me know.

Of course, you should come up for a visit.

[Kim Gallagher]

Southlander thank you for all the info you gave me. I really think The Shoals area is for us, it has everything we want.

[renmill]

I live in a nice small clean town primarily retirees called TUSCUMBIA, ALABAMA., Did u ever move here? Email me at renmill@yahoo.com