Area Advice...Moving to Decatur (Birmingham, Huntsville: houses, neighborhoods, elementary school)

[Holly02042]

My husband and I in our mid 20's with 2 young children (ages 1 & 2) will be moving within the next year due to a job opportunity. We have been born and raised in a NICE suburb outside of Cleveland, Ohio. We can't wait to leave this nasty place, but I have heard we will definitely be in for a culture shock!

He will be working in Trinity, so we're looking anywhere within a 30 minute commute. I've been reading posts upon posts, looked at the city & state sites, read all the facts, but just wanted to talk with real people who live there or know the area.

We are looking for a home in the $130k-$180k range, we would like to live in a nice community where shopping isn't too far away but a home with a little land too. I have heard horrid things about the school systems as well, so some advice on that would be great as well.

Any info on the nearby area's, things we should know, look for, avoid...

Thanks!

[Charles]

Originally Posted by Holly02042

We have been born and raised in a NICE suburb outside of Cleveland, Ohio. We can't wait to leave this nasty place,

So which is it? Nice or Nasty?

Check ValleyMLS.com for housing.

[Holly02042]

Hahaha

Our town is nice! But Cleveland as a whole is nasty...people are so rude and unfriendly.

[deesonic]

Originally Posted by Holly02042

Hahaha

Our town is nice! But Cleveland as a whole is nasty...people are so rude and unfriendly.

So the "culture shock" you mention will be all the friendly people you'll meet down here then. I don't know a heck of a lot about Trinity, but I know it's a more traditional Southern town and it's in a dry county. I've known people who lived there who liked it well. But they certainly weren't looking for the things in a community (or lack thereof) that I do. There's certainly no arts and night life to speak of there. But Decatur city is wet and only a short drive with plenty of basic shopping, restaurants, museums, night life, etc. Huntsville is only about 40 minutes and Birmingham is probably no more than 1 1/2 hours for bigger city amenities. I will say that Decatur tends to have more quality local restaurants and delis than Huntsville though, which tends to be overrun with chains.

[milledj]

I can't answer for the schools in Decatur, but I have always liked the Albany and Old Town historic districts for community. They are very close to businesses, restaurants, and the like. However, not much land for most houses. You should see the place at Christmas. People come just to drive the streets and look at the decorations.

[LCTMadison]

I have friends who live in Trinity, and they really like it. There is more affordable housing with more land and house for the money out there. A short drive into Decatur, which is a decent sized city with everything you could ask for on a daily basis. Homes in Decatur, of course, are more expensive, but you have more residential type neighborhoods versus rural type properties in Trinity.

The biggest culture shock probably for you will be how "overly friendly" most people here are. Just general acts of kindness, opening doors for you in stores, friendly waves, ect. Hospitality is alive and well in the South!

Check out www.greatschools.net for information on the Morgan County and Decatur City school systems.

[Charles]

Originally Posted by LCTMadison

The biggest culture shock probably for you will be how "overly friendly" most people here are. Just general acts of kindness, opening doors for you in stores, friendly waves, ect. Hospitality is alive and well in the South!

What do you think of this thread?

http://www.city-data.com/forum/gener...-friendly.html

[LCTMadison]

I don't think that is true. I was born and raised here, and that is just how it has always been. Sure, it becomes more diluted with the younger generations, but overall, I think honestly people are generally kind. Of course, there are always exceptions to the norm.

I also think the friendliness is contagious! I mean, look at HSV. Not many are really from here, but still people (for the most) are so friendly and outgoing. At least, that is my perception. But newcomers do often comment to me about how nice people are here. Maybe people think we are "fake" because they are not used to it....to me that is not a hard thing to get used to!

My grandfather waves to everyone driving down the road...I always thought that was so funny, but that is just his ways.

I am an optimistic, glass is half full, see the best in people type person though, so maybe my perception is jaded? Nah!

[Charles]

Originally Posted by LCTMadison

I mean, look at HSV. Not many are really from here, but still people (for the most) are so friendly and outgoing.

May be due to the low stress environment of Huntsville. No traffic, not expensive homes, lots of jobs, mild weather.

Huntsville is easy living.

[Southlander]

Hi Holly,
Welcome to Alabama!
Trinity is a pretty area. I guess DH will be working at Nucor, or ULA, or Monarch, or...well, there are quite a few plants out there along Alabama 20.

If you drive around the area, you will be surprised to find that although it looks rural, it's quite populated! Lots of people with deep family roots, or that want to be out a bit and/or have a little land.

One thing to remember about Trinity is that it straddles the Morgan and Lawrence County lines. Morgan County has fair schools, overall, but surprisingly West Morgan has improved a great deal. There is a new elementary school, too. Lawrence County schools struggle, partly because there is less population there, less industry, and thus a smaller tax base. However, East Lawrence High School is probably the top of the heap and has a very loyal, close student body.

If you look out that way, be sure to ask about sinkholes (and ask a WHOLE lot of people), and be sure that you know which county your house is located in. The Trinity zip code straddles the line...at least one road has houses on one side in Lawrence and on the other side in Morgan.

Decatur is the "big city" to Trinity. There is quite a wide range of housing here (ValleyMLS.com, and under the advanced search, select Decatur or Austin high schools) in every price, but to get a bit of land, you'll probably need to look at the county outside the city limits. Decatur's housing tends to be a bit less expensive than Huntsville's and Madison's.

You may have seen these threads, where I wax on about Decatur (LOL!): http://www.city-data.com/forum/hunts...atur-area.html and http://www.city-data.com/forum/hunts...rls-6-9-a.html

Please feel free to ask any questions! There are just a few Decatur folks on here, but we're happy to help!