Best Places36859, AL Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 36859, 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.
36859 ranks 27,505th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on tree cover by a wide margin, and walkability ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 36859
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.
36859's strengths and weaknesses
Where 36859 ranks high
- Tree shadeBetter than 98% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than 90% of zip codes
- Disaster safetyBetter than 87% of zip codes
- State infrastructureBetter than 87% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than 84% of zip codes
Where 36859 ranks low
- WalkabilityBetter than only 5% of zip codes
- Low vacancyBetter than only 8% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 63 pleasant days a year, better than only 13% of zip codes
- BikingBetter than only 14% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 14% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 36859
A household needs to earn about $45,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 36859 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $62,011, 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 36859's effective rate of 0.41%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Who lives in 36859
36859'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 36859.
Who works in 36859, and how
Work in 36859 centers on manufacturing and retail trade. Unemployment runs well above the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 89%
- Work from home 6%
- Transit, walk, or bike 6%
Life in 36859
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 36859.
What the weather is like in 36859, month by month
36859 sees roughly 63 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 94 degrees. January highs sit near 62, with lows near 34. The comfortable stretch runs March through May, October, and November.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 62° | 47° | 34° |
| April | 80° | 64° | 48° |
| July | 94° | 80° | 71° |
| October | 82° | 66° | 52° |
Flying in and out of 36859
The nearest airport, Columbus, is about 21 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Hartsfield/Jackson Atlanta International, about 104 miles away.
The best schools in and around 36859
Schools across 36859 average a D+, better than 18% of zip codes.
Top middle schools
- Russell County Middle SchoolC− · 30% proficient
Top high schools
- Russell County High SchoolD · 22% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 36859 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
36859 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 36859 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 36859
Is 36859 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 36859 ranks 27,505th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on tree cover, low property taxes, and low disaster risk, and lowest on walkability and empty homes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 36859 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $181,767. The overall cost of living runs about 15% below the national average. Set against a $62,011 median income, cost of living beats 27% of zip codes.
Is 36859 safe?
36859 is safer than 18% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $446 per resident a year.
Compare 36859 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 36859. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 36859 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.
36859 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 36859: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 36859: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 36859: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 36859: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
36859 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.