OT: Huntsville

[MaroonOldCrow]

It looks like I'll be getting a job offer in Huntsville, so what sayeth the collective Six Pack wisdom on what I should know before moving there? Areas to live, etc. No concern with schools since I don't have any school age kids. Just any general information that I might want to know beforehand.

 

[Dawgg]

Alabama or Texas? Are you going to be a rocket scientist or a prison guard?

 

[MSUDAWG164]

I live in Huntsville, lots of Dawgs here. We live in Hampton Cove, which is separated by from Huntsville by a 5 minute drive over the mountain. Best move I’ve made so far!

 

[MaroonOldCrow]

Alabama or Texas? Are you going to be a rocket scientist or a prison guard?

Alabama, the job is at Redstone.

 

[Cantdoitsal]

Never been there but The Pack always approves so it's gotta be cool there.

 

[The Maroon Pug]

Madison resident here & I would highly recommend living off of Seminole Drive.***

In all seriousness, if no kids are involved, I'd stay in the Monrovia, South HSV, or Hampton Cove area. Closer to more amenities & things to do. Madison is getting better with the Town Madison area popping up around Toyota Field, but still more to do in & around HSV.

 

[DawgInThe256]

I can second Maroon Pug's recommendations. We also live in Madison and really like it. Monrovia is nice if you would prefer a bigger lot.

 

[was21]

It looks like I'll be getting a job offer in Huntsville, so what sayeth the collective Six Pack wisdom on what I should know before moving there? Areas to live, etc. No concern with schools since I don't have any school age kids. Just any general information that I might want to know beforehand.

By all accounts, you won't be making a mistake by moving to Huntsville..

 

[Polygonal]

It looks like I'll be getting a job offer in Huntsville, so what sayeth the collective Six Pack wisdom on what I should know before moving there? Areas to live, etc. No concern with schools since I don't have any school age kids. Just any general information that I might want to know beforehand.

Moved to Huntsville from college in 1987. Been an amazing place to live and watch grow. We’ve lived in Harvest/Monrovia, south Huntsville, and now Jones Valley. Jones Valley is the best of those, by far. Great access to activities and really close to Arsenal gates.

Is the “Old Crow” reference in your user name the military Old Crow?

 

[RocketDawg]

It depends to a degree on where your job will be. Redstone is a big place geographically. If it's on the far south end of the Arsenal, you might be better off living in the southern part of Huntsville. If on the northern or middle part, maybe west Huntsville or Madison (where I live). By all means don't take the Seminole Drive recommendation.

If you're going to living in an apartment, you'll have your choice of places. Something like 8,000 units have been permitted in over 30 complexes in the last year plus. If you'd like to be near the new MidCity development with the amphitheater, check out a place called The Collins. There are also some newer complexes being built downtown. I'd not recommend a place called Sunlake on Zierdt Rd. A young engineer was shot to death there earlier in the week. I think he was just inside his apartment and someone shot into his living space. They seem to have a fair amount of trouble there, even though there are really upscale neighborhoods all around the area.

 

[MaroonOldCrow]

Is the “Old Crow” reference in your user name the military Old Crow?

Yes, I work in Electronic Warfare.

 

[Polygonal]

Yes, I work in Electronic Warfare.

Sent you a private message…I think.

 

[Bulldog Bruce]

If it was me I would find a place real close or on Guntersville.

 

[1MSUDOG]

I’ve lived here for 23 years. Great city. I lived in Hampton Cove when you could get downtown in 5 minutes. The traffic over the mountain is nothing compared to a big city. But, during rush hour it sucks. I left there 16 years ago and now I live in the downtown core and it’s a great area.

I’m not a fan of Madison, but if you have school aged kids you would be crazy not to consider it. Blossomwood, Jones Valley, Medical District, Mayfair and Piedmont are all super convenient areas in the core of Huntsville that get great property value appreciation.

And for the record, you may not want to live on Seminole, yet. But it’s in a great school district, Jones Valley, and would be a great place to invest.

 

[horshack.sixpack]

It looks like I'll be getting a job offer in Huntsville, so what sayeth the collective Six Pack wisdom on what I should know before moving there? Areas to live, etc. No concern with schools since I don't have any school age kids. Just any general information that I might want to know beforehand.

Loved Huntsville. Still go back often. Housing is a little less than Nashville crazy but that place is the next Nashville from a growth perspective.

 

[OG Goat Holder]

Get an apartment in one of the new districts, while you’re young and single. Don’t move to Hampton Cove or Madison or any of that nonsense until you have kids.

Huntsville is full of dorks. If you’re level headed at all you’ll get all the girls.

 

[MaroonOldCrow]

Get an apartment in one of the new districts, while you’re young and single. Don’t move to Hampton Cove or Madison or any of that nonsense until you have kids.

Huntsville is full of dorks. If you’re level headed at all you’ll get all the girls.

Well, I'm old so that's out. I'm looking for something on a good-sized lot, convenient to basic shopping but away from most of the hustle and bustle.

 

[OG Goat Holder]

Well, I'm old so that's out. I'm looking for something on a good-sized lot, convenient to basic shopping but away from most of the hustle and bustle.

Well in that case. It’s kinda hard because there are so many subdivisions being thrown up.

if you want to be closer to MSU and cut 20-30 minutes off that drive, look to the Madison/Monrovia/Harvest areas. Look out Highway 20 area.

ETa. highway 72

 

[E-Man]

If it was me I would find a place real close or on Guntersville.

It ain't that far to walk there from Huntsville. It's just 38 miles.


If you're from Huntsville, you know all about it.

 

[57stratdawg]

Been here over a decade (apparently with several SPS neighbors) - it’s great. I spend most of my time downtown. Plenty of good breweries and coffee shops in town. The food scene is solid overall.

Mars Music Hall & Orion have greatly improved the nightlife. We’ve had DMB, WSP, Gov Mule and several others in town last year. Moe. coming in a few weeks. Top Golf next to Orion. Campus 805 and Stovehouse are great ways to spend an evening. Plenty of bars downtown.

Very centrally located too. 3 hours to ATL, 3 hours to Starkville, 2 hours to Nashville, 3 hours to Memphis. If you expand out to 6 hours, you’ve got New Orleans, Gulf Coast and Mountains.

It’s hard to beat.

 

[AFDawg]

Tangentially, I've had summer interns for three years in a row. Every one of them was a State student from Madison, Alabama. All outstanding , smart, hard-working kids.

 

[MSUDAWG164]

It ain't that far to walk there from Huntsville. It's just 38 miles.


If you're from Huntsville, you know all about it.

But you gotta strut that ***, strut that ***

 

[grinnindawg]

Well, I'm old so that's out. I'm looking for something on a good-sized lot, convenient to basic shopping but away from most of the hustle and bustle.

Been here since the mid 80s. Great place. Growing very fast. Lots of good fishing, hiking and golf courses in the area.

I work in Research Park, live in Madison in an older subdivision south of downtown.

Good sized lot usually means either one of the older subdivisions or out a good bit. Not having to worry about school districts opens up things too. Lots of neighborhoods fit your description in Huntsville and Madison.

Houses sell very fast, but it does seem to be slowing down a bit. The 1500sqft 3b2ba .5acre down the street took 2 weeks to go under contract. It would've been a day or 2 this time last year.

Watch the traffic on Google maps in the afternoons to get a feel for commute time. Commute used to be reliably under 15m. With growth and cell phone caused wrecks, that doesn't happen most afternoons. Luckily I can work from home most days.

Getting around town is easy outside of rush hour. 15 minutes from our house to downtown Huntsville is typical.

 

[TimberBeast]

Don’t live there but Hampton Cove is a nice golf course also.

 

[Fang1]

I got here in '92 and remember when there were cotton fields instead of subdivisions, but those days are gone and everybody seems to be moving here. Aviation Command moved here 96'ish, Army Material Command was 07-08'ish and if (when) the Space Command comes it'll be even crazier. It's a been a good place to raise kids. LOTS of hunting/fishing if you want. I'm a metes and bounds guy rather than subdivision and there are plenty of options for whichever you prefer: east toward Gurley, west toward Athens, north toward Tn, across the river south toward Arab. if you're commuting 565 west into Decatur (once you pass I65) is really congested most days between 4-5 because of the bottleneck associated with the bridge and traffic light just past the bridge going west - it moves OK but if there's a wreck all bets are off.

 

[Perd Hapley]

Well, I'm old so that's out. I'm looking for something on a good-sized lot, convenient to basic shopping but away from most of the hustle and bustle.

In that case, you might want to be North of 72 in Harvest / Monrovia. Make sure you are west of Research Park Blvd. Most of that area is Madison County (outside of both Huntsville and Madison City limits) with much lower property taxes and also not the terrible traffic that you find in Madison south of 72. Much larger lots out that way than in Madison or most of Huntsville.

From Harvest / Monrovia, you can hit anything on 72 from Target to Publix to Best Buy in 10-15 minutes. And you’ll probably be no further than 10 min from Research Park, which will take you right on in to Gate 9 of the Arsenal.

New Market / Mt Carmel area is another option, but its much further from the Arsenal and has fewer shopping and restaurant options. Hampton Cove would meet your “away from hustle and bustle” requirement but likely not your large lot size requirement.

Hope that helps.

 

[Perd Hapley]

if you want to be closer to MSU

Speaking of this, since there are several Huntsvillians in thread, the construction project extending MS Hwy 76 in Itawamba County from its existing dead end at MS-23 to MS-25 north of Fulton is scheduled to be completed this summer. Once complete, it will be the last leg of what will be the first all 4-lane route from Huntsville to Starkville. If you go that way and are familiar with the route, you’ll no longer have to take that detour through Tremont to get to I-22 heading into Tupelo.

Take 565 / 72 through Decatur, get on AL-24 through Moulton / Russellville / Red Bay, then it turns into MS-76 which you’ll take all the way to MS-25. Jump on MS-25 just north of Fulton, head South, and get right on I-22 towards Tupelo.

 

[msudawglb]

I live in southeast Huntsville. I’d recommend the area. It’s growing and it has 3 direct roads onto Redstone Arsenal. We love it here. The road system is good and it doesn’t take long to get anywhere. Personally, I’d not recommend Madison. I lived there about 10 years ago. Way to packed. Too many houses and the road system stinks. Hampton Cove is nice but you have to drive over the mountain daily to get to Redstone. Not for me.

 

[The Maroon Pug]

Speaking of this, since there are several Huntsvillians in thread, the construction project extending MS Hwy 76 in Itawamba County from its existing dead end at MS-23 to MS-25 north of Fulton is scheduled to be completed this summer. Once complete, it will be the last leg of what will be the first all 4-lane route from Huntsville to Starkville. If you go that way and are familiar with the route, you’ll no longer have to take that detour through Tremont to get to I-22 heading into Tupelo.

Take 565 / 72 through Decatur, get on AL-24 through Moulton / Russellville / Red Bay, then it turns into MS-76 which you’ll take all the way to MS-25. Jump on MS-25 just north of Fulton, head South, and get right on I-22 towards Tupelo.

In-Laws live in Tupelo & on a weekly basis, I dream about pushing 85mph down hwy 76 and by-passing 17'n Tremont.

 

[Dawgbite]

Speaking of this, since there are several Huntsvillians in thread, the construction project extending MS Hwy 76 in Itawamba County from its existing dead end at MS-23 to MS-25 north of Fulton is scheduled to be completed this summer. Once complete, it will be the last leg of what will be the first all 4-lane route from Huntsville to Starkville. If you go that way and are familiar with the route, you’ll no longer have to take that detour through Tremont to get to I-22 heading into Tupelo.

Take 565 / 72 through Decatur, get on AL-24 through Moulton / Russellville / Red Bay, then it turns into MS-76 which you’ll take all the way to MS-25. Jump on MS-25 just north of Fulton, head South, and get right on I-22 towards Tupelo.

It looks closer to opening than summer. I was through there a few weeks ago and it looked close to finished. They were installing signage and I figured that was probably the last step.

 

[Perd Hapley]

It looks closer to opening than summer. I was through there a few weeks ago and it looked close to finished. They were installing signage and I figured that was probably the last step.

Hopefully true. I was just going off the last MDOT update I saw, which was in September of 2022. Its still a great route even with the Tremont situation….takes maybe 5-10 minutes more than the Hamilton / Splunge / Aberdeen route, but a much more relaxed drive and many more options for food and gas. My guess is that it will also be the fastest route once this construction is finished.

 

[PooPopsBaldHead]

In-Laws live in Tupelo & on a weekly basis, I dream about pushing 85mph down hwy 76 and by-passing 17'n Tremont.

You have to drive 2-1/2 hours to see the outlaws on a weekly basis?

 

[RocketDawg]

It looks closer to opening than summer. I was through there a few weeks ago and it looked close to finished. They were installing signage and I figured that was probably the last step.

I've read it'll open this spring, maybe 2 or 3 months away. Probably depending on how heavy rains are.

 

[sparks35]

I moved over to the Hampton Cove area from North MS a while back. Love it over here. Only negative is when I go back to MS to visit family sometimes on weekends, traffic getting out of Madison and Decatur can be brutal.

 

[The Maroon Pug]

You have to drive 2-1/2 hours to see the outlaws on a weekly basis?

I dream about it on a weekly basis, not travel. Sorry, I didn't make a 28 on the English portion of the ACT***

 

[Perd Hapley]

In-Laws live in Tupelo & on a weekly basis, I dream about pushing 85mph down hwy 76 and by-passing 17'n Tremont.

That Tammy Wynette Legacy Center, though****

 

[57stratdawg]

Speaking of this, since there are several Huntsvillians in thread, the construction project extending MS Hwy 76 in Itawamba County from its existing dead end at MS-23 to MS-25 north of Fulton is scheduled to be completed this summer. Once complete, it will be the last leg of what will be the first all 4-lane route from Huntsville to Starkville. If you go that way and are familiar with the route, you’ll no longer have to take that detour through Tremont to get to I-22 heading into Tupelo.

Take 565 / 72 through Decatur, get on AL-24 through Moulton / Russellville / Red Bay, then it turns into MS-76 which you’ll take all the way to MS-25. Jump on MS-25 just north of Fulton, head South, and get right on I-22 towards Tupelo.

Gonna hurt Hackleburg, AL & Splunge, MS

 

[OG Goat Holder]

I’ve often wondered where the movie Office Space could actually take place. It finally dawned on me that the only answer is Huntsville.

I think maybe that’s why it’s been able to grow. The new money greatly outnumbers the old money. There are no ‘fathers’ that control the purse strings, and there are people from all over the country there. Many many dorks out living the middle class lifestyle to the extreme.

Makes for a diverse landscape.

 

[DawgInThe256]

I’ve often wondered where the movie Office Space could actually take place. It finally dawned on me that the only answer is Huntsville.

I think maybe that’s why it’s been able to grow. The new money greatly outnumbers the old money. There are no ‘fathers’ that control the purse strings, and there are people from all over the country there. Many many dorks out living the middle class lifestyle to the extreme.

Makes for a diverse landscape.

I feel seen

 

[Mobile Bay]

Alabama or Texas? Are you going to be a rocket scientist or a prison guard?

I had a chance one time to buy a surplus shotgun from that prison. I turned it down and regretted it ever since.