Alabama ?? East side of the state

[Valiantone]

Hey All,

I was planning on moving to NC in the next couple of years to be closer to my brother and sis in-law. My brother is now in the police academy for Columbus Ga. If I move down that way I am thinking about settling in eastern Alabama. Seems like the taxes aren't as bad there as GA.

Anyone on the board live in this part of AL? Is it a good homesteading area? I'd like to buy 30-50 acres for the homestead.

Can you share any likes, dislikes? What are the winters like that far south? I'm thinking mild. Summers? Hades?

Thanks for any and all info and opinions.

CE

[Jim S.]

I live near Huntsville.

Land and taxes are cheap in AL, compared to MD especially, and also to GA. Winters are mild. It's in the 50s here all this week. Snow is rare and usually in small amounts, but 1" of snow will close everything because there is no snow removal equipment and it turns to solid ice on roads. The worst winter month is February and sometimes very early March, which is not bad because spring is just around the corner. Summer is 90+ for about 3-5 months. If you do not like hot weather, do not move here. If you do not like humidity so thick you can cut it with a knife, do not move here.

Politics here are overwhelmingly, almost monolithically Republican and to the right side of that party, and my suggestion to you if you do not share those views is to just hush, because opposing viewpoints are not welcomed and generally poorly tolerated. I mention this because I have had friends from MD who moved here but could not last due to the politics. It is an extremely Christian right, religious eye for an eye area, and especially so in rural parts. I am not making political statements here, just saying if this fits you you will like it here, and if not, you will find some dislikes right away.

Tolerance for Yankees (which you would be considered) is getting better here, but the main rule is (quoting a bumpersticker) "We don't care how y'all did it up North!" If you have problems with the Confederate flag ("It's about heritage, not hate!"), you might find it hard to live here. If you have any lifestyles that are not considered absolutely, Biblically mainstream, your path here will be more difficult. Very near Charlotte, Atlanta, Nashville and Memphis are where you need to live for a greater degree of tolerance.

If you go to church (preferably Baptist) every Sunday and Wednesday nights, you will be embraced more readily.

Schools by Northern standards are wanting, and the more rural your kids' education, the worse they will be educated (in comparison with Northern schools). I take this directly from test scoring, and am not making a judgment of my own here.

Wages lag the North in almost all aspects, save jobs tied to the federal government or the defense industry. On the other hand, the cost of living is also much less.

On the positive side, if you come here willing to adapt to Southern culture, overlook differences and embrace the newness, and are respectful of the way of life, the people are some of the kindest, most generous folks you'll ever meet. There is a genuine concern about others here.

You will find that people are friendly as you want to be to them. Total strangers will say "Hey" to you (which is "hi" here). Strangers will help you out if you are in trouble, too, and deference is part of the culture, so people are not generally brash or rude to each other. There is a delight in understatement, that can be hard for Yankees to pick up on when they arrive. Children here are taught to say "sir" and "ma'am" and to respect their elders.

Do learn that the phrase "Well, bless your heart" can mean many things, depending on context. It can be an expression of support or an epithet, depending!

The land is, to me, absolutely gorgeous. If you intend to homestead, you would be hard-pressed to find a better spot, as the climate, long growing seasons, and usually abundant water make for easy subsistence farming. You will easily feed your family and have some left over on 30-50 acres here. Stuff of all types grows so easily, you will find yourself constantly vigilant against letting unwanted plant life overtake your place, rather than trying to nurture growth. It very much is a northern rain forest kind of climate, and that is what it was before we altered it to be more open and less forested. I never tire of the landscape, and a country drive is a great pleasure to me. Honeysuckle scent in summer is awesome, and you can have blooming pansies all the way through winter if you just cover them on the light freeze nights.

You will live freer of government regulation here.

Hope you find this of some help. I tried to make it a fair assessment. I am an Illinois-born transplant from Virginia who has been down here in the Deep South for 18 years. When I came and told people I was from Virginia, they asked me, "What did you do up North?" In so many ways, it is a different world from the rest of the USA. Not better or worse, just a whole lot different.

[AJ Williams]

East Alabama is a nice area but the schools are lacking. Jim is right about how people perceive you. If you are down to earth and not uppity they will treat you right. Baptist religion aside most folks in these parts are as proud of their Southern Heritage as Northerners are of theirs. If you act like people they will treat you like people.

Aj

[Avalon Acres]

Hello CE,

Jim S gave a great view of Alabama. We live in Lee County, thirteen miles from the Georgia line. We attend church in Columbus and have always lived in the East Alabama area. Some general information:
Temperature the week before Christmas was a low of 21. Yesterday's high was a near record in the upper 70's. Land prices vary depending on the county, mainly due to school quality issues. We are three hours from mountains (N. Georgia) and three hours from the beach (Panama City, Fl). Auburn University is 30 miles from Columbus, Columbus State University, a division of the University of Georgia, is in Columbus, Chattahoochee Valley Community College is across the Chattahoochee River in Phenix City, Al. Property taxes are roughly one third to one half of those in Georgia. Ft. Benning is adjacent to Columbus and is "the Home of the Infantry".

Given a little more detail I can probably provide more information on land prices, etc. Feel free to PM me.

DV

[Jim S.]

Originally Posted by AJ Williams

East Alabama is a nice area but the schools are lacking. Jim is right about how people perceive you. If you are down to earth and not uppity they will treat you right. Baptist religion aside most folks in these parts are as proud of their Southern Heritage as Northerners are of theirs. If you act like people they will treat you like people.

Aj

Yes, AJ! That is the word I needed! "Uppity" is the whole deal. Folks who come here with a judgmental attitude will soon hear about how "the road runs both ways" and "if it was so great up North, why'd y'all leave?"

Heheheh...thanks...

[heelpin]

Jim S, you might be a transplanted Yankee but you definitely have the South pegged and as some country folk around here might say "you write good".

[halfpint]

What Jim said is great. I would add that to the South of Columbus you will have mostly flatland, and to the north you begin to get in the rolling hills. Depending upon the area you choose, you will either have red clay that makes it difficult to grow anything but kudzu or rich soil.

Since you probably want a large homestead, it would be best to avoid being right in the towns, but they aren't very large so it's not too hard to get far enough away but be close enough to visit and shop. Auburn, Opelika, Lanett and Valley are all pretty nice towns. You would have less trouble being accepted in either Auburn/Opelika due to the college, or in the Columbus area, but it might take a while for the locals to accept you.

My DH and I lived in Alexander city for a while and were never accepted - even in the church, as everyone had grown up together there and worked for Russell corporation. My DH was born and raised in Alabama, so it was not a north/south thing. That has probably changed now as it was nearly 30 years ago and there have been many changes in that area. We then moved to Dadeville an even smaller town, but made a lot of friends there very quickly and we felt very welcome, so how people react may vary.

It can be extremely hot and humid in the summer, but the winters are very mild and we don't have much snow - a light dusting usually at least once a year, an accumulation of maybe 1-3 inches every 2-3 years that usually only lasts a day, and a big winter storm about every 10-20 years - which we're probably due for one soon as the last two were in 93 and 82. There are no snowplows here, so when it snows or ices, do not go out. The people that do go out like to slam on their brakes when they hit the ice - it can be interesting and horrifying to watch from a distance. If it does snow, you can use the boxblade on your tractor to clean the road - after you have pulled all the four wheel drives out of the way. At least that has been our experience.

Dawn

[sidepasser]

I've lived near the east AL. border for almost 23 years now, and it is a lovely area even though I am on the Ga. side of things, about 40 miles north of Columbus.

Schools - well let's just say over the past 10-15 years, the schools HERE have eroded and my son went to private school. Not because I could afford it easily (rich I am not) but because it is nice to have ALL the children in my house educated - lol..he was the last and was suffering the most so private school was my best choice.

Taxes are cheaper in AL by a LONG shot over Ga. However, the roads are better in Georgia - lol..that is a long standing joke..

I am thinking that in a couple of years I will make the move over to Al. but I can say that property prices are not that much less in Al than in Ga. I've been looking for 20-30 acres in Al near the Ga. border and lemme say..I'd have to spend about the same amount to get what I could get in Ga.

Summers are hotter than blue blazes though and the humidity is awful, we got bugs, lots of bugs and they aren't generally small bugs either. On the other hand, we have little to no snow, and you could do as I do and heat the whole house with a couple of cords of wood for the winter. You get a much bigger house here than up north for the same dollars or more land, so that is a plus as well.

Jim has the rest of it pegged pretty much..men still open doors down here, pull chairs for ladies and ladies will thank them. Lots of politeness down here and it is expected for the most part. My son was taught the old ways of the south and now the grandchildren are being taught.

You might do well down here - if you try to get along and leave the northern "ways" up north, cause we really don't care nor want to hear how y'all did it up there. You are here now and that is what matters. Sort of "well I see you came to your senses" lol.

If you decide to move south and I can do anything to help, short of crossing the Mason Dixon Line..just shout.

Best to you,
sidepasser

[Valiantone]

Thanks for the replies so far everyone!

No prob with the north/south thing. Dad lived in Kentucky, Brother in GA, Uncle in Alabama. I lived in SC and TN for periods of time. I am actually a fish out of water in MD.

I do HATE humiditiy though Ugh. That may be a problem. Then again maybe I just need to get back in better shape. When I was in the service I lived in SC for a while. That was like a jungle in the summer Didn't seem to bother me as much when I was in great shape.

I'm a Bible believing Baptist too, so this is sounding better and better.

DV I appreciate the offer to pm you about land prices and such. Next time I get down to see my brother I am going to drive around through a few counties and see if I can narrow it down to a certain one. Then I would love some more input!

Jim, I get a kick out of the deep south folks thinking of MD'ers as Yankees (course' most of 'em are). I have run into that before. It is even better when I visit friends in upstate NY and they think I am some deep south "redneck" Poor ol' MD has always been stuck in the middle.

Chris

[sidepasser]

My granny used to say that anyone north of "lanner" was a yankee - lol..

I figure South and North Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, Louisianna, Mississip, and Ga. are southern..the rest are suspicious.

lol..

[Jim S.]

Originally Posted by sidepasser

My granny used to say that anyone north of "lanner" was a yankee - lol..

I figure South and North Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, Louisianna, Mississip, and Ga. are southern..the rest are suspicious.

lol..

You know, the Capitol of the Confederacy was in Richmond, Va.! It has always amazed me that, as much as the South is seen as this homogenous bloc, it is not. The Deep South distrusts the Upper South (and TN is in the balance between the two, depending on who you are talking to -- and Kentucky considers itself Southern, but most of the South says it ain't). The Southwest shakes its head over the Southeast. And vice-versa.

In Virginia, I was told by a western VA resident that the Tidewater was not part of the state. "Where the clay ends and the sand begins, that's where we disown it!"

While I lived in Williamsburg and worked for a Richmond firm, I used to get tickled to tell somebody who called me a Yankee that where I went to college in Illinois was farther south than where we were presently standing! That always got a double-take, and some disbelief. But Carbondale, IL, is farther south than Richmond, VA, and that's fact.

Now I work in Huntsville AL but live 25 miles up the road, just across the line in TN. If we get a touch of snow, I am always asked if it is snowed in up where I live. It's only 25 miles up the road (and we do have salt trucks)!

So there's plenty to either laugh at or get riled about. Take yer pick.

[Micahn]

I know a bunch of people that live around Pisgah, AL and it is a beautiful area. It is in the NE part of the state on Sand Mountain.

I had a small homestead in Jacksonville, AL (close to Gadsden) for 4 years..I'm just about as Yankee as anyone can get..LOL..the people in Alabama were wonderful..I miss them !! Humidity? Well..what can I say..it's horrid..so are the tornado warnings and amazing thunderstorms..bugs? I'd never before or after seen such bugs..YIKES..

Having said all of that..if I could afford to move..and if I could afford an in-house storm shelter, I'd go back to Alabama..taxes are unbelievably low..the entire area is drop-dead gorgeous..and the people are the salt of the earth.