Huntsville and the Tennessee Valley - Think Big, Live Local
Rich in history and modern in science and technology, the Huntsville Metropolitan Area boasts a variety of lifestyle options for everyone. Anchored by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, people and industry are flocking to Huntsville to take advantage of its big city opportunities and small town feel. Huntsville is surrounded by family-friendly towns and suburban communities like Decatur and Madison, while the greater Tennessee Valley area offers an abundance of outdoor activities and beautiful scenery. We work hard here, but we also value a good quality of life - whether that means having a manageable commute home, finding a good school for your kids, or being able to grab a beer with friends at one of our many microbreweries.
Huntsville and the Tennessee Valley - Plenty of Space for Everyone!
A Well-Paid and Highly Educated Workforce
Huntsville was ranked the best place to live in America by US. News & World Report's 2022-2023 Best Places to Live report: https://realestate.usnews.com/places/rankings/best-places-to-live?src=usn_pr.
Forbes ranks Huntsville as #1 city for most engineers per capita in the US with an average salary of $102,766: https://www.forbes.com/sites/kathryndill/2015/02/24/the-top-cities-for-engineers/?sh=4d7678b322a6.
Payscale.com lists the average Huntsville Salary as $71,000: https://www.payscale.com/research/US/Location=Huntsville-AL/Salary
A Low Cost of Living and an Easy Commute
Salary.com estimated Huntsville’s Cost of Living 5.1% lower than the national average: https://www.payscale.com/cost-of-living-calculator/Alabama-Huntsville
In May 2021, the median cost of a house in Huntsville was $275,000: https://www.redfin.com/city/9408/AL/Huntsville/housing-market
Designed by and for the large number of engineers, the average commute in Huntsville is 19 minutes, and it is easy to get across the city even in rush hour: https://www.bestplaces.net/transportation/city/alabama/huntsville
Huntsville International airport voted as the best small airport in the US by USA Today in 2020 and staying in second for 2021 https://www.10best.com/awards/travel/best-small-airport-2020/
Our People and Our City
The citizens of Huntsville are warm and outreaching, compassionate, and generous. Huntsville is growing rapidly and becoming more and more of a melting pot. NASA and the Marshall Space Flight Center are dedicated to providing a diverse, inclusive, and encouraging work environment for everyone.
NASA named Best Place to Work in Federal Government for 9th Straight Year. https://www.ibtimes.com/nasa-named-best-place-work-federal-government-9th-straight-year-3239230
Huntsville named one of the South's "Best Cities on the Rise" by Southern Living Magazine: https://www.southernliving.com/souths-best/cities-on-the-rise?slide=ca523541-3229-4dfd-a7ee-f6a1c7ca7f50#ca523541-3229-4dfd-a7ee-f6a1c7ca7f50
Huntsville listed as one of the “Best Places to Live in the U.S.": https://whnt.com/news/huntsville/huntsville-lands-on-list-for-best-places-to-live-in-the-u-s/
Huntsville is Alabama’s biggest city: https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/alabama/articles/2021-08-13/huntsville-now-alabamas-largest-city-overtakes-birmingham
Huntsville's Legacy of Innovation: https://hsvchamber.org/huntsvilles-legacy-of-innovation-asmartplace/?fbclid=IwAR2bw7RO-HSa5E_phbloPw4J5WWPmuwY8CfNhSvejHaj6tQbAumugqZyWtQ
Find out more about us at:
- Huntsville: https://www.huntsville.org/
- Huntsville/Madison County Chamber of Commerce: https://hsvchamber.org/
- Madison City Chamber of Commerce: https://www.madisonalchamber.com/
- Decatur Chamber of Commerce: https://www.decaturtx.com/
- Information on area demographics: https://worldpopulationreview.com/us-cities/huntsville-al-population
On March 23, 2022, Huntsville popped up on Jeopardy under the category "Big City.": https://www.waaytv.com/video/huntsville-featured-on-jeopardy/video_56cbcf67-c4e3-5024-ac6a-45f6c4924543.html
Education
In Rocket City, USA, education is taken seriously. Of course, there are unique STEM adventures like Space Camp, but our schools offer a variety of excellent science, arts, and liberal arts opportunities to all students at every age. 2020 National Blue Ribbon Schools in the area include Bob Jones high School, Cleburne County Elementary School, Hewitt-Trussville High School, and John S. Jones Elementary School. Adults wanting to obtain an advanced degree can select from several impressive higher learning institutions that call our area home.
Madison City Schools rank in the top 10 schools of Alabama: https://www.madisoncity.k12.al.us/site/default.aspx?PageType=3&DomainID=4&ModuleInstanceID=32&ViewID=6446EE88-D30C-497E-9316-3F8874B3E108&RenderLoc=0&FlexDataID=8015&PageID=1; and see their A+ ranking in Niche School Rankings at https://www.niche.com/k12/d/madison-city-schools-al/
U.S. News and World Report ranked Huntsville's New Century Technology High School the #2 High School in Alabama. https://www.huntsvillecityschools.org/schools/new-century-technology-high-school.
The Alabama School of Cyber Technology and Engineering, a new magnet high school, will be opening its permanent location at Huntsville's Research Park. https://www.ascte.org/Page/1.
In 2019 the Public Affairs Research Council ranked Alabama as the 7th Highest State for graduation rates with 80% of graduates college-ready. http://parcalabama.org/2019-likely-a-high-point-for-high-school-graduation-and-readiness/.
More about our schools: https://www.huntsvillecityschools.org/, https://www.mcssk12.org/, https://www.greatschools.org/alabama/huntsville/#districts, and https://www.greatschools.org/alabama/madison/schools/.
Higher Education:
- University of Alabama Huntsville: https://www.uah.edu/ (with almost a 100% job placement post-graduation).
- Alabama A&M University: https://www.aamu.edu/
- Oakwood University: https://www2.oakwood.edu/
- Drake State Community and Technical College: https://www.drakestate.edu/
- Calhoun Community College: https://calhoun.edu/
Things to Do
Are you a nature lover? Do you like music or craft beer? Love sports? Huntsville has got you covered.
Outdoor Activities
- Monte Sano State Park: https://www.alapark.com/parks/monte-sano-state-park
- Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge: https://www.fws.gov/refuge/wheeler/
- Green Mountain Nature Trail: https://www.madisoncountyal.gov/services/green-mountain-nature-trail-1594
- Water sports and fishing in the Tennessee River, Lake Guntersville, and other waterways: https://www.huntsville.org/things-to-do/outdoors/
- Great family Parks, greenways, and bike trails: https://www.huntsvilleal.gov/environment/parks-recreation/parks-and-nature/trails-greenways/
- Just 5 hours away from Gulf Coast beaches: https://www.gulfshores.com/.
Museums, Gardens and Attractions
- Space and Rocket Center: http://www.rocketcenter.com/
- NASA Space Camp: https://www.spacecamp.com/
- Huntsville Botanical Garden: https://hsvbg.org/
- Burritt on the Mountain: https://burrittonthemountain.com
- Less than 2 hours from Nashville and Birmingham.
- Less than 3 hours to Atlanta and Memphis.
- A day's drive to Florida and New Orleans.
Arts and Culture
- The Von Braun Center: https://www.vonbrauncenter.com/
- Huntsville Museum of Art https://hsvmuseum.org/
- Huntsville Symphony Orchestra https://www.hso.org/
- Huntsville Ballet https://www.huntsvilleballet.org/
- Secret Art Walk: https://www.downtownhuntsville.org/secretarttrail
Sports and Entertainment
- Trash Pandas Baseball: https://www.milb.com/rocket-city
- Huntsville Aquatics Center https://www.huntsvilleal.gov/environment/parks-recreation/recreation/aquatics/huntsville-aquatics-center/
- Huntsville Ice Sports Center https://www.icesportscenter.com/
- NCAA Division 1 Football Champions, University of Alabama: https://rolltide.com/sports/football
- NCAA Division 1 Football powerhouse, Auburn University: https://auburntigers.com/sports/football
Local Food and Music
- Craft Beer Trail: https://www.downtownhuntsville.org/craftbeertrail
- Craft Coffee Trail: https://www.downtownhuntsville.org/craftcoffeetrail
- Music Around Town: https://huntsvillemusic.com/
