U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Alabama
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 05-04-2007, 01:13 PM
 
15 posts, read 46,957 times
Reputation: 10

Advertisements

My husband has got an offer in Montgomery. Although it is a very good salary we are not sure if it is a good idea to move there as we have heard that is not the best part of Alabama. We would consider the suburbs with good schools although there are probably not many good schools however we could consider private schools. We were wondering how life would be in that area, what can a family does in the weekends. We are used to fun activities as in our area it's very nice (NJ) although very expensive. My husband would get the same money in Montgomery as here in NJ and this would clearly be an advantage but we are not so sure what to do, we have never been in South and we are also European, would the people there accept us. Lots of question, we would appreciate any input.
Rate this post positively Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 05-04-2007, 02:01 PM
 
23 posts, read 106,091 times
Reputation: 17
Don't move to Mont. I don't think it will be for you. Alot of military folks come through due to school at Gunter/Maxwell base. Most military folks are very friendly but they come and they go usually in one year. This is not a very friendly town and the locals will even tell you that. If your not military or your not from here it will be a little difficult to make friends. I'm speaking from experience as well as from others I've met here. Besides there's just not much to do. The zoo is nice for a city of this size and there's the Shakespeare park but really how many times can you do this? It's flat and hot. Now you will probably get a nice house for your $ compared to what your use to but there's more to life than a nice house. In addition, there are only two decent public elementary schools and you can forget public for middle or high unless it's magnet. This is just my experience. Best in your decision.
Rate this post positively Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-04-2007, 05:18 PM
 
15 posts, read 46,957 times
Reputation: 10
Default Thanks

Thank you for your input. Any nice areas around MGM, in commuting distance?
How about north, closer to Birmingham?
Rate this post positively Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-05-2007, 03:43 PM
 
23 posts, read 106,091 times
Reputation: 17
There are other towns close to Mont., such as Prattville, Wetumpka, and Millbrook-with very short commute times to downtown but I think you will find the same type of situation as in Mont. The area of Eclectic is suppose to have good schools-I would check greatschools.com for more info. The sales tax is also less in these areas. Mont., has a 10% sales tax and yes, even on food. Now of course your property taxes would be very low compared to what your paying but of course then you will pretty much have to send your kids to private school. As for entertainment most people stay around the house or go to Auburn or Al games. There is also (Lake Martin) which alot of people visit. From my experience most people do not care for Mont., once they move here. I'm not saying it's a bad place-because it has potential but I think things have just been "so south" for so long it's difficult to get beyond that. As for being European-I think that would be fine because there are so many military folks from all over that pass through. In addition, there is a large Korean population due to Hyundai. I personally have not heard anyone make a disparging remark regarding someone's ethnicity, etc. In addition, people are not really rude here they are just not friendly if that makes sense. I think that most people if they are from here have their own friends and pretty much stick with people they know rather than trying to meet others.
Rate this post positively Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-06-2007, 08:19 AM
 
15 posts, read 46,957 times
Reputation: 10
Default Thanks

Right now we consider moving to Twin Cities, even the winters are bad. Your info confirm what we heard about the MGM area. Thank you.
Rate this post positively Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-07-2007, 08:42 PM
 
Location: Atlanta
739 posts, read 761,727 times
Reputation: 279
Well, there's huntin'. You can go dove huntin' in late September through about October (when you're not watchin' high school or Auburn football), deer huntin after that, then some turkey huntin', huntin squirrels, coons and possums any time, then you can go fishin'. Other than that what else do you really need? Well, then there's NASCAR, little league baseball, and you'll need some time to grow you a garden (nobody in Alabama buys tomatos).
Rate this post positively Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-14-2007, 01:19 PM
 
4 posts, read 29,261 times
Reputation: 10
In concert w/ deb12's reply above, free info on Lake Martin (if you decide to visit there) can be found at LakeLevelAlert.com
Rate this post positively Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-16-2007, 01:29 PM
 
4 posts, read 31,597 times
Reputation: 18
Well, I guess my opinion here is going to sound quite different than the other responses you've gotten. I was born and raised in Prattville (suburb of Mont. 20-30 minutes away) and I made the move to Montgomery 2 years ago. I love Montgomery. Downtown and Midtown are charming and the booming Eastside is full of nice restaraunts, shopping, and very rich people! As with every town, there are places in Montgomery that are not as safe, and I choose not to go there alone or at night. But that doesn't mean that Montgomery is a "apple rotting from the core". It just means that there are bad people no matter where you go. There will never be a city without some crime and poverty, and Montgomery is no exception.

As for fun things to do, there's not a lot going on. There are a few movie theatres, 2 shopping malls (one of which is outdoors and very nice). The Shakespeare Festival is a very nice, affordable theatre with hometown actors starring in plays such as "Midsummer Night's Dream" or "To Kill a Mockingbird". Montgomery is also home to a minor league baseball team, The Montgomery Biscuits (funny name, great team). The baseball stadium is very nice and tickets are less than $10 bucks a piece! Also, downtown is rejuvinating more and more. The Riverfront Ampitheatre offers weekly summertime concerts with free admission and nearby Lake Jordan and Lake Martin are fun places to go all summer long.

I have no children, so I can't speak on the school system here in Montgomery from personal experience. BUT I did attend the public school system in Prattville for k-12th grade. I never felt that my eduaction was hindered. I received a scholarship to the University of Alabama, and also a scholarship to Auburn University in Montgomery. I graduated with a 3.5 GPA. My sister who also attended public schools in Prattville went to the University of Alabama and recieved her Masters in Criminal Justice last May. She now works for the US Attorneys Office here in Montgomery.

I'm dissapointed to see so many people respond to the Montgomery/Prattville area with such negativity. I hope that people can appreciate the heritage of this town without seeing it as merely "bad race relations". I hope that you will consider Montgomery not only for the property tax break but for it's richness in Southern Culture!
Rate this post positively Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-30-2007, 01:01 PM
 
Location: San Antonio, Texas
634 posts, read 2,842,184 times
Reputation: 243
Live in Prattville!! Such a nice place...

And Montgomery is not bad!

It's nice from what I've seen, just don't go to the bad areas.

I will be moving to Prattville in 1 year after I live in SA for a year. Prattville has great schools too.
Rate this post positively Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-29-2007, 12:53 PM
 
Location: Madison, Alabama
129 posts, read 413,973 times
Reputation: 47
What is a magnet school? I keep hearing the term, and I don't know what it means, I'm from Phoenix, and I'm pretty sure that we don't have those. Or if we do, they must be called something else.
Rate this post positively Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Settings
X
Data:
Loading data...
Based on 2000-2020 data
Loading data...

123
Hide US histogram


Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Alabama

All times are GMT -6.

© 2005-2023, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top