Please help...Seminole, Alabama living, schools, commute to Mobile etc??? (Daphne: real estate, insurance)

[Switchback]

Hey CD friends, I'm accepting a position with my agency in Mobile and am looking for a locale in commuting distance that meets my desires..

My parents are in the Pensacola area, so I want to be somewhere between Mobile and P'Cola to be closer to them.

I live outside of Waco, TX on the Brazos River and love the river-life..

Looking at Seminole real estate, it seems affordable and I've found a few nice homes on the river in Seminole.

What I can't find is any threads ref the schools (if there are any) in Seminole, or where kids do go to school..? I've still got an 11 year old at home...

I'd also like to know how the commute is to downtown Mobile if anyone knows..?

I'm used to a 30 min drive already, and it's 40 miles; according to google maps, so that doesn't seem to be an issue, but I don't know about traffic conditions on that route..

Seminole is also off-of the coast a bit, so I'd think hurricanes wouldn't be as much of an issue as right on the coast.

And, the river-homes I've looked at in Seminole seem to be at a pretty high elevation above the river, so flood insurance shouldn't be an issue..

Any input appreciated..

Switchback

[Switchback]

No replies???

[PortCity]

Hello Switchback ! Baldwin County would be your fit.It

[BstYet2Be]

Ah, you learn something new everyday... I'm a Mobile native and yet have never even heard of Seminole, AL before!

But, looking on the map, I see that it is barely in Alabama... and a long way from Mobile. I think you are underestimating the commute time it'd take to just get into Mobile which would be more like an hour each way. Then it would depend where your work location would actually be in Mobile, so if it's anywhere outside of downtown, add that to your already hour commute. Seriously, do you really want to add two-plus hours to your workday just to commute?

As far as schools, you would need to contact the Baldwin County Public Schools to find out the particulars on school attendance. The closest to Seminole would appear to be in Robertsdale or Orange Beach, but I'm just guessing here since I'm not familiar with the Seminole area at all.

If I were you, I'd seriously reconsider the location and give Daphne and/or Fairhope a look... both a whole lot closer to Mobile, but still would keep you within easy access to I-10 and travelling distance to your parents in Pensacola. However, you might have to trade in your river access for bay access (i.e., Mobile Bay, Weeks Bay or Fish Bay, etc.) instead. And, as far as HOI, anything below I-10 will be higher than north of I-10, so it'll be a wash as far as rates, and you might even find that it'd be much lower in these two versus that in Seminole.

[Keeper]

I am with Best.. I had never heard of it either and I am a Mobile native too.

I think you are going to have problems getting HOI if you live on/near the river. You are probably going to have to get the state ins policy and they are never cheap,

It is a long drive from downtown Mobile to Summerdale even on the weekend it is an hour and Seminole is further away. I suggest you visit and take the drive during rush hour AM and PM.

[Switchback]

Thanks for the input folks!

The work location would be 2 blocks from the tunnel exit in Mobile..

Looking at the map, it's only 40 miles from the office to the neighborhood in Seminole that I'm looking at..

Is the traffic that bad on I-10?

I can imagine getting through the tunnel (like any city's tunnel) might be a traffic jam, but that's something everyone who lives across the bay has to deal with..

30 miles of that 40 miles commute is all I-10..the other 10 are rural county roads (with no towns on them) into Seminole..

40 miles to me...running interstate speeds, sounds like 40 mins or so...maybe faster when not during rush hour..

I drive 15 miles now, on a two lane county road, and because of the mass exodus to the suburbs and all the soccer mom's who think little johnny's too good to ride the school bus, my commute is close to 30 mins at 40 mph or less the whole way..

Am I missing something here??

Or is the traffic crossing the bay, that bad??

[humacaena]

The suggestion to look at Daphne/Fairhope is not such a good one as Switchback lives on a river and likes that thought. Seminole has very nice and affordable homes on the river, and waterfront homes on the bay are NOT affordable.

Switchback, your child would go to school in Robertsdale, and that is not such a bad thing, considering that the new Apple CEO is a product of their schools.

I looked into some of the current listings in Seminole and it's not a bad deal to live on the river and or lake. The commute is not as bad as some might think...I 10 does not get so congested...all you have to do is look at camera shots from local TV stations. There might occasional backups...wrecks, ect, but it's not a daily occurrence.

Good luck and hope all your plans come true!

[southernnaturelover]

My goodness, that's way out past Wilcox Rd, there's no way I'd want to drive that far everyday.

[humacaena]

I know people who commute from Orange Beach(Ono Island) to USA...It all depends what you are willing to do to live in a place you really like.

[BstYet2Be]

Originally Posted by Switchback

Am I missing something here??

Switchback,

Out of the three commute routes to/from Seminole, AL to downtown Mobile, AL, including the one route you posted, not one comes up with a travel time less than 41 minutes... or less than 13 miles on rural roads. The route you posted does cover the least rural road distance (13) vs. the other going from 16 to 59N to I-10 which is closer to 15 miles and contains numerous traffic lights on 59, plus more traffic. The last one has one travelling from 16 to 90 to 98 across... the most off of I-10... and the longest both time and mile-wise.

And, if you had to take your daughter into Robertsdale for school any mornings, that would be a distance of 16.6 miles from Seminole and another 27 miles from Robertsdale to Mobile. It really boils down to what your commuting comfort zone is.

Would I do it? Absolutely not, for a couple of reasons, (1) my preference would be to live and become a part of the community where my child attends school, and (2) I would not be comfortable working at such a long distance from where my child was, be it in school or home, in case of an emergency. If this is okay with you, all else shouldn't matter. But, you did ask.

Again, on the HOI... Seminole is only 26 miles from the ocean... and yes, hurricanes can, do and have caused extensive damage inland, i.e., in the case of Hurricane Frederic extensive wind and rain damage, downed trees, and electricity outages throughout the Mobile area (50 miles inland) and with the same type damage occurring as far inland as Choctaw County (100 miles north of Mobile County).

Really not trying to rain on your parade here... you need to live where you are most comfortable, but I do hope we've provided some insight as to how things actually are "on the ground here" since it appears you may still be in TX and are viewing this at a distance.

Best to you and yours in your relocation wherever you choose!