Best Places35244, AL Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 35244, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Local pay runs high here, and housing takes the biggest bite out of it. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
35244 ranks 3,717th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on what local pay buys by a wide margin, and air quality ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 35244
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.
35244's strengths and weaknesses
Where 35244 ranks high
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 95% of zip codes
- Educational attainmentBetter than 94% of zip codes
- Household income$120,877 median, better than 90% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than 88% of zip codes
- Healthcare accessBetter than 87% of zip codes
Where 35244 ranks low
- Air qualityBetter than only 11% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 13% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than only 16% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than only 34% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 75 pleasant days a year, better than only 36% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 35244
A household needs to earn about $98,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 35244 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $120,877, 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 35244's effective rate of 0.55%, 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 10 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 35244
35244'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 35244.
Who works in 35244, and how
Work in 35244 centers on health care & social and education. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 77%
- Work from home 22%
- Transit, walk, or bike 1%
Life in 35244
35244 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 82% of zip codes and more parkland per resident than 72% of zip codes. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of 35244 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 35244, month by month
35244 sees roughly 75 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 91 degrees. January highs sit near 57, with lows near 36. The comfortable stretch runs March through May, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 57° | 46° | 36° |
| April | 76° | 63° | 52° |
| July | 91° | 79° | 71° |
| October | 78° | 66° | 55° |
Flying in and out of 35244
The nearest airport, Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International, is about 15 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Hartsfield/Jackson Atlanta International, about 140 miles away.
The best schools in and around 35244
Schools across 35244 average a B+, better than 73% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Deer Valley Elementary SchoolA · 63% proficient
- Oak Mountain Intermediate SchoolA · 62% proficient
- Riverchase Elementary SchoolA− · 61% proficient
Top middle schools
- Robert F Bumpus Middle SchoolA · 61% proficient
- Berry Middle SchoolA− · 56% proficient
- Ira F Simmons Middle SchoolB+ · 49% proficient
Top high schools
- Oak Mountain High SchoolB+ · 54% proficient
- Spain Park High SchoolB+ · 53% proficient
- Hoover High SchoolB · 47% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 35244 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
35244 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 35244 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 35244 suits
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 95% of zip codes, internet is fast and widely advertised, and 22% already work from home.
Common questions about living in 35244
Is 35244 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 35244 ranks 3,717th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on what local pay buys, an educated workforce, and high incomes, 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 35244 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $387,452. The overall cost of living runs about 11% below the national average. Set against a $120,877 median income, cost of living beats 95% of zip codes.
Is 35244 safe?
35244 is safer than 39% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $338 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 35244?
July highs average about 91 degrees, and January highs near 57 with lows near 36. That works out to about 75 pleasant days a year, more than 36% of zip codes.
Is 35244 good for families?
Schools beat 73% of zip codes, crime safety beats 39%, and childcare runs $703 a month.
Compare 35244 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 35244. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 35244 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.
35244 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 35244: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 35244: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 35244: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 35244: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
35244 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.