Popular housing areas in Mobile? (Saraland, Providence: new home, neighborhoods, private schools)

[duncan st clair]

Moving asap to Southlake Texas.

[Befe]

Depending on where you will be working, the Eastern Shore of Mobile Bay (Spanish Fort, Daphne, and Fairhope) are very nice areas in which to live. Actually, the commute time to the Beau Rivage is only an hour.

Moderator cut: no advertising on the forum, please

[southerngirl_for_now]

Originally Posted by WACO

I am moving to Mobile and need information on area around 3577 Dauphin Island Parkway.

ok, for anyone wanting my input on Mobile,which is where I live and have lived for 20+ years too long and am moving within 6 months: stay as far away from Dauphin Island Pkwy as you can get. Mobile is overcrowded and dirty. Too many people and grew too fast for the idiots running the city to know how to handle the traffic issues. There is no pride in the area. Most people live on minimum wage income and are depressed. The heat and humidity will kill you or make you wish you were dead. There is zilch to do unless you drink,fish or like the beach. And in my opinion the beaches are dirty and stink. The whole area is too depressing to even explain how bad it is. The hurricanes and the aftermath of them take a toll on you. Before the damage can be cleaned up another hurricane slams us. The school system is run by a bunch of fools at Barton Academy who won't even send their own kids to public school. I hear across the bay in Baldwin county is better and certainly there is more pride as witnessed by the area when I go there. I shall never return to this area once I get out and I am getting out. I have 6 months left and would go today if I could. I have nothing good to say about this part of Alabama.

sorry but I have to reply in a negative way. The entertainment you mention is fine IF you drink,fish,hunt or want to commute to the beach. Dauphin island is a cess pool. The only viable entertainment is going to Walmart,taking in a movie or bowling and that gets old quickly. The Mobile area sucks Big time. Property taxes have to be low because the wages are so low. Alabama Power rates are sky high. The area is dirty and no one takes any pride in the city and why should they?

Originally Posted by duncan st clair

My office is on hillcrest rd.You don't need a gun although I would never allow my kids in Mobile.

bravo and everything you said is true! sad-but true.

[Packerman]

What does anyone think of Baldwin County schools? It seems like the crime rate in Daphne (from what I have read) is quite low too. We are thinking of moving to Daphne or Fairhope area from Florida. It seems the prices of homes are cheaper and more of a small town environment. We have two school age children and think this would be a better enviornment than Florida. Our children are 7 and 12. Any input from Daphe would be greatly appreciated. My husband would like to open up his own business.

[JRA2000TL]

I have to agree with all the negative comments unfortunately. Like Duncan, I'm also moving to TX soon (Dallas). I am 24 yrs old, graduated from the University of South Alabama in Finance 2.5 yrs ago. The job opportunities here are horrible. I can either go work at a bank for $25k a year or go sell cars. I have been working for my dad recently because there is nothing here. I worked full-time in school and graduated with a 3.7; there's no reason why I shouldn't be able to find some sort of decent job....well not in Mobile! I was born and raised here and it will always be home, but the honest truth it does suck. The only reason I'm still here is that I didn't have a pile of $ saved up after college to afford to do a cross-country move.

The other people are right on target when they say there's nothing to do here but rent movies and eat....yep, that's about all I do. I go have a few drinks occasionally and when I go to the beach, I drive 1.5 hours to Navarre, FL, b/c the beaches and people are better. The only plus side of living here is being close to FL, particularly Destin and the Beaches of South Walton County. These areas are very exclusive and attract the more desirable crowds. If you're like me and not a typical Southerner, there is little for you to do here, plain and simple. I don't fish, hunt, or anything like that. The weather sucks here too bad to do anything outdoors. Boating and the beaches are fun, but that's it.

The city itself has gone downhill significantly in the last 15 years. The mall is not the same as it used to be; in fact, one has almost folded. The other one is just a ghetto. The whole city has become that way and only gets worse. I feel with the crime and shadier people coming here that its becoming another crime-ridden Atlanta. The eastern shore has gotten heavily populated and overcrowded lately, but they have better schools, a newer and nicer mall with better crowds, etc.

For the person who was debating on moving to MS; don't go there either, it's worse. Lastly and I'll get off my soap box......the horrid heat and hurricanes alone make living here not worthwhile. It's like a chinese firedrill when a hurricane comes. Everyone acts like a bomb is about to drop; its chaotic, mile-long lines at the gas stations, evacuation routes are disasters, etc. It's just one big headache. People here just act like idiots in those situations; nobody can drive. There is no flow to the traffic, just a free-for-all. I have traveled all over the US and driven in large cities like Chicago, and it's just awful here. Not everyone here is ignorant; I hate stereotypes, but there are way too many ignorant people living here. I'll sacrifice my 15 min. commute to work for an hour commute just to better myself in life. This is coming from a life-long resident. Sorry, this is not the land of opportunity here people!

[Virgie]

Obviously Mobile isn't perfect, but very few places are. Ones attitude and expectations have an awful lot to do with how they feel about a new place, and I fear most of the views expressed here would scare someone to death. The writer is moving from Las Vegas. I checked crime stats and found that the most current year shows an overall crime rate of 397.1 for Mobile and 674.9 for Vegas. Mobile did top them on violent crimes (12.4 vs. 10.3), but anyone who lives here knows where crime is likely to occur and they avoid those areas. Mobile is a mixed bag, and you do find lovely areas adjacent to not so lovely areas sometimes. Dauphin Island Parkway (DIP) is a case in point. It is true that certain areas of DIP are undesirable, but new areas are being developed along the Bay on the way to Dauphin Island with fantastic houses and they are lovely. We have friends who built on the western shore three or four years back which means they've been through 2 hurricanes and they came through in good shape.

The school situation is mixed. It is possible to get a good education in public schools in Mobile (there's an International Bacculaureate program at Murphy High), but our School Board leaves much to be desired and there's a lot of confusion in the schools in general. Many people do prefer private schools, and we have some very good ones. Of course, the better schools are pricey, but worth it.

I had occasion to work in Vegas a week at a time over a period of several years and it is a fantastic town. Obviously, Mobile cannot compare with the entertainment choices found there, but contrary to what has been said here, there are many choices in Mobile. We have an outstanding symphony that has hosted such talent as Yoyo Ma and Perlman (to play this year). Our opera company is one of the oldest in the country and has had performers from the Met perform. Broadway road shows play Mobile. I've seen Les Miserables, Cats, A Chorus Line, etc. here. Our community theater groups (Joe Jefferson Players, Mobile Theater Guild, Chickasaw Little Theater, Playhouse in the Park, Theater 98 across the Bay) stage excellent productions. And then there's Mardi Gras. Our celebration is much more family friendly than New Orleans, but every bit as much fun, if utter chaos is your cup of tea. For the sports minded individual, there's golf year round (and there are golf courses everywhere), sailing, excellent tennis facilities, the beach isn't far, etc.

Then there's the city itself. Vegas is a new city and is fabulous. Mobile is old and it shows in places, but the exciting thing about that it that young people are moving into the old neighborhoods and restoring hundred year old houses and they're beautiful. On the modern side, there's a new 35 story building opening soon, and every Sunday there are more condos announced downtown. Mobile is a city with a rich heritage. Check out the Museum of Mobile to discover something about that heritage, and don't miss the Mobile Art Museum at the Park.

It is not necessary to live in a gated community to be safe in Mobile, but they are available, if that's your preference. I've lived here 30 years and have had a car broken into once (not at my home) and that could happen anywhere. They're building some lovely new neighborhoods in the Fowl River area of Mobile County, which would be on the west wide of town. It wouldn't be hard to find suitable housing within a decent commute of Mississippi.

Since you wrote several months ago, you're probably settled by now. If you are, I hope you will join a newcomers organization and get involved in the community. If you're still in Vegas, good luck with househunting!

[Toad]

I have lived in Mobile all my life and I guess I am one of those content people. I am married and have 4 children. Our life in Mobile has been great. I live in an older neighborhood in South Mobile County and we love it. It is very close to the interstate and it is convenient to everything. Minutes away from the malls and lots of other shopping areas. I will admit that the public schools in my areas are not so great. One of my kids go to private school and the other one goes to a Magnet School downtown Mobile. Some of the public schools in Mobile are good and others are not so good. Some of the better ones are very overcrowed and your children will suffer from that as well. The private schools in Mobile are normally your best bet. As far as the bugs go, we do not have any more problems than anyone else in the world. As far as I know, bugs are everywhere. If your husband will be working in MS. he would probably enjoy being very close to the interstate.

I would like to say that after hurricane Katrina my Mobile community came together as a family and helped everyone. My neighborhood was one that flooded and everyone was devastated. Not one person in this community turned their backs on anyone. Everyone reached out to each other in a time of need. For the most part the people in Mobile are good people. Every City or State has its bad parts. I do not know of any place that does not have drugs or crime.

Deciding where to raise your children is a very difficult decision and I wish you the very best. I think you would be making the right decision by renting for a while and then looking around Mobile to see which area you might like the best. My husband loves the water and that is why we live down South Mobile. My kids love to go boat riding and tubing. It is great being close to the water.

Good Luck!

Toad

[Chris Bassett]

I would think twice befor moving to mobile. If you have children stay out of Mobile. You should subscribe to the Mobile Press before moving. The city and county is crime ridden and the schools are the worst in the Southeast. I have lived and worked in many cities and states and Mobile is by far the worst of all. No one is ever voted out of office most go to prison. School board members have been to prison, two of the mayors when we were under another form of goverment also two in Mobile County Goverment. I have been told that over the yrs. a total of 23 have gone to prison.
West Mobile is not a good place to live most people there are what you call poor rich people. South Mobile is drug infested and high crime. Downtown Mobile is nothing but crime and low life looking bars and the whole town is nasty. Mobile is not growing at all people are moving out. I sold my home for less than the value last month just to get out of Mobile. If you do move your family buy several guns, good alarm systems, bull dog or two. and chaisty belt. rape,muder and carjacking is daily past time(50 carjackings this yr.)

[PITBOSS]

I can't help but agree with with the negative remarks about Mobile. The only positive thing I can think of is the nightlife on Dauphin St. Even there, I ran into beggars, drag queens, and bums trying to charge me to park on the street. But I still had fun there. There is crime, but no worse than other cities i've been in.

[ATLBRgal]

Originally Posted by mickey81573

There is alot of new construction in the West Mobile area. This is the area off of Cottage Hill Rd. and Airport Blvd. It is about a 30-40 minute commute to downtown Mobile depending on what time and which way you go, about 25 minutes to the malls, there are great schools out this way.

If you are single the midtown area is great. It is close to downtown and offers a great atmosphere for meeting new people and being close to the Dauphin street nightlife.

I hope this helps!!

How often does Midtown flood from storms, do you know?