Headed to Bama...maybe? (Mobile, Daphne: rent, home, to buy)

[usernamezero]

Possibly moving to the Mobile area. About us: professional married couple, kid, dog. Not willing to sacrifice my kids education for this move. We like food, outdoor living, and dog/horse friendly. Moving from the NE.
Does this area (or surrounding areas for horse) offer that?
Where am I sending my kid to school? Public vs Private?

Thank you ahead of time!

[carpe777]

Originally Posted by usernamezero

Possibly moving to the Mobile area. About us: professional married couple, kid, dog. Not willing to sacrifice my kids education for this move. We like food, outdoor living, and dog/horse friendly. Moving from the NE.
Does this area (or surrounding areas for horse) offer that?
Where am I sending my kid to school? Public vs Private?

Thank you ahead of time!

Native of Alabama and keep up a good bit with the goings on and have relatives in Coastal Alabama. I'm going to make an educated guess ( others will confirm ) that Baldwin County ( Eastern Shore of Mobile Bay....think Fairhope, Daphne, Foley , Orange Beach/Gulf Shores ) is best bet for good public education, mainly because it is the fastest growing area of Alabama, with the caveat that much of the population growth is from retirees who may be less willing to fund secondary education ( so, I'm not being much help here possibly ) And, will say that private education may be your best bet in Mobile County.

All of your other criteria can be easily met in either County ( Mobile vs Baldwin ) imho

Hope this is helpful.

Carpe

[P_Mac]

The Saraland or Spanish Fort sounds like a hit for you.

Saraland is relatively new in its growth, but its school system is doing really well. You can get lots of space for you money there and you're a quick drive to Mobile which is seeing a boom in its food/beer/culture aspect downtown.

Spanish Fort is similar to Saraland, but more developed in terms of school systems. Its further away from Mobile and you will learn to hate the Bayway/Causeway if you want to make it that way for work/leisure.

Mobile's private schools are great, but you will be hardpressed to find enough land for a horse within the city limits.

[EscAlaMike]

Originally Posted by usernamezero

Possibly moving to the Mobile area. About us: professional married couple, kid, dog. Not willing to sacrifice my kids education for this move. We like food, outdoor living, and dog/horse friendly. Moving from the NE.
Does this area (or surrounding areas for horse) offer that?
Where am I sending my kid to school? Public vs Private?

Thank you ahead of time!

Food, outdoor living, and dog/horse friendly, yes!

Education? Maybe

The Mobile area has fantastic food options - particularly seafood (no surprise!). Woodlands and water abound for all kinds of outdoor recreation. Plenty of pasture land for horses.

The Mobile area is generally considered to be the two counties that form Alabama's "panhandle". The counties are divided by Mobile Bay. Mobile County is the west side of the bay, and Baldwin County is the east side.

School districts in Alabama are generally contiguous with the county boundaries, but some cities do have their own independent school districts. Baldwin County schools are considered some of the best in the state, and definitely superior to Mobile County. Within Mobile County, the city of Saraland has its own independent school district which is well-regarded, but it would be difficult to find land for a horse within the city limits.

Mobile does have very good private and parochial schools.

[allegroreyees]

What age are your kids? The quality of education in Mobile County largely depends on what school district you're in. Davidson High School and Murphy High School both run IB programs. Alabama School of Math and Science would provide your kid(s) with the best high school education in the area but it is far from a traditional high school. Barton Academy is supposed to open next year and it should also provide a high-quality education. AP classes are available at all public high schools in Mobile County. Phillips Preparatory School and Clark-Shaw Magnet School are probably the best two middle schools in the Mobile area.


If I were you, I would try to find land in the Baker High School area. Depending on your kid's age, do your best to get them into Phillips or Clark, and then IB at Murphy or Davidson. IF IB doesn't work out, you have AP classes at Baker, which is still an exceptional high school. The main downside to this would be that Davidson would probably be a 25-30 minute drive and Murphy would probably be close to a 45 minute drive depending on traffic. You would also be 30+ minutes from the many food options in downtown. Another option could be to buy a suburban home and rent stable space. If you go this route, I would look along Hillcrest road, Grelot road, or in the Springhill area. You would be close enough to groceries, shopping, and food options.