Hampton Cove vs Madison (Huntsville, Decatur: transplants, real estate, apartment complexes)

[hsv-crew]

Originally Posted by guxu

As for school, while math competition is not everything, but I was involved in some math competitions this year. And our Madison schools beat all Southeast schools, HC school, and private schools EVERY single time.

And yet Grissom High School (in southeast Huntsville) is the only high school in the United States to have won the national mathematics competition 8 years in a row.

[nole_trainer]

Originally Posted by DvlsAdvc8

The one thing I don't like about living over the mountain... is not having a single NAME for the area. Referring to east Huntsville doesn't quite say it. Saying Hampton Cove seems inaccurate; that's a subdivision. Owens Crossroads is actually this place further south. Soooo... I'm left with Big Cove. Thus, from now on I'm going to refer to the whole area as Big Cove (which seems to be what many of the old folks call it).

But still... I compare Big Cove and Madison this way:

Aesthetics: Big Cove by some margin

Schools: Big CoveMany would say tie, but I'd put the combination of Hampton Cove Elem., Middle, and HSV High up against any combination in Madison. Still probably not a deciding factor.

Traffic: Big Cove - it takes my office mate the same time to get to work in research park as it does me, and I live more than double the distance away.

Stuff (restaurants & shopping etc): Madison - but coming from DC, I didn't move here to be close to stuff. lol I kinda like mountain separation - its a nice downshift into a more rural feel IMO, without being too far away.

It's all good though, they are both fine places.

As a newbie in town, that sums up my limited opinion. Being from FL, I just love the drive over the mountain to get to my potential home. I left work yesterday and drove to the farthest easter part of "Big Cove", I ran into a few stopping points (565/231 exit, getting off 231 at airport, etc) but it only took me like 30 min. I'm used to 1 hr commute due to traffic stop/go. As I left 231 and turned the corner to view the "moutain", I said "wow". Would I get used to this view and be tired of the traffic, who knows.

On the way back to Madison (where my temp housing is) I stopped by a few neighborhoods, all fine, some even in the moutains (Intercoastal drive - forgot name of subdiv). So when we get closer it will be nice to be armed with all the info I get from this site, and I can't wait for someone else to drive that knows where they are going

[Charles]

Originally Posted by nole_trainer

As a newbie in town, that sums up my limited opinion. Being from FL, I just love the drive over the mountain to get to my potential home. I left work yesterday and drove to the farthest easter part of "Big Cove", I ran into a few stopping points (565/231 exit, getting off 231 at airport, etc) but it only took me like 30 min. I'm used to 1 hr commute due to traffic stop/go. As I left 231 and turned the corner to view the "moutain", I said "wow". Would I get used to this view and be tired of the traffic, who knows.

On the way back to Madison (where my temp housing is) I stopped by a few neighborhoods, all fine, some even in the moutains (Intercoastal drive - forgot name of subdiv). So when we get closer it will be nice to be armed with all the info I get from this site, and I can't wait for someone else to drive that knows where they are going

I work in Research Park and the preferred way to get home is 431 past the Huntsville Hospital and past Monte Sano. There are a lot less traffic lights.

I take Airport road home occasionally when I am meeting the kids at gymnastics or soccer. There are a lot more convenient stores on the Airport Road route too.

Takes me 23 minutes to go the 18 miles from the extreme northeast section of Hampton Cove to Wynn and Technology, maybe five more minutes if there is any traffic.

[nole_trainer]

Originally Posted by Charles

I work in Research Park and the preferred way to get home is 431 past the Huntsville Hospital and past Monte Sano. There are a lot less traffic lights.

I take Airport road home occasionally when I am meeting the kids at gymnastics or soccer. There are a lot more convenient stores on the Airport Road route too.

Takes me 23 minutes to go the 18 miles from the extreme northeast section of Hampton Cove to Wynn and Technology, maybe five more minutes if there is any traffic.

Which exit would I take off of 565 going south?

[Charles]

Originally Posted by nole_trainer

Which exit would I take off of 565 going south?

Memorial Parkway south, then exit pretty quick at Governors Drive 431 South. Follow that 8.5 miles to Old Highway 431. Hampton Cove is about one mile on the left side.

[DvlsAdvc8]

Originally Posted by Charles

I work in Research Park and the preferred way to get home is 431 past the Huntsville Hospital and past Monte Sano. There are a lot less traffic lights.

Agreed. Airport road can be messy. Typically taking 431 over the mountain is very fast. The lights are usually green, and rarely do I have to stop anywhere other than one of the lights by the hospital.

There is a bit of a bottle-neck/slowdown on I565 as you exit onto South Memorial (231), but its generally not that bad.

[A&M Bulldawg]

Basically, Hampton Cove has a slight edge over Madison....overall?

[gsp4ever]

Originally Posted by A&M Bulldawg

Basically, Hampton Cove has a slight edge over Madison....overall?

It would appear that way considering that many of the active posters on this here live in that area. However, some 37,000+ (estimate from 2006 Census Data) live in Madison so there are definitely people who chose it over Hampton Cove. There must be *something* appealing about Madison.

I think it's a function of who posts on the message board. For instance, I'm apparently one of the few posters who lives in Monrovia. Perfectly respectable (and booming area), but if you just went by what was said (or not said) on this board, you'd hardly know it.

[Mawoods]

..My husband works off Sparkman past UA H. We live off Little Cove in McMullen Cove. Takes him 30 minutes either over Monte Sano or heading 72W. Either way the drive is a breeze compared to Atlanta and he too loves the views. Worth it all. You can spend that much time going just a few miles on Hughes in Madison at the wrong time of day. We did live there 2 years ago. They are both nice areas - just need to find what you prefer. I constantly look at the mountains here and enjoy the changing views right in our neighborhood. It is heaven to us.

[HSVbulldawg]

Hampton Cove is definitely a more beautiful place to live, mainly because of the views you get of the mountains. However, I think both places have pretty neighborhoods. If a young family were to ask me which place was better, I think I would just tell them to check it out and see which place they personally like more.