Considering a relocation from Atlanta (Birmingham, Huntsville: transplants, real estate, crime)

[Danny Buckhead]

Hi all, I am an Atlanta native 35 years old white and will be moving with my son who will be a freshman next year in High School. Biggest reason I am moving from Atlanta is because although I like living in a city with amenities, I am not a fan of how it has lost all of its southern identity (and lots of folks are offended by any kind of display of Southern Pride), has become a very liberal place and feels more like warmer version of New Jersey...

I am a well educated financial professional, newly divorced, like older homes and areas and definitely want to find a place that "feels" like down south. I know HSV has a lot of people from elsewhere which is fine (my parents were from elsewhere) but I was wondering if it has retained that feel and hasn't just become a non descript, liberal city that's just a place for ex-Northeasterners to live in cheap McMansions like Atlanta or Raleigh has become.


I have been to Birmingham and definitely felt it down there but the crime in that city is a real turn off although the suburbs are very nice. Another city I am considering is Nashville.


I really want to find the happy medium between a mid to large sized city with amenities, economic and educational opportunities and a variety of things to do but at the same time a place that isn't too "progressive" and feels like you're in Alabama. A poster on another forum gave me some bunk about how "Huntsville is very educated so of course it's liberal and doesn't feel like Alabama". Which to me sounds pretentious because I am highly educated and not liberal and definitely act and speak like a Georgian. I am not conflating liberal or northern with democrat because my experience has been that down here in the south most places with a high % of minorities vote democrat but usually aren't liberal in the Boston or San Francisco sense of the word and are definitely still southern!

Thanks and God bless

[TN2HSV]

I like it here just fine, but I am a Tennessee native and former Nashvillian (well, Franklin to be exact). If I were in your shoes, I'd choose Nashville over Huntsville any day.

That being said, HSV is NOT a liberal enclave by any means! Quite the opposite...I find it much more conservative than say, Nashville. Definitely more conservative than Atlanta.

The reason I say choose Nashville over HSV is (1) no state income tax....on W-2 income, anyway. (investment income, gains/losses on investment sales, etc. are taxed); (2) roads and infrastructure is infinitely better in TN in general; (3) you can get a direct flight to just about anywhere from Nashville, but the Nashville airport is a BREEZE, especially compared to ATL. Here, you have to connect through ATL to go just about anywhere other than DC, Houston, and a few other places. Lots of people drive to Nashville from HSV to fly b/c you can avoid ATL, and HSV is the country's most expensive airport. (4) Schools - the burbs of Nashville (Franklin/Williamson Co in particular) have EXCELLENT public schools. You will pay for it in real estate prices, but just you & your son could find something for the 2 of you pretty reasonably, I think. I've had 2 children in both TN public schools and now in Alabama public schools. We are in the Madison City school district, which is supposed to be the "best" public school system in the HSV area. And it is good, based on what I've seen so far. But if it is the *best* that the area has to offer, I'd hate to see the rest. I'll put it that way. (5) Amenities & things to do - shopping, restaurants, museums, historical sites, etc. If you visit both cities, you'll see that this is self-explanatory.

HSV is not a bad place at all, and if you REALLY want to get out of bigger city life, then it might suit you. But if it were me and I was choosing between HSV & Nashville, I'd pick Nashville. Every day. All day long.

[Danny Buckhead]

Originally Posted by TN2HSV

I like it here just fine, but I am a Tennessee native and former Nashvillian (well, Franklin to be exact). If I were in your shoes, I'd choose Nashville over Huntsville any day.

That being said, HSV is NOT a liberal enclave by any means! Quite the opposite...I find it much more conservative than say, Nashville. Definitely more conservative than Atlanta.

The reason I say choose Nashville over HSV is (1) no state income tax....on W-2 income, anyway. (investment income, gains/losses on investment sales, etc. are taxed); (2) roads and infrastructure is infinitely better in TN in general; (3) you can get a direct flight to just about anywhere from Nashville, but the Nashville airport is a BREEZE, especially compared to ATL. Here, you have to connect through ATL to go just about anywhere other than DC, Houston, and a few other places. Lots of people drive to Nashville from HSV to fly b/c you can avoid ATL, and HSV is the country's most expensive airport. (4) Schools - the burbs of Nashville (Franklin/Williamson Co in particular) have EXCELLENT public schools. You will pay for it in real estate prices, but just you & your son could find something for the 2 of you pretty reasonably, I think. I've had 2 children in both TN public schools and now in Alabama public schools. We are in the Madison City school district, which is supposed to be the "best" public school system in the HSV area. And it is good, based on what I've seen so far. But if it is the *best* that the area has to offer, I'd hate to see the rest. I'll put it that way. (5) Amenities & things to do - shopping, restaurants, museums, historical sites, etc. If you visit both cities, you'll see that this is self-explanatory.

HSV is not a bad place at all, and if you REALLY want to get out of bigger city life, then it might suit you. But if it were me and I was choosing between HSV & Nashville, I'd pick Nashville. Every day. All day long.

Thank you so much! I like that you've lived in both places and have that insight.

It's not that I want "out" of city life per se, it's just that sometime around 2009 or so Atlanta hit max saturation point with folks from the Northeast and has stopped feeling like home I guess. It's just very transient and it feels like no one is rooted here. On my street in Buckhead, not only am I the only person that didn't relocate from out of state, we are the only family who has been here more than 10 years. No roots anymore. Additionally I have had some opportunities hindered for me because of my accent. Even down south a southern accent is considered to sound stupid haha.

The tax situation is definitely attractive in TN. As for schools that's not a worry. Since our family has always resided in the city of Atlanta and not a suburb like Alpharetta, my son has only ever been in private schools anyhow so I think I am going to keep him in private for HS because this has been a rough year for him with the divorce and now relocating so I don't want to shock his system too much by moving him from a small Christian school with 10 student classrooms to a big ol' public school.


A trip is DEFINITELY in order!

[ashpelham]

Probably would choose Nashvegas over any city in Alabama. Keep going west if you are really looking for a change. Consider the Texas cities, or as far as Arizona.

[harry chickpea]

I've lived in B'ham and Atlanta, as well as Charlotte, Miami, Ft Lauderdale, Brooklyn and a few other places. (FWIW, I grew up in rural Vermont, which was VERY conservative at the time.) Buckhead has been the more liberal part of Atlanta since before you were born. Not surprised at all that you are mourning the loss of identity of Atlanta in general, but I fear you may be continually moving ahead of the tide as more and more places lose identity - *large cities first*. South Florida experienced the exact same effect, and there really is no going back. As you get older, the changes you will see will astound you. That is just part of life.

About the only thing you may be able to do is find a bedroom community, put up with commutes, and hope for the best. Coming from Atlanta, you might be surprised just how fast commutes can be on rural roads. Athens or Decatur are close enough in to have amenities, but I have to agree with TN2HSV (excellent exposition of reasones there, TN2HSV) that if you are used to and USE the resources that only a big city can offer, you won't be as happy with Huntsville and surrounds. You probably have another good fifteen years before you realize what a crock of s*** cities are and want to bail.

[TN2HSV]

FWIW....I find Alabama to DEFINITELY feel more Southern than Tennessee, even. And the further South you go, the more Southern it seems to get. B'ham definitely has the old-school, Southern, conservative vibe. You won't get that in Nashville because it's full of transplants, too. But I think it has a lot of natives as well.

Coming from city living versus suburbs, I think you would really enjoy the Green Hills/Forest Hills/Belle Meade areas of Nashville, and if you really want more Southern feel....Mountain Brook area of B'ham.

Also, I lived in Rome, GA for a while....it's about 20 miles west of Cartersville, off I-75 north of ATL. If you'd like a small-town, southern feel that is still within an hour of a big city, Rome is wonderful. It's close enough to be within easy driving distance of ATL, but far enough out that it hasn't been sucked into the huge suburban sprawl tentacles of Atlanta! It's very much its own city. You will give up on amenities, but it has a lot going for it IF you are in a certain income bracket and it sounds like you are. They have a BEAUTIFUL country club (Coosa Country Club)....look it up. It is the quintessential southern country club and I absolutely loved being a member there, and miss it to this day. Housing prices are sooooo affordable, compared to where you currently are. And there is a fantastic private school there....Darlington. Check it out!

[catfishin2000]

sounds to me like you need to look at older historic houses in the Twickinham district of Huntsville. Around 5 points you can walk to restaurants, a short drive up Monte Sano, very close to downtown, easy access to the interstate so you can get to where ever you are going to work. Most of that area is Huntsville High. But the magnet school at Lee is very good.

[lazysunday]

I think the answer to your question depends on your definition of "progressive" and "liberal."
What is too progressive or liberal??

[Danny Buckhead]

Originally Posted by lazysunday

I think the answer to your question depends on your definition of "progressive" and "liberal."
What is too progressive or liberal??

I think a liberal place, at least in the south is a place where a majority of the non-minority population votes for and believes in the platform of the Dems. I don't want to get into a political battle but that's probably the best gauge.

[Danny Buckhead]

Thank you guys for all the helpful advice. I am definitely gonna come down to Alabama and check things out. As for Rome I know that area very well it's gorgeous over there. We used to have a place up in Dahlonega in the North GA mountains and I would move back but its just a matter of time before that area gets swallowed by the big blob of suburban Atlanta.