Best Places35649, AL Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 35649, 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.
35649 ranks 12,178th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on a strong job market by a wide margin, and internet speeds rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 35649
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.
35649's strengths and weaknesses
Where 35649 ranks high
- Local economyBetter than 99% of zip codes
- Health outlookBetter than 93% of zip codes
- Educational attainmentBetter than 90% of zip codes
- State infrastructureBetter than 87% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 82% of zip codes
Where 35649 ranks low
- Internet speedBetter than only 7% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 14% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than only 15% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than only 17% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than only 20% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 35649
A household needs to earn about $55,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 35649 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $87,488, 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 35649's effective rate of 0.60%, 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 5 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 35649
35649's age mix sits close to the national median, 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 35649.
Who works in 35649, and how
Work in 35649 centers on professional & technical and construction. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 92%
- Work from home 8%
- Transit, walk, or bike 0%
Life in 35649
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 35649.
What the weather is like in 35649, month by month
35649 sees roughly 81 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 35649
The nearest airport, Huntsville International-Carl T Jones Field, is about 6 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Nashville International, about 104 miles away.
The best schools in and around 35649
Schools across 35649 average a C−, better than 23% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Eastwood Elementary SchoolB− · 40% proficient
Top middle schools
- Decatur Middle SchoolC · 31% proficient
Top high schools
- Tanner High SchoolD− · 13% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 35649 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
35649 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 35649 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 35649
Is 35649 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 35649 ranks 12,178th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on a strong job market, population health, and an educated workforce, and lowest on internet speeds and taxes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 35649 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $215,400. The overall cost of living runs about 14% below the national average. Set against a $87,488 median income, cost of living beats 82% of zip codes.
Is 35649 safe?
35649 is safer than 24% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $407 per resident a year.
Compare 35649 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 35649. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 35649 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.
35649 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 35649: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 35649: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 35649: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 35649: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
35649 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.