Moving to Harvest (Huntsville, Madison, Ardmore: military, zoning, rental)

[ladyhawk64]

We are moving to Harvest and would like some information about the area, the commute to Research Blvd, its schools, churches and people. Our son will be attending Sparkman High School. Any information would be greatly appreciated.

[HsvMike]

It all depends on where in Harvest you are moving to. If you are moving into the Southern part of Harvest, then it borders Madison and gives you a lot of shopping and restaurant options very close. The commute to Research Park depending on traffic will be a 15 to 20 min. ride. It could be a little longer during peak times.

If it is Northern Harvest which is a lot more rural, then it will take longer to get to shopping and work. If you are heading to Research Park from Northern Harvest, the easiest way to go is take 53 South to Research Park Blvd South. I live in South Harvest so I don't know exactly how long your commute time would be, but I wouldn't see it taking longer then 25 mins. to a half hour.

As far as churches go, they are everywhere around here. Baptist and Methodist seem to be the most prominent but just about every other religion is represented here as well.

Sparkman is a good school. But a step under the two most popular high school's Bob Jones and Grissom, from what I have heard. They are talking about building a new high school and splitting up Sparkman. They haven't decided where the school is going to be and what the lines would be, as far as I know. My kids are elementary and preschool age so I can't speak about Sparkman HS personally.

It is a diverse community here in Madison County. In my subdivision, every race and culture is here and everyone gets along really well from what I have seen. I hope this helps.

[Reactionary]

Your son may enjoy knowing that the Sparkman Cheerleaders are among the best in the nation. The school facility is fairly new, well-kept, and clean.

There is a new Publix under construction close to the school (AL53 / Ardmore Highway and Jeff Rd).

IMO roads, infrastructure, and services haven't kept up with the growth in the area. It's catching up, slowly. The County doesn't have zoning authority.

Your County Commissioner will probably be Dale Strong (R) - he graduated from Sparkman and is an effective advocate for the district.

District Four Commissioner

[flstatenolefan]

We are moving to the Harvest area next month, so I'm interested in knowing as much as possible about the area, as well. Any information on Endeavor Elementary? I realize that the scores and ratings on such sites as Greatschools.net do not tell the whole story, so any opinions here would be appreciated Also, as my kids are in elementary, I'm sure any new high school would be completed before they entered them. Has there been any talk about the dividing lines between Sparkman and the new school?

[HsvMike]

My son goes to Endeavor and I have been very happy with the school. I have had substitute teachers tell me that it is one of the more stricter elementary schools in the area. Whenever I go in there, all the kids are very well behaved. The teachers really seem to care as well.

[Crimson1]

My daughter went to Harvest Elementary last year and is in Endeavor this year and we are very pleased with the school. I can’t say enough good things about Mrs. Burton, the principal at Harvest but as far as academics are concerned, Endeavor seems to be the better school. Of course, without parental involvement and support it doesn’t matter how good the school and teachers are. I wish we could have brought Mrs. Burton with us to Endeavor. I don’t know the principal at Endeavor but I will agree with HsvMike that she seems to run a tight ship.

[Southeastern]

We moved here 2 years ago and have kids in Monrovia Elementary, Monrovia Middle, and Sparkman High.

We have been pleased with all 3 schools. Sparkman may not be on the tip of everyone's tongue like Bob Jones and Grissom, but when you peel back the layers every school has it's pros and cons.

As HsvMike said above, churches are everywhere around here. You should be able to find one with which you feel comfortable.

This is our 6th state (no, not military), and Huntsville is by far the smallest "metro" we've lived in. You will not find everything in Huntsville, but if you look, you will find plenty.

People are moving in and out of Huntsville all the time due to the companies in the area and the arsenal. Gives a good mix of nationalities, race, and experiences.

This is the only town in which we've lived where my children frequently see their friends from school at church activities or restaurants around town or play with them on area sports teams. It gives them a sense of community. Much harder when in a larger town.

It's easy to get around the area. Your personal view of traffic will depend on where you've come from. Getting from south Harvest or Monrovia to the airport or to Huntsville Hospital or to Palmer Park (Madison) or to Merrimack Park (Huntsville) or to the arsenal can all be done in less than 30 minutes.

So it sounds like I think Huntsville has no problems -- wrong. I agree with Reactionary on the Roads, infrastructure, and services. They are way behind. And zoning or lack thereof between Madison City, Huntsville City, and Madison County frequently leaves a lot to be desired. US-72\University Blvd from Providence Main St west to County Line Road is an example. No similarity or planned "look" to any of the buildings along this stretch of road. And Dollar General stores are like gas stations around here -- there is one on every corner. ....but hey.... if that's all I have to complain about ...

All things considered... a good area for a family.

Welcome to town.

[ladyhawk64]

Thanks so much for the information. We have lived in Texas for 10 years so it it is a little unnerving to start somewhere fresh. All the positive information I have received makes the move so much more enjoyable.

[pyrotwisty]

Sparkman is definitley on the rise. Each year there are more Adavanced Placement courses offered, as well as innovative elective such as Forensics, which might be offered during the 08-09 school year. Scheduling can be a mess, and it sometimes requires parental intervention to ensure that you kid gets the classes they need, but generally most of my friends have gotten a satisfactory schedule. If your son wants a challenging curriculum, honors classes and AP classes are available, and if he wants something more relaxed, thats available also. Sparkman has a wide variety of class choices as well as extra-curricular activities ranging from scholars' bowl to football and literary magazine to dance team.
The most important part is to get involved in some of those opportunites.
If you have any more specific questions about Sparkman, I'll be happy to answer as I am a current senior.

[astrogirl]

Just wondering if anyone living in Harvest has any concerns about living within a few miles of the prison? Or maybe it isn't a big deal - just sounds on the surface like it might be?