Decatur and nearby areas (Huntsville, Madison: rentals, insurance, condo) - Huntsville-Madison-Decatur area - Alabama (AL) - City-Data Forum

auntie0 · 07-31-2015, 08:19 PM

My husband & I live in Pompano Beach Florida. Expenses are overwhelming -- taxes & hurricane insurance is 4,000/yr. Groceries are high (I've compared). We are in our late 50's, but not dead yet. It's hard to consider moving from the privacy of our home to a condo or townhome, but maintaining our home has become a major chore and very expensive. We are medium (if that) income group. What areas would you recommend as far as peace, comfy, relaxed neighborhoods? Rentals or townhomes, small homes? Or something with little upkeep. Easy to please 2 bedrooms and a nice yard for our dog would do it!
Thank You. (It's my 1st time on data)

LCTMadison · 08-01-2015, 03:25 AM

Welcome to the land of low insurance and property taxes...yet people STILL will complain! We moved here from Destin almost 10 years ago.... my heart will always be at the beach, but I DO NOT miss those property taxes and insurance! You will find the COL to be better here.

There are some neat neighborhoods on the south side of the Beltline between Spring Street and Old Moulton Road....they vary in price and lot size but you will find some single family homes on smaller lots, patios, and townhomes in varying price ranges. Really close to the main shopping/dining areas on the Beltline. I've also always liked Pointe Mallard Estates, there are some SF and townhomes there....and that is closer to the downtown area, which has some neat stuff going on.

harry chickpea · 08-01-2015, 11:10 AM

auntie0, my wife and I made a move from a city right next door to Pompano Beach up to a rural area north and west of of Decatur. Our taxes and insurance were high like yours and I recognized that life there wasn't sustainable unless I wanted to spend my life working for municipalities and insurance companies just to stay there and end up with little or nothing for us. You'll find that your auto insurance should plummet as well by moving here.

I have to agree with LCTMadison about where to live near Decatur if you don't want to live rural or small town. The beltline is similar to Atlantic or University Drive and convenient. If we had moved to the Decatur area, about the only soFl things we would miss would be PennDutch fresh inexpensive seafood and Tunie's Health Food for what Whole Foods SHOULD have turned into.

irene61189 · 08-01-2015, 05:05 PM

We moved to Decatur from Houston almost 2 years ago when we decided on early retirement and wanted to live someplace that was pretty and affordable. Our property taxes were up to $13,000 and we knew that retiring in Houston would not work for us financially. We moved to an area in Decatur called Lake Chula Vista Estates and we absolutely love it here. The city of Decatur is just big enough for us to where we have everything we need and Madison/Huntsville is close by for those things that we want.

Keeper · 08-03-2015, 06:24 AM

I also moved up here from Tampa, FL. I moved to a small town Arab, 25 minutes south of Huntsville. Depending on what you are looking for you can find it up here. I live 10 minutes from Lake Guntersville a 65 acre lake with lots of fishing and boating but not nearly as crowded as it is in FL.

I sold my house in Tampa and was able to buy a house here with no mortgage. Granted it is not the ritz but it is comfortable and I have a large backyard for my dogs.

HOI and property taxes are really low. I pay less up here for both than I did for property taxes in FL. I can also figure my utilities payment are $200.00 or less all year. I am retired and on SS so it is nice to know what I will be paying all year.

Also here there really isn't a 'bad' part of town There aren't HOAs except in one neighborhood. I love the people up here too. Men tip their hats to women, stop when a funeral procession passes and if you are in need people are there to help you.

We are in the bible belt, people will invite you to their church but all you have to do is be polite in your answer. We have 4 seasons and while it does get cold it doesn't last long. I wouldn't move back to the hectic life in FL for anything.

rock90 · 08-04-2015, 10:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Keeper

I live 10 minutes from Lake Guntersville a 65 acre lake with lots of fishing and boating but not nearly as crowded as it is in FL.

Wikipedia lists Lake Guntersville at 69,000 acres. Whatever the size, it's pretty darn big.

auntie0 · 08-15-2015, 02:06 AM

Thank you all for your kind and great advice. I will be checking out your suggestions. I won't be missing the beach at all. Those days are over for me. A peaceful lake sounds like heaven. Last year Broward County's population was 1,869,235 and this year has hit the over 2 million mark. Getting a smile out of people isn't easy much less tipping their hats to you -- we are more likely to get some obscene gesture so it's hard for me to comprehend. Sounds like a perfect place for retirement. It's good to know I can come to this site for advice. Thanks Again!!!!