Best Places36049, AL Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 36049, 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.
36049 ranks 21,352nd of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on fast internet by a wide margin, and low incomes rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 36049
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.
36049's strengths and weaknesses
Where 36049 ranks high
- Internet speedBetter than 98% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than 97% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$557 a month, better than 90% of zip codes
- State infrastructureBetter than 87% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than 83% of zip codes
Where 36049 ranks low
- Household income$50,028 median, better than only 11% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 14% of zip codes
- Health outlookBetter than only 16% of zip codes
- School gradeD+, better than only 18% of zip codes
- Big-city accessBetter than only 18% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 36049
A household needs to earn about $39,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 36049 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $50,028, 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 36049'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 36049
36049 runs older than the country, 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 36049.
Who works in 36049, and how
Work in 36049 centers on manufacturing and hospitality & food. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 92%
- Work from home 5%
- Transit, walk, or bike 3%
Life in 36049
36049 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 80% of zip codes. That concentrates in some parts of 36049 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 36049, month by month
36049 sees roughly 130 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 89 degrees. January highs sit near 59, with lows near 40. The comfortable stretch runs February through May and September through November.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 59° | 48° | 40° |
| April | 76° | 65° | 55° |
| July | 89° | 79° | 71° |
| October | 79° | 68° | 59° |
Flying in and out of 36049
The nearest airport, Montgomery Regional (Dannelly Field), is about 40 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Hartsfield/Jackson Atlanta International, about 170 miles away.
The best schools in and around 36049
Schools across 36049 average a D+, better than 18% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Goshen Elementary SchoolC · 33% proficient
- Greenville Elementary SchoolD+ · 21% proficient
- Dunbarramer SchoolF · 7% proficient
Top high schools
- Goshen High SchoolD+ · 25% proficient
- Greenville High SchoolF · 5% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 36049 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
36049 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 36049 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 36049
Is 36049 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 36049 ranks 21,352nd of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on fast internet, low property taxes, and affordable childcare, and lowest on low incomes and taxes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 36049 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $159,514. The overall cost of living runs about 23% below the national average. Set against a $50,028 median income, cost of living beats 23% of zip codes.
Is 36049 safe?
Yes, 36049 is safer than 57% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $291 per resident a year.
Compare 36049 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 36049. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 36049 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.
36049 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 36049: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 36049: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 36049: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 36049: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
36049 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.