Commute Time Madison to South Memorial Pkwy (Huntsville, Redstone Arsenal: transplants, crime)

[cobolt]

Originally Posted by BKOTH97

Wow, where were you staying in Madison? It takes me less than 10 minutes to get from my house in Madison, through Research Park and onto Redstone Arsenal. I haven't spent 40 minutes on a commute in the 7 years I have lived here...well, except for right after 9-11 when the Redstone gate was backed up for hours on end.

Well...come to think about it, it was on the first day of school, so things on the local streets were a bit hectic, to say the least, so maybe my expereince was out of the ordinary.

[VMH2507]

I live on the north side of Madison (about a mile south of 72) and it usually takes me 15 to 20 minutes from my house to my building on the Arsenal and that includes getting through the gate. I think the poster who said 40 minutes was right about it being an anomally because of first day of school. It takes me less than 10 minutes from my house to research park.

[rnc76]

Originally Posted by VMH2507

I live on the north side of Madison (about a mile south of 72) and it usually takes me 15 to 20 minutes from my house to my building on the Arsenal and that includes getting through the gate. I think the poster who said 40 minutes was right about it being an anomally because of first day of school. It takes me less than 10 minutes from my house to research park.

The poster wasn't asking about going to arsenal or research park though, they were talking about Samina on far South Parkway. From where you live, it would take a solid 30 minutes, likely a little more. Personally, I would live in SE Huntsville, the schools and shopping are equivalent IMO. I can't fathom choosing to spend 1 hour + of my life everyday driving to work when I could drive 10 minutes each way and have the same quality of life.

[VMH2507]

If I knew that I was going to be working off the S. Parkway, I would definitely try to live in that area, mainly because I have always felt that living close to where you work is important and especially with gas prices increasing as they have. Given that I think Madison is best for Research Park jobs and Madison and SE Huntsville are equidistant to the Arsenal. All that being said, when I moved here 10 years ago I found that all the homes in my price range in SE Huntsville were 40 years old and I didn't want to deal with the design flaws (limited closets, small dated baths and kitchens, etc.). Therefore I found my "perfect" home in Madison.

[BKOTH97]

Originally Posted by rnc76

The poster wasn't asking about going to arsenal or research park though, they were talking about Samina on far South Parkway.

You are correct, but I wasn't responding to the original poster. I was responding to cobalt who was speaking directly about Madison to Research Park.

[ionlife]

Originally Posted by deesonic

Y'know, the schools in South Huntsville (around Sanmina) are some of the best in the state, Grissom High, Challenger Middle and Elementary, Mountain Gap Middle, etc. The Bailey Cove and Jones Valley areas have great neighborhoods and the roads are much better than Madison's. You'd have like a 10 minute drive to work. I don't live in South Huntsville, but I'm nearly a lifelong resident of North Alabama. IMO South Huntsville is nicer than Madison. It's surrounded by mountains, near the river, and there's lots of shopping down that way too with much less traffic.

Most of the houses are very old and the newer ones are snapped up fairly quickly as the neighborhood schools are extremely desirable. It is pretty there if you live off of the main road. But the pkwy and the main artery (weatherly I believe) running parallet to it aren't that beautiful to me. And the pkway is tricky to enter and exit from due to the feeder roads and construction. Seems like there are quite a few fender benders off that pkway as a result.

[ionlife]

Originally Posted by VMH2507

If I knew that I was going to be working off the S. Parkway, I would definitely try to live in that area, mainly because I have always felt that living close to where you work is important and especially with gas prices increasing as they have. Given that I think Madison is best for Research Park jobs and Madison and SE Huntsville are equidistant to the Arsenal. All that being said, when I moved here 10 years ago I found that all the homes in my price range in SE Huntsville were 40 years old and I didn't want to deal with the design flaws (limited closets, small dated baths and kitchens, etc.). Therefore I found my "perfect" home in Madison.

We felt the same way a decade later. There just wasn't anything we could afford for what we wanted in SE Huntsville--and we didn't want an old house with tiny closets and weird wiring. We got our house, super nice, for less money, and it's new. And we have a great school district. I also find that it's super accessible here to all shopping. My daughter came home from school yesterday and needed clay for her "heart" project for the following day. Off to Michaels and back with NO traffic and NO wait in lines in and plenty of time when we returned to finish geometry and cook a meal for the family with NO stress.

I didn't see a lot of accessible shopping off of Weatherly and Bailey's Cove/Hampton Cove areas like there is here in Madison. I do know it exists--just not sure where.

[VMH2507]

Originally Posted by cglover

But the pkwy and the main artery (weatherly I believe) running parallet to it aren't that beautiful to me.

That is funny to see someone else express what I noted when I moved here from the Clear Lake area of Houston. My thought at the time was that the S Pkwy reminded me of Nasa Rd 1 running through Webster which most people viewed as the "armpit of the area". Anyone who has lived there knows what I am talking about.

[ionlife]

Hey--we used to live in Houston years ago--off of Fondren Road in an apartment. Great area! Loved it!

[deesonic]

Well there's certainly a huge Madison contingent on these boards who are relatively new to the area who are quick to preach the gospel of how great Madison is. Madison has certainly done a great job of PR with newcomers. But I'm a lifer here in Madison County and I don't know why in the world anyone would choose Madison over Southeast Huntsville if one were to work at Sanmina. Old houses in SE? Are you kidding me? Yeah, many are older than Madison maybe, but there are plenty of homes built in the last 20 years that are well kept and up to date. You do not find any rundown homes in SE Huntsville. And there are wonderful parks, bike trails, mountains, creeks. Natural beauty all around. Madison is practically flat.

My wife and I have two couples that we consider our best friends. One couple lives near Bailey Cove and Weatherly. The other in Madison off of Hughes Road. I'd take my Bailey Cove friends' house in a heartbeat over the Madison house. In fact, the husband in the Bailey Cove couple works at Sanmina. He tells me it takes him 5 minutes to get to work. He simply cruises south down uncrowded Bailey Cove to Green Cove, cross the Parkway and you're there. I think there's maybe two traffic lights he crosses. I have one other friend who just sold his house in 5 Points Huntsville because his wife wanted the kids to attend the "good schools" in Madison. He tells me it's a decision he regrets because 5 Points is a great neighborhood with a wonderful sense of community and now he lives in "bland suburbia." But he wanted his kids in good schools, so....

I just simply think that newcomers assume living in the core city means living with high crime, bad schools, and deteriorating properties. But SE Huntsville and Madison are quite similar. SE Huntsville is a suburb in the city limits. People keep talking about traffic on South Parkway...well don't live on South Parkway! But once the overpasses are complete that problem should resolve. The original poster has no reason to be on the Parkway going to work if they live in Bailey Cove anyway. You've got plenty of shopping including a Super Target, Publix, Pet's Mart, an awesome sushi place, and even the Rave Theatre? Major roads are all 4 lanes in SE Huntsville as well. Most major roads in Madison tend to be 2 lanes except for Hwy 20 or 72. I find the sprawl of Madison and western Madison County in general to be quite unattractive. Grissom and Bob Jones High School are both great schools, so you can't go wrong with schools either way.

I don't live in SE Huntsville nor Madison and never have. I live in SW Huntsville (where Madisonians and SE Huntsvillians alike think the boogie man lives). So I don't have any agenda. Just a lifer calling it how I see it. Quite frankly I'm surprised to see Madison residents continue to encourage newcomers to contribute to the almost unmanageable sprawl of that town anyway. So if you're new and looking at Huntsville, don't get caught up in the Madison hype. I'm not saying Madison is bad, but I'll never live there. There are many many great places to live in Madison County that are as good or better than the City of Madison.

With that being said, I'm off to my friends house in Madison for a visit. blahhhh