Best Places36869, AL Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 36869, 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.
36869 ranks 28,896th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on low property taxes by a wide margin, and low incomes rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 36869
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.
36869's strengths and weaknesses
Where 36869 ranks high
- Low property taxBetter than 93% of zip codes
- Disaster safetyBetter than 88% of zip codes
- State infrastructureBetter than 87% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$635 a month, better than 82% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than 75% of zip codes
Where 36869 ranks low
- Household income$47,103 median, better than only 8% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than only 10% of zip codes
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 13% of zip codes
- Health outlookBetter 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 36869
A household needs to earn about $35,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 36869 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $47,103, 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 36869's effective rate of 0.38%, 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 36869
36869'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 36869.
Who works in 36869, and how
Work in 36869 centers on retail trade and manufacturing. 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 36869
36869 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 91% of zip codes. That concentrates in some parts of 36869 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 36869, month by month
36869 sees roughly 70 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 94 degrees. January highs sit near 61, with lows near 37. The comfortable stretch runs February through May, October, and November.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 61° | 48° | 37° |
| April | 80° | 66° | 52° |
| July | 94° | 82° | 73° |
| October | 82° | 69° | 57° |
Flying in and out of 36869
The nearest airport, Columbus, is about 8 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Hartsfield/Jackson Atlanta International, about 90 miles away.
The best schools in and around 36869
Schools across 36869 average a C−, better than 19% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Dixie Elementary SchoolC · 34% proficient
- Ladonia Elementary SchoolC · 33% proficient
- Ridgecrest Elementary SchoolD+ · 22% proficient
Top middle schools
- South Girard SchoolC · 31% proficient
- Russell County Middle SchoolC− · 30% proficient
- Phenix City Intermediate SchoolC− · 30% proficient
Top high schools
- Central High SchoolC− · 26% proficient
- Russell County High SchoolD · 22% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 36869 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
36869 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 36869 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 36869 suits
Remote workers
Internet is fast and widely advertised and 10% already work from home.
Retirees
Set weather, quiet, and health care weights on the map to test the fit.
Common questions about living in 36869
Is 36869 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 36869 ranks 28,896th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on low property taxes, low disaster risk, and state infrastructure, and lowest on low incomes and the cost of living against local pay. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 36869 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $140,387. The overall cost of living runs about 16% below the national average. Set against a $47,103 median income, cost of living beats 10% of zip codes.
Is 36869 safe?
36869 is safer than 16% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $499 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 36869?
July highs average about 94 degrees, and January highs near 61 with lows near 37. That works out to about 70 pleasant days a year, more than 25% of zip codes.
Is 36869 good for families?
Schools beat 19% of zip codes, crime safety beats 16%, and childcare runs $635 a month.
Compare 36869 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 36869. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 36869 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.
36869 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 36869: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 36869: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 36869: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 36869: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
36869 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.