Best Places35126, AL Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 35126, 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.
35126 ranks 20,132nd of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on low property taxes by a wide margin, and the schools rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 35126
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.
35126's strengths and weaknesses
Where 35126 ranks high
- Low property taxBetter than 91% of zip codes
- State infrastructureBetter than 87% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than 84% of zip codes
- Tree shadeBetter than 83% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 74% of zip codes
Where 35126 ranks low
- School gradeD−, better than only 4% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than only 9% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 14% of zip codes
- Short commute33.2 minutes each way, better than only 16% of zip codes
- BikingBetter than only 30% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 35126
A household needs to earn about $55,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 35126 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $83,610, 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 35126's effective rate of 0.40%, 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 35126
35126's age mix sits close to the national median, and households here run larger than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 35126.
Who works in 35126, and how
Work in 35126 centers on health care & social and retail trade. Unemployment is low, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 90%
- Work from home 8%
- Transit, walk, or bike 1%
Life in 35126
35126 has fewer places to eat and drink per resident than most zip codes. That concentrates in some parts of 35126 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 35126, month by month
35126 sees roughly 86 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 91 degrees. January highs sit near 56, 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 | 56° | 45° | 37° |
| April | 76° | 64° | 53° |
| July | 91° | 81° | 73° |
| October | 79° | 67° | 57° |
Flying in and out of 35126
The nearest airport, Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International, is about 12 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Hartsfield/Jackson Atlanta International, about 128 miles away.
The best schools in and around 35126
Schools across 35126 average a D−, better than 4% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Paine Elementary SchoolA+ · 74% proficient
- Locust Fork ElementaryB− · 44% proficient
- Bryan Elementary SchoolB− · 41% proficient
Top middle schools
- Hewitttrussville Middle SchoolA · 59% proficient
- North Jefferson Middle SchoolC− · 30% proficient
- Claychalkville Middle SchoolD− · 15% proficient
Top high schools
- Hewitttrussville High SchoolB+ · 52% proficient
- Mortimer Jordan High SchoolC− · 27% proficient
- Locust Fork High SchoolC− · 26% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 35126 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
35126 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 35126 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 35126 suits
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 74% of zip codes, internet is fast and widely advertised, and 8% already work from home.
Retirees
Set weather, quiet, and health care weights on the map to test the fit.
Common questions about living in 35126
Is 35126 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 35126 ranks 20,132nd of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on low property taxes, state infrastructure, and fast internet, and lowest on the schools and air quality. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 35126 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $223,115. The overall cost of living runs about 18% below the national average. Set against a $83,610 median income, cost of living beats 74% of zip codes.
Is 35126 safe?
35126 is safer than 36% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $360 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 35126?
July highs average about 91 degrees, and January highs near 56 with lows near 37. That works out to about 86 pleasant days a year, more than 52% of zip codes.
Is 35126 good for families?
Schools beat 4% of zip codes, crime safety beats 36%, and childcare runs $702 a month.
Compare 35126 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 35126. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 35126 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.
35126 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 35126: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 35126: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 35126: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 35126: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
35126 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.