[coloradocutter]

I am considering relocating to Auburn with my family to attend graduate school and was wondering if I could get some help with a few questions. I have a small child, 2 dogs and am married and in my early 30s.

(1) Is Auburn the best place to live or should we consider living near Montgomery also? B-ham seems too far. My husband will need to find work somewhere and just wondering what the best place would be. Even though 30isn't typically old, feeling like in Auburn we would stick out like sore thumbs, so wondering if Montgomery or other places would be better.

(2) We were thinking we would try to buy a home as that might be cheaper than rent, but we'd have to sell our home here which could take a while, so we might need to rent for a while. Can you find anything nice and safe that is not full of college students in Auburn? This may relate back to Question #1 re better to live near Montgomery. We'd be interested in renting a house or something like that.

(3) What about childcare options? Are there quality child care options in the area? I will probably be out of school before my child starts, so I don't think schools are an issue at this point. Preschools and things like that will be an issue eventually.

(4) Weather, activities, day to day living. We are moving from a beautiful, wonderful place that we love very much - Colorado. So, I know that the adjustment will be hard. I grew up in NC, where it was hot, but not Bama hot. We have family in B-ham and Panama City, so we could have some weekend respite. I'd welcome any thoughts on what its like to live there.

Thanks for any thoughts.

[Alatex]

I'm on the opposite side of the state, but I'll take a stab at this.
Yes, Montgomery and Birmingham are way too far.
Columbus, GA is close enough.

If I had to be in your situation, I'd probably choose Opelika.
It's basically Auburn's "twin," but a little removed from the typical student scene.

[recycled]

I lived in Auburn-Opelika area for 2 years from 1998-2000 while I was working a contract engineering job in the area. I am from CA, and I liked living there, and I was in my mid-40s at the time. I didn't live near AU, I lived on the north side of Opelika, which is east of Auburn. There are plenty of family neighborhoods in Auburn that are not full of college students. Because Auburn has a good public school system, it has a high percentage of families with school age kids, so you will find everything you need in the way of child care and education.

I wouldn't bother looking in Montgomery, that would be too far of a daily drive (for me). Gas prices may be lower today, but who knows what happens next year.

Opelika is a mostly middle class town with few AU students. There are plenty of good homes in both towns to rent for reasonable prices. Just make sure you take a close look at the location, and stay from I-85 and the Norfolk Southern RR line if you want a quiet place.

Don't buy a house in Auburn area (or anywhere else) unless you are sure you like the place, and are sure you want to live there for at least 4 or 5 years. And don't buy a house unless you have lived there (or anywhere else) for 6 months to a year and learn your way around enough to find the areas you like and those you don't. Rents in Auburn-Opelika are so reasonable that you won't gain anything by rushing out to buy a house.

Sure, Auburn is hot like most other places in the southeast from about mid May through most of September, but it's not as bad as the Gulf coast or anywhere in Florida. It's not much different from summer in Raleigh. Auburn is on the "plains" or foothills of eastern Alabama at about 800 feet elevation. That's nothing in Colorado terms, but it's high enough to take the edge off the heat most evenings, and the temps usually drop to the low or mid 70s. I lived in a well insulated house with tall ceilings and ceiling fans, and I rarely used air conditioning at night in the summer. I do a lot of bicycle riding and even in mid summer I could always get up at 5 am and go for a nice bike for 3 hours or so and finish before things started to get too warm.

No clue where your hubby might find a job, depends on what skills he has or what field he works in. Montgomery is not a great place to find jobs unless maybe he has skills that would be needed at the large Air Force base there or in state government. Columbus, GA is about 40 minute drive south of Auburn, easy drive, and might have some jobs depending on the field of work. There is a new Kia factory about 25 miles east of Auburn in West Point, GA soon to open, but there will be intense competition for those jobs. Lots of suppliers for the Kia factory have operations in Opelika or nearby. There are more jobs in Opelika than might appear on the surface, its actually got a pretty healthy economy, both service and manufacturing jobs. Good luck.

[Southlander]

Auburn has excellent public schools, from what I hear.

[Soyyo]

Don't forget the golf! Trent Jones has made Alabama famous.

[KAYAKattack]

Best to you as you pursue your masters degree. Hope you have had time to enjoy Auburn Knights Orchestra History of the Auburn Knights and http://www.auburnknightsalumni.org/newsletter/v9n3.pdf
Bring your kids to the alumni reunion this July there in Auburn. It is such a hoot! Wish my dad was still alive to enjoy all his buddies from the 30's and 40's era.

[Columbus1984]

Originally Posted by Southlander

Auburn has excellent public schools, from what I hear.

They do. Lee County schools are very good