If you are looking for a college atmosphere in Alabama without the craziness, relocating to Huntsville might be the answer. Colleges surround it.

Relocating to Huntsville

Huntsville, Alabama is a medium sized city located in Madison County. The population of Huntsville is 158,216 – and it is steadily increasing. Throughout the 1990's, Huntsville saw a population decrease of around 1.3%, but recently (in the last five years) population has actually increased, by about 5%. Huntsville, Alabama is a densely populated city, more so than most of the cities in the state, and encompasses 174 square miles. Huntsville was the birthplace of Confederate general John Hunt Morgan, as well as comedienne Paula Poundstone.

When relocating to Huntsville, you may want to consider the climate and crime rates of this city. According to a crime index where the average in the United States rates 325.2, Huntsville, Alabama rates a score of 573. This is slightly higher than average, but not high enough to cause concern. The climate and temperature of this area is also an important consideration for those who plan to relocate here. Huntsville is not as warm as some other cities in the state, with average high temperatures reaching to just 90ºF in the summer months, and average low temperatures falling to 30ºF in the winter. Precipitation in the city reaches its peak in the spring, with some months seeing over six inches of rain.

Racially, Huntsville, Alabama is a diverse city. Here, 63.4% of the population designated their race as white/non-Hispanic, while 30.2% of the population stated Black. 2% of the residents said that they were Hispanic, and Huntsville also has a larger than average American Indian population, at 1.2%. 36.1% of the adult population in the city indicated that they held a Bachelor's Degree or higher (a larger percentage than the rest of Alabama) and 52.4% of the adults stated that they were married at the time of census.

Another consideration when relocating to Huntsville is the financial statistics of the city. The median yearly household income is $41,074 – higher than the national average. The cost of purchasing a home in this city is not comparably high, however, at just $93,700 on average. For those in Huntsville who choose to rent their housing (which is about one third of the residents), the average cost of rent per month here is $376.

The closest larger city to Huntsville is Birmingham, Alabama, which is 83.5 miles away. 85% of the people who work in Huntsville also live here, so the area is not known for long commutes. There are several colleges and universities in the Huntsville area, including the University of Alabama – Huntsville, and Oakwood College.

Lou Ross is with MovingCompaniesforYou.com - a directory of moving truck rentals along with helpful advice on moving issues.