When I was growing up in Huntsville, Alabama, this is where the space and rocket center was. This is where all of the German rocket scientists came after war and started designing rockets for NASA, for the moon landing and all that.
-Author: Jimmy Wales
Huntsville does not screw around with employment. Starting with the Space Race of the 60’s Huntsville became a powerhouse in defense, biotech, hypersonic propulsion, cyber security, rada, aerospace engineering, weapons, combat systems, and counter-intelligence. It also houses a major Toyota auto plant and one of the world’s largest Biotech Research Facilities and one of the world’s largest general research parks. It you are ready to get your STEM on in a career then Huntsville should be on your list.
Note from a local about the community in Hunstville:
Huntsville is a very metropolitan community in the heart of the deep South, and as a result it has been able to keep a small town charm and yet advance into the 21st century leading the nation's military and space exploration efforts. Huntsville has the highest concentration of PhDs anywhere in the United States. It has the highest concentration of high-tech talent anywhere in the United States except for Silicon Valley - it's why one of Huntsville's nicknames is Silicon Holler.
Locals will claim that you get six months of hot, sticky weather, and four months of wet, cold winter - there is an insane amount of rain. That leaves at most 60 days a year where you can relax outside and enjoy the weather.
Some local notes about the weather in Huntsville:
Roughly similar to Florida in the summer, with slightly less humidity. Highs in the 90s are common during the summer, with occasional 100s. The difference is we experience four full seasons, so there is a distinct winter here where it gets chilly (40s for highs, with occasional cold snaps that can bring the lows into single digits). We get an occasional dusting of snow maybe once a year that shuts the town down.
Nightlife in Huntsville is thin relative to other cities nearby (Nashville/Atlanta) but there is both a hipster bar thing and beer and a shot options happening if you crave either of those scenes.. If you’re more cultured you’ll be happy to know the city has a fine symphony orchestra, playhouse, museums, and a concert hall, for those fine art’s nights out.
Huntsville also has a good concert venue where some of the big acts go, but also cool is how perfectly located you are between Nashville, Birmingham, and Atlanta where every big show happens.
There are a lot of good reasons to move to Huntsville but we can’t get past the workforce and economy as front and center. Huntsville has the highest number of PHDs in the country and the greatest concentration of tech talent, outside Silicon Valley. It seems fair to say that Tech, Defense and Biotech are going to be powerful industries for the next 100 years or so, so what's not to like.
Ihttps://www.huntsvillescoop.com/top10reason2move.html
Downtown is where most young professionals start their search. It’s the heart of the social scene in Huntsville, with the greatest concentration of restaurants, bars, theaters and cultural options. You also have plenty of condos/apartments so you can have a really fun walkscore lifestyle.
One of the cooler neighborhoods in Huntsville is the Five Points Historic District. It’s just a mile from downtown and half a mile to Monte Sano Mountain so get a nice balance of access to the heart of the city but a walk from great hiking trails. It also has its own fantastic food options and bars so you don’t have to head downtown to get a refreshment. https://www.fivepointshistoricdistrict.org/
Five Points is the heart of the LGBTQ+ community in Huntsville. Beautiful historic homes, boutique eats and shopping, and plenty of arts, galleries and local culture make it ideal for those looking to start or support LGBTQ+ friendly businesses. Don’t sleep on Huntsville overall as a city that loves and supports the LGBTQ+ community. Huntsville is perhaps the oldest city in Alabama with a history of openly supporting LGBTQ families and the Rocket City Pride event is a great example of how the city demonstrates that support. https://www.gayrealestate.com/news/usa/alabama/huntsville/huntsville-lgbtq-city-guide.html
Blossomwood is an amazing neighborhood for families. It sits right next to Downtown so you can experience an active lifestyle, but it also is right below Monte Sano mountain so raising your kiddos in the great outdoors is right in your backyard. It also has beautiful homes, incredible tree-lined streets, and some of the best public schools in the city. If you want to get a bit more breathing room then check out Jones Valley. It’s centered around the Jones Family farm and offers the most breathtaking views in North Alabama. It has its own restaurants and shopping but for many the hiking and great courses are more of the draw.
