Helpful links if you are moving to the Huntsville area (Decatur: skyscraper, relocation)

[Southlander]

These Web sites, geared toward folks moving into the area thanks to the Base Realignment and Closing, are good looks at the area.
BRAC To Huntsville Alabama
Welcome to Decatur-Morgan County, Alabama: Great Schools, High Quality of Life and Low Cost of Living in Decatur, Alabama, Hartselle, Alabama and more
Tennessee Valley BRAC: Relocation information: Housing, Education, Quality of Life, Huntsville, BRAC, Redstone, Tennessee Valley, Madison County, Alabama, AMCOM, MDA, SMDC
Welcome!!

[Keeper]

Looking for a home check out

ValleyMLS.com

[rnc76]

Huntsville, Alabama - Economic Development, Demographics, Economic Growth, Huntsville Regional Economy, Huntsville Business News, Huntsville Area Market Statistics, Huntsville Region Information Report, Huntsville Alabama USA

The chamber of commerce website. Great job listings and lots of city and area info.

[cglover]

Thanks! These web sites are very helpful.

[Keeper]

Link to recommendations on places to stay and places to eat

Recommendations for visiting Huntsville/Decatur

[Reactionary]

Madison County elementary school test scores (includes Huntsville and Madison).

Madison County 3rd and 5th Grade SAT Scores

[Charles]

I saw mention of this on a Huntsville real estate web site. The realtor offered to mail hardcopies (88 pages?). However, I think many or most of the individual articles are online. Check here for stories on 4/20/2008 (this will probably become stale soon):

al.com: News

(I think) Here are many of the links:

• Veterans fragile but famous
Latest group sees D.C. WWII memorials; visit brings smiles and tears

• Apart since 3rd grade, D.C. trip also reunion
Meeting at lunch brings memories of skipping class

• Students keep eye on sky
Successful launch more than big liftfor college teams

• Supporters look for Maple Hill's place in history
Pilgrimage Associationto seek landmark cemetery's addition to national register

• Semper Fi task force is looking for more to join up
First year was'incredible, farbeyond our hopes'

• 14 figures from Huntsville's past buried at Maple Hill
Many famous - and infamous - North Alabamians are among the 80,000 people buried in Maple Hill Cemetery. Here are a few of them:

• 2 child-care facilities going up at Redstone
More than 180 spots for children will be added

• 3 school systems face tough decisions
Systems will grow, but how much? And where?

• Accessibility, natural setting boosts Zierdt
Area set for road improvements, new middle school

• Airport expanding to meet influx of fliers
Facility will be able to handle 2 million passengers

• Alabama soon turned into my 'sweet home'
At the end of October 2007, with mixed emotions, we left Washington, D.C., for our new home in Huntsville, Ala.

• Analyst, 60, happy about new job move
Stuchells enjoying RV life until home in Virginia sells

• Apartment market will be ready for BRAC
4,200 units are under construction or are planned

• Area is 'best of both worlds' for Bledsoes
Living a country life, working in a modern city

• Arts groups lookingto expand offerings
Goal is to show our newcomersarts alive and well

• Athens has gained 'cosmopolitan' feel
City is on edge of rapid growth in Limestone County

• 'A wonderful place to live, work and play'
Kentucky native: "The perfect place for us to fit in'

• Big-city advantages without headaches
Family's love of Southern culture draws them back

• 'Biotechnology juggernaut' Institute will vault Huntsville into important field, according to Vice President Smitherman
While Huntsville is best known for enabling mankind's giant leap to the moon, the HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology will facilitate its next leap into improving the human condition on Earth, said Ethan Hadley.

• BRAC brings boost to service industry
'We're seeing a need for more workers overall'

• BRAC's military jobs should attract more
Companies that support work will come, leaders say

• Bridge Street offers a unique experience
You can shop, dine, see a movie all in one place

• Churches are growing in fresh directions
Big congregations get bigger; times, locations change

• City's biggest boom came in 1950s, 1960s
'Waves' of missile scientists strained local resources

• City's housing market ahead of the curve
Depressed sales in Virginia are impacting our area

• Community colleges find future's arrived
A lot of focus may be on retraining, upgrading skills

• Constellation ready to get your attention
Spring Hill Suites to be built first on old mall site

• Copter plant among the benefits of BRAC
New, expanding subdivisions are signs of growth

• Cost of living the key for Jefferson, family
Army vet is back after 2 training stints in Huntsville

• Country living offered in east part of county
New Hope, Gurley, Owens Cross Roads have laid-back feel

• D.C. travel may boom as transfers arrive
Industry experts are working with arsenal, airport

• Defense contractors focus on growth
Lockheed Martin increased local work force 9% last year

• Dolce executive chef thrives on the chaos
Wayne Shivers plans to add local produce to menu

• Downtown district is moving toward hip
You can work, live, be entertained without a car

• Educational outreach is inspiring to all ages
Program provides for 'hands-on investigation,' according to its director

• Enhanced use lease winner for Redstone
Plan sets aside 422 acres to prepare for BRAC

• Even with better roads, traffic will be busy
Projects in thenext four years at $279 million

• Everything you need in one neighborhood
Western area touts nearly all-inclusive communities

• Far south expanding with new subdivisions
Hobbs Road and Ditto Landing have lot to offer

• FBI program warns of inside threats, too
More cyber crime, securing secrets remain challenges

• From cotton fields to 'fields of homes'
Meridianville, Hazel Green areas see building boom

• From one newcomer to another You'll find that surprises are pleasant and frequent in Rocket City
This is for all the families that must pick up from Northern Virginia and head south to Huntsville: Relax, Alabama's not what you think.

• Future looking bright for Five Points area
New Lee High, shopping complex to bring residents

• Green Mountain is 'discovered'
"It's been discovered." That's Chuck Gibb's take on the flurry of homebuilding on Green Mountain, which was relatively sporadic until now.

• Happy in Huntsville (except for the sirens)
After D.C., city is a "culture shock" but in a good way

• Home rule law 'step in the right direction'
But many are frustrated by the law's limitations

• Homes with a water view lure newcomers
Realtors expect BRAC to deliver plenty of buyers

• Honors and Awards


• Hospitality business making mark in area
Madison County will have 6,600 rooms by winter

• HudsonAlpha associate firms
Resident associates

• HudsonAlpha is focusing on the future
'Science does inspire dreams,' according to President Jim Hudson

• HudsonAlpha's celebration makes DNA Day special
Event honors discovery, and also the work of the Human Genome Project

• HudsonAlpha's scientific advisory board world-class
HudsonAlpha Director Richard M. Myers works with and is supported by six uniquely skilled and internationally known investigators and business professionals who provide objective feedback and guidance in scientific matters.

• Huntsville 'just right' for a golf cart shop
Ben Dupont likes living and doing business here

• Institute starts center for public health, food safety
Huntsville-based effort will link with scientists from around the world

• International Baccalaureate seals the deal
Martins find what they were looking for in Decatur

• It's another boom like the one I grew up in
I'm a rocket boomer, the offspring to one of the thousands of engineers who flocked here in the late 1950s under the Von Braun movement.

• Jackson County is seeing growth surge
BRAC, Bellefonte spur an increase in home building

• Lacrosse, new parks result of transfers
City is ideal to host a regional tournament

• Land-preservation efforts gaining speed
30,000 newresidents meanmore expansion

• Less stressful drive equals more free time
Transplants from Maryland happy with their decision

• Life changes bring couple to the valley
Vails now trying to persuade others to make the move

• 'Lot of good, flat land bodes well' for area
Lower building costs help boost development

• Madison striving to meet needs of BRAC
Recent annexation adds 2,000 acres to booming area

• Medical community is preparing for influx
Hot lines, programs created to helpnewcomers to area

• Moving easy choice for Southern couple
Pair left behind 2-hour commutes, now closer to work

• Natural beauty fills areas east and south
Hampton Cove mostly built out; Big Cove is next

• Newcomer relishes area's sporting life
Ben Dampier finds plenty of outdoor activities in region

• News briefs
Albertville man dies after traffic accident

• Northeast section is coming full circle
Thriving in 1800s, area sees another growth spurt

• Northwest leaders optimistic on growth
'Perception' of schools is slowing development

• Planners in Decatur excited about future
Shift being made from upper scale to smaller homes

• Police, fire ranks getting jump on growth
Hiring can be guessing game but public safety officials hope to meet future needs

• 'Positioned in great location' for growth
Strong says more planning needed to meet demands

• Redstone readying to implement BRAC
Construction on four new buildings to get under way

• Redstone's officers enjoying new homes
Huntsville really supports our work, retired general says

• Salesman likes what he sees here so far
Austin Britt raves about friendliness, beauty of the area

• Satellite offices arebusting at the seams
Larger spaces are needed for tax, licensing divisions

• Saving green space key to young couple
The Smiths hope growth doesn't overtake parks

• Small businesses are happy over transfers
Opportunities from BRAC are plentiful, some say

• Small-town feel big lure for newcomers
Richard Schwarz hopes area realizes effect of BRAC

• Strong local economy supports home sales
City 'will continue to be a primary market leader'

• Sweet tea, slower pace suit family fine
Edwardses happy to call Huntsville their new home

• Tennessee River to be main water source
Utilities looking ahead to meet growing needs

• 'The List City' works to get the word out
Huntsville takes full advantage of national rankings

• Timing of art museum expansion is 'great'
Several galleries,auditorium, stagewill be added

• To newcomers, cityfolk 'genuinely nice'
Huntsville is 'what normal should be'

• UAH, A&M gearing up for BRAC transfers
Universities plan to fine-tune their curricula

• With growth comes more restaurants
But experts say market is not yet saturated

• 'World-class, top-tier research'
Building 'preeminent' genomics institute is goal of Director Myers

[Reactionary]

rnc76 posted a nice route for a Scenic Drive through Huntsville:

http://www.city-data.com/forum/3641259-post3.html

[Charles]

Some of Charles's useful links:

Census map of Huntsville. You can change the theme and the level. This is for %owner occupied:

Tiger Map Server Browser

One of the best real estate search engines anywhere (not just Alabama). Pros: Can filter on lots of things like elmentary school, zip code. Cons: Doesn't return square footage or addresses (which can be obtained by integrating data from Zillow, Trulia, Yahoo Real Estate and Google Real Estate)

ValleyMLS.com

Excellent searchable database of Alabama photographs

AlabamaMosaic

Huntsville Madison County Public Library : Item Viewer


(photo not protected by copyright)

Google map of (some) subdivisions:

Google Maps

Emaps with detailed property information. (This tool needs work; has overlay problems using both IE and Firefox)

Madison County, Alabama Map

Climate comparison tool. Compare where you live to what HSV is like

City Climate Comparisons

Wikimapia. A google version of Wikipedia.

Wikimapia - Let's describe the whole world!

Live Maps, When using Birds Eye view, the resolution blows google away. Also many places can be viewed from four different angles. Als has 3D capability.

Live Maps of downtown Huntsville

The best weather page (if you are a real weather nerd you only read the "Forecast Discussion")

7-Day Forecast for Latitude 34.6N and Longitude -86.46W (Elev. 581 ft)

National Weather Service Text Product Display, Forecast Discussion

Cool graphical view of weather stations:

WunderMap Interactive Radar & Weather Stations : Weather Underground

Local Real Time weather station (including heat index and chill factor)

Owens Cross Roads, AL weather, powered by WeatherBug

Huntsville Live Webcam

City of Huntsville, Alabama *** Huntsville *** Alabama ***

Live webcam in Huntsville, United States

Live webcam at Huntsville, AL 35801, USA | Webcam list

Huntsville Craigslist

craigslist: huntsville classifieds for jobs, apartments, personals, for sale, services, community, and events

(Charles's trick to find ANYTHING ANYWHERE on Craigslist

site:craigslist.org - Google Search

Use google advanced search and limit the domain to craigslist.org)

Huntsville Times

al.com: The Huntsville Times

These are sort of like City Data

UrbanPlanet.org -> Huntsville-Decatur

Southeast - SkyscraperCity

How to read newspapers without registering

Bugmenot.com - login with these free web passwords to bypass compulsory registration

How to get any software, movie, TV show, etc

Download music, movies, games, software! The Pirate Bay - The world's largest BitTorrent tracker

[Southlander]

Geared toward military relocatees, but full of specific info:
http://www.buyersagentofhuntsville.c...llegovrelo.pdf