[rose24]

I am moving to Alabama in May and I have so many questions!
I have purchased a home outside McCalla...any comments about the area?
Also...I am a certified teacher in Florida and I need to find employment. There are so many school districts/counties to choose from. Which ones are the best and any advice on the process of becoming Alabama teacher.
Thank you so much.

[harry chickpea]

I-459 is your friend. Look to it both for access to shopping and as the preferred route to employment.

[steveklein]

jefferson county school system is kind of so-so in terms of students/employment.

i would look at shelby county or hoover if i were looking to be a teacher on the south end of birmingham.

some of the schools would be a pretty long (30 minute, maybe even longer) commute from mccalla, while others (like on the west side of hoover... Hoover High School, Bumpus Middle School, and several elementary schools like deer valley, south shades crest, and maybe another under construction would be pretty short commutes... less than 20 minutes for sure, maybe as quick as 10 depending on where exactly your home is.

http://www3.hoover.k12.al.us/aboutus/Pages/directoryofschools.aspx (broken link)

there is a directory of hoover city schools so you can get addresses from some of those schools i listed.

as previously mentioned, i-459 is your friend. there isn't a whole lot out in mccalla yet (though the area is growing), but the west end of hoover is booming with the addition of ross bridge, deer valley, lake cyrus, and countless subdivisions down south shades crest road in the last 5 years, with no end in sight to the growth, at least not in the near future.

[Keeper]

Welcome fellow Floridian. I moved up here in 05 and love it. You might have to adjust to how nice people are no matter where you go. I live near Huntsville so I can't give you much info on McCalla but I wouldn't go back to Tampa for any amount of money. I have already met several people who have moved here to this little town from FL and they all love it. Good Luck

[JOHNNYCOUNTRY]

Is Alabama getting a bunch of Floridians moving there if so I feel for you guys. Itll only be a matter of time before they turn your Bama towns into little Florida. Ive seen it first hand and it stinks. One person from Florida means theyll move another one up then that person will move another one up. But can yall take some of the ones we got in Georgia..is there any room????

[marysally]

Hi Johnny,
I met you over on the GA board. I am just hoping that we in Huntsville will be able to get the Floridians to "pay the friendliness forward" as we have seen with the many other transplants that Huntsville has recieved.

[FedUpInFtMyers]

Hello everyone. Those of you who left FL, can you please tell me what it is you were wanting to leave in FL (and in Tampa, in particular - as I used to live in St. Pete and LOVED IT), and what you have found to be wonderful and positive changes up there in AL? It is hell down here in Ft. Myers. A very different world than Tampa Bay, but more and more, concerns are being raised on this board about that area as well, and my biggest concern is that perhaps that area is beginning to experience some of the factors that are so prevalent down here that contribute to the poor quality of life in Ft. Myers and surrounding areas.

Is Huntsville still going through changes as far as building developments, subdivisions, and neighborhoods? I am looking for an older, established (all built out) neighborhood/community. I am tired of all the "new" housing developments and all the changing neighbors as a result.

Also, I really hope that not too many people move from FL to there as I don't know about you, but I am hoping to leave the drug-addicted, criminals, emotionally unstable, unethical/unprofessional employers and co-workers, and just plain rude and socially inappropriate people living down here. It just isn't worth being able to look at palm trees and go to the beach occasionally. There is no quality of life here. Every day is just another day to try to survive down here, and I'm tired of it. I do not want to live this way.

My parents reside in Section, and while I would not be willing to move to Section, I have been wondering about Huntsville and/or Birmingham.

Any assistance and/or input that you could provide me would be so very much appreciated. Please hold nothing back and give it to me straight. This is a really big decision.

Thank you very much! And I'm so glad to hear that you are all happy up there!! Best wishes!!!

[Southlander]

Originally Posted by JOHNNYCOUNTRY

Is Alabama getting a bunch of Floridians moving there if so I feel for you guys. Itll only be a matter of time before they turn your Bama towns into little Florida. Ive seen it first hand and it stinks. One person from Florida means theyll move another one up then that person will move another one up. But can yall take some of the ones we got in Georgia..is there any room????

SHHHHH...this is our secret....the rest of the US thinks Alabama is primitive and backward. They won't come here....don't tell anybody how great it is here

[james_hsv]

Originally Posted by FedUpInFtMyers

Is Huntsville still going through changes as far as building developments, subdivisions, and neighborhoods? I am looking for an older, established (all built out) neighborhood/community. I am tired of all the "new" housing developments and all the changing neighbors as a result.

Huntsville is getting lots of new development, but it's not as out of control as Florida. You'll find some older safe neighborhoods east and south of Downtown.

[Keeper]

I moved up here from Tampa because of the crime and traffic. Being a single woman I feel safe in my home unlike in Tampa. I am from AL originally but had been living in FL for 30 years. BTW.. the people I have met are really nice as are a lot of people in FL. I live in Arab which is a small town not far from Huntsville. I had never lived in a small town before but I love it here. Everyone is so polite and friendly. Men (even teenagers) nod or tip their hats to women, kids say 'yes mam' and people wil strike up a conversation in the store with strangers. Housing is a bargin compared to FL, utilities are less and the property taxes are low. You can get homeowners ins for a lot less than the state ins in FL. Oh yes, and the houses actually have backyards here. You get much more house for the money.

Of course we have a winter but then you also have a real fall and spring (no a/c needed) . Summers are hot just like FL but no hurricanes although there is a tornado season mainly in the spring.

Huntsville is more diverse due to NASA and Redstone Arsenal, but I have people to be nice whenever I go down the mountain. Traffic is nothing compared to Tampa and they appear to have planned for more traffic when new neighborhoods are built unlike Tampa.

Just my humble opinion.. but I love it here.