Madison, AL or Hampton Cove, AL???? Relocating. (Huntsville, Valley: apartment complex, rent)

[HB2HSV]

Originally Posted by SoCalTwinkie

What adjustments were necessary for a So Cal gal moving to Alabama?

1. Slow down in everything you do, including the way you talk For example, when you say "OK", say "Ooooookkkaaaaaaay" instead.

2. Take the time thanking people. It is highly valued here. Instead of a quick "thank you", say "I appreciate" or "thank you kindly" instead.

3. Avoid certain words like $hit, f**k, $uck, dam*, etc., and definitely do not connect aforementioned words with the Lord!

4. Going to church around here is a must. It is not "Do you go to church?" but "which church do you go to?" Beware of inter-denomination rivalry. Going to a wrong church can get out outcasted by your social circle quicker than say "I am a liberal Democrat", or "I really like Obama"

5. Fashion takes on a differdnt standard here. My female coworkers carry a $10 purse bought from Walmart So relax and leave your LV handbag at home and "when in Rome.... do as the Romans do"

Oh wait... you mean when shopping for houses?

OK here are the major difference that I've personally observed (hence not inclusive, nor representatitive, and heck may not be even factually correct..... yada yada disclaimer)

1. California has very strict rules & regs when comes to selling disclosures, by-laws, etc., imposed by the Dept. of Real Estate (DRE). AROUND HERE, you'd be lucky to buy within the city limits where they may enforce building codes. If you buy in the County, it is well known that they do not enforce building codes. So unless you have someone you trust to go through the house (like a home inspector), you may be SOLed. It is "buyer beware".

2. In California, you buy based on good school district, $ per square feet of house. Here there is not "true market pricing". For a same city but different builders you'll have different $/sq.ft. values ranging from $50 to $120/sq.ft.

3. HOMES ARE INEXPENSIVE compare to Southern California. You don't have to pay upwards of $459/sq.ft. for a 60 yr old POS house. You can get a mansion with name of room that I have never heard of, I mean; what is the point of a "sitting room"? If you are willing to live out in the country, you can get yourself 10+ acres for the price of a 900 sq. ft. fixer-upper in So. Cal.

4. Cost for cooling/ heating the house is cost much more around here . It helps if you have an "energy-efficient" house but still expect upwards of $200 -$300/month in the winter and $100 - $200/mo. in the summer. You can expect running a year-round central air/ heat system, sometime heat in the morning and AC in the afternoon.

I am sure there is more so others can chime in. Overall our move here is positive. People are nice, polite, low-crime and the cost of living is low. People freak out with an extra 1% sales tax increase and a lower price builder moves in & start to build less expensive homes in their subdivision But by and large they focus on where had the best pizza and donuts around town.

Good luck in your decision to move here.

[FatTails]

Originally Posted by SoCalTwinkie

What adjustments were necessary for a So Cal gal moving to Alabama?

Figure out what you are going to do with all the extra money you'll have every month. Less taxes, cheaper gas, housing, and utilities, etc.

I've been here a year and it really wasn't too much of a culture shock moving from AZ. I will add there is a slightly unhealthy obsession with college football here, so be prepared for that. Otherwise the people are friendly, there's less traffic, there are four seasons (including winter which has been the biggest shock to me), etc.

[curzon_dax]

Originally Posted by HB2HSV

4. Going to church around here is a must. It is not "Do you go to church?" but "which church do you go to?" Beware of inter-denomination rivalry. Going to a wrong church can get out outcasted by your social circle quicker than say "I am a liberal Democrat", or "I really like Obama"

Sorry for singling out this one part of a really good post, but I disagree with this. I have lived here for 3 years and nobody has asked me if I go to church or which one I go to. We lived next to a mosque the first couple of years and the Muslim crowd there was very nice and courteous to us. Now we live between a Baptist Family and a family that attends Church of Christ. They are both very nice to us and nobody has nosed into our spirituality.

Again, I liked most of the rest of your post but I don't want people to get the impression that they will be oppressed for their spiritual beliefs if they move to Huntsville as that has not been my experience.

[CoreLysium]

Originally Posted by curzon_dax

Sorry for singling out this one part of a really good post, but I disagree with this. I have lived here for 3 years and nobody has asked me if I go to church or which one I go to. We lived next to a mosque the first couple of years and the Muslim crowd there was very nice and courteous to us. Now we live between a Baptist Family and a family that attends Church of Christ. They are both very nice to us and nobody has nosed into our spirituality.

Again, I liked most of the rest of your post but I don't want people to get the impression that they will be oppressed for their spiritual beliefs if they move to Huntsville as that has not been my experience.

Absolutely accurate. But people like the stereotype, so they'll keep saying that your neighbors will ask you to church all the time. What does happen is that church gets mentioned just like school or work does, because a lot of people go to church. And no one will ever, ever say "Let's talk religious doctrine." I guarantee that.

As for the fanaticism over college football, you aren't required to be if you actually went to a college.

[bmrisko]

I have lived here for 5 years, in a few different neighborhoods, and no one has ever asked me what church I attend or to go to church service with them. Typical Bible Belt stereotype...

[MisterEd51]

Originally Posted by nerdtron

I've been here a year and it really wasn't too much of a culture shock moving from AZ. I will add there is a slightly unhealthy obsession with college football here, so be prepared for that. Otherwise the people are friendly, there's less traffic, there are four seasons (including winter which has been the biggest shock to me), etc.

How have you found the weather different than Arizona? Did you mainly just have just two seasons in AZ summer and winter?

I can sympathize with the original poster florida_sassy because I moved here from northern Illinois. The difference was that Huntsville has hotter summers and milder winters than Illinois. Since I most dislike cold weather I haven't complained too much about the change in climate.

[HB2HSV]

Originally Posted by curzon_dax

Again, I liked most of the rest of your post but I don't want people to get the impression that they will be oppressed for their spiritual beliefs if they move to Huntsville as that has not been my experience.

No harm, no foul.

I should have put my yada.... yada... disclaimer on top of my post. Below represent my personal biased observations.... yada.... yada....

[curzon_dax]

Thank you for the follow up, HB2HSV.

[Keeper]

I had only one person ask me to her church when I moved here. I was polite and thanked her and nothing more was said.

Everyone has a different experience. I have friends who all go to the same church and we all go to lunch together but I am the only one that doesn't go their church. I will say that it is often easier to meet people if you do go to a church. But a lot depends on where you live and where you work and if you have other hobbies.

Good Luck.

[FatTails]

Originally Posted by MisterEd51

How have you found the weather different than Arizona? Did you mainly just have just two seasons in AZ summer and winter?

Close. No winter though. The two seasons are "warm" and "hot". I'm in AZ now and the temp was 74 earlier today.