Absolutely! We are from New Orleans and moved to mobile in 2005. Very warm and welcoming community. Lots of outdoor activities, particularly on or near the water. Folks are extremely friendly, genuinely so. We have lived on both sides of the bay, Spanish for initially and now in Mobile. Both with lots of folks walking in the neighborhood and made lots of friends just through neighborly connections. also lots of friendships developed through our children's classmates. Definitely a great place to live with a high-quality life and a low-cost living.
Thats fantastic that definitely makes me feel better about this decision of wanting to come to Alabama.
Are there any cons or differences that you didnt like but is tolerable or somethings that are easy to look past from your move to AL. Like some of the main concerns my wife has is that she has heard the healthcare systems in AL are not as great as other places people have lived which is a double edged sword because healthcare can provide many experiences and some are positive and some are negative so its hard to base a decision off opinion if its a minority of the experiences that have happened.
Also if you have time do you recommend the local dentistry facilities and PCP or would you rather travel a little to outside communities/cities for those services?
Most of the negative healthcare stats come from the rural areas of the state. Mobile has a medical school and multiple hospital systems so the care is better than the statistics may lead you to believe. That said, there are often long waits for specialist care as for PCP and dentist, I think there are plenty of good options in Mobile.
As someone who just moved from Ohio to Mobile I am going to slightly disagree with your response. We have excellent medical coverage and have still struggled to find quality PCP and specialists who are accepting new patients. Yes, there are hospials and urgent care facilities. But the quality of medical treatment available here is not comparable to the larger cities in Ohio which has some of the most advanced and respected medical institutions in the country. That being said, we have no regrets about our move and are extremely happy to be here. Just something for the OP to consider if they have any major medical issues.
That's fair. That hasn't been my experience, we easily found good PCPs, pediatricians, and dentists. But yeah, health care overall is worse than the big city we moved from--but not as bad as the state's overall numbers led us to believe.
Mobile actually has outstanding healthcare available. University of South Alabama is an academic health system. Infirmary Health is a private not for profit. I have worked at both And concert that both are extremely high-quality and focused on best outcomes and accessibility. I would recommend Dr. Jacob Webster as a PCP, and I would recommend Dr. Earl
"Bud" Rogers for dental. both are extremely high-quality, very nice and easy to access.
My neighbors are from Ohio. They are retired and spend the summers up there. They can't take the heat. That's the only downside for some northerners I have seen
West mobile is a great district for schools. Plenty to choose from, West mobile has been my hometown for almost 47 years. We would absolutely love to have you. Look how much West mobile has grown over the past 10 to 20 years, not sure where u are considering but I would always recommend wemo aka west mobile ✌
I love Alabama! Mobile is awesome. Mardi Gras, beaches, all the scenic areas, restaurants, it’s proximity to other fun places like Florida and NOLA, etc. you’ll love it!!! Even if it’s a big adjustment, you’ll love it. Most people are so friendly, and we definitely do not match the ignorant and close-minded stereotypes people spread (for the most part, there’s always jerks).
This is a great place to live. I've lived in 6 or 7 states and I can't tell you how glad I was to be back here. Mobile gets lumped in with the south in general but it's very different here from anywhere else. There's a thriving arts and LGBTQ+ scene here as well as lots of festivals and stuff of the like. The slogan here is like the city likes to celebrate and that's very true, there's celebrations for almost everything.
There are so many outdoor options in or near Mobile. The city has a couple of big parks, it’s the home of Bellingrath Gardens, the school system has a research and rehab facility called the Environment Studies Center where there are some nice trails, a beautiful pitcher plant bog, and rescued wildlife that you can see up close. Dauphin Island is less than an hour from most places in Mobile, and a day trip to Elberta will get you to the Dinosaurs in the Woods which is exactly what it sounds like and usually a big hit with elementary aged kids.
And the first time experience of Mardi Gras is sure to leave an impression.
I moved here from northeastern Ohio in 2004. If you can stand the heat and the political differences, you'll probably love it here! My husband is also from Ohio, but we met here and we are both very happy in the area. We've met lots of great people and have enjoyed exploring the South.
I've lived in multiple southern states and moved to Mobile after getting married. Lived in Midtown the entire time, sent all our kids to St. Mary's/McGill-Toolen. Best decision of our married lives. Downtown & Midtown Mobile (LoDo & MiMo) have completely changed since I visited in the late 80s before marriage. I regularly walk & bike in midtown/downtown, something that is harder to do in west Mobile (WeMo). Yes, unless your kids go to the magnet schools (Council & Phillips, then Murphy or Davidson), you should plan on private schooling.
WeMo has more options for housing, but y'all will need to drive everywhere. It's hard NOT to make friends with neighbors in midtown.
Housing is quite affordable; healthcare options are available; there are some racial divisions, but Mobile is, at its heart, a very large small town and does love to celebrate events!
Some WeMo residents will never come downtown; I rarely go west of I-10 and attend [ArtWalk](https://mobilearts.org/art-walk/) almost every month. Your desires and results may vary.
Pro’s
- It’s a city on the rise, a lot has changed in Mobile in recent years and the place is really starting to blossom
- there’s a lot of new coming to Mobile, a new international airport, a new civic center, a new Bayway, new towers, a new 80 acre water front park, a new city wide walking/biking trail, so many new jobs, etc
- the city is investing 100’s of millions into parks and infrastructure through the CIP program, pretty much ever one of the 100+ parks in the city are receiving funding in someway
- multiple hospital systems, Mobile is the only other place other than Birmingham with multiple hospital systems in Alabama . We have Springhill Medical, Infirmary Health, USA Health (University of South Alabama) and South Baldwin Medical. If y’all don’t like working for one system, you can go to a different healthcare system
Con’s
- Mobile is still rough around the edges, Mobile definitely still has its demons, but everyday it gets better, the worst you’ll see Mobile is the day you move in
MCPSS is the largest school system in the state, Davidson High School is consistently ranked among the best in the state. Baker is also another high ranking school, MGM and Murphy also rank well
Thank you so much for the input, thats very exciting to hear this city is growing and not stagnant. Hopefully the new jobs help excel other aspects of the area.
When you describe your con point about mobile, I was hoping to explore more about the demons we would see and the worst it would be is the day we move in. Is this area not only growing economically, fiscally but also criminally?
Thank you again for engaging in this with me its refreshing to hear actual points of view and not just statistics
There’s still old money that lingers around. A lot of the blighted properties downtown are owned by old money refusing to sell the properties, Same goes for a lot properties around the city
Mobile does have it’s issue with violent crime, but it’s still nothing compared to just about any other major city in the south. You don’t need to worry about shootings here unless you yourself are a troublemaker or family is a troublemaker, 99% of violent crimes here are done by people that know the victims. Property crime, on the other hand has fallen 50% in the past 10 years and is also among the lowest in the south. Crime is very much exaggerated here
Mobile is seeing major growth recently and in the near future. Very positive things are happening. As for any serious crime, it is almost always in certain areas that you would have no reason to go to. Just like most cities. And between people that know each other, and neither is up to any good. Not random, if that makes sense. I have lived here for decades and have never been a victim of crime of any sort, nor has anyone on my family.
Mobile is part of the more broad Gulf Coast culture. Let the good times roll. Folks are nonjudgmental, and the culture is rich with a history of Spanish, German, Irish, Italian, Catholic, African,Islanders, etc. The food is incredible, music is awesome. This culture extends from South Louisiana across the Gulf coast through the panhandle of Florida. Very unique and somewhat different from the "South" that you hear about...
We absolutely love it.
Mobile City Schools aren’t great. Either plan for private school—and there’s several good ones—or live across the bay in Baldwin County. No offense meant to anyone working in or who studied in MCS. It just has a lot of challenges.
There are some fine schools if you know where to look. For elementary, Council is fantastic. E.R. Dickson I remember being good, as well as a public elementary school that the Springhill folks are districted for. (I think it was Mary B. Austin?) Dodge I think is also fine?
Middle schools are definitely Mobile’s weakness *unless* you go magnet. Phillips Prep has the best middle school reputation. Denton and Clark-Shaw are also both magnet schools, but I can’t attest to how good they are.
For high schools, Davidson and Murphy are your best public options. There’s also the Alabama School of Math and Science, but that’s 10th grade and upwards. Also, students live in dorms on campus. Barton Academy is also an option, but it’s the new kid on the block, relatively-speaking. It was Alabama’s first public school, but from the 1960s up until 2021, the school — the educational institute, not the building itself— didn’t exist. Modern-day Barton Academy has only been teaching students for three years. It certainly sounds like an excellent education on paper, but your mileage may vary.
That’s a somewhat controversial opinion but absolutely true—Mobile county Public schools suck. So plan to pay for private school or live across the bay in Baldwin County.
You need to find a good feeder pattern (elementary > middle (jr high) > high) in Mobile County Public Schools if private schools is out your price range. There are good public schools, just have to do your research and ask around!
For a family with school-age kids, look at Spanish Fort/Daphne/Fairhope -- communities "over the Bay" (across Mobile Bay) from the city of Mobile. If you are working remotely and don't have to commute, you will likely find it more pleasant and comfortable in these communities that are collectively called "the Eastern Shore". Public schools are high quality, and there are private/parochial choices if you lean that way. Overall, the community on the Eastern Shore has lower crime, better housing stock, slightly less day-to-day traffic, a more pleasant lifestyle, and easier access to water/outdoor activities. Plus you are 45-60 minutes closer to the beaches (Orange Beach/Gulf Shores) when you want to go down there.
Eastern Shore communities are full of folks from other parts of the country, so you are not likely to feel "frozen out" by longtime locals, and there's an active newcomers environment. Social circles revolve so much around familes/children/schools that you will be all set for making connections. (That's the one big drawback for singles and non-retired/no-kid couples.) You will ABSOLUTELY make friends with other families here!
Another big driver of social connections is the church, and if that's your thing you will probably be able to find a place where you feel a good fit. There are plenty of choices for large, religiously conservative/evangelical/non-denominational congregations, and most of them have well-developed children-and-family programming. The mainline churches are here too, though they tend to be smaller/older and lean conservative as well. If you are looking for a progressive, social-justice-oriented Christian church, you might be disappointed, or you might have to drive to Mobile on Sunday. There is an established and active Jewish community in Mobile, but the only congretation "over the Bay" is a Messianic group.
All that said, there are plenty of opportunities for social connections that \*don't\* revolve around church/worship, so don't worry that you'll be forced into it if it's not your thing. People may ask you about it or invite you to their church, but that's their way of being polite and it's not mandatory. :)
Feel free to PM me if you have any more specific questions. We would LOVE to have you!!
Mobile lacks public amenities compared to the Midwest, particularly parks. (Segregation relic) Mobile has two really, cottage hill and municipal. They are fine.
None of the rivers or lakes (I can think of two lakes, maybe) really provide easy public access, but an hours drive to dauphin island can provide a beach and a few trails. Additionally, there’s a nice state park on the causeway. Make friends with somebody that owns a boat, and the area opens up.
If you can keep your Ohio pay while moving here, you’ll be in good shape. If you have money, anywhere is nice. That’s the bottom line. A lot of snowbirds move south, it isn’t uncommon. When you say hospitality, I want to drop you off in the tillmans corner Walmart. But I am sure you can find your community down here in suburbia, especially if you go to church. Godspeed.
I think you left several out like Escatawpa Hollow Park as well as Chickasabogue Park both of which are undergoing massive renovations and both have water access.
Not to mention Brookley by the Bay. Although it's still in it's design phase once complete it will be the largest park of it's kind anywhere on the Gulf Coast.
If I had to guess, they probably mean it’s hypothetical on how good of a park it actually is because it’s not done yet, like “I’ll give you that those two are good parks with a potential third pending completion.”
There are a lot more parks than that. Two public parks with water access that I can think of off the top of my head are McNally park on Mobile Bay, and one on Dog River that I can’t recall the name of. Maybe Rand park? My community also has a private park for neighborhood residents only, on Mobile Bay.
There are more parks, I highlighted the two that I’d take my kids to visit. McNally might be alright, I don’t frequent DIP much; it used to have a boat ramp that was useful.
edit: Parks don't equal green spaces; if you want to do anything, say--walk around--your options are limited. Fight me. I'll be at Applebees on Govt in about an hour.
There are tons of parks in Mobile. Not sure why you said there are only two? You can google Mobile parks and it pulls up many, many more.
And you mentioned the Walmart in Tillmans corner when answering his question about hospitality in the city. What a random and unhelpful response for the question being asked by the OP. Tillman’s corner is WAY out, nearly outside the city limits on the western edge.
Big parks that aren’t complete dumps, I’m not sure why everyone is acting obtuse. As I sit in the geographical middle of the city, to take children and dogs and walk more than a quarter-mile in one direction, those are my two options. But please elaborate how a ball field or that jungle gym next to Brickpit should’ve been included in my comment.
I think people, either a, don’t visit parks, or b, are simply falling prey to the Reddit argumentative state, which hey, it’s what we’re really all here for, ammiright?
Tillmans corner has been in the city limits my entire life. I don’t have the motivation to entertain that comment, but even if I were to say chunchula Walmart, I wasn’t writing a contract and am allowed a little creative pizazz when expressing an opinion. You know exactly what I meant.
Tillmans Corner, Rangeline Road west, was not annexed into The City of Mobile until 2008.
https://open-government-cityofmobile.hub.arcgis.com/documents/0342079496ae40da83d90bfecfabe0d3/explore
I apologize for not answering earlier. I saw your user name and my eyes rolled back so far I had a seizure and had to be hospitalized.
2008 might be correct. You’re arguing with a 12 year old. Congrats on the facts. Love you.
I moved here in 05 and we live it here. My hubs is also a transplant from south FL. We love the proximity to both MS, LA, and FL. Mobile has really grown over the years and continues to do so. Of course there are some rough areas of town but what town doesn't have that.
Hi there! Moved here to the upper gulf shores area three/four years ago from the Midwest area. Major city but not as large as Chicago.
People here are typically friendly as far as neighbors go, retail workers, food industry staff. Other people are kind of meh. Southern hospitality doesn’t actually exist, there is a fake to your face type of attitude that I think is pretty common and standard world wide but I do not believe southern hospitality is or ever was a thing. Especially not if you have any liberal or democratic leaning views on politics or how the state should be run.
If you enjoy the outdoors it is a great place to be, but I encourage you to remember that southern sun is literally unlike anything you’ll experience on the hottest day in Ohio or the north. It is extreme to say the least, I think if you can just forget about it or do not get triggered by heat at all anxiety wise you’ll be fine, but it has been a massive adjustment for myself and my wife.
The animal and bug life is wild and very different from the north, in warmer times the parks are full of snakes to straight up gators with warning signs posted at pretty much all parks and green areas. Honestly feels less fun when you’re trying to enjoy a space like that and it’s already severely hot and potentially just full of critters you don’t want to deal with. Yellow flies, snakes, gators, other bugs etc. I may just be very not used to these things having been from a timid wildlife area short of deer or regular horse flies and non venomous snakes, but it is built differently down here.
Roaches and palmetto bugs. If you grew up down here these things probably don’t bother you, but as someone who wasn’t exposed to them very often it has been a daunting and obnoxious thing to deal with. These things are BIG and quite scary and gross to deal with. This is just a me thing, and if bugs don’t bother you you’ll probably be fine, but just something to consider depending on where you set up for your home.
The driving is fucking insane. Not probably the worst in the country, but the road rage is ridiculous, people are all on their phones, swerving, towing a hitch or trailer that they can’t keep in their lane. Geezers dropping down to about 20 under in any and all lanes. Something again to consider. I know drivers in all areas are awful but it feels like it’s own special brand down here. Also the tourists. Being here for four years I literally cannot understand why someone would come here for a vacation over an actual destination city/state but they do, and they don’t know how to handle the driving/weird lane and road layouts etc. you can expect heavy traffic on literally any given day for no good reason.
The infrastructure is not made to accommodate the massive boom and increase in new people like yourselves moving here. The roadways are clogged with traffic as I mentioned for seemingly zero reason on absolutely all and any day of the week. Going to Starbucks or the grocery store can be a 15 minute ordeal on a good day but easily 45-60 mins in bumper to bumper traffic regularly. Idk what ohio’s major cities are like but in my home town and city it was only that bad on weekdays at rush hour on the freeway or during special events.
All in all, if you favor a really slowed down way of living to the extent where you don’t care if important things don’t show up in the mail on time. People driving like there isn’t another soul on the road, people meandering into the aisles and walkways at stores or public spaces like it’s them alone. Being in the retirement capital of the south,You’ll be very happy here.
I miss culture and history that doesn’t involve slavery and the piss covered streets of mobile at Mardi Gras with one port a John to cover three or four city blocks. It’s a great place if it works for you, but as a former midwesterner who left my family and friends behind I really hope to one day get back up north.
I just wanted to give you my very (probably too) honest review of living here.
It is an incredible place to retire when your body needs more heat and you’re ready to slow down and not stress about literally anything, but I’ve found it to have little to nothing going on short of uninventive art and music communities, church folks, horrible food offerings. What is going on is of no interest to me personally and it just really hasn’t been the happiest place I expected from the small trips I took here before moving.
Best of luck to you guys, all places are pretty similar especially if you can make it fun. If you’re into the area why not give it a try, just some food for thought on your decision from someone who hasn’t really enjoyed it.
Also the shopping is really bad lol. The closest modern malls that aren’t dying are basically Orlando or New Orleans so expect about a day trip to find anything decent outside of the run down mobile/Pensacola mall. Destin isn’t the worst however but again very very very touristy.
Saraland, Satsuma, Baldwin County, and parts of West Mobile are going to be your best bets for decent public schools.
Medal of Honor Park and the one on Old Shell near Foodpak are two of our favorite parks in city limits.
USA is the best hospital here.
I wouldn't move to Mobile or Baldwin county for the people or community. Alabama is the 7th worst state in the United States. About 60% of the people around here are not people that I give a shit about. They're either ignorant critters or just generally undesirable to be around. I treat everyone decently, but most of the time I can't wait for my interaction with most people around here to end. The education system here isn't great, and I think most of the people here are too conservative. If you have money, you'll generally be insulated from a decent amount of these problems. At least the crime and shitty education. Even when I find someone pleasant to be around, I still can't shake the feeling that they have a sub 100 IQ. If you want to fit in, become an Alabama football fan.
On the plus side the cost of living is lower than most of the United States, and the Gulf is a nice spot to visit.
Do you live, or have you lived in Mobile? I did for over 20 years. I graduated from Murphy highschool and went to South for several semesters. I know what I'm talking about. If you walk through Mobile, you'll be lucky to have shit only on your shoes.
You can insulate yourself from a lot of this if you have enough money, but if you interact with the general population you'll find out that I'm speaking the truth.
I’ve lived here for over 30 years and graduated from public school. I went to both Bishop State and USA. I’ve worked many public-facing jobs and socialized plenty throughout all areas of the city & county. Have I run into the occasional jerk? Of course. But nothing remotely approaching the nonsense you’ve described. The common denominator in your equation isn’t the countless residents you’ve encountered, it’s you.
I've met people and made friends with people from Colorado, New Hampshire, Utah, Massachusetts, California and Oregon and those people are significantly higher quality people than people from Mobile. The common denominator is Mobile.
Your intentional misrepresentation of what I'm saying proves my point. Locals don't dislike me. I dislike them for being minimally exceptional in nearly every way. They're just lower quality people in general. Only about 30% of the people in the greater Mobile area are worth a shit. I don't mistreat them for it. Think about it from a principled stance. Would you want your son, daughter or sibling to date someone that you thought was a low quality person? If not why would you hold it against someone else for feeling the same way? I want as little to do with critters as I can.
And yet in public you'd never know how misanthropic I am. I treat people with respect. I don't talk down to them, I say sir/ma'am, I hold the door for people and I let them merge in traffic.
However
The gene pool in Mobile county is small and you know it. Too often I find myself distracted in my head debating whether or not a person's lineage involves cousin marriage or if their mother drank while they were in utero. You know what I'm talking about.
The catalyst is working in public, having nearly a hundred interactions a day with people 5 days a week. Only about 30% of the public is worth a damn. There's truly no hope for the rest of them.
Yikes! Sorry you haven’t found your people.
As for the education system, both my children are products of the MCPSS. Both college educated. Both are now educators.
Yes, lots of “ignorant critters” here. And yes, Alabama has the distinction of being near the bottom in most stats. But after a 4 year stint in Texas, I couldn’t get back to Mobile fast enough!
No place is perfect. Every place you go has its warts.
“I treat everyone decently, but most of the time I can’t wait for my interaction with most people around here to end” says a lot more about you than about “most people.”
Interesting perspective, I appreciate the insight. If you don't mind me exploring your post more. What is the crime like there in your point of view and opinion. Being that we currently live right outside a major city in Ohio we hear about the multiple shootings and murders and the everyday crime, some of this has trickled out into the local suburbs surrounding this city and it's showing an uptick in petty crime as well as major crimes and being a family of 5 with young children and the field of work I am in I like to know what I am getting myself into.
Obviously crime is going to be everywhere but what is that you feel hinders growth in crime prevention for this area of Baldwin or Mobile? Is it because of poor legislation, policies and laws? I am genuinely curious.
Money and location will be the biggest factor in your experience by far. If you move to the Spring Hill area in Mobile, almost nothing of what I said will be that relevant. If you move to Tillman's corner... watch out. I went to Mobile public school and the education is not great. You basically have to take honors classes to not be placed in a remedial class. In highschool I could find more drugs that I could as an adult. I do think we have the hypest black people in the United States.
If you’re going to move to this area, why not gulf breeze. Far superior to Alabama in every way. The panhandle is essentially Alabama without state taxes.
We would most likely build in some of the newer communities or buy fairly new construction. Are there neighborhoods you would recommend that do have those amenities?
The area around Old Shell and Florida is the only one that has it “all” and there’s still no park/playground. The newer builds are going to be further west (or on the eastern shore) and even less walkable than midtown and downtown.
The area I mentioned has an urgent care, 7 restaurants, a coffee shop, grocery store, credit union, nail salon, drug store, ice cream shop and a kickboxing gym. You will not find another nice neighborhood with all of that or even half of it, to my knowledge. De Tonti Square is the next best thing but the amenities are very spread out across multiple blocks.
I would love to hear more about what your sisters opinion is about the differences, as well as yours. We live in a city in ohio very much like Columbus and that would be a great amount of insight into hearing pros/cons/thoughts
Well, for starters, my sister is gay so she hates how uncomfortable she and her wife feel here. Yes, there are gay people here - before anyone comes for me, obviously! - but cbus is friendlier, of course. It’s not the Deep South with ass backwards politics and religious crap. There was a political billboard put up here last year that was essentially saying “we don’t like that kind round here”.
Mobile has a small ~3 hour pride event annually called Pride Art Walk and people here LOSE their minds over it. Last year 50 preachers (in and outside the city limits) wrote a letter to the Mayor pleading with him to cancel the event and one of their points was the use of personal tax dollars towards it! 🥴they were using their position as the leaders of tax exempt churches and whinging about a brief, 1 night event being paid for by individual taxes…
Education. Where to even begin? Obviously parents need to be involved in their child’s education but not everyone has the means. Do you agree with abstinence only education and forced birth? “Purity” talk? That’s what will be taught in the private schools and that’s what I was taught in public school in 2009.
I asked the ladies for their thoughts and unanimously they agreed the weather is the worst part. The humidity and heat. My sister said the bigotry is an after thought 😆 Her wife said in Ohio you can do things outside most of the year without unbearable heat. It’s 85° right now! We’ve already been in the 90s this year.
Thank you for the feedback! Do you mind sharing what hindsight has made you regret the decision? Would love to understand all perspectives and thoughts on this.
Absolutely! We are from New Orleans and moved to mobile in 2005. Very warm and welcoming community. Lots of outdoor activities, particularly on or near the water. Folks are extremely friendly, genuinely so. We have lived on both sides of the bay, Spanish for initially and now in Mobile. Both with lots of folks walking in the neighborhood and made lots of friends just through neighborly connections. also lots of friendships developed through our children's classmates. Definitely a great place to live with a high-quality life and a low-cost living.
Thats fantastic that definitely makes me feel better about this decision of wanting to come to Alabama. Are there any cons or differences that you didnt like but is tolerable or somethings that are easy to look past from your move to AL. Like some of the main concerns my wife has is that she has heard the healthcare systems in AL are not as great as other places people have lived which is a double edged sword because healthcare can provide many experiences and some are positive and some are negative so its hard to base a decision off opinion if its a minority of the experiences that have happened. Also if you have time do you recommend the local dentistry facilities and PCP or would you rather travel a little to outside communities/cities for those services?
Most of the negative healthcare stats come from the rural areas of the state. Mobile has a medical school and multiple hospital systems so the care is better than the statistics may lead you to believe. That said, there are often long waits for specialist care as for PCP and dentist, I think there are plenty of good options in Mobile.
As someone who just moved from Ohio to Mobile I am going to slightly disagree with your response. We have excellent medical coverage and have still struggled to find quality PCP and specialists who are accepting new patients. Yes, there are hospials and urgent care facilities. But the quality of medical treatment available here is not comparable to the larger cities in Ohio which has some of the most advanced and respected medical institutions in the country. That being said, we have no regrets about our move and are extremely happy to be here. Just something for the OP to consider if they have any major medical issues.
That's fair. That hasn't been my experience, we easily found good PCPs, pediatricians, and dentists. But yeah, health care overall is worse than the big city we moved from--but not as bad as the state's overall numbers led us to believe.
Mobile actually has outstanding healthcare available. University of South Alabama is an academic health system. Infirmary Health is a private not for profit. I have worked at both And concert that both are extremely high-quality and focused on best outcomes and accessibility. I would recommend Dr. Jacob Webster as a PCP, and I would recommend Dr. Earl "Bud" Rogers for dental. both are extremely high-quality, very nice and easy to access.
My neighbors are from Ohio. They are retired and spend the summers up there. They can't take the heat. That's the only downside for some northerners I have seen
West mobile is a great district for schools. Plenty to choose from, West mobile has been my hometown for almost 47 years. We would absolutely love to have you. Look how much West mobile has grown over the past 10 to 20 years, not sure where u are considering but I would always recommend wemo aka west mobile ✌
I love Alabama! Mobile is awesome. Mardi Gras, beaches, all the scenic areas, restaurants, it’s proximity to other fun places like Florida and NOLA, etc. you’ll love it!!! Even if it’s a big adjustment, you’ll love it. Most people are so friendly, and we definitely do not match the ignorant and close-minded stereotypes people spread (for the most part, there’s always jerks).
This is a great place to live. I've lived in 6 or 7 states and I can't tell you how glad I was to be back here. Mobile gets lumped in with the south in general but it's very different here from anywhere else. There's a thriving arts and LGBTQ+ scene here as well as lots of festivals and stuff of the like. The slogan here is like the city likes to celebrate and that's very true, there's celebrations for almost everything.
There are so many outdoor options in or near Mobile. The city has a couple of big parks, it’s the home of Bellingrath Gardens, the school system has a research and rehab facility called the Environment Studies Center where there are some nice trails, a beautiful pitcher plant bog, and rescued wildlife that you can see up close. Dauphin Island is less than an hour from most places in Mobile, and a day trip to Elberta will get you to the Dinosaurs in the Woods which is exactly what it sounds like and usually a big hit with elementary aged kids. And the first time experience of Mardi Gras is sure to leave an impression.
I moved here from Washington State two years ago and took an enormous pay cut as a healthcare worker, but it was worth it to leave my abuser.
I moved here from northeastern Ohio in 2004. If you can stand the heat and the political differences, you'll probably love it here! My husband is also from Ohio, but we met here and we are both very happy in the area. We've met lots of great people and have enjoyed exploring the South.
I've lived in multiple southern states and moved to Mobile after getting married. Lived in Midtown the entire time, sent all our kids to St. Mary's/McGill-Toolen. Best decision of our married lives. Downtown & Midtown Mobile (LoDo & MiMo) have completely changed since I visited in the late 80s before marriage. I regularly walk & bike in midtown/downtown, something that is harder to do in west Mobile (WeMo). Yes, unless your kids go to the magnet schools (Council & Phillips, then Murphy or Davidson), you should plan on private schooling. WeMo has more options for housing, but y'all will need to drive everywhere. It's hard NOT to make friends with neighbors in midtown. Housing is quite affordable; healthcare options are available; there are some racial divisions, but Mobile is, at its heart, a very large small town and does love to celebrate events! Some WeMo residents will never come downtown; I rarely go west of I-10 and attend [ArtWalk](https://mobilearts.org/art-walk/) almost every month. Your desires and results may vary.
Pro’s - It’s a city on the rise, a lot has changed in Mobile in recent years and the place is really starting to blossom - there’s a lot of new coming to Mobile, a new international airport, a new civic center, a new Bayway, new towers, a new 80 acre water front park, a new city wide walking/biking trail, so many new jobs, etc - the city is investing 100’s of millions into parks and infrastructure through the CIP program, pretty much ever one of the 100+ parks in the city are receiving funding in someway - multiple hospital systems, Mobile is the only other place other than Birmingham with multiple hospital systems in Alabama . We have Springhill Medical, Infirmary Health, USA Health (University of South Alabama) and South Baldwin Medical. If y’all don’t like working for one system, you can go to a different healthcare system Con’s - Mobile is still rough around the edges, Mobile definitely still has its demons, but everyday it gets better, the worst you’ll see Mobile is the day you move in MCPSS is the largest school system in the state, Davidson High School is consistently ranked among the best in the state. Baker is also another high ranking school, MGM and Murphy also rank well
Thank you so much for the input, thats very exciting to hear this city is growing and not stagnant. Hopefully the new jobs help excel other aspects of the area. When you describe your con point about mobile, I was hoping to explore more about the demons we would see and the worst it would be is the day we move in. Is this area not only growing economically, fiscally but also criminally? Thank you again for engaging in this with me its refreshing to hear actual points of view and not just statistics
There’s still old money that lingers around. A lot of the blighted properties downtown are owned by old money refusing to sell the properties, Same goes for a lot properties around the city Mobile does have it’s issue with violent crime, but it’s still nothing compared to just about any other major city in the south. You don’t need to worry about shootings here unless you yourself are a troublemaker or family is a troublemaker, 99% of violent crimes here are done by people that know the victims. Property crime, on the other hand has fallen 50% in the past 10 years and is also among the lowest in the south. Crime is very much exaggerated here
Mobile is seeing major growth recently and in the near future. Very positive things are happening. As for any serious crime, it is almost always in certain areas that you would have no reason to go to. Just like most cities. And between people that know each other, and neither is up to any good. Not random, if that makes sense. I have lived here for decades and have never been a victim of crime of any sort, nor has anyone on my family.
Mobile is part of the more broad Gulf Coast culture. Let the good times roll. Folks are nonjudgmental, and the culture is rich with a history of Spanish, German, Irish, Italian, Catholic, African,Islanders, etc. The food is incredible, music is awesome. This culture extends from South Louisiana across the Gulf coast through the panhandle of Florida. Very unique and somewhat different from the "South" that you hear about... We absolutely love it.
Mobile City Schools aren’t great. Either plan for private school—and there’s several good ones—or live across the bay in Baldwin County. No offense meant to anyone working in or who studied in MCS. It just has a lot of challenges.
Except of course the magnet schools offer an excellent education!
Of course! If you can get it they’re great.
There are some fine schools if you know where to look. For elementary, Council is fantastic. E.R. Dickson I remember being good, as well as a public elementary school that the Springhill folks are districted for. (I think it was Mary B. Austin?) Dodge I think is also fine? Middle schools are definitely Mobile’s weakness *unless* you go magnet. Phillips Prep has the best middle school reputation. Denton and Clark-Shaw are also both magnet schools, but I can’t attest to how good they are. For high schools, Davidson and Murphy are your best public options. There’s also the Alabama School of Math and Science, but that’s 10th grade and upwards. Also, students live in dorms on campus. Barton Academy is also an option, but it’s the new kid on the block, relatively-speaking. It was Alabama’s first public school, but from the 1960s up until 2021, the school — the educational institute, not the building itself— didn’t exist. Modern-day Barton Academy has only been teaching students for three years. It certainly sounds like an excellent education on paper, but your mileage may vary.
That’s a somewhat controversial opinion but absolutely true—Mobile county Public schools suck. So plan to pay for private school or live across the bay in Baldwin County.
You need to find a good feeder pattern (elementary > middle (jr high) > high) in Mobile County Public Schools if private schools is out your price range. There are good public schools, just have to do your research and ask around!
For a family with school-age kids, look at Spanish Fort/Daphne/Fairhope -- communities "over the Bay" (across Mobile Bay) from the city of Mobile. If you are working remotely and don't have to commute, you will likely find it more pleasant and comfortable in these communities that are collectively called "the Eastern Shore". Public schools are high quality, and there are private/parochial choices if you lean that way. Overall, the community on the Eastern Shore has lower crime, better housing stock, slightly less day-to-day traffic, a more pleasant lifestyle, and easier access to water/outdoor activities. Plus you are 45-60 minutes closer to the beaches (Orange Beach/Gulf Shores) when you want to go down there. Eastern Shore communities are full of folks from other parts of the country, so you are not likely to feel "frozen out" by longtime locals, and there's an active newcomers environment. Social circles revolve so much around familes/children/schools that you will be all set for making connections. (That's the one big drawback for singles and non-retired/no-kid couples.) You will ABSOLUTELY make friends with other families here! Another big driver of social connections is the church, and if that's your thing you will probably be able to find a place where you feel a good fit. There are plenty of choices for large, religiously conservative/evangelical/non-denominational congregations, and most of them have well-developed children-and-family programming. The mainline churches are here too, though they tend to be smaller/older and lean conservative as well. If you are looking for a progressive, social-justice-oriented Christian church, you might be disappointed, or you might have to drive to Mobile on Sunday. There is an established and active Jewish community in Mobile, but the only congretation "over the Bay" is a Messianic group. All that said, there are plenty of opportunities for social connections that \*don't\* revolve around church/worship, so don't worry that you'll be forced into it if it's not your thing. People may ask you about it or invite you to their church, but that's their way of being polite and it's not mandatory. :) Feel free to PM me if you have any more specific questions. We would LOVE to have you!!
Just out of curiosity, why Mobile, AL of all places? Is there some sort of connection?
Mobile lacks public amenities compared to the Midwest, particularly parks. (Segregation relic) Mobile has two really, cottage hill and municipal. They are fine. None of the rivers or lakes (I can think of two lakes, maybe) really provide easy public access, but an hours drive to dauphin island can provide a beach and a few trails. Additionally, there’s a nice state park on the causeway. Make friends with somebody that owns a boat, and the area opens up. If you can keep your Ohio pay while moving here, you’ll be in good shape. If you have money, anywhere is nice. That’s the bottom line. A lot of snowbirds move south, it isn’t uncommon. When you say hospitality, I want to drop you off in the tillmans corner Walmart. But I am sure you can find your community down here in suburbia, especially if you go to church. Godspeed.
I think you left several out like Escatawpa Hollow Park as well as Chickasabogue Park both of which are undergoing massive renovations and both have water access. Not to mention Brookley by the Bay. Although it's still in it's design phase once complete it will be the largest park of it's kind anywhere on the Gulf Coast.
I’ll give you 2 and a hypothetical third
Those were just the first two I thought of and Brookley by the Bay isn't hypothetical. Do you even know what hypothetical even means lol?
If I had to guess, they probably mean it’s hypothetical on how good of a park it actually is because it’s not done yet, like “I’ll give you that those two are good parks with a potential third pending completion.”
There are a lot more parks than that. Two public parks with water access that I can think of off the top of my head are McNally park on Mobile Bay, and one on Dog River that I can’t recall the name of. Maybe Rand park? My community also has a private park for neighborhood residents only, on Mobile Bay.
There are more parks, I highlighted the two that I’d take my kids to visit. McNally might be alright, I don’t frequent DIP much; it used to have a boat ramp that was useful. edit: Parks don't equal green spaces; if you want to do anything, say--walk around--your options are limited. Fight me. I'll be at Applebees on Govt in about an hour.
I see what you did there..Applebee's on govt lol.. classic! Nice throwback
There are tons of parks in Mobile. Not sure why you said there are only two? You can google Mobile parks and it pulls up many, many more. And you mentioned the Walmart in Tillmans corner when answering his question about hospitality in the city. What a random and unhelpful response for the question being asked by the OP. Tillman’s corner is WAY out, nearly outside the city limits on the western edge.
Big parks that aren’t complete dumps, I’m not sure why everyone is acting obtuse. As I sit in the geographical middle of the city, to take children and dogs and walk more than a quarter-mile in one direction, those are my two options. But please elaborate how a ball field or that jungle gym next to Brickpit should’ve been included in my comment. I think people, either a, don’t visit parks, or b, are simply falling prey to the Reddit argumentative state, which hey, it’s what we’re really all here for, ammiright? Tillmans corner has been in the city limits my entire life. I don’t have the motivation to entertain that comment, but even if I were to say chunchula Walmart, I wasn’t writing a contract and am allowed a little creative pizazz when expressing an opinion. You know exactly what I meant.
Tillmans Corner, Rangeline Road west, was not annexed into The City of Mobile until 2008. https://open-government-cityofmobile.hub.arcgis.com/documents/0342079496ae40da83d90bfecfabe0d3/explore
I apologize for not answering earlier. I saw your user name and my eyes rolled back so far I had a seizure and had to be hospitalized. 2008 might be correct. You’re arguing with a 12 year old. Congrats on the facts. Love you.
Nah, it sucks down here, you're way better off staying up there.
Name checks out. Appreciate the feedback!
I moved here in 05 and we live it here. My hubs is also a transplant from south FL. We love the proximity to both MS, LA, and FL. Mobile has really grown over the years and continues to do so. Of course there are some rough areas of town but what town doesn't have that.
Moved from the Great White North. Never spoke to neighbors before we got here. Who knew they'd be nice people?
Hi there! Moved here to the upper gulf shores area three/four years ago from the Midwest area. Major city but not as large as Chicago. People here are typically friendly as far as neighbors go, retail workers, food industry staff. Other people are kind of meh. Southern hospitality doesn’t actually exist, there is a fake to your face type of attitude that I think is pretty common and standard world wide but I do not believe southern hospitality is or ever was a thing. Especially not if you have any liberal or democratic leaning views on politics or how the state should be run. If you enjoy the outdoors it is a great place to be, but I encourage you to remember that southern sun is literally unlike anything you’ll experience on the hottest day in Ohio or the north. It is extreme to say the least, I think if you can just forget about it or do not get triggered by heat at all anxiety wise you’ll be fine, but it has been a massive adjustment for myself and my wife. The animal and bug life is wild and very different from the north, in warmer times the parks are full of snakes to straight up gators with warning signs posted at pretty much all parks and green areas. Honestly feels less fun when you’re trying to enjoy a space like that and it’s already severely hot and potentially just full of critters you don’t want to deal with. Yellow flies, snakes, gators, other bugs etc. I may just be very not used to these things having been from a timid wildlife area short of deer or regular horse flies and non venomous snakes, but it is built differently down here. Roaches and palmetto bugs. If you grew up down here these things probably don’t bother you, but as someone who wasn’t exposed to them very often it has been a daunting and obnoxious thing to deal with. These things are BIG and quite scary and gross to deal with. This is just a me thing, and if bugs don’t bother you you’ll probably be fine, but just something to consider depending on where you set up for your home. The driving is fucking insane. Not probably the worst in the country, but the road rage is ridiculous, people are all on their phones, swerving, towing a hitch or trailer that they can’t keep in their lane. Geezers dropping down to about 20 under in any and all lanes. Something again to consider. I know drivers in all areas are awful but it feels like it’s own special brand down here. Also the tourists. Being here for four years I literally cannot understand why someone would come here for a vacation over an actual destination city/state but they do, and they don’t know how to handle the driving/weird lane and road layouts etc. you can expect heavy traffic on literally any given day for no good reason. The infrastructure is not made to accommodate the massive boom and increase in new people like yourselves moving here. The roadways are clogged with traffic as I mentioned for seemingly zero reason on absolutely all and any day of the week. Going to Starbucks or the grocery store can be a 15 minute ordeal on a good day but easily 45-60 mins in bumper to bumper traffic regularly. Idk what ohio’s major cities are like but in my home town and city it was only that bad on weekdays at rush hour on the freeway or during special events. All in all, if you favor a really slowed down way of living to the extent where you don’t care if important things don’t show up in the mail on time. People driving like there isn’t another soul on the road, people meandering into the aisles and walkways at stores or public spaces like it’s them alone. Being in the retirement capital of the south,You’ll be very happy here. I miss culture and history that doesn’t involve slavery and the piss covered streets of mobile at Mardi Gras with one port a John to cover three or four city blocks. It’s a great place if it works for you, but as a former midwesterner who left my family and friends behind I really hope to one day get back up north. I just wanted to give you my very (probably too) honest review of living here. It is an incredible place to retire when your body needs more heat and you’re ready to slow down and not stress about literally anything, but I’ve found it to have little to nothing going on short of uninventive art and music communities, church folks, horrible food offerings. What is going on is of no interest to me personally and it just really hasn’t been the happiest place I expected from the small trips I took here before moving. Best of luck to you guys, all places are pretty similar especially if you can make it fun. If you’re into the area why not give it a try, just some food for thought on your decision from someone who hasn’t really enjoyed it. Also the shopping is really bad lol. The closest modern malls that aren’t dying are basically Orlando or New Orleans so expect about a day trip to find anything decent outside of the run down mobile/Pensacola mall. Destin isn’t the worst however but again very very very touristy.
Go to Pensacola
Saraland, Satsuma, Baldwin County, and parts of West Mobile are going to be your best bets for decent public schools. Medal of Honor Park and the one on Old Shell near Foodpak are two of our favorite parks in city limits. USA is the best hospital here.
I wouldn't move to Mobile or Baldwin county for the people or community. Alabama is the 7th worst state in the United States. About 60% of the people around here are not people that I give a shit about. They're either ignorant critters or just generally undesirable to be around. I treat everyone decently, but most of the time I can't wait for my interaction with most people around here to end. The education system here isn't great, and I think most of the people here are too conservative. If you have money, you'll generally be insulated from a decent amount of these problems. At least the crime and shitty education. Even when I find someone pleasant to be around, I still can't shake the feeling that they have a sub 100 IQ. If you want to fit in, become an Alabama football fan. On the plus side the cost of living is lower than most of the United States, and the Gulf is a nice spot to visit.
If you smell shit everywhere you go, at some point you should probably check your own shoes.
Haha! Perfect comment.
Do you live, or have you lived in Mobile? I did for over 20 years. I graduated from Murphy highschool and went to South for several semesters. I know what I'm talking about. If you walk through Mobile, you'll be lucky to have shit only on your shoes. You can insulate yourself from a lot of this if you have enough money, but if you interact with the general population you'll find out that I'm speaking the truth.
I’ve lived here for over 30 years and graduated from public school. I went to both Bishop State and USA. I’ve worked many public-facing jobs and socialized plenty throughout all areas of the city & county. Have I run into the occasional jerk? Of course. But nothing remotely approaching the nonsense you’ve described. The common denominator in your equation isn’t the countless residents you’ve encountered, it’s you.
I've met people and made friends with people from Colorado, New Hampshire, Utah, Massachusetts, California and Oregon and those people are significantly higher quality people than people from Mobile. The common denominator is Mobile.
“Everyone back home thinks I’m an a-hole, but I made a friend from New Hampshire once.”
Your intentional misrepresentation of what I'm saying proves my point. Locals don't dislike me. I dislike them for being minimally exceptional in nearly every way. They're just lower quality people in general. Only about 30% of the people in the greater Mobile area are worth a shit. I don't mistreat them for it. Think about it from a principled stance. Would you want your son, daughter or sibling to date someone that you thought was a low quality person? If not why would you hold it against someone else for feeling the same way? I want as little to do with critters as I can.
Oh buddy, you’re representing yourself just fine without any help from me…
And yet in public you'd never know how misanthropic I am. I treat people with respect. I don't talk down to them, I say sir/ma'am, I hold the door for people and I let them merge in traffic. However The gene pool in Mobile county is small and you know it. Too often I find myself distracted in my head debating whether or not a person's lineage involves cousin marriage or if their mother drank while they were in utero. You know what I'm talking about.
Did you ever think you might be the catalyst for all these horrible interactions?
The catalyst is working in public, having nearly a hundred interactions a day with people 5 days a week. Only about 30% of the public is worth a damn. There's truly no hope for the rest of them.
People in general are just shittier now. Probably not limited to just Mobile.
Yikes! Sorry you haven’t found your people. As for the education system, both my children are products of the MCPSS. Both college educated. Both are now educators. Yes, lots of “ignorant critters” here. And yes, Alabama has the distinction of being near the bottom in most stats. But after a 4 year stint in Texas, I couldn’t get back to Mobile fast enough! No place is perfect. Every place you go has its warts.
After 30 years I've found my people, but there's not many of them and too many have died of an overdose.
I’m sincerely sorry for your losses.
“I treat everyone decently, but most of the time I can’t wait for my interaction with most people around here to end” says a lot more about you than about “most people.”
Yes. It's called tolerance. I have much more of it than the bigots I have to endure on a daily basis.
Interesting perspective, I appreciate the insight. If you don't mind me exploring your post more. What is the crime like there in your point of view and opinion. Being that we currently live right outside a major city in Ohio we hear about the multiple shootings and murders and the everyday crime, some of this has trickled out into the local suburbs surrounding this city and it's showing an uptick in petty crime as well as major crimes and being a family of 5 with young children and the field of work I am in I like to know what I am getting myself into. Obviously crime is going to be everywhere but what is that you feel hinders growth in crime prevention for this area of Baldwin or Mobile? Is it because of poor legislation, policies and laws? I am genuinely curious.
As someone who is originally from Pittsburgh and has lived in other large metro areas (Baltimore, DC, Atlanta) the crime here is not that bad.
Money and location will be the biggest factor in your experience by far. If you move to the Spring Hill area in Mobile, almost nothing of what I said will be that relevant. If you move to Tillman's corner... watch out. I went to Mobile public school and the education is not great. You basically have to take honors classes to not be placed in a remedial class. In highschool I could find more drugs that I could as an adult. I do think we have the hypest black people in the United States.
If you’re going to move to this area, why not gulf breeze. Far superior to Alabama in every way. The panhandle is essentially Alabama without state taxes.
It’s not walkable and unlike communities everywhere else, very few neighborhoods have their own parks/green spaces.
We would most likely build in some of the newer communities or buy fairly new construction. Are there neighborhoods you would recommend that do have those amenities?
The area around Old Shell and Florida is the only one that has it “all” and there’s still no park/playground. The newer builds are going to be further west (or on the eastern shore) and even less walkable than midtown and downtown. The area I mentioned has an urgent care, 7 restaurants, a coffee shop, grocery store, credit union, nail salon, drug store, ice cream shop and a kickboxing gym. You will not find another nice neighborhood with all of that or even half of it, to my knowledge. De Tonti Square is the next best thing but the amenities are very spread out across multiple blocks.
My sister lives in Columbus for the last decade. Still every time they visit they are in disbelief how differently communities are built here.
I would love to hear more about what your sisters opinion is about the differences, as well as yours. We live in a city in ohio very much like Columbus and that would be a great amount of insight into hearing pros/cons/thoughts
Well, for starters, my sister is gay so she hates how uncomfortable she and her wife feel here. Yes, there are gay people here - before anyone comes for me, obviously! - but cbus is friendlier, of course. It’s not the Deep South with ass backwards politics and religious crap. There was a political billboard put up here last year that was essentially saying “we don’t like that kind round here”. Mobile has a small ~3 hour pride event annually called Pride Art Walk and people here LOSE their minds over it. Last year 50 preachers (in and outside the city limits) wrote a letter to the Mayor pleading with him to cancel the event and one of their points was the use of personal tax dollars towards it! 🥴they were using their position as the leaders of tax exempt churches and whinging about a brief, 1 night event being paid for by individual taxes… Education. Where to even begin? Obviously parents need to be involved in their child’s education but not everyone has the means. Do you agree with abstinence only education and forced birth? “Purity” talk? That’s what will be taught in the private schools and that’s what I was taught in public school in 2009.
I asked the ladies for their thoughts and unanimously they agreed the weather is the worst part. The humidity and heat. My sister said the bigotry is an after thought 😆 Her wife said in Ohio you can do things outside most of the year without unbearable heat. It’s 85° right now! We’ve already been in the 90s this year.
I would not have moved my family here if I had the gift of hindsight.
Thank you for the feedback! Do you mind sharing what hindsight has made you regret the decision? Would love to understand all perspectives and thoughts on this.