Posted on 10/11/2011 10:13:07 AM PDT by kosciusko51
I work for an engineering company that would like me to relocate to Huntsville AL from the Pittsburgh PA area. It is a big decision for my wife and I. I grew up near where I currently live and my extended family is nearby. Other than one co-worker and a few business acquaintances, I know no one in the Huntsville area.
Are there any locals that can give me advice on the area? Schools, churches, neighborhoods, activities, places to avoid, etc?
Thanks,
K51
Abandon hope all ye who enter there.
It’s warm there in the winter. That helps.
Actually, if you are a professional engineer , you are going to feel right at home. Some of the best in the country are within 20 miles.
North Central Alabama is a great place. I grew up about 45 minutes or so south of there.
Good, hardworking, conservative folks who would do anything in the world for you. Agricultural area all around. Smith Lake (can you say bass fishing???)
Did I mention SEC football?????
You’re gonna love it!
My best friend just moved from there a couple of years ago. She loved it and it is a beautiful place to live. I’ll contact her and see if she’s alright with me giving you her email. (she’s very kind)
Thanks for the links. The wife and I have been looking at the Huntsville sites, but I was looking for a more personal perspective.
Know problem, but don’t get run over by all the illegals fleeing. You are legal, right?
Never try to break up a fight between Bama and Auburn supporters.
We checked it out when our company was bidding on a job at MSFC. I think you will be very happy there.
They built much of the Space Shuttle in Huntsville.
Good thing with the Huntsville area is that it is large enough to have great medical facilities and such. If you enjoy city life, it will probably be big enough, but if you think you would like a little bit more of the country, you don't have to go far to find it.
A very pleasant place to live -- more sophisticated than you might expect at first blush.
Friendly... hospitable... lots of recreation nearby.
ENJOY!
If you enjoy city life, it will probably be big enough, but if you think you would like a little bit more of the country, you don't have to go far to find it.
This is good to know, and sounds a lot like where I live now in the 'burbs of Pittsburgh. I go 15 miles one way and I am in the center of the city. I go 5 miles in the other direction, and it is farmland.
Culture Shock 101
I don’t know you or your wife, but try not to be too judgmental and just go with it. Don’t sink so much in your house you cannot go on vacations.
I had to spend a Christmas, working, in Monroeville AL, one year. I had to fend off people (people I worked with, who I literally had just met) who kept inviting me into their homes for the holidays.
I wound up making the rounds to several places, and frankly, eating more than if I had been home for Christmas. I couldn't ask for a bunch of kinder or more generous folks than those in Monroeville.
Don’t beleive the hype from the “Hrelp” you’re getting here.
Huntsville is the finest city in the state. They have the best schools, highest average income and a real estate market that has at least wethered the storm hit nation-wide so, if you move again, your odds of selling your home are very high.
I would recommend the Madison County School district. Bob Jones High School is consistently one of the highest rated high schools in the state.
Also, homes west of town in the Harvest and County Line areas are very nice.
RLTW
Best move I ever made (other than my wife of course.
Best move I ever made (other than my wife of course.
Here’s my best advice: Learn to say Roll Tide Roll early and often! Roll Tide! and welcome to the Heart of Dixie!
Go for it.
I’ll pass on your comments to my family who live in Monroeville - they’ll appreciate the thoughts!
Yankees come to visit, Damn Yankees come to Live.
Welcome from another Damn Yankee (moved here in 1983). A lot of great areas to live around here. Madison (kind of a HSV suburb) has really exploded and is still building.
Have the local newspaper mailed to you. This will give you insight as the the neighborhoods to avoid, the local political climate, things to do, as well as the flavor of the area.
Make sure that you purchase or rent a house with a storm cellar.
A lot depends on your expectations and your age. If you are in your 30s (or younger), you may be able to adapt to the cultural change and Huntsville will become more like home to you over time (as long as you keep an open mind and embrace the differences!). If you are older, Huntsville could be a place where you live and work, but it won’t be home and you will probably move back to PA within a decade (probably sooner; ESPECIALLY if you make mental comparisons to PA and decide that NOTHING in AL is as good as it is in PA).
Alabama has a lot to offer. It’s NOT (as the liberal media and SNL would have you believe) home to rednecks and idiots. The Goddard Space Center has been there since the 40s and is a foremost space R & D lab. It also has easy access to to the Gulf of Mexico, Georgia, northern Florida and, oh yeah, did I mention the University of Alabama?
I haven’t lived in Alabama for many. many years, but I have traveled the US extensively. You could do much, MUCH worse than Huntsville.
Finally, if your company is paying for the move, jump on it!! You’re getting to keep your job. That’s HUGH, today!!
A lot depends on your expectations and your age. If you are in your 30s (or younger), you may be able to adapt to the cultural change and Huntsville will become more like home to you over time (as long as you keep an open mind and embrace the differences!). If you are older, Huntsville could be a place where you live and work, but it won’t be home and you will probably move back to PA within a decade (probably sooner; ESPECIALLY if you make mental comparisons to PA and decide that NOTHING in AL is as good as it is in PA).
Alabama has a lot to offer. It’s NOT (as the liberal media and SNL would have you believe) home to rednecks and idiots. The Goddard Space Center has been there since the 40s and is a foremost space R & D lab. It also has easy access to to the Gulf of Mexico, Georgia, northern Florida and, oh yeah, did I mention the University of Alabama?
I haven’t lived in Alabama for many. many years, but I have traveled the US extensively. You could do much, MUCH worse than Huntsville.
Finally, if your company is paying for the move, jump on it!! You’re getting to keep your job. That’s HUGH, today!!
That is such a heart warming story, wbill. I think a good judge of an area is how they treat people. It is obvious from your story that they demanded you come to dinner and not be alone on Christmas. You must have felt very blessed that year.
Huntsville is a nice place, especially if you’re an engineer. Very affordable real estate, reasonable traffic, not too far from several larger cities. Madison is a nice area (west side, surrounded by Huntsville) and has good schools. Easy hop to the airport, too.
You are trading UP...big time. Take a moment to thank G-d; then go for it.
I spent literally days using that tool and rent finders to find an area with the best schools in an area I could afford. I found the absolute best fit and moved right to that neighborhood. It was a perfect match. I can tell you now that I have lived here almost 2 years that EVERY area where the school scores were highest are the NICEST areas that you would want to live in and EVERY area where the scores are miserable are the EXACT areas you want to avoid like the plague.
I have been in several places in Georgia and some are downright awful while others are both extremely beautiful with wonderful people. I have not been specifically to Huntsville so I can't give you specific advice, except that if you do move, check out that school finder. Even if you send your kids to private school or homeschool, that tool will find the neighborhood you want to live in.
The Chuck Wagon BBQ, just NE of the airport is a great little hole in the wall place for lunch.
I’ve never lived there, but have friends who do...they love it.
Do you have a son? If so, he wants to help pack!!!
I grew up there and vist frequently. It is a great town and I can’t recommend it highly enough. You will suffer culture shock if you are coming from the North because in Huntsville people actually speak to each other in friendly tones and like each other’s company. It is about as cuturally diverse as you can get but still retains a Southern feel to it, especially once you enter the countryside. It takes about six months to get used to it, then you wonder why more people don’t know about it. Again, pack up never look back.
Learn to shoot, hunt, and fish, then get an Alabama to English dictionary.
If you are a shooter I can probably hook you up with range info and contacts with other shooters. I have a friend who lives there and another friend who used to run matches up there. I’m in Hoover myself.
Not specific advice, as I’ve never been to Alabama: our family made a similar move for a job 10 years ago (10+hour driving distance) away from all our family.
Start sinking roots in right away! We played the outsider far too long, busy with kids and work, spending every time we had two days free trying to get back “home”, Christmases, baptisms, etc.
It took us this long to accept that where we live now is home, and trust me, it’s much easier trying to integrate into a community when you can preface conversations with “Yeah, I’m new here” rather than “Well, we’ve been here a decade, we just couldn’t be bothered”.
Whatever you do, make sure you make your new “home” home.
I’ve only been to Huntsville a couple of times, but it’s a lovely area. Freeper MamaB lives there, so I’m pinging her to the thread.
I spent most of Christmas (left the 23rd, returned the 26th) the following year in New York City. I spent most nights either at work, or in the hotel room. Quite a contrast.
One redeeming feature was a small all-night diner that was right close to where I worked in the City. Guy who owned it was a prince of a fellow, never got his name (and wish I had) once I figured out how to get around his thick Greek accent. Anyway, I'd schlep through there after work at around 3am. He'd either ask for help cleaning out the prior days' leftovers ("Here! Try This! Is Good!!" and it always was) ... or he'd experiment on me for the next day ("Here! Try this! Is good????? and it usually was).
If I was living life right, I'd get there just as he was taking the baklava out of the oven. I can still taste it, man that was good. A bright spot in an otherwise unpleasant experience.
I'm glad I don't have that job anymore. Nice to be home at night with the family.
Visit the EWTN complex that Mother Angelica founded.
War Eagle!!
Go Gators!!! (Although I’m not optimistic)
I'm sure that they'll appreciate it, but doubt they'll be surprised. "Well, why wouldn't we?" :-)
My fiancee’s nephew lives in Huntsville. he is a high level NASA consultant. Huntsville is a very concentrated area of highly paid professionals. Its pretty and has a good climate. You will probably love it.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.