2021 Best Places to Raise a Family in Alabama

Homewood

• Suburb of Birmingham, AL
• Rating 4.19 out of 5  64 reviews

Former Resident: My experience at Homewood has been nothing but the best! I was raised in Homewood and went to Homewood City Schools for the majority of my life. The teachers at Homewood want nothing but the best for their students. They go the long mile to provide an environment of learning that enables students to be individuals of their own. Homewood is a family oriented community. They strive to do their best to keep the community going. The community has fundraisers, events, and foundations to give back to the city. As a senior in college finishing up my last semester, I appreciate the people who have raised and helped me achieve my overall success!
Read 64 Reviews

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• 25,534 Population

Madison

• Suburb of Huntsville, AL
• Rating 4.06 out of 5  217 reviews

Current Resident: Madison is a jewel in North Alabama! Small town feel with lots of small independently owned restaurants , yet many chain restaurants and more coming in regularly. Small business owners compete well with big box stores here. Great place for raising a family or independent living. Plenty of very nice apartment complexes as well as new homes being built all aroundMadison. You can own acres or just take care of a small plot of land. Choices are many! Food is great and breweries are just as unique. The location of Madison is awesome! One hour from Nashville and right next door to Huntsville, home of the Space and Rocket Center. There are no shortages of jobs here. Part-time work or full-time employment for everyone. There is a wonderful mix of cultures here as well as age groups and Madison caters to us all! You will enjoy four seasons here. A very light winter and if it gets to hot in the summer, you are only a few hours from the Coast. Spend a weekend. Then you will want to move here!
Read 217 Reviews

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• 49,327 Population

Indian Springs Village

• Suburb of Birmingham, AL
• Rating 3.88 out of 5  8 reviews

Current Resident: It's country living in a sub-urban area. It is primarily residential, with some commercial areas at the periphery. It's quiet, minimum traffic, wooded. Indian Springs Village is right across the highway from Alabama's largest (10,000 acre) state park.
Read 8 Reviews

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• 2,549 Population

Hoover

• Town in Alabama
• Rating 4.16 out of 5  212 reviews

Current Resident: I love the diverse community and the small-town feeling without feeling too small. By that I mean, I can still travel to events in Birmingham at the BJCC but you still will see people you know all the time at the grocery store. There are tons of restaurants and activities to participate in around the area and the school system is one that I'm proud to have been involved in myself. I feel like the only thing I have a problem with within Hoover is that because it is trying to become well-known and popular it is tearing down some of the forests that add to the scenery of the area. There is Moss Rock Preserved locally but even then building is impeding on the natural aspects of Hoover's beauty. Overall, it has ample opportunity for jobs, places for students to thrive, and community aspects that encourage personal growth in whatever avenues necessary for the individual.
Read 212 Reviews

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• 85,175 Population

Vestavia Hills

• Suburb of Birmingham, AL
• Rating 4.4 out of 5  43 reviews

Current Resident: Big city, small town charm! Lots of small businesses and restaurants all over this many square mile city. Schools are excellent. Children are well behaved and seem to have been put through manners training-Well done Mothers! City services are top notch. Police and fire protection ranked high enough for a rate drop from my insurance carrier! Garbage pickup twice a week is pure luxury. Senior Center activities, transportation. Parks that will be the envy of all surrounding communities once they are completed. Ordinances that protect a peaceful way of life. Noise, fireworks, construction all have an ordinance that addresses their affect on tax payers quality of life.
Vestavia Hills is just a grand place to live! Some people are wealthy, some have a little money, so struggle and some are dirt poor, but they are all HARD working citizens! That is what makes this city unique. Everyone understands because everyone works for what they have. This is a dying trend in America. Well done VH!
Read 43 Reviews

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• 34,307 Population

Mountain Brook

• Suburb of Birmingham, AL
• Rating 4.21 out of 5  24 reviews

Current Resident: Everyone in Mountain Brook is very friendly and the education is amazing. There are so many opportunities to stay active in the community. My only complaints are that there is a lack of diversity and the lack of street lights. For all of the young drivers out there, it makes it difficult once it gets dark out. Other than that, Mountain Brook is amazing. I could not have asked for a better place to live!
Read 24 Reviews

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• 20,436 Population

Meadowbrook

• Suburb of Birmingham, AL
• Rating 4.2 out of 5  10 reviews

Current Resident: Meadow Brook is a friendly neighborhood very convenient to shopping and restaurants. A beautiful neighborhood for taking a walk or run. All different age groups here from young children to senior citizens. School bus service to very good schools. Many residents making improvements and updates to the older homes.
Read 10 Reviews

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• 9,468 Population

Trussville

• Suburb of Birmingham, AL
• Rating 3.76 out of 5  72 reviews

Current Resident: Trussville is a very tight-knit community. Everyone knows everyone and everyone supports one another. The school system is amazing and so invested in the students that pass through the school. The town just feels like home. So many cute parks, playgrounds, restaurants, and spots to hang out in.
Read 72 Reviews

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• 21,876 Population

Pelham

• Suburb of Birmingham, AL
• Rating 4.1 out of 5  62 reviews

Current Resident: Pelham is a small suburb town south of Birmingham, AL. I would like to see more opportunities dmfir diversity within communities and schools. This could be achieved by housing grants and programs that facilitate
education scholarships and programs to afford opportunities to students of other races and socioeconomic backgrounds to become Pelham residents and students.
Moreover, I would like to more homeschool cooperatives that allow students to work independently as we as attend school half-time.
These and other educational initiatives would empower more children of color or ethnicities to realize the quiet living in Pelham and to become assets to schools and the community as a whole.
Read 62 Reviews

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• 23,428 Population

Helena

• Suburb of Birmingham, AL
• Rating 4.13 out of 5  86 reviews

Current Resident: Helena is a small suburban town outside of Birmingham, AL. It hosts a diversified group of families. One of the great things about Helena is the little town of Helena. It is a great gathering place for families and friends alike to come and enjoy food, festivities and local Mom and Pop shops. People just love the small town feel and the family atmosphere. It is a little off the beaten path but well worth the drive. It could use some better alternatives for night life though. The town shuts down after dark.
Read 86 Reviews

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• 18,463 Population

Auburn

• Town in Alabama
• Rating 4.18 out of 5  238 reviews

Works Here: Auburn is somehow in a magic bubble - it's central to big cities, but has the personality of a small town. It's a small city with a tremendous school system and lots of progressive-minded individuals. It's like a unicorn in the South! It's just such a wonderful community for families.
Read 238 Reviews

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• 64,054 Population

Fairhope

• Town in Alabama
• Rating 4.37 out of 5  67 reviews

Current Resident: Fairhope is a nice small town with good diversity in residents, visitors, businesses, food, entertainment. Very dog friendly and offers vast fitness/outdoor opportunities. The schools are good and neighborhoods safe and well kept up. People are friendly although somewhat snobby in certain locations. Overall it is a quaint town with lots of possibilities and welcoming to new people
Read 67 Reviews

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• 21,083 Population

Chelsea

• Suburb of Birmingham, AL
• Rating 3.51 out of 5  35 reviews

Current Resident: Cheslea is a wonderful place for families. The school system is highly ranked, and there are many parks geared toward students and children. The restaurant scene has greatly improved in the last decade. There is not much to do at night, you would have to drive to Birmingham for events. Apart from retail, teaching, and food service jobs, most career opportunities are in Birmingham.
Read 35 Reviews

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• 13,098 Population

Alabaster

• Suburb of Birmingham, AL
• Rating 4.1 out of 5  109 reviews

Current Resident: Alabaster has a small town feel- but with interstate access comes lots of dining/shopping choices! Property values are on the rise. Since the city took over the school system, much improvement has occurred and more is on the way!
Read 109 Reviews

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• 33,176 Population

Meridianville

• Suburb of Huntsville, AL
• Rating 3.76 out of 5  17 reviews

Current Resident: I like the small town feel of the city and the fact that a lot of people don’t live there. However, as a liberal it is often tough living in the mostly conservative city.
Read 17 Reviews

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• 7,087 Population

Point Clear

• Suburb of Mobile, AL

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• 2,652 Population

Brook Highland

• Suburb of Birmingham, AL
• Rating 3 out of 5  6 reviews

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• 7,147 Population

Spanish Fort

• Suburb of Mobile, AL
• Rating 4.23 out of 5  31 reviews

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• 8,601 Population

Daphne

• Town in Alabama
• Rating 4.16 out of 5  56 reviews

Current Resident: Daphne is such a nice city along the Alabama gulf coast. It’s location puts you close to shopping, restaurants, and family fun activities. The drive to the beach is short too! Love our beautiful jubilee city!
Read 56 Reviews

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• 25,901 Population

Huntsville

• City in Alabama
• Rating 3.91 out of 5  725 reviews

Current Resident: I moved to Huntsville, AL a month before the COVID-19 shutdown. I was able to enjoy many outside activities during the lockdown, without coming into contact with people. The are plenty of caves, trails, and rivers to explore. As things have started to open back up, there have been many additions added to the city. We are getting a AA baseball team, restaurants and hotels continue to open everyday, and there are social distanced events that happen throughout the city such as music venues showing free local artists. The food scene is on the rise with classic southern food, the integration of food trucks/trailers, and even European inspired food is starting to show up. I like that Huntsville has diverse culture and is a very transient city. You never know who you will meet and hear the stories of how we all ended up in town!
Read 725 Reviews

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• 196,219 Population

Harvest

• Suburb of Huntsville, AL
• Rating 4.05 out of 5  40 reviews

Current Resident: I've lived in Harvest for over 18 years. Just like any other city, it has its pros and cons. Some of the shining points are that it's relatively close to entertainment and shopping, it's affordable, and the schools are excellent. Job-wise, most people work in Huntsville or Madison and the commute is pretty good for the most part. However, I personally am not a fan of all of the housing that seemed to have exploded onto the scene over the past few years. The roads cannot handle this much traffic and there are accidents all the time. Once they get the roads figured out, it will be a better situation for everyone.
Read 40 Reviews

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• 5,819 Population

Muscle Shoals

• Town in Alabama
• Rating 4.08 out of 5  51 reviews

Current Resident: Muscle Shoals is a very open, friendly place! You can find multiple restaurants, beautiful views and the FAME building is a sight to see!
Read 51 Reviews

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• 14,103 Population

Calera

• Suburb of Birmingham, AL
• Rating 3.86 out of 5  36 reviews

Current Resident: I live in south Calera, and I love it. There’s not much to do other than the railroad museum but it’s only about a 15 minute drive to Alabaster, and there’s a lot of stuff up there to do there. It’s quiet, safe, and very welcoming to new folks!
Read 36 Reviews

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• 13,856 Population

Hartselle

• Suburb of Huntsville, AL
• Rating 4.13 out of 5  38 reviews

Current Resident: Hartselle is our town....Mayberry RFD of the 21st century....we love our little town and the quiet streets at night. Everything you need is here including great neighbors, schools, small town at its best...some of the kindest American Patriots you will ever meet...
Read 38 Reviews

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• 14,428 Population

Athens

• Town in Alabama
• Rating 3.86 out of 5  104 reviews

Current Resident: Friendly town, would love to see more businesses and housing catering to the 20-30s working professionals demographic. An entertainment district would be fabulous - there is zero nightlife right now. Brand new high school - diverse student population, both ethnically and socioeconomically. Nice sports facilities. Swan Creek Trail is a gorgeous greenway with crushed gravel - perfect for runners, easy on the joints!
Read 104 Reviews

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• 25,922 Population