[ladybettle1345]

Great post GreenThoughts! Sorry I failed to point those things out. I was so sick and tired of the negative post on West Florence, but I guess what the people of Florence focus on. On religion, you are on point. I come from a family of preachers...so you can imagine the conversations that goes on during our family reunions.

[GreenThoughts]

Thanks Ladybettle, I live very close to West Florence and have never experienced any problems.

[HokieFan]

Originally Posted by GreenThoughts

I've lived in Florence for 20 years and I was born and raised in a smaller town about 30 minutes away. I'm hoping to retire soon and get out of here!

First the good points:

*Yes, it is a nice area and there is much natural beauty.
*Traffic isn't too bad if you don't mind badly synched traffic signals that cause you stop at every light. You can usually get across town in 10-20 minutes, depending on the time.
*To my knowledge, crime isn't high.
*The University of North Alabama makes this a nice college town. The campus is also very beautiful and a nice place to visit.

Now, the bad:

*The heat and humidity are simply horrendous. I can barely stand the summers and that is the main reason I'm leaving.
*Too much religion. Although this is a college town and liberal attitudes are around, there are still way too many people with nothing but Jesus on their minds. It can be very oppressive if you let it get it you.
*Littering - for this to be one of the most beautiful areas of the country, it is puzzling why litter is such a problem. It seems second nature for people to just toss things out their car windows. I've been to other beautiful areas of the country and I don't see that there. People don't seem to respect nature that much around here.
*There are not many job opportunities and the economy is weak.
*There is not a diverse selection of restaurants or entertainment. You have your usual chain places and steak houses but good luck finding a good ethnic restaurant or vegetarian offerings.
*If you like movies, there is only one cinema and all you ever get are the films that appeal to the masses. You won't find many high-brow offerings.

I hope this helps and if you move here, good luck.

I agree with all the above. My husband I lived in Florence from Oct. 2006-Jan. 2009. We were 30 year olds with no children moving from rural Virginia.

To the OP:
IMO, you will have an easier time with the transition since you come from a small, southern town. Since your husband has lived in a metro area all his life, and if he likes the amenities of a metropolitan lifestyle - he will have a difficult time adjusting.

[Encode]

Thanks so much for all the replies!! I wasn't sure if I'd get any responses, but 3 pages?!

Sorry it's taken so long to respond, but a lot has been going on since I posted this thread including--- making plans for our move to the Shoals!

My husband and I visited the second week of July, and his coworkers were nothing short of wonderful hosts. We went to River Bottom Grille (and MY GOSH the river was up!! The river was in the parking lot!), we ate at Champy's, and they took us out on the river on his coworker's boat. We drove around Florence, Muscle Shoals, Tuscumbia, and a bit of Sheffield.

Neither of us had any idea that there were MOUNTAINS in North Alabama! We went over to Huntsville and drove all over Monte Sano! My husband geeked out over the space museum and the rocket that you could see from the highway. We both really liked the wide roads. (Is the city preplanning for growth?)

We thought it over for a few weeks and decided that-- for us-- it's a good place to live for the next few years.

(And sorry if the post is so short, we did do a lot and thought of many aspects, but my brain is fried from sinus infection.)

[Dazed&Confused]

Best of luck with your move and I hope you love it there!

[CoreLysium]

Sometimes being here we only focus on the bad and forget the good things we have. We don't have a beach like Miami, but the area is beautiful. You said you lived in Hattiesburg, then yeah, lots more beautiful than that. (Sorry.) Though I assume Hattiesburg has polite southern people.

Here in the south we forget that we're actually nice. I've had neighbors from NYC get freaked out because they thought we were strange with saying Hi. Even had one woman who walked in the neighborhood start telling people to stop saying "Hi" to her when she walked past. She didn't want to hear it, she didn't want to know any of us. She's probably not going to dig the south.

The shoals is a little too small for my tastes, but then again, for some people, it's too "city" for them. Which I don't understand at all.