Will be there in a few mos...:) (Birmingham, Huntsville: new home, neighborhoods)

[Becky2517]

Another NoVa transplant coming your way in a few mos - found this forum and thanks for all the invaluable advice that you've already posted...Hubby is watching Roll Tide crushing Michigan and I have questions - first of all, we'll be looking in Madison/Harvest area, schools are of no importance, good neighbor/hoods are - need to know what is the limit of how many dogs you can have? City limits and/or county...

Grocery shopping in the area? Kroger's, Publix, what about healthfood/organic stores?

Will need a GOOD realtor that truly knows the area, can get me information before we move and doesn't mind me being a 'tad' specific in what we're looking for (as in not willing to settle)...doing the "Exec rental" for a temp place until we find a house that suits us...with or without an HOA, I'm currently on the board of ours so I know what good it can do, I also know how asinine the rules can be...

Bestest, worstest areas? Don't want a brand new home, but...also not an old one - not overly fond of Hunter homes, they have a rotten rep here, I'm sure equally as bad there - so what subdivisions do we avoid - I have scoured valleymls, realtor and zillow, so have a pretty good idea of the homes available - really don't want a 'young' area...we're boring and quiet (not really, just done with 3 year old's running behind my car)

Where does one shop? H'ville? Madison? I mean everything from boutiques to big box stores (not WalleyWorld) - restaurants? All national chains or local?


Thanks again for the info you have already shared...and will keep sharing - I have giggled, snorted and thrown things at the monitor for the last week

[hey teach]

Welcome to Huntsville.

I think inside the city limits of Huntsville, there is a limit of 5 dogs per household unless you have a permit as a breeder. Then you will have to have appropriate facilities. HOA's may have different restrictions on pet numbers.

Shopping is easy to reach from any area of Madison County. There is Kroger, Publix, Fresh Market, and others. Lots of box stores ... everything from lumber to houseshoes. Two good malls Parkway Place and Bridge Street. Another mall, Madison that is not so good. Loads of churches and resturants. Traffic is ok depending on times and areas.

Easy drive to Nashville or Birmingham airports, because flying out og H'ville is grossly expensive.

Lots of good neighborhoods with excellent prices, especially if you don't need schools.

Don't narrow your search just to the Madison to Harvest area. There are many good neighborhoods in the eastern and southern sections of the county as well and the commute just isn't that long.

[Becky2517]

Thanks - not a breeder at all, rather the opposite...if not Harvest/Madison, where else should I search? After years of horrid commuting I'd like to be as close as we can! (Research park)

[Becky2517]

Good seafood restaurants? We lived in the FL panhandle a few years back, so used to hurricanes and 'weather', NoVa isn't exactly cool anymore - had weeks of excessive heat and humidity this summer and it hasn't cooled down yet...I would assume being at a slightly higher elevation that it gets cooler than the rest of AL?

[dijkstra]

Connor's seafood restaurant in bridgestreet is really good but I personally hate the location. There is no parking close to the restaurant so if the weather isn't great, the walk to the restaurant sucks. Landry's is pretty good. Bonefish is pretty good but its not that big and usually has a long wait on the weekends.

Our weather is hot and very humid in the summer time. It is probably worse than northern VA. We commonly have mid to upper 90's with high humidity starting in late may and sometimes into October. We have been getting a bit of a break on the temperature lately with upper 80's to low 90's but the humidity has still been high.

Our major weather event is tornadoes. As a matter of fact we have tornado warnings out as I type this.

You are already familiar with Hunter Homes so really no need to discuss that. lol

[Becky2517]

Giggle - yes, Hunter is not worth discussing Happy to see there is a Bonefish, familiar with long waits and Landry's is okey as well I assume I can find decent fish/seafood in the grocery stores as well

[LCTMadison]

Originally Posted by Becky2517

Good seafood restaurants? We lived in the FL panhandle a few years back, so used to hurricanes and 'weather', NoVa isn't exactly cool anymore - had weeks of excessive heat and humidity this summer and it hasn't cooled down yet...I would assume being at a slightly higher elevation that it gets cooler than the rest of AL?

Sorry to tell you there is a complete LACK of good seafood...we lived in Destin for 4 years and there is nothing here that has ever satisfied my cravings for great gulf seafood

[Becky2517]

Well, beggars can't be choosers I guess, Destin DOES have some of the best there is Luckily I worked for years as a chef, so if I can find the fish/seafood I can cook it myself

[Reactionary]

Around here, fried catfish is seafood.

[pamnbam]

Hi, fellow Northern Virginian!

You'll find Huntsville to be a great place to live. It's a bit of a cultural change from what we're used to in that part of Virginia, but nothing unmanageable. Driving is where it's most noticeable!

I really like the "amenities" of Madison City. The streets are nicer, the schools are nicer, there are good shopping options; things are more condensed, the neighborhoods are nice, but with that also comes more traffic. It feels a little cramped going up Hughes Road/Slaughter Road at times, but it's really nice. I'm not sure about the number of dogs you can keep, but be sure to check out the dog park in Indian Creek (there's one in Huntsville, too, but I've never been...)

We ended up settling in Huntsville, just south of Madison Boulevard. It's more spacious and a little more rural compared to Madison City, but it's not too bad of a drive to get to shopping. Highway 72 West between County Line Road and Wall Triana has some newer stores opening. New Target, Ross, Maurices, and lots of restaurants.

I, too, have not been able to find a really nice seafood restaurant here. Landry's is pretty good, but they're expensive. I've heard good things about Connor's, but it's absolutely true what the previous poster said about parking/location.

Overall, Bridge Street is nice, and Parkway Place Mall offers good shopping, too. I'm not too impressed with Madison Square, though you will find the typical mall stores there. Kroger and Publix are the big grocers out here, though there are a few Star Markets around town and an EarthFare (I've been told it's the closest thing to Whole Foods here). Just got a Chipotle, too...

You'll find most of the same shops and restaurants here as in NOVA. Someone mentioned the temperature here may be hotter; I haven't seen it this summer; in fact, on a trip to Virginia in the middle of July, it was way worse there (103) than it was in Huntsville! I've only been here through the spring and summer, so maybe I'll get surprised next year. I will miss the one or two good snows in VA, though. I hear snow is pretty rare...

Well, welcome; and maybe we'll see you at the dog park sometime!