tell me about Mobile...

[CleanCutHippie]

Wow, some great feedback here. I have got months before I will move yet. I like the fact the beaches are not as crowded in the Alabama area. I also like the fact its not known as a college town. Being 30 yrs old I dont wanna hang out with a bunch of 21 yr olds.

I was really looking at Chattanooga but after watching the weather it gets too cold there for my liking. I need it to be warm most of the year.

[southernnaturelover]

Originally Posted by CleanCutHippie

I like the fact the beaches are not as crowded in the Alabama area.

Unless it's 'spring break', then it's packed with college kids from the upper south/midwest. The good thing is that it doesn't last long and then we get the beaches back to ourselves.

[unstoppablemobile]

The reality is most of Mobile is dramatically changing..for the better. I too was away from my beloved hometown for years, and like most people, though of west of I-65, or Baldwin County as the only good places to live. Now I live in midtown, have been able to literally reclaim an enitre street with help of neighbors in renovating houses and cleaning up yards. But before I go astray, he are the facts:

Mobile downtown south of The Mobile Register Building is boom town central in terms of condos and small apartments appealing to city life. Over $200 million has been invested in housing in that area since 2004.

Midtown has seen numerous 40s to 60s 1500 sq ft and smaller sized homes bought up, renovated and resold all the way around Bel-Air Mall. There are some scattered bad neighborhoods here just like in most areas and housing runs from 75K to 145K on average for homes. But its ideally located especially to I-65 and you can be anywhere in Mobile proper in less than 30 mins on any day.

Springhill is on the edge of I-65 north of Dauphin St and South of Moffett Rd (US98), here housing is the highest with average prices on housing from 135K to over 400K. Lots which ran 35K 10 years ago now sell for well over 175K. However commuting here is a little worse than midtown due to the limited number of access roads and slower speed limits. Dauphin, Moffett, and Springhill are very heavily travelled during rush hour.

Airport Blvd corridor from I-65 to University is half / half as some areas are horrible then you go literally aroudn the block, and you come upon new beautiful housing with great landscaped grounds..kind of what youll find in midtown as well.

Grelot to Schillinger Rd Corridor running 2 miles south and 1 mile north of Grelot all the way out west to Schillinger is perfectly located for modern conveniences with housing from 110K to 170K.

USA Campus is probably going to be the most state of the art university campus in 5 years as USA finally is spending most of its over $300 million it had in reserve funds on numerous capital improvement projects. Also just on the west and south sides of campus are many new neighborhoods in place where run down ghetto-styled homes used to exist. This is a huge boom area for college minded people to live with housing from 105K to over 180K. Traffic isnt too bad thanks in part to road improvements to Old Shell and Hillcrest Roads.

North of the USA campus on Moffett Rd from I-65 out to Semmes is older 60s to 80s housing which has gone downhill over the past 10 years. Only a few sporadic areas are newer homes being built and keep the area "up" somewhat. Traffic here is also pretty bad during rush hour.

Semmes has a number of newer homes however, traffic has icnreased greatly, and this area is a wal-mart town part of Mobile proper. Convenience-wise its the worst with most retail, shopping, grocers of decent quality 30 mins or more away from here. Housing here runs from 115K to 180K

West of Airport Blvd: See above but with housing even costlier.

[filmsniffer]

Unstoppablemobile, your post made me really think about my time I spent greatly early on in my life in Mobile with my grandparents (they lived in Mobile their whole lives). Midtown, as you call it, was where I once resided. I somewhat liked it, but it was so long time ago. At that time, it was bleak. I lived in a '50s 1500sq ft little house off US 98 between A-1 salvage and the Texaco gas station, around Bel Air mall & Airport Blvd. Many retailers were closing. Delchamps' was closing as I left Mobile for the north. The Mobile proper was dirty and overrun with shady dealings at night whenever I carve for some Krispy Kreme doughnuts.

I inherited the grandparents' house, and I sold promptly as I didn't want to keep it for 29k. That's how it was around Mobile at that time.

I haven't visited Mobile in many years, but I am very glad it's turning around for the better. It's a unique metro area. From time to time, I long for some good seafood at The Oyster House on the highway (not sure what it was, but it was the main road before I-10 was erect. Is it still there? I loved fishing in Mobile, too.

[Dixie Princess]

Honey, go to Savannah, Ga..................

[1Appraiser!]

Why there? I thought the Irish control it, especially on March 15th

[PortCity]

Originally Posted by Dixie Princess

Honey, go to Savannah, Ga..................

Why so negative ? and your pulling up oooooooooooold post why ?

[midtownruth]

^^^ Exactly. Why tell someone to move over the bay or Savannah or wherever when the posts were from months or years ago?

[PortCity]

Narcotics I guess