With summer highs usually hovering around the high 80s and winter highs in the 50s, you’re bound to find at least a few good days to get outside every week of the year. From outdoor concerts to family trips to the zoo to hiking and biking down the miles and miles of park trails, you’ll never run out of ways to enjoy the pleasant weather in Montgomery!

If you can afford to send your kids to private schools, you’ll probably be fine, but for the rest of the city, maybe not so much. The public schools are known for being subpar, even with major efforts underway to improve performance. 




 Warm Weather Doesn't Suck

LookyLOO Review of Montgomery

Growth in population in Montgomery in recent years has been in areas away from downtown, just outside the city limits. If you’re looking to move to the Montgomery area, newbies will recommend looking in areas like Millbrook, Prattville, and Pike Road just outside the city, where public schools get higher ratings, crime rates are lower, and you’re close enough to experience the great outdoors and downtown nightlife. Housing prices in most of these suburban hotspots are still below the national average, and you’re gonna want a car no matter where you live due to sprawl, so commuting in doesn’t make a huge difference.

We highly recommend visiting Montgomery 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.

Somewhat Suburban

Lifestyle 

That growth in the area is no accident. Some smaller universities in the area provide a solid job base and larger employers like Hyundai, Maxwell Air Force Base and Koch Foods have helped drive growth as well. With low cost of living, job opportunities, great weather, and a ton of things to do, now is a great time to take a look at Montgomery.



Growth 

Why You Should Move Here Now?

If you can afford to send your kids to private schools, you’ll probably be fine, but for the rest of the city, maybe not so much. The public schools are known for being subpar.

**talesbybob**
7mo ago
🦉🦉🦉

Metro Area
I am from an even smaller town originally, and have moved to Montgomery three times, and from it four times (I live just north, in Millbrook now). I would happily move back if the right opportunity arose. And here's the thing: it's fine. It has its upsides, it has its downsides. They are the same as some places, different from others. What it comes down to are the people. If you find some good friends, its a great place, same as pretty much any other place.

It's fine. Folks are gonna tell you crime is out of control. I haven't really seen that. They'll tell you the schools are trash. But at the same time the magnet schools are some of the best in the nation. There's food, there's shopping, there are things to do. As much as a bigger city? Nope. But that's to be expected.

Growing up in a super small town, the thought of living in a place like Atlanta makes my skin crawl. It's too big. Bham is about as large as I could see myself living in, but only barely. Montgomery is a good size for me. Big enough to have most of what I want, and centrally located enough that I can drive to most anything I would want to do in half a day, in most any direction.

Reviews of Montgomery from Locals

**The Best Thing About Montgomery?** - Warm Weather

I feel like this might be cheating, and something people might pick for other southern cities, but the things Montgomery has to offer makes the weather seem even better. With summer highs usually hovering around the high 80s and winter highs in the 50s, you’re bound to find at least a few good days to get outside every week of the year. From outdoor concerts, to family trips to the zoo, to hiking and biking down the miles and miles of park trails, you’ll never run out of ways to enjoy the warm weather in Montgomery!

**The Worst Thing About Montgomery** - Schools

 If you can afford to send your kids to private schools, you’ll probably be fine, but for the rest of the city, maybe not so much. The public schools are known for being subpar. 

**How You Living?** - Somewhat Suburban

The greatest growths in population here in recent years have been in areas away from downtown and just outside the city. If you’re looking to move to the Montgomery area, most recommend looking in areas like Millbrook, Prattville and Pike Road just outside the city., where public schools are rated better, crime rates are lower and you’re close enough to check out the great outdoors and downtown nightlife. Housing prices in most of these suburban hotspots are still below the national average, and you’re probably gonna want a car no matter where you live due to the sprawl, so commuting in doesn’t make that big of a difference.

**Why You Should Move Here Now?** - Improving Economy

That growth in the area is no accident. Some smaller universities in the area provide a solid job base and larger employers like Hyundai, Maxwell Air Force Base and Koch Foods have helped drive growth as well. With low cost of living, job opportunities, great weather, and a ton of things to do, now is a great time to take a look at Montgomery.


Known for civil rights movements and the individuals like Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks that led them, Montgomery rests along the bank of the Alabama River in a southern area synonymous for its hot and humid weather. The city is built on rolling terrain that might surprise those inexperienced with the south and is located in south/central Alabama, just a couple hours from the Gulf of Mexico. Two major interstate highways, I-65 and I-85 meet near the geographical center of the city, leading to Nashville to the north and Atlanta to the northeast respectively.


The Area

Montgomery is home to a diverse selection of colleges and universities including Alabama State University, Auburn University at Montgomery, and Huntingdon College. ASU students tend to live on campus or to the east in neighborhoods like the Garden District. Cloverdale has a decent selection of older houses that students sometimes live in as well. College students across Montgomery often complain that there’s not much to do for people their age in Montgomery, and going downtown is something that students often do to get closer to the action.
- Garden District
- Cloverdale
- Downtown


College Students

Garden District

Cottage Hill is an area that many young people call their home in Alabama’s capital. There are a number of restaurants and other social options. The neighborhood is probably the most walkable one in the city and has a solid location near downtown. Cloverdale is another area that affords young residents with reasonable rental costs for cute homes and a variety of eating and hang out options. There’s a popular and lovely spring concert series in Cloverdale as well for those musically inclined.
- Cottage Hill
- Cloverdale
- Garden District


Young Professionals

Cottage Hill

The common answer that you will receive when asking where families should move in the Montgomery area is the suburbs. Public schools in the city itself are not highly regarded, and better educational opportunities and solid housing options are thought of as more plentiful outside of the city. One suburb that is located a short drive from Montgomery is Millbrook. Millbrook has a comparable if not better restaurant and bar scene than Montgomery itself and is known for being safer than the city as well. Prattville is also just across the river from Montgomery and itself has a lot of local businesses and solid schools. Its relative proximity to the city also provides the opportunity to escape downtown as well.
- Millbrook
- Prattville
- Coosada


Young Families

Millbrook

Blue Ridge is a bit further from Montgomery and offers more of a rural feel than neighborhoods and suburbs closer to the city, but its solid schools and living options make it one of the best spots in the area for those families willing to be a bit further away from the action. Pike Road is a tight knit community south of Montgomery that is also close to the highway leading to the smaller city of Troy Alabama. It’s a more quiet community than much of the surrounding area and is known for the lush green fields that cover most of it.
- Blue Ridge
- Pike Road
- Coosada


Established Families

Blue Ridge

Montgomery

**talesbybob**
7mo ago
🦉🦉🦉

Metro Area
I am from an even smaller town originally, and have moved to Montgomery three times, and from it four times (I live just north, in Millbrook now). I would happily move back if the right opportunity arose. And here's the thing: it's fine. It has its upsides, it has its downsides. They are the same as some places, different from others. What it comes down to are the people. If you find some good friends, its a great place, same as pretty much any other place.

It's fine. Folks are gonna tell you crime is out of control. I haven't really seen that. They'll tell you the schools are trash. But at the same time the magnet schools are some of the best in the nation. There's food, there's shopping, there are things to do. As much as a bigger city? Nope. But that's to be expected.

Growing up in a super small town, the thought of living in a place like Atlanta makes my skin crawl. It's too big. Bham is about as large as I could see myself living in, but only barely. Montgomery is a good size for me. Big enough to have most of what I want, and centrally located enough that I can drive to most anything I would want to do in half a day, in most any direction.

**Goodstock101**
2y ago
🦉🦉🦉

There's a good bit of stuff you should definitely experience in the city. Go watch a Biscuits baseball game at Riverwalk Stadium, check out the EJI, if you like theater then the Shakespeare Theater is absolutely top notch, the Fine Art Museum is also near there, and the zoo in Montgomery is actually pretty great for a city it's size. Food wise there are some places pretty unique to Montgomery like Chris' Hotdogs, Scott Street Deli, Central, Ravello, El Rey, Lek's Railroad Tai, Hamburger King, Vicki's Lunch Van, Pannie George's Kitchen, and Chappy's Deli. There's a lot of other places to eat too but these are pretty local this this area. You'll only be an hour from Birmingham too which will have lots to do as well. There's also some really great and accessible golf in the River Region as well (Lagoon Park, Robert Trent Jones, Gateway) if that's your thing.

**Bobby_Orrs_Knees**
1y ago
🦉🦉

I spend a lot of time in Montgomery, and, yeah, it's easy to have a reaaaaaally bad time and a reaaaally bad impression of the city, especially when you're limited to an overnight - it's a product of what parts you see and spend time in. We have high poverty and unemployment rates in the surrounding region, the Black Belt, and there are counties where poverty rates exceed 30%, and are probably really closer to 50. Lots of poverty and lots of unemployment usually equal lots of crime, and you'll get that around here.

It's also possible to have a really good Montgomery experience - the east end of town is pretty solid, as others have said, and you can go shopping at a Publix or Target, or whatever, without any worries. There are good coffee shops, some good ethnic food, and a really surprisingly good art museum and park complex. It's easy to find the crappy spots, and you've gotta seek out the nicer areas - that's the biggest difference, in my mind.

**ecwagner01**
1y ago
🦉🦉🦉

East Montgomery
The city has been built in circles going outward from the center of Montgomery. The closer to downtown, the buildings become "Historic".

Stay away from the city center,west of I-65 and the southern bypass south of Vaughn Road. The newer homes are mostly east of the Bypass. From the eastern bypass to Taylor Road, these houses are around 40+years old.

Schools Suck everywhere. Alabama is not public school friendly...unless you can get your children into Magnet Schools. The commune from the Pike Road area isn't bad. It's a young and growing community. Prattville and Wetumpka have homes, but also the commute isn't the best.

If I were moving to Montgomery (Retired USAF) again and knowing that my wife wouldn't want to move again (long story). I would look at Pike Road for a Home. (Just me. Better chance with the schools and resale value of your home)

Montgomery, Alabama

The Gump

Looklyloo Score: 82