Best Places35978, AL Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 35978, 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.
35978 ranks 22,175th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on low property taxes by a wide margin, and health outcomes rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 35978
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.
35978's strengths and weaknesses
Where 35978 ranks high
- Low property taxBetter than 98% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$528 a month, better than 92% of zip codes
- State infrastructureBetter than 87% of zip codes
- Housing crash safetyBetter than 86% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 130 pleasant days a year, better than 81% of zip codes
Where 35978 ranks low
- Health outlookBetter than only 5% of zip codes
- Educational attainmentBetter than only 12% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 14% of zip codes
- School gradeC−, better than only 23% of zip codes
- Household income$59,670 median, better than only 24% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 35978
A household needs to earn about $33,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 35978 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $59,670, 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 35978'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 4 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 35978
35978 runs younger than the country, and households here run larger than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 35978.
Who works in 35978, and how
Work in 35978 centers on manufacturing and retail trade. Unemployment is low, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 92%
- Work from home 8%
- Transit, walk, or bike 0%
Life in 35978
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 35978.
What the weather is like in 35978, month by month
35978 sees roughly 130 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 87 degrees. January highs sit near 51, with lows near 31. The comfortable stretch runs April through June and August through October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 51° | 40° | 31° |
| April | 73° | 59° | 47° |
| July | 87° | 76° | 68° |
| October | 74° | 61° | 51° |
Flying in and out of 35978
The nearest airport, Lovell Field, is about 41 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Hartsfield/Jackson Atlanta International, about 102 miles away.
The best schools in and around 35978
Schools across 35978 average a C−, better than 23% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Flat Rock SchoolB− · 43% proficient
- Dutton Elementary SchoolB− · 42% proficient
- Henagar Junior High SchoolC− · 27% proficient
Top high schools
- Scottsboro High SchoolC− · 30% proficient
- Fort Payne High SchoolC− · 26% proficient
- Dade County High SchoolD · 23% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 35978 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
35978 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 35978 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 35978
Is 35978 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 35978 ranks 22,175th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on low property taxes, affordable childcare, and state infrastructure, and lowest on health outcomes and education levels. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 35978 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $137,392. The overall cost of living runs about 18% below the national average. Set against a $59,670 median income, cost of living beats 30% of zip codes.
Is 35978 safe?
35978 is safer than 54% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $289 per resident a year.
Compare 35978 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 35978. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 35978 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.
35978 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 35978: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 35978: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 35978: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 35978: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
35978 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.