Is Fairhope, Alabama a good place to live?

Im interested in relocating to south Alabama and was wondering what area is safe and has reasonable home insurance rates and property taxes? Florida is just to expensive.

Fairhope is a nice place to live. It is as safe as you can find anywhere. Forget about reasonable home insurance. The insurance companies are ripping-off everyone who lives within shouting distance of the Gulf--you will pay through your teeth for homeowner's insurance. Property taxes are reasonable but the sales taxes are extremely high. The education system in Baldwin County keeps pressuring the legislature to keep raising sales taxes to support an out of control and inefficient school system and because politicians want to keep getting elected, they don't want to anger the socker-moms so they just keep giving them more and more taxpayer's money.

Nice town with a lot of charm. Don't be in a hurry to buy. Rent first and really look around for a deal other than what overpriced parcels the realtors throw at you. Might take a while but there are some reasonable findings out there.

I appreciate the information. I will definitely rent a home until I figure out the best place to live and then purchase a home. I lived in Montgomery, Alabama from 1990-1997 before moving to Kentucky. I'm tired of all the snow and cold winters here in Kentucky. I know Alabama is a more economical place to live compared to Florida. Thanks again for the info!

ThomasA wrote:

Nice town with a lot of charm. Don't be in a hurry to buy. Rent first and really look around for a deal other than what overpriced parcels the realtors throw at you. Might take a while but there are some reasonable findings out there.

I want to be fairly close to the Gulf but I don't have to live on the beach. A 30-45 minute drive to the beach would be fine. I want affordable home owners insurance and property taxes. Thanks for the info.

Give Me a Break wrote:

Fairhope is a nice place to live. It is as safe as you can find anywhere. Forget about reasonable home insurance. The insurance companies are ripping-off everyone who lives within shouting distance of the Gulf--you will pay through your teeth for homeowner's insurance. Property taxes are reasonable but the sales taxes are extremely high. The education system in Baldwin County keeps pressuring the legislature to keep raising sales taxes to support an out of control and inefficient school system and because politicians want to keep getting elected, they don't want to anger the socker-moms so they just keep giving them more and more taxpayer's money.

Hey, James, Daphne would give you what you want.

There are a couple of beaches available for fishing, walking and May Day Park has a small swimming area.

Gulf Shores is 42 miles away.

Also check out Summerdale, Robertsdale, and Silverhill.

Just come rent somewhere and look around. You'll find what you're looking for.

No snow being among the best things you'll find.

Thanks for the info. I really appreciate it!:)

OldOpinionatedOne wrote:

Hey, James, Daphne would give you what you want.
There are a couple of beaches available for fishing, walking and May Day Park has a small swimming area.
Gulf Shores is 42 miles away.
Also check out Summerdale, Robertsdale, and Silverhill.
Just come rent somewhere and look around. You'll find what you're looking for.
No snow being among the best things you'll find.

Fairhope is full. Too many people in a small space. We had a couple of murders last year also with some stabbings. Home invasion is on the rise too. Had a terrorist threat to blow up a building. Vehicle break ins, hit and runs, and hundreds of soccer moms plowing into every car they can find with with their huge self-important SUVs. There's no where to park downtown, parades are anightmare if you try to go to them. Mayor is more concerned with planting flowers than city infrastructure. Traffic is getting worse everyday here. Traffic backed up 1/4 mile in some spots is a daily occourance. Why? Because too many people are moving here and for what?!? There's nothing to do in Fairhope but shop and go to the pier. Oh, we do have a walmart. The skating rink and bowling alley we all grew up with are gone with no return in sight. There is a skateboard park though. I'm 3rd generation resident and all the people moving here are lousing it up. Try Foley instead.

I will definitely check out Foley, Alabama when I visit South Alabama this summer. Thanks for the info.

Slow your roll wrote:

Fairhope is full. Too many people in a small space. We had a couple of murders last year also with some stabbings. Home invasion is on the rise too. Had a terrorist threat to blow up a building. Vehicle break ins, hit and runs, and hundreds of soccer moms plowing into every car they can find with with their huge self-important SUVs. There's no where to park downtown, parades are anightmare if you try to go to them. Mayor is more concerned with planting flowers than city infrastructure. Traffic is getting worse everyday here. Traffic backed up 1/4 mile in some spots is a daily occourance. Why? Because too many people are moving here and for what?!? There's nothing to do in Fairhope but shop and go to the pier. Oh, we do have a walmart. The skating rink and bowling alley we all grew up with are gone with no return in sight. There is a skateboard park though. I'm 3rd generation resident and all the people moving here are lousing it up. Try Foley instead.

ThomasA wrote:

Nice town with a lot of charm. Don't be in a hurry to buy. Rent first and really look around for a deal other than what overpriced parcels the realtors throw at you. Might take a while but there are some reasonable findings out there.

ThomasA has some credibility issues.

http://www.topix.com/forum/city/los-angeles-c...

"I can understand you being a mental cripple being from a state that still encourages marrying cousins and sisters."

Fair Hope is far from being full,I live in Foley and like it much,if I could I would sell and move to Fair Hope.Either one of these places would be great. It wasn't that long ago Fair Hope was in a magazine and listed as one of the best towns to retire in/live in.

I'm definitely interested in checking out Fairhope when I visit southern Alabama. Thank you so much for the info!

FastFred wrote:

Fair Hope is far from being full,I live in Foley and like it much,if I could I would sell and move to Fair Hope.Either one of these places would be great. It wasn't that long ago Fair Hope was in a magazine and listed as one of the best towns to retire in/live in.

FastFred wrote:

Fair Hope is far from being full,I live in Foley and like it much,if I could I would sell and move to Fair Hope.Either one of these places would be great. It wasn't that long ago Fair Hope was in a magazine and listed as one of the best towns to retire in/live in.

Which is why everybody and their brother are moving here, making it hard for people that have lived here for generations to enjoy it. I gave up on trying to go downtown to the post office or the library. I just go to Silverhill or Robertsdale instead. Too be fair it's a beautiful place, but there's just too many people here to enjoy anything.

Yeah, Fairhope is full. Go find some other place to trash and leave us alone. People think we are inbreeding hicks. Keep believing this. This is why Alabama has not been trashed by the yankees like Florida has. In the northerners believing we were bad, they stayed away and we were the better for it. That is why we play to the stereotypes and sure enough, the network news reporters will rush down here from New York to film cousins marrying or moonshine being made.
As long as we can perpetuate this, the northerners will pass us by on their way down south and continue to fill up Florida.
It is getting harder and harder each year. Heck, a CNN news crew came down to film a tropical storm back in the 1990's, stayed in a bed and breakfast, filmed the town, took it back to Atlanta, and guess waht? We got a slew of CNN retirees two years later.
I am going to have to get my teeth pulled, call my father "Uncle Daddy," and walk around in my bare feet hoping a CBS news creww will catch it on tape, air it, and pray that will work for another 10 years.
Yankees hear me! Keep going to Florida! Do NOT stop here! We are hicks and still shoot yankees during Yankee Season! I have a few heads in the living room of my double wide mobile home!

Ole Fairhoper--you are a comedian. I love your post. I agree with you in that as a transplanted Northerner, I hate to see more people come to this wonderful area and ruin it for me. Write more posts like the one you just did and maybe we can keep the other Yankees from discovering us. Yes, Florida is so yesterday.

I loved Fairhope and wish I could move back. We vacation down there every so many years. I would give my eyeteeth to be able to live there now.

Last time we were there, there was a slew of Hurricane Katrina evacuees clogging up rentals...they had been there a couple of years and just didn't want to go back. Has there been much trouble with them? I heard complaints, so I'm now wondering...

WOW, DO you have anyting Good to say. Talk about trying to scare away newcomers!

Slow your roll wrote:

Fairhope is full. Too many people in a small space. We had a couple of murders last year also with some stabbings. Home invasion is on the rise too. Had a terrorist threat to blow up a building. Vehicle break ins, hit and runs, and hundreds of soccer moms plowing into every car they can find with with their huge self-important SUVs. There's no where to park downtown, parades are anightmare if you try to go to them. Mayor is more concerned with planting flowers than city infrastructure. Traffic is getting worse everyday here. Traffic backed up 1/4 mile in some spots is a daily occourance. Why? Because too many people are moving here and for what?!? There's nothing to do in Fairhope but shop and go to the pier. Oh, we do have a walmart. The skating rink and bowling alley we all grew up with are gone with no return in sight. There is a skateboard park though. I'm 3rd generation resident and all the people moving here are lousing it up. Try Foley instead.

PaddleBoarder wrote:

WOW, DO you have anyting Good to say. Talk about trying to scare away newcomers!
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Basically, he is right about what he says from what I hear and from what I see when I go to Fairhope. Basically, it is a nice place to visit but there is a lot of contentious politics going on in Fairhope all of the time that wouldn't bother a visitor but would really aggravate a resident. Also, the cost of living is high in Fairhope. It is really a place for the upper-middle class and higher.

Anywhere down in that part of Alabama is great. We lived their for 8 months and would love to come back we miss that area so much. We are from Cincinnati but because of my husband losing his job after 32 years we have had to move around some to find work. He had a job in Mobile but it was commission based so we had to come back north for a job and hate it. We lived in Malbis and loved it!!! But we liked it all Fairhope, Spanish Fort, Daphne, Foley, Loxley and Gulf Shores. You can't go wrong it that area and the people there are so friendly and nice we felt so at home there and felt like we belonged. You won't go wrong moving there and if we ever get the opportunity we hope to be back there again soon too. Just a great place to live!!

Just Saying wrote:

Anywhere down in that part of Alabama is great. We lived their for 8 months and would love to come back we miss that area so much. We are from Cincinnati but because of my husband losing his job after 32 years we have had to move around some to find work. He had a job in Mobile but it was commission based so we had to come back north for a job and hate it. We lived in Malbis and loved it!!! But we liked it all Fairhope, Spanish Fort, Daphne, Foley, Loxley and Gulf Shores. You can't go wrong it that area and the people there are so friendly and nice we felt so at home there and felt like we belonged. You won't go wrong moving there and if we ever get the opportunity we hope to be back there again soon too. Just a great place to live!!

All true except that you have to bring your money with you unless you have a very unique background that will allow you to find a unique way to make descent money that no one else has discovered. If you don't, then you won't find a good paying job that will allow you to survive down here.