Best PlacesLimestone County, AL Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in Limestone County, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. The averages hide a wide spread here, so the area matters as much as the address. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
Limestone County ranks 621st of 3,144 U.S. counties on the BestNeighborhood index. Paychecks stretch further here than almost anywhere else: the median household brings in $87,524, everyday costs sit below the national average, and a strong job market ranks near the top of the country. The main drawbacks are taxes, walkability, and the weather.
The best neighborhoods in Limestone County
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.
The best areas in Limestone County
The parts of Limestone County, ranked by the BestNeighborhood standard score across every neighborhood, highest scoring first. Each note says how that part differs from the rest of the county.
Madison
More adults hold degrees, local pay stretches further, and incomes run higher.
Harvest
It is quieter and fewer homes sit empty.
Athens
More households have young kids, though prices have run up more.
Ardmore & Toney
Homes cost less, though health outcomes score lower.
Elkmont
Tree cover is thicker, though schools score lower.
Limestone County shows why a single number is not enough. Some neighborhoods score in the bottom 14% of the country and others in the top 1%. Pick the area first, then the home.
Limestone County's strengths and weaknesses
Limestone County ranks where it does because the parts of life that are hardest to change mostly work here. A strong job market is the standout, in the top 2% of counties. Low property taxes and what local pay buys follow.
The drawbacks are real but narrow. Taxes, walkability, and the weather hold the score down. The measures below break that down, and the map shows how much of it holds street by street.
Where Limestone County ranks high
- Local economyBetter than 98% of counties
- Low property taxBetter than 96% of counties
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 91% of counties
- State infrastructureBetter than 86% of counties
- Household income$87,524 median, better than 85% of counties
Where Limestone County ranks low
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 9% of counties
- WalkabilityBetter than only 14% of counties
- Nice weatherabout 76 pleasant days a year, better than only 32% of counties
- Short commute26.3 minutes each way, better than only 34% of counties
- TransitBetter than only 35% of counties
What it costs to buy a home in Limestone County
A household needs to earn about $71,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Limestone County home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $87,524, 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 Limestone County's effective rate of 0.31%, 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 Limestone County
Limestone County'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 Limestone County.
Who works in Limestone County, and how
Work in Limestone County centers on manufacturing and retail trade. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 88%
- Work from home 11%
- Transit, walk, or bike 1%
Life in Limestone County
Limestone County has fewer places to eat and drink per resident than most counties. That concentrates in some parts of Limestone County and thins out in others, which the map shows.
Is Limestone County growing, and who is moving in?
Limestone County has grown about 31% over the last decade. The largest inbound stream comes from the rest of the Huntsville, AL metro.
Where new residents come from
Where people leaving Limestone County go
Move counts are the latest county-to-county migration flows, each county grouped into its metro.
What the weather is like in Limestone County, month by month
Limestone County sees roughly 76 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 91 degrees. January highs sit near 53, with lows near 34. The comfortable stretch runs March through May, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 53° | 42° | 34° |
| April | 74° | 61° | 50° |
| July | 91° | 80° | 71° |
| October | 77° | 63° | 52° |
Flying in and out of Limestone County
The nearest airport, Huntsville International-Carl T Jones Field, is about 14 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Nashville International, about 92 miles away.
The best schools in and around Limestone County
Schools across Limestone County average a C+, better than 53% of counties.
Top elementary schools
- Heritage Elementary SchoolA · 70% proficient
- Mill Creek Elementary SchoolA · 68% proficient
- Columbia Elementary SchoolA · 63% proficient
Top middle schools
- Liberty Middle SchoolA · 62% proficient
- Monrovia Middle SchoolB+ · 51% proficient
- Priceville Junior High SchoolB · 44% proficient
Top high schools
- James Clemens High SchoolB+ · 54% proficient
- Athens High SchoolC+ · 37% proficient
- East Limestone High SchoolC+ · 36% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Limestone County school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Limestone County 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 Limestone County against the other 3,143 counties.
Who Limestone County suits
Families
Schools land around the 53rd percentile and crime safety beats 84%.
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 91% of counties, internet is fast and widely advertised, and 11% already work from home.
Common questions about living in Limestone County
Is Limestone County a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Limestone County ranks 621st of 3,144 counties. It scores highest on a strong job market, low property taxes, and what local pay buys, and lowest on taxes and walkability. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Limestone County expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $291,373. The overall cost of living runs about 16% below the national average. Set against a $87,524 median income, cost of living beats 91% of counties.
Is Limestone County safe?
Yes, Limestone County is safer than 84% of counties. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $236 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in Limestone County?
July highs average about 91 degrees, and January highs near 53 with lows near 34. That works out to about 76 pleasant days a year, more than 32% of counties.
What are the best neighborhoods in Limestone County?
Using the default rankings, the highest-scoring areas are Madison, Harvest, and Athens. The ranked list and the re-weightable map above let you re-sort them for your own priorities.
Is Limestone County good for families?
Schools beat 53% of counties, crime safety beats 84%, and childcare runs $639 a month.
Is Limestone County good for remote workers?
Cost of living against local pay beats 91% of counties, and the fastest advertised internet here beats 75% of counties. About 11% of workers already work from home.
Compare Limestone County with other counties
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Limestone County. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Limestone County 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.
Limestone County detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Limestone County: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Limestone County: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Limestone County: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Limestone County: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Limestone County 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.
- U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program: population growth and net migration behind the population-change section.
- 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.