Any info on Bridgeport/Bryant AL area? (Huntsville, Scottsboro: real estate market, home)

[pclem]

Does anyone have any characterizations of/experience in this general area that they can offer? I'd assume it has a stronger link to Chattanooga than the nearest larger city in Alabama i.e. Huntsville, or is it not really in Chattanooga's orbit either in terms of commuters, going to events there, etc, and more of its own thing?

Also assuming the real estate market there gone crazy like everywhere else has since covid. What was the typical price range for say a 1000-1500 sq ft 3-br mid-quality home prior to covid? Hopefully we'll get back somewhere close to that sometime soon.

[RocketDawg]

Originally Posted by pclem

Does anyone have any characterizations of/experience in this general area that they can offer? I'd assume it has a stronger link to Chattanooga than the nearest larger city in Alabama i.e. Huntsville, or is it not really in Chattanooga's orbit either in terms of commuters, going to events there, etc, and more of its own thing?

Also assuming the real estate market there gone crazy like everywhere else has since covid. What was the typical price range for say a 1000-1500 sq ft 3-br mid-quality home prior to covid? Hopefully we'll get back somewhere close to that sometime soon.

I'd say Scottsboro is more attuned to Huntsville than it is Chattanooga, but I don't really know about Bridgeport - it's more just a rural area best I can tell. Jackson County is in the Chattanooga CSA so the government must think they have more in common with Chattanooga than Huntsville, but I'd say it's just the opposite. Jackson County is quite large in area so in actuality, the western part is more in line with Huntsville while the eastern part may consider themselves to be closer culturally to Chattanooga.

[David1502]

Originally Posted by pclem

Does anyone have any characterizations of/experience in this general area that they can offer? I'd assume it has a stronger link to Chattanooga than the nearest larger city in Alabama i.e. Huntsville, or is it not really in Chattanooga's orbit either in terms of commuters, going to events there, etc, and more of its own thing?

Also assuming the real estate market there gone crazy like everywhere else has since covid. What was the typical price range for say a 1000-1500 sq ft 3-br mid-quality home prior to covid? Hopefully we'll get back somewhere close to that sometime soon.

First of all, there is a pretty significant difference between Bryan and Bridgeport - Bryan is on top of Sand Mountain which is its own separate culture - It's not easy driving up and down Sand Mountain to the valley area below, so there's more of a tendency for those on top of the mountain to do their shopping up on top of the mountain.

Bridgeport, on the other hand is located about a mile from the Tennessee state line, so the residents there are more likely to shop (or work) just across the state line in the Tennessee towns of South Pittsburg and Kimball. There are a lot of stores (Walmart, Lowe's, etc.) and restaurants (Cracker Barrel, Shoney's and fast food) located in Kimball, TN at the US 72 and I-24 interchange. There is also a large hospital located just east of Kimball, TN which is part of a hospital system in Chattanooga. It is closer to Bridgeport than the hospital in Scottsboro.

These are not high-income communities - the main employers are carpet manufactures Mohawk Industries and Beaulieu and a paper mill in nearby Stevenson, AL. However, Google has a data center which opened in the last couple of years, and it has brought in higher wage jobs, but I suspect some of the employees have chosen to drive a good distance to work there.

In general, my impression is that the residents of both Bridgeport and Bryan are not likely to do a lot of driving into larger cities like Chattanooga or Huntsville. However, if they did choose to go to a larger city for Christmas shopping or to use an airport, Chattanooga would be their choice.

[pclem]

Thanks a lot to you both, this is helpful info.

[Rick In Madison]

Originally Posted by David1502

First of all, there is a pretty significant difference between Bryan and Bridgeport - Bryan is on top of Sand Mountain which is its own separate culture - It's not easy driving up and down Sand Mountain to the valley area below, so there's more of a tendency for those on top of the mountain to do their shopping up on top of the mountain.

Bridgeport, on the other hand is located about a mile from the Tennessee state line, so the residents there are more likely to shop (or work) just across the state line in the Tennessee towns of South Pittsburg and Kimball. There are a lot of stores (Walmart, Lowe's, etc.) and restaurants (Cracker Barrel, Shoney's and fast food) located in Kimball, TN at the US 72 and I-24 interchange. There is also a large hospital located just east of Kimball, TN which is part of a hospital system in Chattanooga. It is closer to Bridgeport than the hospital in Scottsboro.

These are not high-income communities - the main employers are carpet manufactures Mohawk Industries and Beaulieu and a paper mill in nearby Stevenson, AL. However, Google has a data center which opened in the last couple of years, and it has brought in higher wage jobs, but I suspect some of the employees have chosen to drive a good distance to work there.

In general, my impression is that the residents of both Bridgeport and Bryan are not likely to do a lot of driving into larger cities like Chattanooga or Huntsville. However, if they did choose to go to a larger city for Christmas shopping or to use an airport, Chattanooga would be their choice.

Shout out to Top of the Rock Restaurant and Brewery in the Jasper/Kimball TN area. Easy drive for those of us living in the Huntsville metro area.

[Nlambert]

I have friends in Bridgeport. They tend to all work and shop (major stores) in Chattanooga since that is closer for them than Scottsboro and Huntsville. They like the area having grown up there, but it does seem to be lower-income communities (than Chattanooga or HSV) and it takes us about an hour to get there from just east of HSV. It's pretty rural and shopping is pretty much going to be done in Kimball or South Pittsburg.

[y8tiger]

We stopped in Bryant once and a local told us that they did most of their shopping in Trenton, GA and Chattanooga, TN. I remember seeing a sign for Amish Products at a little store called Crocker Farms and thinking we should stop there someday.

The only thing I know about Bridgeport is that Cherokee were loaded on boats there during the early days of the Trail of Tears.