Best Places35901, AL Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 35901, 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.
35901 ranks 27,866th 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 35901
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.
35901's strengths and weaknesses
Where 35901 ranks high
- Low property taxBetter than 94% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$531 a month, better than 92% of zip codes
- State infrastructureBetter than 87% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than 80% of zip codes
- Short commute21.6 minutes each way, better than 78% of zip codes
Where 35901 ranks low
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- Household income$47,207 median, better than only 8% of zip codes
- Health outlookBetter than only 10% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than only 13% of zip codes
- School gradeC−, better than only 18% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 35901
A household needs to earn about $40,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 35901 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $47,207, 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 35901's effective rate of 0.35%, 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 35901
35901'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 35901.
Who works in 35901, and how
Work in 35901 centers on health care & social and manufacturing. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 90%
- Work from home 7%
- Transit, walk, or bike 3%
Life in 35901
35901 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 78% of zip codes and more parkland per resident than 78% of zip codes. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of 35901 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 35901, month by month
35901 sees roughly 76 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 91 degrees. January highs sit near 54, with lows near 33. The comfortable stretch runs March through May, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 54° | 42° | 33° |
| April | 75° | 61° | 48° |
| July | 91° | 79° | 70° |
| October | 77° | 63° | 51° |
Flying in and out of 35901
The nearest airport, Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International, is about 54 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Hartsfield/Jackson Atlanta International, about 93 miles away.
The best schools in and around 35901
Schools across 35901 average a C−, better than 18% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Eura Brown Elementary SchoolA · 67% proficient
- John S Jones Elementary SchoolB+ · 53% proficient
- Hokes Bluff Elementary SchoolC+ · 38% proficient
Top middle schools
- Rainbow Middle SchoolB− · 41% proficient
- Centre Middle SchoolC+ · 38% proficient
- Hokes Bluff Middle SchoolC+ · 36% proficient
Top high schools
- Hokes Bluff High SchoolC− · 28% proficient
- Southside High SchoolC− · 28% proficient
- Glencoe High SchoolD+ · 25% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 35901 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
35901 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 35901 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 35901
Is 35901 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 35901 ranks 27,866th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on low property taxes, affordable childcare, and state infrastructure, and lowest on taxes and low incomes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 35901 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $161,445. The overall cost of living runs about 20% below the national average. Set against a $47,207 median income, cost of living beats 13% of zip codes.
Is 35901 safe?
35901 is safer than 28% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $442 per resident a year.
Compare 35901 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 35901. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 35901 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.
35901 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 35901: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 35901: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 35901: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 35901: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
35901 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.