[anaortizde]

Hi there,

I am a woman from Canada; I am planning to move on August to tuscaloosa to be a professor at the U of A.

Could you please tell me the best neighborhoods (areas, MLS-s) to live in?

I do not mind living close to downtown or close to the university.

Thank you very much,

[Bravo35223]

First, I would recommend that you contact a local realtor. Tuscaloosa has several good firms.

The Tuscaloosa area has 'two parts': one south of the Black Warrior River which is the City of Tuscaloosa and the other is on the north side, which is the town of Northport.

Northport is essentially a suburb of Tuscaloosa and has many fine neighbourhoods. Much of the faculty and local business executives with Mercedes Benz and JVC of America live in the Northport area.

All the same, starting with a realtor is the only way to go..there are several condo developments on the Tuscaloosa side if you do not want to deal with having a yard to maintain.

The university is recruiting very hard now to bring in a more diverse faculty. I am an alumnus and am very glad of the positive trend in student growth, academic standards and new facilities.

Welcome and please send me a Direct Message if I can be of additional assistance. I am currently assisting a professor from Los Angeles who is actively considering joining the faculty as well.

bravo

[gustygulas]

There are some beautiful historic homes near campus that might be available. I could refer a few realtors for that area.

[pennquaker09]

I personally like Northport. But gustygulas makes a great point.

[HipLib]

Originally Posted by Bravo35223

First, I would recommend that you contact a local realtor. Tuscaloosa has several good firms.

The Tuscaloosa area has 'two parts': one south of the Black Warrior River which is the City of Tuscaloosa and the other is on the north side, which is the town of Northport.

Northport is essentially a suburb of Tuscaloosa and has many fine neighbourhoods. Much of the faculty and local business executives with Mercedes Benz and JVC of America live in the Northport area.

All the same, starting with a realtor is the only way to go..there are several condo developments on the Tuscaloosa side if you do not want to deal with having a yard to maintain.

The university is recruiting very hard now to bring in a more diverse faculty. I am an alumnus and am very glad of the positive trend in student growth, academic standards and new facilities.

Welcome and please send me a Direct Message if I can be of additional assistance. I am currently assisting a professor from Los Angeles who is actively considering joining the faculty as well.

bravo

Actually much of the area north of the river is in the city limits of Tuscaloosa. Watermelon road is the northern boundry of Tuscaloosa. Almost all of our upper and upper middle class neighborhoods are in this area. Indian Hills, High Forest, Wellington ect..Woodridge is a large middle class neighborhood. The area on Rice Mine Road near the intersection of Rice Mine and New Watermelon road has exploded with growth. Condos, grocery stores, banks, restaurants ect..
There are some old neighborhoods between downtown and the University with some fine old homes. These include Pinehurst and Audubon Place.

[Alatex]

Actually much of the area north of the river is in the city limits of Tuscaloosa. Watermelon road is the northern boundry of Tuscaloosa. Almost all of our upper and upper middle class neighborhoods are in this area. Indian Hills, High Forest, Wellington ect..Woodridge is a large middle class neighborhood. The area on Rice Mine Road near the intersection of Rice Mine and New Watermelon road has exploded with growth. Condos, grocery stores, banks, restaurants ect..
There are some old neighborhoods between downtown and the University with some fine old homes. These include Pinehurst and Audubon Place.

I agree with that. Basically, any of the "historic districts" near campus are nice (most of which are near Queen City Avenue like Pinehurst and Audubon),
and everything north of the river within Tuscaloosa limits is nice.
There are other good neighborhoods in other parts of town, but those above
are especially popular with faculty. I know a faculty member in the process
of moving from Woodridge right now (just a couple miles from campus), leaving for a job out of state.
The house isn't even on the market yet, but I know he'd be willing to give someone a great deal compared to anything else north of the river, as
he doesn't have a realtor yet and wants it to move as quickly as possible.
If you are interested, I can get you in contact with him.

[Bostononia]

My research reveals scary crime rates in Tuscaloosa. How do I find out the crime rates in the various residential areas? Are they divided by counties? by zip codes?
Any information will be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

[Bravo35223]

Originally Posted by Bostononia

My research reveals scary crime rates in Tuscaloosa. How do I find out the crime rates in the various residential areas? Are they divided by counties? by zip codes?
Any information will be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

The Tuscaloosa area is essentially a 'micro-city' with the same characteristics of large cities: an inner city component which is characterized by high crime and suburbs which are the opposite.

The Tuscaloosa metro has a population of about 150,000 people of which about 85,000 live in the city limits. The metro is divided by the Black Warrior river. Now to get straight to the point. As a generality (and it is a generality), the safest and most upscale part of the metro is across the River, in the town of Northport (20,000) and those parts of the City of Tuscaloosa which are on the other side of the river.

Northport is a very well managed town, with its own mayor, police and fire department. It has some beautiful neighborhoods as well as some that are in the city of Tuscaloosa as well....

Are you just visiting the site or are you considering moving there?

[Bostononia]

Originally Posted by Bravo35223

Are you just visiting the site or are you considering moving there?

i will be looking for apartments shortly. many i am interested in are north of the river. but there are some south of the river on river view. there are a bunch of them here actually . in the south part (SW?) of the city some on cypress creek ave.
also hargrove rd near the university.
mimosa park rd further south.

any information and opinion about the areas these are located in will be much appreciated.

[Bravo35223]

Originally Posted by Bostononia

i will be looking for apartments shortly. many i am interested in are north of the river. but there are some south of the river on river view. there are a bunch of them here actually . in the south part (SW?) of the city some on cypress creek ave.
also hargrove rd near the university.
mimosa park rd further south.

any information and opinion about the areas these are located in will be much appreciated.

At this point, I would suggest a good local realtor there in Tuscaloosa to help you. You are looking at areas that can be quite different in nature from each other....Hargrove Road apartments could be 40-50 years old. Those north of the River could be new to fairly new....