Best Places35446, AL Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 35446, 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.
35446 ranks 22,928th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on low property taxes by a wide margin, and walkability ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 35446
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.
35446's strengths and weaknesses
Where 35446 ranks high
- Low property taxBetter than 98% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than 90% of zip codes
- State infrastructureBetter than 87% of zip codes
- Tree shadeBetter than 87% of zip codes
- Housing crash safetyBetter than 86% of zip codes
Where 35446 ranks low
- WalkabilityBetter than only 5% of zip codes
- BikingBetter than only 8% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than only 13% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 14% of zip codes
- Cell coverageBetter than only 14% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 35446
A household needs to earn about $44,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 35446 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $55,563, 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 35446's effective rate of 0.22%, 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 6 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 35446
35446 runs younger than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 35446.
Who works in 35446, and how
Work in 35446 centers on health care & social and manufacturing. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 90%
- Work from home 7%
- Transit, walk, or bike 3%
Life in 35446
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 35446.
What the weather is like in 35446, month by month
35446 sees roughly 80 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 92 degrees. January highs sit near 58, 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 | 58° | 46° | 37° |
| April | 77° | 64° | 53° |
| July | 92° | 81° | 73° |
| October | 80° | 67° | 56° |
Flying in and out of 35446
The nearest airport, Golden Triangle Regional, is about 51 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Memphis International, about 179 miles away.
The best schools in and around 35446
Schools across 35446 average a C, better than 35% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Verner Elementary SchoolB+ · 55% proficient
- Westwood Elementary SchoolB+ · 52% proficient
- Buhl Elementary SchoolB · 47% proficient
Top middle schools
- Northridge Middle SchoolB · 45% proficient
- Sipsey Valley Middle SchoolC · 32% proficient
Top high schools
- Northridge High SchoolB− · 41% proficient
- Tuscaloosa County High SchoolC− · 28% proficient
- Sipsey Valley High SchoolD · 20% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 35446 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
35446 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 35446 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 35446
Is 35446 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 35446 ranks 22,928th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on low property taxes, a strong job market, and state infrastructure, and lowest on walkability and biking. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 35446 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $183,420. The overall cost of living runs about 9% below the national average. Set against a $55,563 median income, cost of living beats 13% of zip codes.
Is 35446 safe?
Yes, 35446 is safer than 63% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $259 per resident a year.
Compare 35446 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 35446. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 35446 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.
35446 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 35446: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 35446: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 35446: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 35446: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
35446 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.