Moving to Huntsville (Decatur, Madison, Redstone Arsenal: sales, renting, crime rate)

[bhalpin]

We are military family looking to make our permanent final move to Huntsville/Nashville, we are trying to decide. I am not familiar with either but I am originally from North Florida Panhandle. I have been to both for weekends. I do not know what has the better school districts or what type of home we can get for 250-275K. Does anyone know the pros/cons. We have to consider an ice hockey rink for our 9 year old, he is pretty good and if we keep up could play for college someday. We also love the game. My husband may be a contract our for one of the military contractors or is looking at hospitals/colleges b/c he has a human resource degree. Any input would help.

[Charles]

Why just those two towns (especially since you are not familiar with either)? (Do you have family in the region?)

If you have narrowed it down to just those two towns, which one provides the most jobs in his industry? Which one has the most Plan Bs and Plan Cs if Plan A doesn't work?

Would you consider renting first to really get a feel for where to live?

I'm sure both towns have ice hockey leagues; Do you have any other (higher priority) requirements or desirements? Will both parents be working? Jobs(industries) for both parents?

I would think most towns have good schools somewhere; I've heard mostly good things about most (but not all) schools in the Huntsville area. Don't know too much about Nashville.

[postit55]

BHALPIN,

I have a very good friend who just moved to Huntsville and loves it there. With 250K-275K to work with I think you'll have a great selection of houses. That will actually put you in the 300K range when looking since it's a buyer's market.

I have been to Nashville and it was an OK town, but since you are former Military you will have a much better chance picking up a contract job at Redstone Arsenal then in Nashville.

I have not heard any negatives on the Huntsville area, and as I mentioned by friend loves it there and he is also former military and plans to make Huntsville his retirement location.

Good luck with your choice.

[flstatenolefan]

We are former military (and I'm also from NW FL originally ) and just moved to Huntsville. We are amazed at the number of people we've run into from our former life in the military that have settled here...we have run into them constantly in the last week. Jobs are aplenty here, if your DH has a security clearance and needed experience. Housing is plentiful and as was stated earlier, it's definitely a buyer's market. We are renting for a year so we can get a feel for the area before we buy, though. Sorry, I can't help you on the hockey...lol

[Southeastern]

http://www.hahahockey.org/
Huntsville Amateur Hockey Association



http://www.iceskate.org/
Benton H. Wilcoxon Ice Complex

[HouseFullaBoys]

Originally Posted by postit55

BHALPIN,

I have a very good friend who just moved to Huntsville and loves it there. With 250K-275K to work with I think you'll have a great selection of houses. That will actually put you in the 300K range when looking since it's a buyer's market.

Just so you don't get too excited about getting something for nothing as far as a home goes. The sales stats for March for Madison County show that sellers here are still getting an average of 98% of list price. If you are paying cash that drops to 96%. We are not in the slump that most of the country is. That being said there are some great deals, a lot of the builders did go a little crazy and have some inventory that has been around for quite while... Best of luck!

[Southlander]

Decatur also has some hockey.

[AnotherBravesFan]

Huntsville and Nashville, and we chose Huntsville, mostly because of UAH. My husband wanted to go back to college and study physics when he retired, and now he is doing that at UAH. Vanderbilt pretty much told him he wouldn't be accepted (they admit something like 1 for every 30 applicants into their physics program), and MTSU couldn't hold a candle to UAH. Nashville is a lot bigger, of course, than Huntsville, but along with that come several negatives for us. Traffic/sprawl and an increasing crime rate are two that come to mind. Housing is a bit more expensive as well.

I do like Nashville, though. We fly Southwest, and Nashville is one of their hubs. We don't even bother flying in/out of the Huntsville airport, the offerings are so few and much pricier. Plus, they've got the Predators pro hockey team, though they've been on the bubble for contraction over the last few years. (DH is a diehard Red Wings fan.) Not sure what their status is after this season. I personally find middle TN and South central TN prettier than N. Alabama (e.g., more hills and scenic views). But Huntsville's smaller size and the lower cost of living, combined with the educational opportunities for my DH made us choose Huntsville for our retirement. Nashville and its big city amenities are only 1.5 - 2 hours away, and it's a beautiful drive, so we can visit pretty easily. As others have said, which place suits you better depends on what is most important to you. After having lived in a big city for 20+ years, we are ready to downsize. With the way Nashville is growing, we were afraid that in a few years it would be just too big, and we'd want to move again. Ugh!

[Keeper]

To see how much house you can get for your price range, I suggest you check out valleymls. Huntsville is in Madison county, but you can search by city too.