There are sites that’ll give you people’s opinions on what it’s like to live somewhere — simply search the Web for forums or discussion groups about a particular city or region.
For instance, one lady wanted to get opinions on some Alabama real estate she was looking at, and she told a forum that she was specifically interested in a very small town that is family-oriented, laid-back and friendly (her family is made up of elementary-aged school children) and wondered if anyone could comment on Cullman and Blount Counties.
She did get several replies, including one from a person born and raised in Cullman, who said she would not think of raising her children anywhere else.
Nearly every town and/or county mentioned is linked to a separate site page that sets out the area’s demographics, so (in this case) you can learn that the population in Cullman is 15,000 and the average cost of a house is nearly $128,000 (up from $94,000 over the past decade). More details include that the percentage of White Non-Hispanic is ninety-three percent and the cost of living index in Cullman is nearly 20 points below that of the national average.
In another thread, residents of a different area in the state spoke directly to the fact that there were many places where the make up of the population was predominantly White Non-Hispanic, and there was a very honest discussion of what people who live in Alabama experience.
Small southern towns are often perceived to be closed to mixed races and even to newcomers, but the reality (as experienced by people who actually live there) seems to be much different. It’s not all pollyanna stuff either: although she did not witness any form of racism, one resident — a newcomer of about two years — groused that finding someone to do good repair work around the house can be an exercise in frustration.
More Alabama real estate that was recommended was a place just outside of Birmingham, called Trussville, where new elementary and middle schools have just been constructed, and a new high school is going up as well. A look at the demographic page shows a 40 percent increase in the population since 2000, which would explain the requirements for more schools.
With about 20,000 residents, Trussville is still a small town, but it’s got the conveniences you might expect of a larger center, with a new mall, a cute downtown, theaters, churches, a nice park and sports complex and a good-sized library.
You should note that the median household income in Trussville is over $80,000 (double that of the rest of the state), with real estate prices correspondingly higher ($300,000 for a detached house).
RE/MAX of Alabama (http://www.remax-alabama.com) is a real estate brokerage that specializes in Alabama real estate. Art Gib is a freelance writer.
[tags]Alabama real estate[/tags]
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