What's Decatur like? (Huntsville, Auburn, Madison: crime, houses, neighborhoods)

[MelanieP]

I know that's a real general question, but I'm curious about the area. I took a drive to Decatur from Huntsville when I was visiting last October. I was by myself without a map and not being familiar with the area at all, was hesitant to really explore - it was much larger than I thought, so I stayed on the main road (from I-565 that goes over the river), took a few turns but headed back so I wouldn't get lost.

My impression was that it wasn't as pretty as Huntsville, but in all fairness, it was a really gloomy day and I only saw a very limited area.

Is it a nice place to live for familes with school-age children? Are there a lot of parks and outdoor things to do? What is the mall like, and how are the restaurants and entertainment venues? Also, how is the crime rate?

I've seen a lot of really nice homes in Decatur - it seems like you can get a lot more home for your money there than in Huntsville or Madison, but are there other drawbacks? Would it be a horrendous rush hour commute if my husband lived in Decatur and worked in Huntsville?

Any feedback would be much appreciated and feel free to be brutally honest!

Melanie

[Southlander]

If all you did was come across the river, turn around and go back, you saw very little of Decatur.
*Decatur has plenty of people who live here and work in Huntsville, but Decatur is NOT a suburb of Huntsville. We have plenty of our own industry to furnish jobs. Before the 1960s, Decatur was bigger than Huntsville. Lots of people live in Huntsville and Madison and work over here.

*It is not as pretty as Huntsville. Decatur is flat, except for the Burningtree Mountain area. It is also not a planned city, so you don't have something like the sweeping Big Spring area. Although we are smack on the Tennessee River, we have very few homes or businesses there. When the town was developing, the powers that be brought in industry with the river/railroads/highways as the bait. So most the riverfront is industrial. We do have a couple of parks on it (the well-used Rhodes Ferry Park between the bridges, Point Mallard, boat launches).

*Since about 1985, Decatur has had a growing Latino population. Much of it now is illegal.

*Decatur's schools are not ranked as highly as Huntsville's, thanks to the above fact. My children got a good education, because we made sure they went to the best public schools here, and we paid attention to and worked with them to get it. Decatur students do go on to Vanderbilt, Georgia Tech...even Harvard and MIT, as well as Alabama and Auburn.

*Crime? *Sigh.* Seems to have been increasing lately. Drug deaths, meth deaths. Some property crime, but really not that much.

*Decatur has a wonderful restored theater, a good library, a small art museum, a wonderful spirit of voluntarism. Plenty of people enjoy water sports, and there are soccer and baseball leagues for practically all ages and both sexes. School sports are important and well supported. We have two outstanding soccer complexes, excellent baseball/softball fields, tennis courts etc. Point Mallard was the first wave pool built in the United States. The park also offers ice skating, camping, a walking/biking trail. Decatur has a city-wide biking trail.

*Home prices are a good bit lower than Huntsville's and Madison's, but there are very few "development"-type neighborhoods and very few already-built spec homes. Most construction is custom. Historic-area houses are much cheaper here (although there are a few listings at Old Town rates, which have been on the market a l-o-n-g time.

*Entertainment and nice restaurants? Very few. We have to go to Huntsville for that. Unfortunately, national-level business people look at Decatur as a suburb of Huntsville, so they locate their businesses in Huntsville. Example: We have 55,000 people, with another 100,000 in the surrounding rural areas. We finally got a Target last year. Guess what? It's the smallest Target they build. No grocery area.

So...there you have Decatur. Not the worst place to live. But not the most fabulous. I've lived here most of my life, so I get frustrated. Maybe if the sun where shining, I'd be in a better mood to write my reply!

[MelanieP]

Thanks Southlander! The pro's sound really good... the con's sound really bad -- typical of any place, I suppose. The not-too-good schools concerns me a bit. That's one of the reasons we're moving in the first place, and we'd heard that most of Huntsville's schools were pretty good. But, there's always private school, I suppose, or even homeschooling as an option.

I'm planning another trip up in the early spring. Unless we have already settled on a house somewhere else by then, I am definitely going to give it a second look. I should have ventured around a bit more but it was pouring and I was driving a rental.

[deesonic]

I'm a native Huntsvillian but I've spent a good bit of time in Decatur over the years. Here's a few things I really like about Decatur:

Historic neighborhoods - I'm a sucker for older historic homes and Decatur has them in spades (Old Decatur, New Albany especially). And they are much more affordable than the ones in Huntsville's Old Town, Twickenham, and most of 5 Points. My wife and I have actually looked into buying a historic home in Decatur since they are so much pricier here in Huntsville for the most part.

The River - Decatur has tons of riverfront. But like Southlander said, most of it is industrialized. I would love to see Decatur be able to do more with its riverfront, possibly on the northern shore.

Food - Decatur has some really nice mom & pop type restaurants and delis that Huntsville can't beat. Some examples are Big Bob Gibson's BBQ, The Brick Deli & Pub (great food & beer selection), Bank St Deli, All Wright Deli and Pastry (the best chicken salad!), Cafe 113, etc. I'll also mention CF Penn's Hamburgers, which I don't personally care for much. But they are a Decatur institution and many of my Decatur friends love it.

[southern by choice]

We live in historic Decatur. After living here for 2 yrs, and getting to know the rest of the area ( Madison, Hsv ), we are sure we made the right decision.....for us.
We DO have wonderful restaurants and a great sense of community.....lots of front porch sitting and wonderful people here.
My husband doesnt like me to tell people how happy we are here because he realizes most incoming folks are looking across the river and he wants to keep it that way :0

[MelanieP]

Yes, one of the things that drew my attention about Decatur were the beautiful historic homes, and how affordable they are. I also love places that have mom & pop restaurants, not just the same old chain restaurants that are everywhere.

Is the Albany historic district right off the main road that I mentioned driving over (by the river?) I think I may have spotted that area - beautiful and tons of charm. And yes, unfortunately to get something similar in Huntsville, it's much more costly.

[Southlander]

Originally Posted by deesonic

I would love to see Decatur be able to do more with its riverfront, possibly on the northern shore.

The northern shore, with the exception of Day Park, or Welcome Park, or whatever they're calling it this year, is ALL part of the Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge. No development - EVER!

Originally Posted by deesonic

Food - Decatur has some really nice mom & pop type restaurants and delis that Huntsville can't beat. Some examples are Big Bob Gibson's BBQ, The Brick Deli & Pub (great food & beer selection), Bank St Deli, All Wright Deli and Pastry (the best chicken salad!), Cafe 113, etc. I'll also mention CF Penn's Hamburgers, which I don't personally care for much. But they are a Decatur institution and many of my Decatur friends love it.

Let me also suggest McCollum's Catfish & Dot's (out near Hillsboro, lunch only), and Jaava Jay's for chicken salad. Simp McGhee's...but that's overrun by Huntsville people; too expensive for most Decatur folks. The Brick, and its neighbor Maria Bonita, have good live music on the weekends. They're both hangouts for the 20- and 30-something crowd.

Originally Posted by MelanieP

Is the Albany historic district right off the main road that I mentioned driving over (by the river?)

That's Old Decatur. Albany is on down U.S. 31 a little, and on the left AND right (Jackson, Grant, Sherman streets - and yes, they are named after Civil War generals). Both terrible places to live. The neighbors gossip about you. (Just kidding - I'm hoping to move back to Old Decatur soon and don't want the prices going up!)

[A&M Bulldawg]

I think that eventually, Decatur will become a large suburb of Huntsville considering the fact that Huntsville and Limestone County are growing westward towards Decatur!

[33458]

That might be a stretch.

[A&M Bulldawg]

It might, but if Sweetwater gets built, then there will be a good growth in south Limestone County. Since East Limestone is expanding in the southwestern areas, then that growth will meet with the growth from Sweetwater.

Also, Huntsville touches Decatur at I-65! So in that terms can Decatur be a suburb?