Calera or Florence Al.

[LBug83]

I grew up in Florence and moved to Graysville (a town right beside Adamsville) and I would pick Florence over Birmingham ANYday! I love Birmingham because there is more to do...shopping, art museums, etc. However, Florence is a lovely place. It has a nice "home" feel to it. Everyone is much nicer in Florence. Houses are cheaper. It has a great college town feeling to it. If you do choose to move to B'ham...I would absolutely NOT go with Adamsville or Centerpoint...I've lived right beside Adamsville and it's probably my least favorite city in the B'ham area...Centerpoint might be my second. I've recently moved to Moody and I love it. It's close enough to B'ham to be accessible to everything, but out of all the traffic. I also like Trussville (it actually reminds me of Florence, a little). I'm planning on moving back to Florence soon and I can't wait! Good luck and I hope this has been helpful!

[HuntsvilleNative]

I would consider your lifestyle. The economics of both areas are probably somewhat depressed, even though both are either in or close to college towns. Florence (UNA) and Calera (Montevallo).

From a real estate market perspective to practice, I would choose Calera and work from B'ham. Even Pinson, Roebuck Parkway and Centerpoint areas are nice areas with homes in your price range.

From a quiet living retirement perspective with Calera and Florence the only choices.... I would clearly choose Florence and become involved in the downtown area around the campus. Maybe open a competing bookstore for example. That's just me.

I have spent some time in both areas in the past and generally found Florence more comfortable an area with brighter prospects for future growth.

Good luck.

[ashnicpra]

CALERA all the way!!! My husband & I currently livein Calera we love to see people walking in our subdivision, working in their yards it's Absolutely Great. Unfortunately my husband has gotten a traveling job offer & we are fixing to list our house with an agent but I thought that I would try one more week or so to see if we could find a buyer for our home without going through all the expense of a Realtor... So if your looking for an awesome home in Calera AL let me know.

[Bravo35223]

I would absolutely choose Calera.

1) It is a rapidly growing town. Birmingham is growing south toward it.
2) Birmingham is a very nice city for dining, shopping and culture. Has an excellent symphony and art museum.

Florence is in an area of NW Alabama called the "Quad Cities". It is indeed very pretty and is located on the Tennessee River/Lake Wheeler. My wife and I went to the Marriott Resort there last summer and I played golf at the Robert Trent Jones Trail course. I loved both the hotel and the golf course...

Now the down side....we couldn't find any good restaurants. If there are some there, I coudn't find them. Much of the area is 'dry' meaning that alcohol cannot be sold either at retail or in restaurants. There are other areas of the quad-cities that are wet though.

Healthcare. You need access to quality healthcare and Birmingham has some of the best in the United States.

I would not hesitate to make the decision to move to Calera. It is clearly the best choice in your situation.

BTW - stay away from Centerpoint and Adamsville. High Crime areas. Suggest Trussville instead.

[ashnicpra]

I have lived in Calera for a year & the surrounding area for almost 3 I really like it. Waterford is the subdivision that I live in....it's great.... I think that there are tons of things to do... The subdivision I live in is like its own little community... they have swimming pool, lake, tennis court, and they have tons of things for the residents to get involved in. They have the yard of the month, Gardening club, and tons of other things. I think it's been a great experience living here.