Need some help with county selection (Birmingham, Huntsville: for sale, townhomes, teaching jobs)

[TURFNSCAPE]

I have a few questions for the locals. I have searched but finding the info. I need is eluding me still. We (my wife and 3 kids) are looking to relocate in North Alabama, and my wife is looking for a teaching position. She has been teaching math for 15 years here in Florida. I will be moving my business and will need to be within 50 miles of some higher income earners (120K and up). The kids range from 10 to 14 and love the water. We are considering Cullman County, or any of the surrounding counties that would best fit our needs.

If you were a school teacher, where would you want to teach and why?

Where would you want your kids to go to school?

Who do we contact for available teaching jobs?

Thanks so much for your help!!!!

Steve

[Southlander]

Unfortunately, we have very few people here from Cullman County.
I will say, that if you are looking at the Smith Lake area of Cullman County, it is a fairly isolated area. Your teen-agers will have to drive a distance on 2-lane roads to get to friends' houses, school, etc. Also, many of the homes around Smith Lake are not full-time houses but are used for weekends & holidays.

Cullman itself is a town of about 25,000 with a strong German Catholic heritage. Lovely town, but not many of the high-earners there. One of the biggest industries is chicken farming, along with the Wal-Mart distribution center. There are a handful of high tech firms.

You might want to do a bit more research so that you can ask more specific questions. North Alabama encompasses quite a few counties; in fact, even Birmingham is considered "North Alabama."

Each school system has its own hiring method and department - check the individual school system Web sites. They could be city, county, and private systems.

Perhaps we'll have some replies from some Cullman County natives or residents.

[HB2HSV]

Originally Posted by TURFNSCAPE

I will be moving my business and will need to be within 50 miles of some higher income earners (120K and up).

Why that's most of us here on the C-D forum What type of business are you in?

[TURFNSCAPE]

Are all areas around Smith Lake somewhat isolated or just the Cullman County side? Can you give suggestions that would put us on a lake and within a reasonable distance to civilization? We are not set on any one place but north Alabama and a lake need to be involved in the description.

I am an outdoor lighting designer for both commercial and residential properties. I currently work in Northwest Florida and South Alabama.

Huntsville and its surroundings would be primary areas of interest for business.

I don't mind traveling within a hours radius to meet with prospective clients, but I need quality schools and lake living. My wife will need to teach, so any math position 5 thru 9 would be great.

We looked at the Cullman County school system and it appeared as though they were hiring alot, and I mean alot, of coaches......football, baseball, basketball, cheerleading....etc, etc. There was also a listing for middle school math which is great, can anyone comment on Cullman County schools?

[HB2HSV]

If you're targeting Huntsville area for clients, Lake Guntersville and Wheeler Lake are much closer. I don't know about teaching position openings.

Ideal location for you may be just south of Arab by Guntersville Lake and still within driving distance to Cullman for your wife and Huntsville area for your business.

Likewise, Decatur/ Priceville area also meets the criteria you listed above.

[TURFNSCAPE]

Originally Posted by HB2HSV

If you're targeting Huntsville area for clients, Lake Guntersville and Wheeler Lake are much closer. I don't know about teaching position openings.

Ideal location for you may be just south of Arab by Guntersville Lake and still within driving distance to Cullman for your wife and Huntsville area for your business.

Likewise, Decatur/ Priceville area also meets the criteria you listed above.

Thanks for the help, we plan on making a few trips to scope things out soon. How does Guntersville and Wheeler compare to Smith? Are they more populated, larger, cleaner......? Which lake do you favor and why? What is your opinion on the schools in Decatur, Priceville, Arab.....?

[Southlander]

There is very little - VERY little - residential property on the lake/river in Decatur. We have industry and the Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge to thank for that. There are 4 townhomes for sale on the river right now (2 of them are 2-bedroom), but that's it as far as I know.

I can't think of any residential riverside property in Priceville - the refuge goes up along the river there.

Smith Lake is backed up behind Smith Dam. It is not a navigable waterway for commercial traffic. Lots of sport fishing & water skiing.

Wheeler Lake and Guntersville Lake are part of the Tennessee River. It is a well-used commercially navigable waterway, as well as fishing and water skiing. There is quite a bit of industry along it, all the way up past Knoxville, Tenn., and downstream all the way to the Mississippi River. There are also "wild" areas, and lots of agriculture activity.

I would suggest some internet or even (gasp!) library research...and a look via Google maps, Google Earth etc.

[Charles]

Originally Posted by Southlander

I would suggest some ... library research..

What's a library?

[TURFNSCAPE]

Originally Posted by Charles

What's a library?

I saw one in a museum once.......

[friday13]

Originally Posted by Charles

What's a library?

Come on Charles, you're not that old

But to answer your question, the library is the red brick building located at the Heart of Hsville traffic circle. I heard a rumor it will be moved to an undisclosed location, and a state-of-the-art indoor ZOO will be in place, all in an effort to revitalize the downtown, to bring more fun and entertainment-

And also, here's an update on Constellation: the building will be the FIRST (gasp) to exceed the 10-story height limit, and a space shuttle on a ball bearing will be placed atop for breathtaking 360 views of the 565 interchange, and of course a police man will have a permanent seat in a glass skybox with a speed gun in his right or left hand.

There, so many details, you can't say this is not a true rumor.