Thinking about moving to Huntsville from Chicago (middle-class, sales)

[reese1]

Single mother of four looking to relocate to huntsville from Chicago IL. Can I have some input about the town good and bad please don't leave anything out. Thank you

[nalabama]

It's good, if you can handle the heat and humidity. Generally good schools in all the middle-class neighborhoods, much lower housing costs than Chicago I would imagine, less traffic (a 30-minute commute is a long commute), low unemployment, good diversity and tolerance, aggressive economic development by community leaders. a wide range of career options, and a high pecentage of government employment if you're interested in Uncle Sam as an employer (he been very, very good to me). There are some ragged parts of town, but that's what you get in almost any city--you'll quickly learn where they are, since Huntsville proper isn't all that big. Sales tax is high (8%), but city services are correspondingly good. It's good town to rear children in, and they may even come back to it when they're grown--I did.

Post additional questions if you have any specific information needs. Hope you enjoy our city.

[Southlander]

Please be aware that public transportation is extremely limited. You HAVE to drive most places, and that's especially true for taking children to all their activities. You will have to have a car and be able to drive it everywhere.

[dbkeel1]

Try this site for local info: http://www.tennessee-valley.org/

It's part of BRAC (Base Realignment and Closing) information for those relocating here and pretty useful. Welcome to Huntsville.

[justone321]

Went to college here in 99. Came as a single parent of one and loved it. Met my husband here and graduated. S-lander is absolutely right about the car. You CAN NOT exist here without it and make sure it's a good one. The people are diverse and professionals are also diverse. Your children will do well here as there are plenty of activities in churches and sports. Try and be selective about where you live. Welcome to Huntsville.

[oakparkdude]

Interesting, I've done the reverse relocation. Grew up in Huntsville, moved away for college, and now live in Chicagoland (but still have family in HSV).

Get used to hot, humid weather. A/C is pretty much mandatory. As the others have said, there's little to no public transit available. Housing costs will seem ridiculously cheap compared to what you're used to. Sales tax is about the same. Property taxes are much lower. Schools are generally decent to excellent (better in the more expensive parts of town, obviously). Religion (Christianity) is much more prominent here, politics are more conservative. Depending on where you live now and where you move to, crime may be the same, better or worse (If you're moving from an impoverished neighborhood of Chicago like Lawndale, even the worst neighborhood in Huntsville will be a great improvement.)