[coloradocutter]

I am deciding between grad school offers in Tuscaloosa and Auburn. My husband's family is in Birmingham and Dothan, so it's a wash on that front. T is closer to B and A is closer to A. (My FIL has a beach house in panama city too).

We have a small child and dogs. husband's job is portable. Quality of life is most important to us - we are moving from colorado so the more limited outdoor activities and less scenic beauty will be painful. My environment is impt to me. I think we'd also enjoy more progressive atmosphere.

Also, is Lake Martin near Auburn? Could renting lake home be an option or is commute too far?

[sedriskell]

As for Tuscaloosa. I love it. I'm currently a student at UA. But, I'll try and keep it as unbias as possible.

Tuscaloosa, the city has about 80,000 people

and the county has about 180,000

The city schools aren't known for their excellence, so many parents send to their kids to the private schools, which actually are quite good. By the way, both Auburn and Tuscaloosa have IB programs in their city schools. Though, Auburn's school system is better.

Of course, both are college towns, and both have great atmospheres, though you'll see more people migrating to Tuscaloosa on gamedays.

I don't know about Auburn's community involvement, but U of A does a lot of outreach in the Black Belt, the city of Tuscaloosa and Northport.

Birmingham is of course, only about 50 minutes away, so it takes about 40 to 50 minutes to get there.

Shopping is pretty good. The new Midtown Village just opened on McFarland Boulevard, which actually has some higher quality brand name stores.

I'm saying this from viewing statistics, this is not opinion. Tuscaloosa County does have a lower poverty rate than Lee County (the county that Auburn is in), so judging by that, Tuscaloosa has a better quality of life. However, many more things go into quality of life.

As far as parks and recreation, I think Tuscaloosa is up to par with many cities its size, and many that are larger. It has a great riverfront that extends pretty much the entire length of the Black Warrior River in Tuscaloosa. There is also a riverboat that offers lunch cruises and such. I have been on it, and it was surprisingly enjoyable.

On more recreation, there are lots of places to go hiking. Lurleen Wallace State Park is nearby, as are two man made lakes that have created some BEAUTIFUL scenery around town. The Bankhead National Forest (known as land of 1,000 waterfalls) is also pretty close. The most popular part of Bankhead is Lewis Smith Lake, which is probably the most popular manmade lake in Alabama, it's a HUGE getaway destination for Greater Birmingham, and through water quality testing, has been rated as the 2nd cleanest in the United States. Also, there are various condo projects and subdivions being built around Smith Lake, so it's become a great tourist destination.

I have to say, I love Ttown. But, of course, it's not really MY opinion that matters.

If there is ANYTHING else you would like to know, feel free to message me or just reply on this thread

[sedriskell]

Also, my family and I also have a condo in Panama City Beach, I drive down there from Tuscaloosa all the time. The drive isn't bad at all.

[mm42]

Tuscaloosa is a city, Auburn is a town.

That's the biggest difference.

[ATLCOL1]

Auburn's one of the fastest growing metros in the country. Everything is brand new there. Great place for jobs, golf, shopping, etc. Close to large cities like Columbus, Montgomery, and Atlanta. Close to the beach as well. If I had to pick, I would pick Auburn.

[sedriskell]

I hate to harp on this again. But, even though Auburn is growing very fast, as I said, the area has a very high poverty rate. The city of Auburn has a 38% poverty rate, and the county has a 22% poverty rate. Alabama's poverty rate is 14.8%.

For Tuscaloosa, the city has a rate of 24%, and the county has a rate of 17%.

[ATLCOL1]

Originally Posted by sedriskell

I hate to harp on this again. But, even though Auburn is growing very fast, as I said, the area has a very high poverty rate. The city of Auburn has a 38% poverty rate, and the county has a 22% poverty rate. Alabama's poverty rate is 14.8%.

For Tuscaloosa, the city has a rate of 24%, and the county has a rate of 17%.

That is hard to believe when you consider the massive job growth the city has seen for years and years. I don't see anything rundown there. Everything is new. Development is everywhere. Auburn is consistently ranked as one of the fastest growing metros in the country as well as one of the highest job growth areas.

Do you have a source for that information?

[sedriskell]

The census bureau. The city of Tuscaloosa actually gained more people than Auburn did between 2006 and 2007. And it's not hard for a metro to grow very fast when it's just one county, though I'm not trying to make their growth sound all measly, I am happy for it. I do enjoy Opelika though, it's a nice town Though, it's a bit more than just a town.

Job growth doesn't always mean a higher quality of life. I've honestly never understood why Lee County has had such a high poverty rate, you would think that it would be lower considering all the growth that it experiences. I'm sure that if it keeps growing at this rate, it will improve, though.

[mm42]

You've got to be kidding about the "poverty".

The government defines poverty based on yearly income. Since Auburn is a small town, a large percentage of Auburn's residents are college students with little or no income. If you look at the numbers the "poverty" is 18-24 year olds. They are not poor.

http://www.city-data.com/poverty/pov...n-Alabama.html

[sedriskell]

Originally Posted by mm42

You've got to be kidding about the "poverty".

The government defines poverty based on yearly income. Since Auburn is a small town, a large percentage of Auburn's residents are college students with little or no income. If you look at the numbers the "poverty" is 18-24 year olds. They are not poor.

http://www.city-data.com/poverty/pov...n-Alabama.html

There is A WHOLE LOT MORE that goes into it other than yearly income, including the type of income a person is getting. If it didn't, cities like Gainesville, FL would have an OUTRAGEOUS poverty rate, which it does not, it's about 15%.

Let's not forget, I was simply citing that the Auburn had a high poverty rate. I also noted Tuscaloosa's poverty rate, which is also pretty high.