Thoughts on Fairhope? (Mobile, Daphne, Foley: fit in, Home Depot, neighborhood)

[usernamezero]

Considering a move to the Fairhope area...

About us:
My husband and I are both professionals and we have a young child.
Schools are very important, so would love to get opinions on public vs private schools. What's the re-districting buzz?

We are not religious, will not be joining a church...so wondering if we are going to be hard-pressed to fit in.

Our likes include good food and outdoor recreation/lifestyle. I'd personally love some acreage for horses, but not sure my husband wants to be that far out...thoughts?

Our dog is part of our family...is the area dog-friendly at all?

What's the deal with high-speed internet?...there seems to be a lot of buzz on the forum about it or the lack thereof it.

Is the Fairhope/Daphne area best for a youngish family? What about Foley? or even down by the beach?

Thanks so much!

[EscAlaMike]

Fairhope sounds perfect for you.

Fairhope's public schools have a very good reputation, but there are private parochial schools on the eastern shore as well.

The town is a bit of an anomaly for the region. It's a bit "crunchy" and not particularly religious. I don't think you'll have a problem fitting in due to lack of religious interest.

I'm sure you could find acreage out towards Silverhill/Robertsdale, but that may put you in a different school district.

I have not heard of any issues with h-s internet there. Maybe in the rural parts of the county, but the Eastern Shore has no such problems.

Any of those areas would be great for a youngish family. It's a matter of personal preference. Fairhope is more high-end - higher income and higher class. The moms tend to drive luxury vehicles (Lexus, Infiniti, MB, etc) and wear designer clothes. Daphne is a bit more middle of the road (Tahoes, minivans), while Foley/Summerdale/Robertsdale would be a step below that - more blue collar.

[PortCity]

Originally Posted by usernamezero

Considering a move to the Fairhope area...

About us:
My husband and I are both professionals and we have a young child.
Schools are very important, so would love to get opinions on public vs private schools. What's the re-districting buzz?

We are not religious, will not be joining a church...so wondering if we are going to be hard-pressed to fit in.

Our likes include good food and outdoor recreation/lifestyle. I'd personally love some acreage for horses, but not sure my husband wants to be that far out...thoughts?

Our dog is part of our family...is the area dog-friendly at all?

What's the deal with high-speed internet?...there seems to be a lot of buzz on the forum about it or the lack thereof it.

Is the Fairhope/Daphne area best for a youngish family? What about Foley? or even down by the beach?

Thanks so much!

I think Daphne is a little more young but both are nice.

[bayhopper]

"The moms tend to drive luxury vehicles (Lexus, Infiniti, MB, etc) and wear designer clothes."
You'll find that in any neighborhood now, even housing projects in Mobile.

People have their opinions about how they classify people living in these areas, but there is diversity in all of it. The facts are these:
Fairhope and Daphne are small enough where you will not need to drive a lot of places just to run basic errands, but modern enough to have every type of store or access to them. (You won't find a Home Depot, Lowe's, Target, or Sam's Club in Fairhope, though, for now, but it won't take long to get to Daphne if that is how you like to shop. The closest movie theaters are in Daphne.) It won't take you long to go to a school, a library, and grocery stores. In Mobile, for example, everything is spread out. Driving north-south requires going through two-lane neighborhood streets with no-left-turns, no left turn arrows, lots of stops and long red lights.

[brownbagg]

fairhope, nice, very nice, one of the top in united states