Chattanooga or Huntsville (Birmingham, Madison, Scottsboro: fit in, renting, house)

[fishmonger]

there's an extremely small portion of Hoover that fits the sidewalk/urban/small-town description but for the most part it's like the San Jose of Alabama. What happened is that it was a really small town in the 40's-50's until the space/millitary stuff came there and blew it up into a small suburban metropolis. Downtown is sort of small & sleepy (like a small town) but there are a few coffee shops, bars, restaurants, etc. there...

so Chattanooga's probably your choice if you don't like the sprawl. (Although Birmingham's cool too and I live there... so you should move here and increase our population! Muahahahahahahahaha!)

[snowghost]

I never thought of that. I don't know much about the south, aside from Atlanta and most of North Carolina...went to Montgomery once, not much to say about that. And all I know about Birmingham is about the civil rights movements. Not a lot to go on. Is it an hour and a half or so from Huntsville>

[marysally]

I moved to Huntsville about 9 years ago so I can answer some of your questions. Huntsville has lots of GOOD PAYING jobs, in fact most of the news is about getting people to move here because there are more jobs than people to fill them. This morning's paper stated that the unempl. rate in Huntsville is 2.3 as opposed to 3.2 for the state of AL. It is a city of transplants so good ole boy is not very active. The downtown area is being revitalized and new restaurants and bars opening. Latest is a Ruth's Chris Steak House. I live in a ~2K sq ft brick house on ~ 1/2 acre that would sell for less than $200K. There is also a sidewalk in front of my house. If I had a choice between Huntsville, Chattanooga and Birmingham, Huntsville would definitely be it and Birmingham wouldn't even be in the running.

[snowghost]

Thank you! Do you have children? Or, would you at least consider Huntsville family friendly? There's only so many times one can go to the space center, and we aren't mall people, so activities with our kids- preferably out of doors- is paramount. I like hearing that there are revitalization efforts. I'm sure that they are grassroots, like most towns, but if the city/county government is getting involved, that's a terrific sign. Do you live in a development? I'd like to find a child friendly neighborhood with sidewalks, maybe a local pool, elementary schools that you can walk to...is this doable in Huntsville? Sorry for the questions, but i have no idea and this option came up very suddenly for us.

This may be too much to ask- Indian food? Middle Eastern (and I don't mean Greek) food? That would be a dream...

[Trevorelucas]

Chattanooga all the way. I am from a small town called Winchester 45 mins. from Huntsville and 1 hr. from Chatt, and Chatt is great! Huntsville is nothing but Strip Malls, Chattanooga is great because it is a good size city with a feeling of a small town in the middle of nowhere.

[fishmonger]

Here's my opinion from living in Birmingham but having Huntsville as my birthplace:

Birmingham - lots more stuff to do (both inside & outside) mostly because it's a bigger city, also more of a "city" and less of a "small town with strip malls around it" than Huntsville; economic, cultural center of Alabama, revitalizing downtown and lots of restaurants, bars, music venues, etc. in the area;

On the other hand most of the inner-city isn't really "family friendly"; about half of Birmingham-proper's afflicted with urban blight (big city problems) and most of the families in the more affluent areas of the city (with sidewalks, close-together houses, convenience, etc.) send their kids to private school because the inner-city public schools have a pretty impoverished student body. Southside area of Birmingham is probably the most diverse, "progressive-minded" area of Alabama I can think of, but you probably wouldn't want to raise a family there.

Homewood (a suburb of Birmingham) sounds like what you're looking for; it's an old streetcar suburb with the sidewalks, smaller lot sizes, organic business districts, parks, diverse population, but most of the houses are pretty pricey (although there are plenty of affordable apartments in the "nice" parts of town and affordable houses in West Homewood)... it's also like 1 mile from downtown Birmingham & UAB, which is a plus. There are tons of suburbs around Birmingham but most conform to the strip mall/subdivision mold.

As for Huntsville:

About 1/3 the size of Birmingham (metro wise); inner city is a lot more prosperous than Birmingham's (Huntsville's "suburbs" are mostly incorporated into the city)... much smaller urban core and not a lot of "walkablility" outside of a small radius. Downtown's a lot sleepier than Birmingham's but seems to be waking up; much better "inner-city" public schools but most of the city feels a little too bland & generic for my tastes. Definitely the most prosperous of Alabama's "big cities" and has more of a tech/millitary based economy while Birmingham's more about medical care/research and finance stuff.

As for Chattanooga, I really don't know anything about that city except that they have a cool downtown and lots of tourists.

[marysally]

Huntsville is VERY family friendly -- in fact that is somewhat of a concern as the city leaders are trying to attract young single people to fill the jobs they are concerned that it is known too much for being family friendly. Many of the newer subdivisions have pools and other amenities that you mentioned. I don't live in a subdivision per se and my children are grown so don't need that sort of thing. I know that there are a number of highly rated schools in Huntsville as well as Madison where I live. There is a children's science museum ("Early Works") downtown that has interesting attractions. The Huntsville Art Museum has traveling exhibits --right now I think it is Linda McCartney's photography. The Broadway Theatre League has shows regularly and there are frequently shows geared to young children (Bob the Builder and such). Some of the musical attractions come to perform at Von Braun Center but it is mainly second tier. I guess the biggest name was probably Elton John who came about 8 years ago. During the spring and summer there are free walking tours of the historic district, where the tour guide tells interesting stories about the beautiful old homes and their former residents. Some of the homes date from the early 1800's. There are also Christmas tours where you get to go in some of the historic homes and see Christmas decorations.
As far as restaurants are concerned, I think there is a Middle Eastern restaurant on Jordan, but I have never been there so I can't comment. I don't recall an Indian one but give it time -- I'm sure one will open soon. There are at least 5 sushi places -- I have lost count! There are also too many Thai places to keep count -- Surin on Airport Rd is my favorite. Good German restaurants also because of the German influence in this area.

[jeweloflight]

Originally Posted by snowghost

Small, young family....love the outdoors (hiking, swimming, camping, mountain biking), vote more blue than red lately, not church goers, loathe strip malls, want good schools, walkable towns, and a nice place to live where everyone is not the same (as us, or as one another- diversity of thought, at the least), live pretty green (well, we recycle anyway, and walk and bike a lot)...what sounds like a better fit for us and why- Chattanooga or Huntsville? I've heard Chattanooga referred to as the Boulder of the East, and now I've been hearing nice things about Huntsville. If you don't think either of these fit the bill, what do you propose in that same region (2.5 hour drive, leaving out Atlanta for being too big). With little ones and the need for good schools, we are looking more towards good options in suburbia, or reclaimed downtown areas if possible.

Thank you!

I've lived in both Chattanooga and Huntsville, both for several years. For outdoor activities, Chattanooga is definetly your best bet, lots of mountains too. It's also great for raising kids. That being said, Chattanooga is not progressive, and is full of strip malls, and is not a "walkable town", it's a city. They still have the good 'ol boys mentally, job opportunities suck, so does the pay. True it has changed a lot, but still has a long way to go. I live in Atlanta presently, and am looking to move west to California. Coming from Atlanta going to Chattanooga or Huntsville though, you'll feel like time has stood still.

If want a walkable town in either city, Huntsville's downtown historic district is a bit nicer. But then Chattanooga's is more scenic. Go visit both places and see what vibe you get. I wouldn't move back to either, I'm all about progressive, open minded areas-----and those just don't do it for me. Then too, I'm a single early thirties and don't have children, therefore I still look forward to an upbeat pace.

[snowghost]

I wouldn't think about either of these areas if I was single, or even if we didn't have kids. I've lived in California- too expensive, Colorado, and in a couple of places in NE- all great for nightlife, activities, travel, etc. Now I want something peaceful, safe, affordable, and easy.

[Alabamy_bound]

I've lived all around...would not chose Chat over Huntsville...and Birmingham ? whoa, I lived there but in Vestavia for several years...Bham is way behind the curve I don't care how big it has become ! the minds of the people are still relatviely small and undereducated ! Huntsville is very well educated...MUCH better that anywhere in East TN in my opinion ! There is no comparison...plus in North AL you won't run into many crazy college football fans (e.g. U of TN) that raise 'h' all the time even if most of them didn't even finish college, not to mention going to the University of TN. I'd recommend Huntsville anyday !!

Good luck though