Moving to Redstone Arsenal from Washington (Huntsville, Guntersville: real estate, campground, living)

[FlourChild]

Originally Posted by WashingtonAtHeart

This is going to sound really girly...but what are the spiders and other insects like? I am terrified of spiders and I hear they are big down there!!
What is the humidity like? I am not used to any at all. Seattle area is NOT humid.

I am also VERY arachnophobic; the HSV area does have spiders, but aside from brown recluses--which, as is mentioned above, can be avoided--it's NOT rife with hairy, crunchy tarantulas or anything. I was happy living there, I'll put it that way. BTW: An Orkin (pest control) guy once told me that hair spray will kill ANYTHING (bug/spiders), which is good to know but makes me worry about my lungs, as I use plenty of it.

The humidity is usually, IIRC, about 65-70%, which feels rough for people from drier areas, but you do get used to it and it's VERY rare to find a building/home w/o central air conditioning or some other type of AC. In other words, it's a manageable problem.

Huntsville is probably one of the best places to live in Alabama. I lived there for almost 20 years. I hope you enjoy everything there, and please don't worry about the spiders; if I could deal with it, I'm sure you'll have no problem at all.

[jspearlj1]

[quote=Keeper;2549169]Huntsville is surrounded what we call mountains. quote]

To loosely quote Crocodile Dundee "Monte Sano aint a mountain... Rainer is a mountain." But I digress, Huntsville does have some good outdoor recreation, but having spent time in WA its a little more limited, but it is closer than most of the recreation in the Everett area. If bugs are a concern... well... there are lots of them. You quickly learn that while they may scare you, there's really nothing to be scared of. Dont go poking around in dark and dank places and you should be fine.

The biggest concern you should have is weather shock, as has been stated, the heat and humidity in the summer make it really hard to enjoy anything outdoors outside of early morning/late afternoon. The springtime has really, and I mean REALLY bad pollen allergies. I moved from MA and never had allergies and as soon as I got down here I had to go on meds or I couldn't really do anything outside. The fall time is beautiful here similar to WA summer but with foliage and a little warmer. Winter time is a little warmer than up there but not too dissimilar. The biggest difference though is sunny days... invest in a good pair of sunglasses, you'll need them.

Areas of town that might be of interest are the Monte Sano area and aroudn there. Its a nice little retreat from being in a city (for the most part you are always within 20 minutes of Monte Sano park when in Huntsville) and it gives you a little easier access to get out to Guntersville lake. If school systems are of concern for the future then the SE area of the city is wonderful, more on the pricey end but you can still get decent houses for 120-150K that put you in a safe neighborhood with great schools while still putting you near hills and not too far from water

[HsvMike]

Here is a website GoHSV.com | Huntsville Alabama that gives an overview of Huntsville.

[greened]

Washington - Having lived in the south most of my life (4 years in Europe with the AF) I have never thought of spiders as a problem to be consumed with. Yes we have them but nothing to sweat. There are a lot of outdoor activities to do. Alabama State Parks is a good place to start and Georgia has a ton of great state parks as well (Georgia State Parks). You will be minutes from the Sipsey Wilderness which offers great hiking, backpacking, and camping. It is located in the Bankhead National forest. To the north you're not far from Great Smokey Mountains National Park and to the East there is Cohutta Wilderness and the Chattahoochee National Forest in Georgia. Lake Gunterville will be in your backyard as well. Alabama has the Pinhoti trail which is about 140 miles or so and a ton of fun canoing streams that couls also offer camping opportunities as well. Try to leave everything that you've heard of Alabama and the south behind. It is a great place where people generally enjoy life and live slow and I'm sure you'll find the stereotypes well overblown. Yes, it gets very hot and humid during the summer so find an apartment or a neighborhood with a pool or if you can get a boat, weekends on the lake are unbeatable. There are lots of cool places to see and explore. Feel free to hit me up if you need ideas... Oh yeah, and learn to say "y'all"...

[greened]

Crossing the Sipsey River on a backpacking trip



A friend crossing Jack river (Cohutta Wilderness Georgia)



Cohutta campsite (yes there are wild rainbow and brown trout in the river)

[greened]

Southern Garden in the spring



And keep in mind that you're about 5 hours or so from the Gulf coast and some of America's most beautiful beaches...

[greened]

Walls of Jericho also come to mind....
Walls of Jericho (The Nature Conservancy - Walls of Jericho: Tennessee, Alabama Walls of Jericho rivers, forested uplands and caves)
Walls of Jericho Photos - Alabama Nature Pictures - Hiking in Alabama Photos

As well as Dismals Canyon
Dismals Canyon - Home

One word of advice, embrace the move and look at it as a way to see another part of the world and a different culture than what you're used to. I can't tell you how many people I was stationed with at places who had it in their minds that they didn't like a place and spent several years never leaving the house then complaining about there being nothing to do. If you love the outdoors, Alabama has plenty to offer and you should use it as your back porch to see the South. From the outer banks of NC to the Smokies/Blue Ridge Mountains, to the Appalachian Trail, to the tons of lakes and water ways, to the gulf coast I can promise you that if you like to camp, fish, etc you can find plenty to do if you only try.

[leavin_florida]

I lived in the Seattle area for around 13 years. We've spend the last 7 years in Florida and have just moved to Huntsville. We love it - there are no Cascades or Olympic Mountians and the Gulf Beach is a big change from the Olymipic beaches but we love the rolling hills. If you are sick of sitting in traffic you will be delighted by the area. We live in Monrovia - and my husband commutes to Redstone - in less than 15 minutes. When I lived in Kent and drove to Redmond I was often in traffic for 2 hours.

I really miss Seattle, but to tell the truth - I don't think I can ever move back. The rain, the traffic, the cost of housing are just more than I am willing to deal with.

Welcome to Huntsville - I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

[dbkeel1]

Welcome! We're not in the Cascades but you'll like it here. I was stationed at Whidbey Island (Navy aviation) more years ago than I'd care to remember and loved Washington (the non-desert side, anyway). Winters here can be similar sometimes (cold, windy and some drizzle) but there's no real snow issues. Summers are a lot hotter; find a pool or a lake and life's good.

[JChuck]

If you like to do the outdoor type of activities, you will love it here. Check out the Guntersville area south of Huntsville. Not far from Redstone, beautiful lake and parks, and great people. I just moved to Guntersville and love it so far. Can't wait till' spring-fall which is beautiful although the overall climate is pretty mild.