Best Places35007, AL Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 35007, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. This page is for people who live here or already know they want to. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
35007 ranks 6,819th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores best on low property taxes, and air quality ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 35007
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
35007's strengths and weaknesses
Where 35007 ranks high
- Low property taxBetter than 89% of zip codes
- State infrastructureBetter than 87% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 86% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than 86% of zip codes
- Low vacancyBetter than 83% of zip codes
Where 35007 ranks low
- Air qualityBetter than only 13% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 14% of zip codes
- Short commute30.4 minutes each way, better than only 26% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than only 31% of zip codes
- TransitBetter than only 35% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 35007
A household needs to earn about $64,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 35007 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $95,401, so a typical household can afford the median home outright.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses 35007's effective rate of 0.43%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices, buying tends to cost more than renting for about the first 5 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 35007
35007's age mix sits close to the national median.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 35007.
Who works in 35007, and how
Work in 35007 centers on retail trade and health care & social. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 81%
- Work from home 18%
- Transit, walk, or bike 1%
Life in 35007
35007 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 68% of zip codes. That concentrates in some parts of 35007 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 35007, month by month
35007 sees roughly 91 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 91 degrees. January highs sit near 57, with lows near 37. The comfortable stretch runs March through May, October, and November.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 57° | 46° | 37° |
| April | 76° | 64° | 54° |
| July | 91° | 80° | 72° |
| October | 79° | 66° | 56° |
Flying in and out of 35007
The nearest airport, Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International, is about 24 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Hartsfield/Jackson Atlanta International, about 141 miles away.
The best schools in and around 35007
Schools across 35007 average a B, better than 67% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Meadow View Elementary SchoolA · 65% proficient
- Creek View Elementary SchoolA · 64% proficient
- Helena Intermediate SchoolB+ · 51% proficient
Top middle schools
- Thompson Middle SchoolB · 46% proficient
- Helena MiddleB · 45% proficient
- Columbiana Middle SchoolC− · 31% proficient
Top high schools
- Helena High SchoolB− · 41% proficient
- Thompson High SchoolC+ · 38% proficient
- Shelby County High SchoolC− · 28% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 35007 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
35007 measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare 35007 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 35007 suits
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 86% of zip codes, internet is fast and widely advertised, and 18% already work from home.
Retirees
The weather beats 57% of zip codes and health care access beats 69%.
Common questions about living in 35007
Is 35007 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 35007 ranks 6,819th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on low property taxes, state infrastructure, and what local pay buys, and lowest on air quality and taxes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 35007 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $258,882. The overall cost of living runs about 16% below the national average. Set against a $95,401 median income, cost of living beats 86% of zip codes.
Is 35007 safe?
Yes, 35007 is safer than 68% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $258 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 35007?
July highs average about 91 degrees, and January highs near 57 with lows near 37. That works out to about 91 pleasant days a year, more than 57% of zip codes.
Is 35007 good for families?
Schools beat 67% of zip codes, crime safety beats 68%, and childcare runs $704 a month.
Compare 35007 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 35007. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 35007 represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
35007 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 35007: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 35007: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 35007: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 35007: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
35007 detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.