Huntsville does not screw around with employment. Starting with the Space Race of the ’60s, 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, one of the world’s largest Biotech Research Facilities, and one of the world’s largest general research parks. If you are ready to get your STEM on in a career, then Huntsville should be on your list.  

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 when you can relax outside and enjoy the weather. 

Serious Job Opportunities

LookyLOO Review of Huntsville

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 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. 

Check out what happens in Huntsville throughout the year in the [**calendar of events**](https://www.huntsville.org/events/). 

We highly recommend visiting Hunstville and staying in the community in a [VRBO](https://vrbo.com/affiliate/p4JS4ZC) rather than a hotel to get a feel for what it's like to live among the locals. You can receive discounted fares on travel via our [partnership with Expedia](expedia.com/affiliate/9NZ8LBQ) as well.

Lifestyle 

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


Workforce/Economy

Why You Should Move Here Now?

**OneSecond13**
1y ago
🦉🦉🦉🦉


https://realestate.usnews.com/real-estate/slideshows/best-places-to-live-in-the-us-for-families

Huntsville was rated the #1 city in America to raise a family. Colorado Springs didn't even make the top 25. I can say from living here for 30+ years that Huntsville has been a great place to raise a family. Our kids got a great education, there was always plenty to do with them, and now they have both finished college and are married. They have good jobs in the area and own their own homes. What more can a parent ask?

You trade the mountains in Colorado for the Gulf Coast. Make sure you take advantage of the beach (consistently rated among the best beaches in the world). It is glorious. They are different from the Rockies, but the Smoky Mountains, like the beach, are a 1/2 day drive away. Incredibly beautiful as well.

Your comments about crippling debt are concerning. Spending above your means is not a problem you will solve by moving. All of us have to live within a budget or debt at some point becomes unmanageable. With five kids I am sure that is even more difficult.

For more reviews of what living in Huntsville is like from locals, check out [**The Reviews**](https://lookyloomove.com/locations/huntsville/reviews).





Reviews of Huntsville from Locals

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. 
- Downtown
- Five Points


Young Professionals

Downtown

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 Historic District


DINKs/SINKs

Five Points

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


LGBTQ+

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.
- Blossomwood
- Jones Valley
- South Huntsville


Families

Blossomwood

Huntsville

**enigmaunbound**
7mo ago
🦉🦉🦉🦉

Based on the little time I've spent in Chi town. You will either be surprised how laid back all the drives are. Or you will be homicidally incensed how slow everyone is driving and offended at the following distances.

Huntsville has a lot of little tribes of people. Many of them are from small home towns around here or center on a church.

There is a welcome beer and young adult culture building up. We have a rather cool maker community. We decorate with rockets and missiles.

Occasionally the town goes kaboom. It's cool, just something out on the arsenal. That's what it's there for. In the county you will often hear rapid fire gun reports. That's usually also fine. Or if it's not, it will be in Nextdoor in microseconds.

You will meet interesting people who can't tell you what they do for a living. Also boring people who also can't tell you what they do.

Drive by and marvel at egg beater Jesus. Visit the Space and Rocket Center. Lowe Mill and Campus 805 are always fun destinations. We occasionally have good music at a number of venues. Usually not head line acts, but occasionally when they get bored they drop into town.

**GinaHannah1**
7mo ago
🦉🦉🦉

We moved here from Chicago 25 years ago (Fox River Valley specifically). We like it here - jobs brought us here along with cost of living, although that has risen considerably. We do love Chicago and visit when we can. I’d say the main thing we miss from there is the restaurant scene. We love all types of international food and you’ll only find a smattering of that here, which is no surprise given it’s a much smaller metro. People here are friendly, similar to the Midwest, and there are a lot of transplants from everywhere. Regarding traffic: I remember people in Chicago driving fast up there, but it seems culturally there was more of an attitude of cooperation when it came to zipper merges, etc. You won’t find that here. But then that was 20+ years ago so maybe it’s changed up there. Very few people here signal when turning or changing lanes. One thing we DON’T miss is winter.

**hsvpunk**
1y ago
🦉🦉🦉

As an Alabama native and having previously lived in summit county Colorado I can say that yes it’s cheaper. But if that’s the area you love you’ll be somewhat disappointed.

I was a ski and ride instructor there and nothing I miss more than being 30 minutes from my happy place. I dream of moving back often but COL & deteriorating values for Colorado were why I left and moved back to Alabama, previously Birmingham area.

Huntsvilles nice. Relatively kind folks. What it offers is fair for city size. But having been here 10 years I can say that while you may have a leg up initially. This area is growing quickly and land when I moved here was ~ $75 per acre. Now upward of $175-250k per acre here in Madison.

I’d be mindful that any area in the country that desirable causes higher costs. And I think that’s true here. $400-500k homes in neighborhood next to me now fetch $800k-1.1m. That’s new builds 10 years ago that have doubled.

**OneSecond13**
1y ago
🦉🦉🦉🦉


https://realestate.usnews.com/real-estate/slideshows/best-places-to-live-in-the-us-for-families

Huntsville was rated the #1 city in America to raise a family. Colorado Springs didn't even make the top 25. I can say from living here 30+ years that Huntsville has been a great place to raise a family. Our kids got a great education, there was always plenty to do with them, and now they have both finished college and are married. They have good jobs in the area and own their own homes. What more can a parent ask?

You trade the mountains in Colorado for the Gulf Coast. Make sure you take advantage of the beach (consistently rated among the best beaches in the world). It is glorious. They are different from the Rockies, but the Smoky Mountains, like the beach, are a 1/2 day drive away. Incredibly beautiful as well.

Your comments about crippling debt are concerning. Spending above your means is not a problem you will solve by moving. All of us have to live within a budget or debt at some point becomes unmanageable. With five kids I am sure that is even more difficult.

Huntsville, Alabama

Rocket City

Looklyloo Score: 86