[Colleen272]

My husband's boss offered him a promotion, once the world goes back to normal, with his choice between two locations - one in Tennessee, the other in Eastaboga, AL. So I'm working on doing my homework about both areas to help decide between the two.

We currently live in a relatively small town of about 5000 that has an old-fashioned downtown and a thriving local arts/theatre scene, and I'd really like to find at least some of the same in a place to settle. My husband is used to a 55 mile, hour+ commute, so we don't have to be right on top of his plant.

We have one child still at home, currently in 6th grade, so schools matter. She currently attends a private school here in Michigan, and we'd be open to either public or private after the move but would rather pay private school tuition for a few years than settle for a smaller house/lot or a big mortgage to be in a top public district. Looking at Alabama schools, that led me to either Oxford public or Donoho for private.

Both Oxford and Annison look to have a decent selection of houses in our price range; we could go as high as 200-250K, but my husband would prefer to spend less if possible because our current home is paid off and he'd like to roll the proceeds of selling into something we could pay cash for or pay off quickly. We'd want 3 or 4 bedrooms and a decent yard but not acreage or anything.

My main concern about the area, based on the research I've done so far, is crime rates. But as someone who was born and raised in Detroit, I know data doesn't always paint a clear picture and it is better to get input from people who live in the area to get a sense of what life is like. So here I am.

What should I know about the Annison/Oxford area? Are there other areas within a reasonable commute of Eastaboga that are worth considering?

[EscAlaMike]

I would stay out of Anniston itself. Oxford and Talladega are better cities and don't have the toxicity issues. I don't know anything about schools though.

Really though, if the job is in Eastaboga, I'd go with Pell City.

[Colleen272]

Originally Posted by FSUMike

I would stay out of Anniston itself. Oxford and Talladega are better cities and don't have the toxicity issues. I don't know anything about schools though.

Really though, if the job is in Eastaboga, I'd go with Pell City.

What is Pell City like, atmosphere wise? I'm really trying to find towns that aren't too big or too suburban, that have a sort of old fashioned main street area with independent businesses, which is how I came across Oxford and Anniston. Pell City looked a lot more "exurb" in terms of the kinds of businesses, strip malls, etc. but it is so hard to really get a feel from a place via Google.

I didn't even think of Talladega - all I know about it is the race track, but I didn't even think about it being a town as well. I'll have to take a look at that one as well as Pell City.

[EscAlaMike]

Pell City has a downtown. Parts of it are suburban, but it definitely maintains the small town feel. There are some very nice residential developments near the lake.

The race track is several miles outside of the city of Talladega. The town is nice and has a downtown and even a small college (HBCU). It is probably more insular than Pell City or Oxford though - not as many transplants.

[EscAlaMike]

Also, Pell City has it's own school district independent of the county, and has a good reputation within the state.

[MinivanDriver]

Moody would be another good choice. I'm assuming the OP is moving because of the Honda plant.

[Colleen272]

Originally Posted by MinivanDriver

Moody would be another good choice. I'm assuming the OP is moving because of the Honda plant.

Not Honda, but one of its suppliers. The plant itself is just off US78, east of Eastaboga.

[EscAlaMike]

Originally Posted by Colleen272

Not Honda, but one of its suppliers. The plant itself is just off US78, east of Eastaboga.

Moody is a nice suburb, but it's just that, a suburb.

[Hoping4Huntsville]

I know this thread has been down a month but I am looking for some opinions about St. Clair County (Moody, Pell City and surrounding) versus northern Jefferson County. Have a teenager in HS to consider so schools are very important. It seems that Corner and Mortimer are better than St. Clair schools but some folks on a FB page said that the better living option is St. Clair overall. South of B'ham seems to have a horrible commute if you work in or near the city and west Jefferson seems to be fragmented little areas with no real growing towns. We want to live somewhere that is growing and changing in a good way and will afford our family a good quality of life. Somewhere where my Navy son may want to move to after his service and my teenage daughter may want to call home after her education ends. We have all but scrubbed plans for the Huntsville area (seems to be growing too fast when we last visited a couple of months ago) and are considering a move to suburban B 'ham as my wife has scans and appointments somewhat regularly at UAB. Any input would be greatly appreciated.

[MinivanDriver]

Originally Posted by FSUMike

Also, Pell City has it's own school district independent of the county, and has a good reputation within the state.

By the way, I understand they are changing the name to City Of Pells to give the place a little more panache.