Mobile or Fairhope? (Huntsville, Prichard, Daphne: crime rate, camp, subdivisions)

[DANNY'SNANA]

Thank's you all for your input

[DANNY'SNANA]

Darn, I messed that up good......I will try again ....Thank you all for the input.

[downtowndoll]

If you go to Mobile Area Association of Realtors features real estate listings for the entire Alabama Gulf Coast area including Mobile, the Eastern Shore, and Gulf Shores, Alabama. Real Estate property listing data is supplied by the Gulf Coast MLS in Mobile, AL. , you can see many homes in different areas, searching by price range.

In West Mobile, which you can seach by looking under West Mobile and West Mobile County. If they are next to each other, you can click them and search both simultaneously. I saw a lot of good homes out there, like in Breckenridge off Snow Road, about $100 sq ft. That's pretty good, but you'll find the value won't increase so much like Spring Hill and Midtown will. Remember you will paying lots for gas!

I did look in the Spring Hill section; nothing very good there. Some stuff is listed in the Spring Hill area,but is really by the university and that's not really Spring Hill. I wouldn't put my money in around there. It's all been downhill for a while.

There are plenty in Midtown Mobile, but you'll want to search Midtown East for the areas around Murphy High School. Although I was surprised how much that area has gone up! A year ago they were $130-150K, now they are at 180K! Florence Place and Silverwood are cool little neighborhoods. This is the area I think most people would be happiest because there is the cute Midtown look but not so many of the urban issues people don't like.

Midtown West will have Brookwood and Rosswood, an area of ranch type houses that apparently are still good areas. They have old homes being torn down to build new for people who enjoy the neighborhoods there. Always a good sign. Close to the malls too.

Midtown South would include Leinkauf and Oakleigh Garden District. OGD has gotten really high lately but Leinkauf is a bargain. Dexter and Stocking Street are fine. Great place to invest.

[humacaena]

I know these posts are from a few months ago, but just in case, we do have a beautiful new Wal Mart in Fairhope, 3 miles east of downtown. There was a lot of controversy as our town has character and it is very quaint, but where they did the store it does not interfere with the charm...It was opened last July...2007, FYI.
Ck out statistics on schools, crime, ect. and you'll see that Baldwin county specially Fairhope has great schools and very low crime. Moderator cut: referral

[Shalako]

Definitely Fairhope or Baldwin County. There has been significant migration from Mobile to these two areas in recent Years.

[alesiae]

Fairhope is better than Mobile is you are retiring. It's less expensive to live in Mobile but Fairhope is alot smaller and quiet. Fairhope now has a super wal- mart which some of the citizens of Fairhope didn't want. I see some of those people who didn't want it shopping there.

[downtowndoll]

Originally Posted by humacaena

Ck out statistics on schools, crime, ect. and you'll see that Baldwin county specially Fairhope has great schools and very low crime. Moderator cut: referral

This was in the paper(Mobile Press-Register) today.

2008 Alabama Reading and Mathematics Test

Mobile County schools
Mobile area
3rd Grade Elem. Reading Math
Austin(Springhill) 97 97
Dodge 95 88 Just west past Azalea
George Hall 100 99 (inner city)
Griggs 96 98 (somewhere along 3 Notch Rd?)
Dauphin Is. 100 100
O'Rouke(W. Mob.) 90 83
Allentown(Semmes) 89 81
Collier (W. Mob.) 92 92
Council (Magnet) 99 90
Chickasaw(Magnet)100 98

Baldwin County 3rd Grade Scores
Bay Minette 82 80
Fairhope 92 87
Daphne 97 86
Daphne East 95 88
Spanish Fort 97 91

8th Grade Middle Schools
Mobile County Schools
Phillips (Magnet) 100 100
Hankins(W.Mobile) 82 74
Clark (Magnet) 100 99
Causey (W. Mob) 82 77
Dunbar(Art Magnet) 97 92
Burns 79 72
Baldwin County Schools
Bay Minette 74 69
Fairhope 84 86
Daphne 83 73
Spanish Fort 92 82

[2nursesick]

Originally Posted by kevin_1975

Let us know if you need anything and I am sure we will help or provide you information.

My spouse and I are looking to relocate to the Mobile area. We will be relocating with a steel company that is currently being built approximately 45 mins from Mobile. We have two young boys and would prefer a small school with low child to teacher ratio. My wife is a nurse and will be seeking employment as well. What do you recommend? Spanish Fort?

[downtowndoll]

Originally Posted by 2nursesick

My spouse and I are looking to relocate to the Mobile area. We will be relocating with a steel company that is currently being built approximately 45 mins from Mobile. We have two young boys and would prefer a small school with low child to teacher ratio. My wife is a nurse and will be seeking employment as well. What do you recommend? Spanish Fort?

Spanish Fort if you want to live on the Eastern Shore. That drive to Thyssen-Krupp is already a pain, coming from Spanish Fort will make it worse. I'd choose Mobile- look in Midtown Mobile or Spring Hill areas. If you go to Mobile Area Association of Realtors features real estate listings for the entire Alabama Gulf Coast area including Mobile, the Eastern Shore, and Gulf Shores, Alabama. Real Estate property listing data is supplied by the Gulf Coast MLS in Mobile, AL. , you can search by those areas easily. The website has most of area's realties on it.

You will probably want to look at Saraland area- it's really a great location. I'm always amazed how quick it is to get to Mobile from there via the interstate. That drive to the mill is going to be a pain though.

The schools are having some overcrowding. By law, though, public is only supposed to have 15 students in K-5, 18 students 1st-3rd grades, 4-5th grades 23 students.

Most private schools,even the pricey ones, will have higher than that ratio. You have to look at the whole picture, though. 15 public school kindergarteners from even a few rough homes would be less desirable to me than 18 kindergarteners at UMS-Wright. But I would prefer public to one of the private Christian schools in West Mobile that regularly have 28 to even 30 students in a 4th grade class.

I do some volunteering where I see area school children from schools in Mobile and Baldwin counties. I'm not seeing anything that fabulous out of Baldwin county schools to make me want to move over there. I've seen some inner city schools with better-behaved students than , say, Spanish Fort or Daphne. I'm not seeing that it is better than West Mobile schools. Recent Reading and Math scores seem to show that parents need to take a closer look before assuming it's better.

But for those who are retiring, yes- Fairhope would be nice. But I know at least 5 different seniors who moved to my neighborhood, Midtown, because they wanted to be closer to a larger art scene (symphony, theatres, etc.) from Fairhope or Daphne.

[Keeper]

Originally Posted by 2nursesick

My wife is a nurse and will be seeking employment as well. What do you recommend? Spanish Fort?

If you chose Mobile as downtowndoll suggests.. check out Mobile Infirmary or Providence Hospital.