Thinking of moving to Huntsville area (Hartselle, Ardmore: for sale, to rent, new home)

[fawmanuyawka]

[color="Teal"]Hi All. I am seriously thinking about moving out of Central Florida. I am looking for something we never had here, despite Disney: a quiet town with friendly and tolerant (and hopefully open-minded) people, a few decent neighbors, and a half-dozen restaurants, mom-and-pops included. Bowling alleys are good too. I have never taken to Florida after almost 20 years here, and the astronomical growth has all but stripped away every last blade of grass. Trees are approaching Joni Mitchell's prophecy of a tree museum! I am no stranger to ice and snow, and read here that you have days of the former. That worries me, as we don't need to be sliding off bridges or doing figure 8s. How is the medical community in terms of quality and response time? This is a sizeable concern. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

[pyrotwisty]

I'm confused about why you posted this on this thread, but I can tell you right now that icy/snowy road conditions in Huntsville are a rarity indeed. We have around maybe 5 bowling alleys or so and plenty of trees. I think Huntsville would probably meet most of your needs.

[Keeper]

I moved your post to a new thread. I moved outside of H'ville from Tampa so I can understand where you are coming from.

You will be surprised at the cost of property tax and HOI. My property tax is less than $200.00 a year and HOI is less than $1000.00 a year.

I agree we don't get but a few days a year where it snows or icy.

Will you be working? Do you want to rent or buy? There are a lot of towns around H'ville too.

[NicoleC]

It sounds like you want a small town, not Huntsville. Huntsville is not mom-and-pop. You may want to consider one of the outlying towns like Hartselle, Ardmore, etc. As you move outward, the open-mindedness recedes, though, and right in Huntsville the medical services are better and more convenient.

[fawmanuyawka]

Thank you very much for the info. I had read something saying that days of icy roads were the norm here, so I was rather surprised as I did not think this was the case. I have never missed the NY ice or snow. I am retired but my husband would be seeking a managerial position in electronics/reconstruction. We both crave that combination of city/suburban and locally-owned dining/entertainment and cultural venues while being ardent nature and pet lovers. If I have one or two clean thrift stores nearby, I am one happy camper. I know the cost of living is a fraction of what we pay now. Hopefully I can come up and evaluate shortly. Much obliged for your time.

[NicoleC]

Hmmm. This is going in the opposite direction, but when you come, be sure to check out the historical district, Five Points, Blossomwood and the other communities in the older area. While not suburban at all, they are convenient to everything including Monte Sano (a large park with many trails) and have that neighborly charm with many locally owned businesses. No thrift stores in the immediate area that I know of, but my Mom considers thrift storing a full time hobby and she finds places to go in Huntsville. There is a new dog park convenient to the area and the Von Braun Center is also close.

The three things that might put people off the area are:
1) Not so good schools (shouldn't affect you)
2) Smaller houses and lots
3) Older houses, with the associated issues that often come with them.

The smaller lots may be a bonus for you -- less work outside. But if you want a larger lot, the areas surrounding the old town area are a bit newer homes on larger lots and are a more suburban in feel. Going farther up the mountain on that side, you even get to some brand new homes, although they are quite pricey.

What you want sounds much like me -- I wanted a nice quiet, established neighborhood away from mindless mini-mall suburbia which was close in to town, work and services but felt far away, and schools were not a concern. I also wanted access to trails for bike riding and hiking and walks with the pooch. I have purchased a lot in Chapman Heights and will be building a home there whenever this one sells. (No, there aren't available lots, this was just one leftovers that came up for sale and I snagged it.) The neighborhood perfectly fit the bill for me and it might be the right balance for you.