Moving to Madison? Unless you have ever been through Madison, you probably have misconceptions about Alabama and the amazing people who live here. No, we do not all own cows or horses or speak with a deep accent. Actually Madison is home to highly educated people from all over the world thanks to the influx of engineering and technical jobs in the area. Madison is actually the fastest growing city in Alabama and one of the fastest in the Southeast. You can feel the excitement in the community and with one of the highest per capita incomes and a school system that is recognized for scholastic excellence at the local, state, and national level….Madison is a special place!
Madison was ranked by Niche as the best suburb to live in Alabama and the best place to raise a family in Alabama, it’s no surprise that Madison’s schools rank #1 in Alabama for college preparedness. Madison has also been listed as a US News & World Report “Top 10 Places to Grow Up”, a CNN Money “Top 100 Best Places to Live”, one of Family Circle’s “10 Best Towns for Family”, and was recognized as Trulia’s “The Best Place to Live in America’s New Tech Hub”
Living in Madison keeps getting better everyday and the city is growing at a very fast pace. It is the fastest growing city in all of Alabama There are so many reasons why people love living here, but I did my best to narrow it down to the top 10 reasons why you’ll love moving to Madison. Enjoy!
Quick Facts
Madison Population – 50,440
Madison County Population – 376,000
Median Home Price – $261,914
Average Household Income – $112,609
1. JOBS!
I dare you to Google “jobs coming to Madison / Huntsville, Alabama”…you will see companies such as Facebook, Google, Toyota, Mazda, LG, multiple rocket manufacturers and even the FBI. Currently, over 1,000 businesses call Madison home, enjoying a low cost of business with educated professionals and a hard working labor force. The largest employers include Intergraph Corporation, STI and Tyonek, along with other growing corporations and entrepreneurs. Area Vibes ranks Madison as a top 5 city in the state for job opportunities. Huntsville / Madison was just identified as America’s #1 Fastest-growing Tech City in 2017 by CBS News Moneywatch, 2017.
Google and Facebook are spending over 1 BILLION dollars to bring data centers nearby and the FBI just announced it is moving many of its operations to Redstone Arsenal, which will ultimately bring over 7,000 jobs to the area. When the brand new Toyota-Mazda plant opens in Limestone County it will bring an estimated 4,000 more jobs. Aerojet Rocketdyne is expanding and bringing over 700 jobs to the area as well.
2. Location, Location, Location
Madison is located in North Alabama and it is situated close to multiple major cities. It is 1.5 hours from Nashville and Birmingham as well as a little over 3 hours from Atlanta, Memphis and Knoxville. The Mayor and the City Council also continue to invest in economic development, public facilities, and infrastructure. One of my favorite parts about living in Alabama is the close proximity to one of the best keep secrets in the U.S….the Gulf Coast Beaches! Madison is only 5.5 hrs from the Orange Beach, Gulf Shores, Destin and my personal favorite Rosemary Beach (Checkout 30a for more info.) If you don’t believe me, maybe you will after you check out this post from Tripadvisor, which has two beaches that are a short drive away listed in the Top 10 Beaches in the U.S.
3. Cost of Living
Madison is a melting pot of people from many different walks of life that draws people from all over. One of the biggest reasons why is the cost of living. The median income in Madison, AL is $63,045 and the median home value is $261,914. Area Vibes has Madison ranked as the second best city to live in Alabama and alot of that has to do with cost of living and the amount of great job opportunities in the area. Another website which I love to look at is Livability and they have Madison ranked as the second most affordable city in the entire state.
4. Food
If you are looking for great food there is no need to drive to Birmingham or Nashville, we have plenty of great options here in Madison. We have every type of food you can imagine from your typical southern dishes to some of the best sushi I have ever had anywhere.
I have my favorites, for sure, but there are so many different restaurants here that it would be impossible to mention them all, so I will give you my five favorites.
Old Black Bear Brewing Company (Great Bear and American Food)
Old Greenbrier Restaurant (BBQ)
Tom Brown’s Restaurant ( Fine Dining)
Crickets (Best Wings in town)
I Love Sushi (Best Sushi in town)
5. Space Exploration
I know it is hard to believe but the New Age of Aerospace is located right here in North Alabama. Our area has history when it comes to Space Exploration, famously back in the 1960s the Rocket City played a huge part in building the Saturn V rockets which helped the astronauts reach the moon. Flash forward to today, NASA, Blue Origin, Aerojet Rocketdyne and Boeing all call North Alabama home and employ thousands of engineers. We have over 3,900 aerospace engineers employed in this city, which is more than any other metropolitan area in the U.S. Nerd Wallet currently ranks Huntsville as the nation’s top engineering city.
Each summer thousands of children and their parents from all over the world flock to North Alabama to attend Space Camp at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center. Space Camp trainees visit from every state and from more than 150 countries. They have camps for all ages and all different types of interests. These camps are an amazing opportunity for kids to be exposed to national science and math standards that are framed with an exciting, immersive experience unlike any other summer opportunity.
6. Airport
One of my favorite things about living in Madison is how easily accessible and convenient Huntsville International Airport is. With non-stop service between many destinations such as: Atlanta, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Houston, and Washington D.C. this is an amazing plus for living in Madison. Lines are always short and shockingly….people who work at the airport are friendly!? America, Delta, United and Frontier offer the most flights out of the Rocket City and each year more and more flights/routes are added!
Huntsville International Airport is only 2.5 miles away from Madison.
Birmingham International Airport is only 97 miles away from Madison.
Nashville International Airport is only 119 miles away from Madison.
7. Housing
The city of Madison began booming in the late 90s and early 2000s and it has continued to grow at a rapid pace. The housing options are endless when it comes to living in Madison. It was ranked the #1 place to buy a house in Alabama by Niche in 2016. The size of lots and homes in Madison are much bigger than most cities so clients love see how far their dollar stretches in Madison. Not to mention that Madison is also one of the safest cities in Alabama as well! To see available homes in Madison click here.
8. A+ Schools
The Madison City School System is one of the top school systems in the entire state of Alabama. The system has an operating budget of more than $70 million, employs more than 600 certified staff members, and serves more than 8,000 students. Madison city test scores are well above the national average at all of their schools. This system is what draws people to Madison because they know the possibilities are endless for their children. Every school in the Madison district is rated an A+ school, and just about everyone in town will agree. This is why Niche ranked Madison as the #1 place to raise a family in Alabama.
If you’re considering moving to Madison, you’ll obviously want to think about the Madison City schools your children, or future children, will be attending. Thanks to the educational demands of the aerospace and engineering jobs that dominate our cities economy, a little over 38% of its citizens have a bachelor’s degree. As you would guess the school system here is one of the premier school districts in the state of Alabama. A couple of well known Universities include the University of Alabama in Huntsville which is one of the top public universities in the U.S. and Alabama A&M University. The area also has Oakwood University and one of the more popular community colleges in the state in Calhoun Community College.
9. Outdoors
Madison is located in an area near the Tennessee river which is known as the Tennessee Valley. This Valley has some of the most beautiful rolling mountains and hills that you will ever see which also have great walking, hiking and biking trails. When you want to escape the city or suburban life for an afternoon, you do not have to go far at all to get into the mountains and away from it all.
Thanks to the Land Trust of North Alabama there are more than 70 miles of free public trails which enable you to relax, get some exercise, and connect with nature. Expedia ranked the area as the state’s best destination for nature lovers. My personal favorite mountain is Monte Sano which is only two miles away from downtown Huntsville. For the most beautiful view, be sure to visit Burritt on the Mountain (pictured above) which is located on Monte Sano. Side note every Wednesday May through October they host cocktails with a view. This one of my personal faves, you can sip on a nice wine and watch the sun set in the valley.
10. Sports
When moving to Alabama the first thing you must decide is whether you are going to cheer for Alabama or Auburn, I would recommend cheering for the Crimson Tide 🙂 Here in North Alabama we have collegiate Division I and II sports with Alabama A&M Bulldogs and the UAH Chargers. We also have a very populars minor league hockey team called the Huntsville Havoc. Recently Major League Baseball announced a new minor league baseball team called the Rocket City Trash Pandas which will begin play this year in a brand new stadium here in town, we are so excited for this!
If you’re moving to Madison and love the NFL or NHL, don’t fret, Nashville is about an hour and a half away and home to the Tennessee Titans football team and the Nashville Predators hockey team. Another team that I am really really excited about is the new soccer team in Nashville called the Nashville SC began play in the MLS in 2020!
If you’re moving to Madison or are considering it, as you can now see, Madison is truly a fantastic place to live, work, and play. You’ll never run out of things to do and there will always be more friendly people to meet. If you’re seriously thinking about moving to Madison, or just have a few more questions before deciding, please don’t hesitate to contact me with any questions about the Madison area. I have lived in the area for over 13 years and definitely know a thing or two about Madison. I can provide you with whatever information you’re looking for, or at the very least, point you in the direction of where to find it.
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