Huntsville : Alabama

Huntsville is a prosperous mid-sized city of 186,000 in north-central Alabama.  "Rocket City" has achieved some fame for its NASA Marshall Space Flight Center , the Redstone Arsenal, and as a high-tech center.  It is also become a popular destination for retirees from all over the country, based on availability of desirable housing, beautiful parks, and a vibrant commercial and cultural infrastructure. The population grew almost 18% from 2000 to 2013. The University of Alabama at Huntsville is the largest of several colleges in town. Picture of rockets in Rocket Park courtesy of Wikipedia and Daderot.

Huntsville is situated in the Tennessee Valley of Madison County known for its beautiful mountains and karst landscapes. There are several historic neighborhoods to live in, including the Twickenham Historic District, which features homes in the Federal and Greek revival styles. Two others are the Old Town and Five Points Historic Districts.  There are also many nice active adult and 50+ communities in the Huntsville area (see link at top left). The NAR reported the median sale price to be $216,300 in the 3rd quarter of 2019, up over 8% from a year earlier. Zillow calls Huntsville a "Very Hot" market in late 2019, reporting the median home value to be $152,200.

Culturally, Huntsville is the leading city for many miles;  It has the Fantasy Playhouses,  the Huntsville Theatre and Merrimack Hall Performing Arts Center; festivals include the Big Spring Jam, Panoply Arts Festival, ConS+ellation sci-fi convention;  U. of Alabama - Huntsville; Its Symphony Orchestra is the oldest in the state; The extensive Huntsville Public Library has 12 branches througout the city.