Best Places35640, AL Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 35640, 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.
35640 ranks 10,983rd 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 35640
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.
35640's strengths and weaknesses
Where 35640 ranks high
- Low property taxBetter than 95% of zip codes
- Crime safetyBetter than 89% of zip codes
- State infrastructureBetter than 87% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than 87% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$639 a month, better than 81% of zip codes
Where 35640 ranks low
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 14% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than only 29% of zip codes
- TransitBetter than only 35% of zip codes
- Big-city accessBetter than only 36% of zip codes
- Short commute28.3 minutes each way, better than only 37% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 35640
A household needs to earn about $54,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 35640 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $79,025, 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 35640's effective rate of 0.32%, 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 35640
35640'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 35640.
Who works in 35640, and how
Work in 35640 centers on manufacturing and retail trade. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 90%
- Work from home 8%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in 35640
35640 has more parkland per resident than 72% of zip codes. That concentrates in some parts of 35640 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 35640, month by month
35640 sees roughly 77 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 89 degrees. January highs sit near 52, with lows near 33. The comfortable stretch runs April through June, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 52° | 41° | 33° |
| April | 73° | 61° | 50° |
| July | 89° | 78° | 69° |
| October | 75° | 62° | 52° |
Flying in and out of 35640
The nearest airport, Huntsville International-Carl T Jones Field, is about 16 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Nashville International, about 117 miles away.
The best schools in and around 35640
Schools across 35640 average a B−, better than 57% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Barkley Bridge Elementary SchoolA+ · 75% proficient
- Fe Burleson Elementary SchoolB+ · 51% proficient
- Priceville Elementary SchoolB · 48% proficient
Top middle schools
- Hartselle Intermediate SchoolA− · 57% proficient
- Hartselle Junior High SchoolA− · 53% proficient
- Priceville Junior High SchoolB · 44% proficient
Top high schools
- Hartselle High SchoolB · 46% proficient
- Priceville High SchoolC+ · 40% proficient
- Decatur High SchoolC− · 28% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 35640 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
35640 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 35640 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 35640 suits
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 75% of zip codes, internet is fast and widely advertised, and 8% already work from home.
Common questions about living in 35640
Is 35640 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 35640 ranks 10,983rd of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on low property taxes, low crime, and state infrastructure, and lowest on taxes and summer heat. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 35640 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $222,455. The overall cost of living runs about 21% below the national average. Set against a $79,025 median income, cost of living beats 75% of zip codes.
Is 35640 safe?
Yes, 35640 is safer than 89% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $185 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 35640?
July highs average about 89 degrees, and January highs near 52 with lows near 33. That works out to about 77 pleasant days a year, more than 39% of zip codes.
Is 35640 good for families?
Schools beat 57% of zip codes, crime safety beats 89%, and childcare runs $639 a month.
Compare 35640 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 35640. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 35640 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.
35640 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 35640: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 35640: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 35640: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 35640: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
35640 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.