Thinking of moving to Huntsville - What is it like - Really (Decatur: for sale, how much)

[12buttons]

Originally Posted by penelopelp

Huntsville is a wonderful place to live and raise a family. That is where I was born and raised. I still have family there. The cost of living is very reasonable. People are very friendly, and will go out of their way to help you. It has four seasons, all of which are beautiful. Hollywood and TV perpetuate the negative stereotypes about the South. I have moved around a lot, so I have heard everyone's negative opinions. Huntsville is not what people would expect of "The South." It is filled with people from all over the country. Many of the people are well-educated and intelligent. The mountains are beautiful. There are many opportunities if you are interested in art or music. The neighborhoods are absolutely gorgeous. The yards are filled with beautiful, large trees. You can easily go to the river for waterskiing or fishing. Some people have beautiful second homes along the river. If you like the city, Birmingham and Nashville are close. You can easily take a 3-day weekend to Atlanta. If you like the mountains, head to Gatlinburg. If you like the beach, head south to Gulf Shores, Pensacola, Destin, or Panama City. These are some of the most beautiful beaches in the world.

sounds a lot more sophisticated than Murfreesboro where I moved to from Los Angeles..I have lived in NYC and CT, so I was very nervous being this far south ...there is no culture here to speak of - folks live for their kids, schools are the social center for parents - they meet everyone thru their kids...and church...I love my house - I don't care for the culture (lack of ) here or the subdivision lifestyle...neighbors are all from FLA or NC or other parts of TN...question - who is that German scientist who built up the ballet and the culture of the area when they hired him to work in the US? He saw there was no culture in Huntsville so he put it in! Thanks..I'd love to come down and visit - I love the line nascar outnumbered by engineers/scientists - I am a writer and need to be in a more cultural place than Murfreesboro or Nashville...the latter reminds me too much of Los Angeles - Being a writer, where would I find my "tribe" in the Huntsville area? I don't have to drive to work, no kids, and would like to have some natue outside my back door versus my neighbors grill...I hate subdivisions!! I love reproduction colonials versus mcmansions, and prefer old money to new money neighborhoods...also do you know if there is a good mechanic for German cars?


thanks 12b

[clamoore]

Do I have a neighborhood for you! You can come down and visit the Merrimack Mill Village. It is centrally located in the reasonably priced Southwest section of the city. The neighborhood dates back to 1900 and was built to house the workers/managers of the Merrimack Mill. The houses are very interesting, many would say a bargain for people not afraid of investing time and energy into them. You have mature trees and wonderful neighbors. The schools are not amoung the best, but we have magnet schools you can try to put your children in. We have a performing arts center about two blocks from most houses. The center has a 300 seat auditorium and hosts a variety of musical performances, dance performances and theatrical performances. The neighborhood also has the finest hamburger joint in the North Alabama corridor, Soul Burger. We would love to have you come down and check out the neighborhood. It is not a shiny new development. It has its fair share of challenges and issues, but hey, who amoung us doesn't? Trade in them MTSU decals and get yourself some A&M or UAH stickers. Bob Riley might even greet you in person if you move down!

[Cagirl767]

This is such great info here! My DH and I are thinking of relocating to Huntsville as well. Mind if I barge in for a quick question? One question that hasn't been directly addressed (except for the lack of gourmet items)is, how are the grocery stores? When I lived in Pascagoula, there was a lack of everything all the time.
I see they have Kroger, and we have that where I live now, but ours is full of gourmet items. Are they somewhat available and what about organic?
Anyone have any comments?
TIA!

[NicoleC]

Cagirl767, most of the grocery stores here are pretty run of the mill with a small "health food" section. Publix has the best selection overall for the area chain stores, but it's mostly focused on processed food with the organic label.

If your interest is more health food for the healthy part than for organic potato chips, there is a fantastic selection of top quality produce, whole grains, etc. at Garden Cove. I get all my meat from a farmer who uses organic methods (but hasn't paid for the certification); it's excellent. There are also farmers markets scattered around, much of which is not technically organic but is far safer, healthier and fresh than most of the produce in the international distribution channel.

There is also a Fresh Market; I was stunned by the high costs. HSV does not have a Trader Joes, Whole Foods or Wild Oats, so Fresh Market us pretty much free to set whatever prices they want.

[Huntsville82]

NicoleC-I would love to know more about the meat you purchase. Can you send me a message with the contact info on the farmer, if you think he wouldn't mind? Thanks!

[Cagirl767]

Nicole C, thank you so much. A nice farmer's market will do just fine! I'm basically just looking for a good selection of produce and meats. i.e. when I lived in Pascagoula, if you weren't at the grocery store the morning the chicken truck came in, you were out of luck until the next week. We'll miss Trader Joe's! But I see there's a Whole Foods near Nashville. We could always make the trek every so often. What's Fresh Market? Is it similar to a Whole Foods?

Can I bother everyone with another question? What about kids' activities? Such as something similar to Pump It Up or an indoor amusement park type of places? Kindermusik, etc.

[NicoleC]

Fresh Market is similar to Whole Foods but on a much, much smaller scale. (At least the one here; I haven't been to any others.) Fresh Market has decent produce plus a selection of gourmet deli and lots and lots of processed health food.

You won't have any problems with good produce being available here unless you are way out in the countryside. It isn't Northern California, but it's more than acceptable. Particularly Garden Cove, which gets a lot of their stuff locally.

[ionlife]

Originally Posted by 12buttons

sounds a lot more sophisticated than Murfreesboro where I moved to from Los Angeles..I have lived in NYC and CT, so I was very nervous being this far south ...there is no culture here to speak of - folks live for their kids, schools are the social center for parents - they meet everyone thru their kids...and church...I love my house - I don't care for the culture (lack of ) here or the subdivision lifestyle...neighbors are all from FLA or NC or other parts of TN...question - who is that German scientist who built up the ballet and the culture of the area when they hired him to work in the US? He saw there was no culture in Huntsville so he put it in! Thanks..I'd love to come down and visit - I love the line nascar outnumbered by engineers/scientists - I am a writer and need to be in a more cultural place than Murfreesboro or Nashville...the latter reminds me too much of Los Angeles - Being a writer, where would I find my "tribe" in the Huntsville area? I don't have to drive to work, no kids, and would like to have some natue outside my back door versus my neighbors grill...I hate subdivisions!! I love reproduction colonials versus mcmansions, and prefer old money to new money neighborhoods...also do you know if there is a good mechanic for German cars?


thanks 12b

What kind of writing do you do?
Novels? Magazine? Journalism?
There are ways to meet other writers -- in Bham and Atlanta/Cullen if you are willing to make a drive

[ionlife]

Originally Posted by MelanieJJones

Because I get it all the time. While working for a local builder, I dealt 99% with people relocating and visitng the area for the first time. The major reason for hesitation was because of the reputaion of the Alabama school systems. About 2 weeks ago I was attacked on another site as being a bad mother for allowing my children to be educated in Alabama. ( I wrote about this in another thread) I was bombarded by statistics showing Alabama and Mississippi as the bottom 2 states for education for the past 20 years. While I tried to fight back with arguments that Huntsville/Madison county were highly rated it wasn't flying. I have been battling this since we moved here over 4 years ago. I was also surprised by the number of people who home school in the area. Again when questioning many of them they said it was due to the poor educational system in AL. Those are the reasons why I wrote that, because it has been my experience.

We havent even moved yet and I constantly hear "how easy it will be for my daughter" to go to HS here--and I counter with the statistics as well. But you know what? I don't care anymore. I know that the schools she'll attend will be great and she'll have a wonderful experience and she'll go to a good college, too.

I just told another friend dealing with DC G&T parents pressuring her to send her child into a tough science program to prepare him for HS to "smile and wave" like the penguins in Madagascar. Honestly, the opposite end of life here in DC is micromanaging parents who think they should be involved in every school decision through all the school years. They constantly bombard teachers and admin. with their problems/demands/etc. I wouldn't want to teach in this Type A environment.

We are raising our girl to be well-rounded and a whole human being--and you won't believe the number of people who are surprised at the non-educational choices we allow our "G&T" make so she'll learn her passion and not be afraid to pursue it! Sheesh

I am looking forward to moving to the more laid back atmosphere... I can drive to "cultural" stuff--don't get me wrong--I'll miss the Smithsonians, the restaurants, the wineries, the cool grocery stores-- but I won't miss the entitled crazy drivers in BMWs racing in out of the traffic trying to beat the clock without regard for life of others. I won't miss the Type A parents in the school system and I won't miss the pressure cooker lifestyle that leaves people on schedules so tight they can't bend or be flexible about change.

[ionlife]

Originally Posted by NicoleC

Fresh Market is similar to Whole Foods but on a much, much smaller scale. (At least the one here; I haven't been to any others.) Fresh Market has decent produce plus a selection of gourmet deli and lots and lots of processed health food.

You won't have any problems with good produce being available here unless you are way out in the countryside. It isn't Northern California, but it's more than acceptable. Particularly Garden Cove, which gets a lot of their stuff locally.

Any Farmers markets open now? I'd like to check one out next weekend when I am in town closing on the house we bought--
so excited and soooo very nervous.