Best Places35611, AL Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 35611, 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.
35611 ranks 20,867th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on low property taxes by a wide margin, and taxes are the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 35611
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.
35611's strengths and weaknesses
Where 35611 ranks high
- Low property taxBetter than 97% of zip codes
- State infrastructureBetter than 87% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$639 a month, better than 81% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than 74% of zip codes
- Cell coverageBetter than 72% of zip codes
Where 35611 ranks low
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 14% of zip codes
- Educational attainmentBetter than only 22% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than only 22% of zip codes
- Housing crash safetyBetter than only 23% of zip codes
- Household income$61,191 median, better than only 26% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 35611
A household needs to earn about $57,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 35611 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $61,191, 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 35611's effective rate of 0.27%, 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 8 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 35611
35611'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 35611.
Who works in 35611, and how
Work in 35611 centers on manufacturing and retail trade. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 91%
- Work from home 8%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in 35611
35611 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 67% of zip codes and more parkland per resident than 68% of zip codes. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of 35611 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 35611, month by month
35611 sees roughly 84 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 91 degrees. January highs sit near 53, with lows near 34. The comfortable stretch runs March through May, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 53° | 42° | 34° |
| April | 74° | 61° | 50° |
| July | 91° | 80° | 71° |
| October | 77° | 63° | 52° |
Flying in and out of 35611
The nearest airport, Huntsville International-Carl T Jones Field, is about 18 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Nashville International, about 94 miles away.
The best schools in and around 35611
Schools across 35611 average a C, better than 34% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Athens Elementary SchoolB+ · 55% proficient
- Brookhill Elementary SchoolB · 50% proficient
- Julian Newman Elementary SchoolB · 48% proficient
Top middle schools
- Athens Middle SchoolC · 33% proficient
- West Morgan Middle SchoolD+ · 24% proficient
Top high schools
- Athens High SchoolC+ · 37% proficient
- Lauderdale County High SchoolC · 32% proficient
- West Limestone High SchoolD · 23% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 35611 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
35611 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 35611 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 35611 suits
Families
Schools land around the 34th percentile and crime safety beats 58%.
Remote workers
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 35611
Is 35611 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 35611 ranks 20,867th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on low property taxes, state infrastructure, and affordable childcare, and lowest on taxes and education levels. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 35611 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $235,972. The overall cost of living runs about 16% below the national average. Set against a $61,191 median income, cost of living beats 37% of zip codes.
Is 35611 safe?
Yes, 35611 is safer than 58% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $275 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 35611?
July highs average about 91 degrees, and January highs near 53 with lows near 34. That works out to about 84 pleasant days a year, more than 49% of zip codes.
Is 35611 good for families?
Schools beat 34% of zip codes, crime safety beats 58%, and childcare runs $639 a month.
Compare 35611 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 35611. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 35611 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.
35611 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 35611: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 35611: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 35611: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 35611: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
35611 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.