20 minutes from Ft Morgan Rd (Mobile, Fairhope: renting, insurance, condos)

[vicliz]

Husband and I did some house hunting in May and came away with more questions then answers. Hunted Roberstdale all the way down to north Foley and found spots that made me afraid. Went east of Bon Secour near Mobile Bay and found beautiful neihborhoods and then just about a half mile went down a street that was really depressed. Really bad. What area would be decent 2o minutes from Ft Morgan out of the high insurance rates? We checked Foley but the crime rate according to this website is really high, same for Summerdale. Our son who lives down there says Robertsdale has bad meth problems in the surrounding area. Don't want to make a mistake.
Thanks so much,
Vicki

[southernnaturelover]

I'm thinking Fairhope may be more your cup of tea.

Meth is everywhere, I don't think you'll find anywhere that doesn't have it.

[raj kapoor]

Fairhope is by no means twenty minutes from Fort Morgan Road. Keep looking there are many fantastic places but it is not unusual to find mini mansions next to doublewides. That happens in coastal areas with liberal zoning policies.

Good luck,
raj

[ronrutmr2]

Of course, the further north, the lower the insurance. Above county road 20 is a rule of thumb (at least for my insurance company). I've lived just outside Foley for nearly three years now, and I haven't seen crime around my area. I'm sort of squeezed between Foley and Summerdale, in Baldwin County. raj is correct, liberal zoning means you may have a view of a trailer community even though you live in a "nice" neighborhood. I do.

Ron

[southernnaturelover]

I don't think Foley, Summerdale, or Robertsdale have high crime either, far from it. I lived in Foley for a year and had no problems. Several of my coworkers live in Summerdale and Loxley.

I only suggested Fairhope because it's "quaint" and may be more visually appealing to the OP.

[vicliz]

Thanks to you all. I take your opinions very seriously. You live there and would know.
Vicki

[justNancy]

Originally Posted by raj kapoor

Fairhope is by no means twenty minutes from Fort Morgan Road. Keep looking there are many fantastic places but it is not unusual to find mini mansions next to doublewides. That happens in coastal areas with liberal zoning policies.

Good luck,
raj

So true! I don't live there, but I stayed in Gulf Shores Plantation in February. The owner of the condo told me it was "20 minutes from Fairhope, 30 in traffic" which is why this thread prompted a response from me. I take full responsibility for not using the available online maps before booking the unit. I knew it wasn't around the corner, but I didn't expect a long drive just to get to Walmart or Publix in Gulf Shores.

Anyway, just in case someone else has contacted people who are renting homes or condos and, when you mention Fairhope, answer "that's just up the road" I wanted to post to support what you wrote.

I'm planning to take another trip, since I didn't really get a chance to spend much time in Fairhope which I thought was charming.

Along the beach, I thought Orange Beach was the nicest area, smaller and more upscale than Gulf Shores, but I only spent a short time visiting. But Orange Beach is also very pricey. I don't know if I'd be happy living in such a small area, but I would probably recommend it over Gulf Shores, which is (really) only 10 minutes by car.