Madison/Huntsville (Athens, Valley, Section: how much, new home, find a job)

[lookingfortheperfectplace]

Originally Posted by outdoorman

Interesting to see all the excited folks from california moving to the south.
Ever wonder what people from the south feel about them moving here?
Well my heritage is southern but I was raised in California but when I grew up I came back to Georgia. I say this to say even though I know californian mentality, I was raised with southern values.
If you come here to get away from the lifestyle where you were at, you have to make sure you dont come in trying to change things to what your accustomed to.
I for one dont want to live like I'm back in California.

exactly! I was born & raised in Ca and I am looking to get out because I don't want my son to grow up like these people here. I want him to have good southern values and of course we will leave Ca here! just like foreigners, you want to live where the majority speaks english, than you need to learn to speak english!

[England to USA]

I moved here from the UK in 1995. I tell people, when asked about Alabama, that there is Huntsville then the rest of Alabama. Very diverse in culture and a very interesting place to live. One of the USA's best kept secrets in my opinion.

[lisamm]

Originally Posted by pripan

Hi guys:

My fiance and I are also considering moving to Alabama (specifically Huntsville). I personally am a little nervous. I guess I dont know what to expect and what kind of job I would find.
Any information you can provide about Huntsville would be appreciated.
The websites are great but I would like to talk to some of the residents as to what I should be expecting.
Thanks!

I moved to Huntsville from NY it is a great choice. You will love it there. The people are wonderful, friendly, some real southern hospitality. I felt right at home. Lots of things to do, there are two movie theaters, great neighborhoods. Move to Southeat Huntsville. Its a good area, no crime and has the best schools in the district. Don't move around North Hunstville. The zip code to the good area is 35803 and there are some good areas in 35802 southwest. If you need anymore help just let me know, send me a message. You will love it in huntsville. Good Luck

[Nic]

I just moved to the Huntsville area from Orange County, CA, but I grew up in semi-rural Virginia. I'm still house hunting, but I think I have hit homes and neighborhoods just about everywhere here, now! The biggest changes you will heave to deal with are:

The weather. There is actually some of it here!
The religion. There's lots of in-your-face religion here. If you aren't Christian and relatively serious about it, then you may have some mental adjustments to make.
The lack of zoning laws in many areas. You'll see a lovely $600,000 home next to a trashy trailer. You can buy a $600,000 home and have a pig farm go in next door a month later. Now, plenty of those folks in trashy trailers and with the pig farms are upstanding and great people, but if this seems like a big deal to you, you may want to choose a subdivision with CC&Rs or pick an area that does have a zoning commission.
Lack of convenience. I guess if you are right in Huntsville city, this isn't an issue, but if you are looking at places like Athens, you will probably need to plan your trips into town and go into Huntsville for many shopping excursions. You won't be making a quick trip to Vons just for another can of coffee.

Yes, there are some stereotypes around, but most folks are just plain nice, welcoming and laid back. I am pretty sure I will like it here for a long time.

[barnard82]

Hello all,

I am considering the possibility of relocating to huntsville. I currently live in Seattle and honestly am not a big fan of northwest living...too liberal and there is no accountability for the liberalism...anyway. I am originally from the midwest and looking for a mid-sized community. Does anyone work in the aerospace industry in Huntsville...as I am concerned it might not be as stable as Seattle (only thing keeping me in Seattle is I like my job). Also, I am a mid-20's male engineer, are there many similarly aged individuals in Huntsville or is it mostly a aging community? From what I've seen, it looks beautiful and weather is pretty nice (better than Illinois and Washington State at least). Anyway, I just wanted the perspective of a current Huntsville area resident...any thoughts?

[fishmonger]

if you're moving to Alabama you'll have to be prepared for a brand of extreme conservatism you've likely never experienced before. It's basically a caricature here to the same extent that San Francisco is a left-wing caricature, but it probably won't be as much of a problem in educated Huntsville or some areas of Birmingham as you would find in most of rural Alabama. Bama Democrats couldn't get elected as conservative Republicans in most of the rest of the U.S.

Originally Posted by barnard82

Hello all,

I am considering the possibility of relocating to huntsville. I currently live in Seattle and honestly am not a big fan of northwest living...too liberal and there is no accountability for the liberalism...anyway. I am originally from the midwest and looking for a mid-sized community. Does anyone work in the aerospace industry in Huntsville...as I am concerned it might not be as stable as Seattle (only thing keeping me in Seattle is I like my job). Also, I am a mid-20's male engineer, are there many similarly aged individuals in Huntsville or is it mostly a aging community? From what I've seen, it looks beautiful and weather is pretty nice (better than Illinois and Washington State at least). Anyway, I just wanted the perspective of a current Huntsville area resident...any thoughts?

[nalabama]

Boeing, Raytheon, Lookheed-Martin, Northrop Grumman, and Sikorsky all have offices here. They're building space rockets in Decatur, 30 minutes away. NASA has a center here. The Army does all its missile and helicopter R&D and management here. The Army Material Command, which oversees all aspects of all supplies and equipment for the US Army, is moving here. Most of the Missile Defense Agency and US Army Space and Missile Defense Command is being relocated to Redstone Arsenal. Unemployment in the area is 2.4% overall. It looks pretty stable to me.

It is getting older and Huntsville is having some difficulty attracting mid-20s professionals, but the problem is being worked (or at least studied to death). Today's paper had an article about the Huntsville Young Professionals group kicking out the over-40 folks because the older members were not "...a benefit to them because of the [age] disparity...." so I guess there are plenty of 20- to 30-something HYPs around to entertain each other and you as well.

It's hot and humid here in the summers and cold and humid in the winters. The Gulf is 6 hours away, the Atlantic is 11-12 hours away. We have hills, not mountains, and beautiful lakes nearby. It's more liberal than the rest of the state, but still votes mostly conservative Republican for national offices. The majority opposes new taxes and are willing to forego any additional benefits that might arise from such.

[yblitz8]

I have a little experience at your inquiry, but it may be outdated.

We moved from the LA area to Huntsville in 1967. We bought a new 1400 sq ft house in Los Alamitos, CA in 1960 for 18K. Sold it in 1966 for 20k. It is now worth 600k. We have been living in a house 3 times larger in very nice neighborhood for the last 15 years that we purchased for 130k. It is now worth maybe 200k.

There are more activities in Huntsville than we can keep up with. After arrival in Huntsville so many years ago I took up sailing (for 20 years). We have plenty of water within an hour's drive. We also have active hiking and cycling clubs.

I also was able to acquire 400 acres of land for moon light farming.

The aerospace industry continues to thrive.

We have been retired for a decade and could live elsewhere but have no reason to.

In looking at what I have written, realize it looks like something written by a real estate agent. That is not the case.

N Walker

[Southlander]

Originally Posted by lisamm

I moved to Huntsville from NY... Lots of things to do, there are two movie theaters...

Lisa, there really are more than 2 theaters in Huntsville...maybe you should get out more LOL!!!

[ecain]

moved here from Tampa, Life here is so much nicer. The air is cleaner, the seasons are great. People are very friendly, the only problem I have is that everyone works and I have decided not to. Fortunaly we could afford a nice home so gardening is keeping me busy.

Life is great in Huntsville.