Best Places35233, AL Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 35233, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Several measures below read low, and the ranked lists name which ones. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
35233 ranks 18,508th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on an educated workforce by a wide margin, and noise is the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 35233
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.
35233's strengths and weaknesses
Where 35233 ranks high
- Educational attainmentBetter than 99% of zip codes
- Short commute12.4 minutes each way, better than 98% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than 98% of zip codes
- BikingBetter than 98% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than 98% of zip codes
Where 35233 ranks low
- QuietBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 2% of zip codes
- Crime safetyBetter than only 4% of zip codes
- Tree shadeBetter than only 5% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 35233
A household needs to earn about $85,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 35233 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $52,045, so buying stretches a typical household.
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 35233's effective rate of 0.86%, 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 7 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 35233
35233 runs younger than the country, and households here run smaller than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 35233.
Who works in 35233, and how
Work in 35233 centers on health care & social and education. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 54%
- Work from home 5%
- Transit, walk, or bike 41%
Life in 35233
35233 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 98% of zip codes and more late-night spots per resident than 99% of zip codes. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of 35233 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 35233, month by month
35233 sees roughly 88 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 35233
The nearest airport, Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International, is about 5 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Hartsfield/Jackson Atlanta International, about 137 miles away.
The best schools in and around 35233
Schools across 35233 average a C−, better than 24% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Riverchase Elementary SchoolA− · 61% proficient
- Phillips AcademyB− · 41% proficient
- Epic Alternative Elementary SchoolD+ · 21% proficient
Top middle schools
- Berry Middle SchoolA− · 56% proficient
Top high schools
- Spain Park High SchoolB+ · 53% proficient
- Ramsay High SchoolC− · 27% proficient
- Parker High SchoolF · 3% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 35233 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
35233 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 35233 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 35233
Is 35233 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 35233 ranks 18,508th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on an educated workforce, short commutes, and a strong job market, and lowest on noise and civic engagement. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 35233 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $323,723. The overall cost of living runs about 1% below the national average. Set against a $52,045 median income, cost of living beats 11% of zip codes.
Is 35233 safe?
35233 is safer than 4% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $955 per resident a year.
Compare 35233 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 35233. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 35233 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.
35233 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 35233: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 35233: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 35233: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 35233: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
35233 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.