Best Places36535, AL Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 36535, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. The coast is close, and the measures below put a number on how close. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
36535 ranks 21,765th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on low property taxes by a wide margin, and disaster risk is the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 36535
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.
36535's strengths and weaknesses
Where 36535 ranks high
- Low property taxBetter than 95% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than 88% of zip codes
- State infrastructureBetter than 87% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$619 a month, better than 84% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than 82% of zip codes
Where 36535 ranks low
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 2% of zip codes
- Housing crash safetyBetter than only 7% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than only 9% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 14% of zip codes
- School gradeC−, better than only 23% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 36535
A household needs to earn about $69,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 36535 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is only a little above the area's median income of $68,546; the gap is small, which keeps homes within reach of local pay.
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 36535'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 36535
36535 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 36535.
Who works in 36535, and how
Work in 36535 centers on retail trade and hospitality & food. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 85%
- Work from home 10%
- Transit, walk, or bike 5%
Life in 36535
36535 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 81% of zip codes and more parkland per resident than 73% of zip codes. The coast is about 14 minutes away. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of 36535 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 36535, month by month
36535 sees roughly 114 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 90 degrees. January highs sit near 63, with lows near 42. The comfortable stretch runs February through May and October through December.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 63° | 52° | 42° |
| April | 77° | 67° | 57° |
| July | 90° | 82° | 74° |
| October | 82° | 70° | 61° |
Flying in and out of 36535
The nearest airport, Mobile International, is about 28 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Louis Armstrong New Orleans International, about 155 miles away.
The best schools in and around 36535
Schools across 36535 average a C−, better than 23% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Elberta Elementary SchoolB+ · 54% proficient
- Summerdale SchoolB · 44% proficient
- Magnolia SchoolC · 34% proficient
Top middle schools
- Gulf Shores Middle SchoolB+ · 49% proficient
- Foley Middle SchoolD+ · 27% proficient
Top high schools
- Gulf Shores High SchoolB− · 45% proficient
- Elberta High SchoolC+ · 35% proficient
- Foley High SchoolC− · 26% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 36535 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
36535 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 36535 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 36535 suits
Families
Schools land around the 23rd percentile and crime safety beats 68%.
Remote workers
Internet is fast and widely advertised and 10% already work from home.
Retirees
The weather beats 72% of zip codes and health care access beats 65%.
Common questions about living in 36535
Is 36535 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 36535 ranks 21,765th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on low property taxes, fast internet, and state infrastructure, and lowest on disaster risk and an overheated housing market. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 36535 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $281,969. The overall cost of living runs about 15% below the national average. Set against a $68,546 median income, cost of living beats 49% of zip codes.
Is 36535 safe?
Yes, 36535 is safer than 68% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $250 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 36535?
July highs average about 90 degrees, and January highs near 63 with lows near 42. That works out to about 114 pleasant days a year, more than 72% of zip codes.
Is 36535 good for families?
Schools beat 23% of zip codes, crime safety beats 68%, and childcare runs $619 a month.
Compare 36535 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 36535. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 36535 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.
36535 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 36535: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 36535: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 36535: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 36535: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
36535 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.