[srljstr]

I've been reading through the threads on this section for some time now and haven't been able to get many concrete answers to my questions so I figure I'll start my own thread to get some answers.

I'm considering Alabama as a place to move to very strongly, but haven't seen the specifics of what I'm looking for yet, which is probably more to do with the descriptions I've read of places than anything else as I've noticed that people have had many great things to say about both Alabama and the people that live there.

1. Atmosphere: Low crime, friendly people and easily accessible local police/fire/medical/etc. I'm coming from Michigan, where the people aren't really so friendly unless you've known them for awhile and even then it can get questionable, where crime is a reality to consider everytime you step out your door and where the local police and such take their time in dealing with anything but real serious issues. It's been a very negative experience living here as long as I have, I want to feel positively about my community and everything within it.

2. Small town setup: Not looking for a town that just got its first stop sign but don't want a town full of condos and office buildings, prefer a small quiet community with scenic neighborhoods, I prefer a place that the homes are somewhat isolated from each other by some distance, been living in a place that is practically right on top of my neighbor for years and haven't really enjoyed it. So a town where the people are close to each other, but the houses are not would be great. A town with some history would be nice too, old fashioned homes are very appealing to me.

I'm not so interested in the school districts as I don't have kids but I would enjoy someplace that had many things that are used by them. Parks, nature and bicycle trails, lakes and hills would be great, the concrete jungle here has gotten to be oppressive. I'd definitely love waking up each day surrounded by natural scenery.

I'd prefer a town that isn't too far from major areas of shopping and industry, but being in a quiet more laid back town with good people and scenery is a bigger deal than a bit of a drive.

3. Decent sized yards and land to work with: I'm definitely planning on working my green thumbs and planting both edible plants as well as trees, bushes, flower beds. Digging at least one pond is definitely in the plans as well, so I'd need a bit of space to work with as far as all that goes. If this would place me in a rural area with a short drive into town I wouldn't be put off by that.

Looking mostly for something out of the old world, that hasn't modernized too much and has kept most of its charm and well being intact despite moving into the 21st century. Serenity, open spaces and natural scenery are of the most importance, everything else is secondary to that.

Any help you can give will be greatly appreciated.

[Threestep]

Let's get down to the "21st century":>)
What budget are you working with for house/land; potentially for your improvements. What necessities do you have - medical, cultural, ...

Before you start digging too much - check out the Master Gardener Programm through the County Extension Offices. Gardening in this area has its challenges but they can be dealt with if you know about them and who to call.

[srljstr]

For budget looking to go no more than 250k unless the size of the land justifies it, a large open plot of land that would be suitable for building on is also an option and falls within that realm of pricing.

As for necessities, just the basics mostly. Medically don't need more than general practitioners and access to big hospital in emergency situations, culturally looking for a residential town close enough to have easy access to it without having it spill into the front yard. Movies, music, shows, the typical things but would prefer them to be outside the area I'd live in. Also looking for an area that still celebrates traditional holidays, seems anymore where I'm at I never see halloween, thanksgiving or christmas decorations up.

Also not sure what you mean about there being challenges in gardening, could you clarify?

[southernnaturelover]

In my area the first town that comes to mind is Brewton. The population is around 6,000 but there are plenty of houses on the outskirts of town with acreage, even in town there are houses with large lots. Shopping is typical stores like Super Wal-Mart (brand new), Walgreens, Piggly Wiggly, Peeble's, etc. The hospital is pretty good for a small town hospital. For bigger hospitals and better shopping Pensacola is 50 minutes away and Mobile is slightly over an hour away. Traditional holidays like Christmas and Easter are celebrated down here. The only downside would be finding a job, like everywhere else right now things are slow.

Andalusia is another option, however it's a little farther away from a larger city.

[FodderFossil]

Maybe you ought to check out Sylvan Springs. Located about 12 miles from Birmingham 8 miles from Ensley on highway 269. Quiet clean neighborhood where the biggest part of the People are retired. The hardest part may be finding anything for sale since anyone who moves here don't want to leave. But if you can find what your looking for I think you'll be glad you found this great small town. Close to the Black Warrior river and some great fishing. We'd be glad to have you. Hope you find what your looking for regardless to where it may be. Alabama is a beautiful nice place to live.

[Threestep]

Originally Posted by srljstr

Also not sure what you mean about there being challenges in gardening, could you clarify?

You will have to unlearn a lot of your gardening skills and adapt to local weather, challenges, benefits and plants. Please do not get upset after you carefully bundled your favorites up very carefully, tended to them with care in AL and they do not cooperate. I was really surprised at the amount of useful information went into three months or so of gardening classes for a nominal fee of 75$. Miss been there done that found answers for a lot of her questions:>) We can always chat PM about what plants to get where ....

[Threestep]

Check out the area around Columbiana. A number of small hobby farms with 5 acres or so are for sale.

[energysmartin]

hey,Threestep saying right....

[Keeper]

Are you going to have to find a job once you arrive in AL?

There are lots of small towns that would work for you. You can get a nice house for 250K with an acre or more of land. Really depends on the house. I live in one of those towns too. I know here in Arab you can get a really nice house on 5 acres on a small lake for 250K. Most small towns are very safe however this is the bible belt and church is a big deal for most ppl especially the ppl born and raised there. There is little crime and many ppl do not lock their doors. Some small towns are also 'dry' so if you like to have a drink you might have to drive to the next town.

You can live in N. AL in the mountains (hills really) or you can go to S AL near the gulf.

[srljstr]

Originally Posted by Keeper

Are you going to have to find a job once you arrive in AL?

There are lots of small towns that would work for you. You can get a nice house for 250K with an acre or more of land. Really depends on the house. I live in one of those towns too. I know here in Arab you can get a really nice house on 5 acres on a small lake for 250K. Most small towns are very safe however this is the bible belt and church is a big deal for most ppl especially the ppl born and raised there. There is little crime and many ppl do not lock their doors. Some small towns are also 'dry' so if you like to have a drink you might have to drive to the next town.

You can live in N. AL in the mountains (hills really) or you can go to S AL near the gulf.

Yes, I'm going to have to look for work once I arrive. I don't have a job lined up and waiting for me which doesn't worry me as much as it should, I know I can ride out dry spells while I put something together.

After looking at some of the towns suggested and the real estate available, I'm leaning more towards bigger acreage as something to really be able to sink a lifetimes' worth of effort into improving and shaping. A smaller home and more land would work better than some of the 3-4 bedroom 3 bathroom houses I've seen available for sale on various internet sites. That's just too much house!

I'm glad to hear about the low crime and safe communities, after spending much of my life double locking doors and looking over my shoulder it'd be nice to be in a relaxed, no tension environment.