[jgarrett0218]

My husband and I are trying to compare Gulf Shores to Foley and see which place would be better to relocate to..does anyone have any opinions on which is better? Thanks!

[Keeper]

I think it all boils down to how much you can afford to pay in rent or house payment. If you are going to work someplace other than Gulf Shores traffic is pretty bad during the summer months. Insurance is going to be high if you can find someone to insure you, due to living so close to the water during hurricanes. You will have to leave everytime there is a storm is coming that way and if one does hit there you won't be able to go home for days if not months depending on the damage. If you don't mind doing that or the tourist and traffic then go for it. The beaches are beautiful.
Foley is a nice little town and you can find some pretty nice houses for sale in the area outside of Foley.

[Tama]

You might want to check out Fairhope as well. Putting aside cost and hurricanes for a moment--Gulf Shores puts you right at the beach with a beachy vacation feel--Foley and Fairhope give you a more hometown feel within easy distance to the beach. Check with a realtor but I think Foley would be more inland with less likely severe damage from a hurricane-I know some folks who evacuated there during Ivan which destroyed much in Gulf Shores proper. I agree, the beaches are magnifico!

[msjbrent]

Foley has an increasing Hispanic population. You will feel like your in Mexico. Very poor town. If you want an embarrasing low paying hourly job.. you got it- a good professional job? Good luck.

[igloo]

Originally Posted by msjbrent

Foley has an increasing Hispanic population. You will feel like your in Mexico. Very poor town. If you want an embarrasing low paying hourly job.. you got it- a good professional job? Good luck.

Hi Msjbrent:

Any idea of the percentage of Hispanic population in Foley now? We haven't been through there in 13 years, but looking to relocate to either Foley, Summerdale or Robertsdale. Thanks for any input.

[Keeper]

I have to agree with Tama.. Fairhope is a wonderful little town on a bluff.
My sister lives in Summerdale. The area is more rural than a real town. They don't even lock their doors as is also pretty common in small towns. Silverhill is also a nice little town.
Most small town pay is lower, I agree but you won't find high paying jobs in most small towns.
There are more hispanics than there use to be years ago. Most work the fields and construction.

[4321glenn]

Originally Posted by jgarrett0218

My husband and I are trying to compare Gulf Shores to Foley and see which place would be better to relocate to..does anyone have any opinions on which is better? Thanks!

Robertsdale is lot less traffic and conjestion. All areas are growing and traffic is terrible in the summer. Robertsdale on the edge near Interstate is much better and more convenient due to shopping centers going up on interstate.

[Beachcomber]

Not sure what the hispanic population of Foley is now. It has increased very much in the past few years. Although some people in Foley are very poor, there are very wealthy areas in Foley. There are homes on Wolf Bay priced in the millions and many others that are in nice subdivisions.

I love living in Foley. I feel safe, and it still has a home town feel about it.
Gulf Shores and the Eastern Shore are probably more known for having "upscale" residents, but I enjoy the down to earth and casual atmosphere here. It is much more diverse than either Gulf Shores or the Eastern Shore.

Guess it just depends on what you want. All the areas have distinct positives and negatives.

[duncan st clair]

Four Illegal aliens (hispos)were busted for distributing 156 Lbs. of pot this weekend in Robertsdale.The influx is so great % wise theres no way to calculate it.There was only one Mexican "Restaurant" in Foley before 2004 now there are 3.According to the asst.DA Ispoke to this weekend it is "only the tip of the iceberg."

[FoleyPhoto]

Originally Posted by jgarrett0218

My husband and I are trying to compare Gulf Shores to Foley and see which place would be better to relocate to..does anyone have any opinions on which is better? Thanks!

I live in Foley, have owned my home for about 8 years here ( it's worth 2 x what I paid for it) and have lived in this area (Baldwin county) for about 18 years. Yes we have more hispanics than we did 10 years ago, name a town in America that doesn't, especially after a hurricane which brings in cheap laborers. Many will disappear to New Orleans and the Mississippi gulf coast when the cheap labor market erodes, I know some already have. Many will stay and become part of the economy, so be it and thankful for it.The percentage is not as high as someone above imlplies. This is not by any means little Mexico and by no means poor. If I had to guess, less than 20% hispanic, the city is by no means poor. There are plenty of folks here who make a very comfortable living and some who make staggering incomes and yes some that are poor, but to say Foley is poor is quite a gross misrepresentation. Poor towns don't have the number of banks in them that we do. Most major banks are represeted here and many smaller ones too. Our city services are some of the best I have every seen. Always clean and always being cleaned by the city I have not seen a community look so good after a Hurricane as we did after Ivan. Constantly landscaped and maintained we joke sometimes about the fact that they have so much money that they have to find new places to plant stuff just to keep the staff busy. Our Library has just undergone a major expansion and is great. Having lived here as long as I have, I would not live at the beach. A littlte north affords many benefits. Traffic in the summer is definitely one great consideration. I find Foley to be central to most things around here making the best of one's time and busy schedule. Close enough to most things yet far enough away from others to make for nice living. Conveinient to shopping and away from the main tourist areas, ie Gulf Shores and Orange Beach. Mainly why you are relocating would be the most important consideration, what do you want, what are you looking for? Some more info and I can give you some more answers if you like. You may also check with the chamber of commerce for actual area statistics.

Best wishes,
Michael