Get ready to bless your heart and drink some sweet tea because you’re preparing to move to Montgomery, Alabama. The state’s second-largest city is almost literally at the center of everything that makes living in Alabama appealing. What do you gain by calling Montgomery home? A city, but one that’s not too crowded, a beautiful, rolling landscape, and a growing sports destination.
If you’re on the fence about moving to Montgomery, our guide delivers a brief overview of what you need to know. And if the move is happening because you’ve been hired by one of its growing companies or you’re planning to attend college there, this will help you feel more settled in.
A Brief History
Alabama’s Black Belt region is a central geographical strip prized for its rich soil. The region rose to prominence for its ability to grow cotton and other high-commodity crops. Montgomery’s central location in the Black Belt and access to the Alabama River made transporting the region’s cotton easier, leading to the town’s growth and position in Alabama history.
That history is tied into some of the more controversial parts of American history, such as slavery, reconstruction, and the Jim Crow era. Montgomery did serve as the first White House of the Confederacy, but it was also the epicenter of the Civil Rights Movement. The Montgomery Bus Boycotts are an especially important part of this legacy.
Montgomery has also been home to prominent Americans, like Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, musician Hank Williams, and writers F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald.
Montgomery Fun Facts
- The Wright brothers of aviation fame opened the first civilian flight school in 1910 at what is today the Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base.
- Montgomery was the first US city to initiate an electric streetcar system all the way back in 1886.
- Montgomery’s Empire Theater was the first known to use refrigeration and became the first to use actual air conditioning.
- Riverfront Park has a quirky architectural design called Echo Circle that will send your voice back to you.
Affordable Cost of Living
Good news about your expenses! Dollars stretch further in Montgomery as its cost of living is typically lower than the rest of the state and the country. The only two categories that were more expensive were healthcare and utilities.
Some of your biggest cost savings are in housing. It’s incredible to think that you could live in a major city and spend about 62% less than the national average rate on a home. But that’s the case in Montgomery, which was also 18% cheaper than Alabama’s state housing average.
Overall, your expenses in the Alabama state capital will run about 22% less than most people in the United States.
And to afford all of this, the average annual salary in Montgomery is $65,000 as of March 2023, signaling you can have a comfortable life in a major city.
A Mid-size Population
Is Montgomery growing? That’s a great question because growth signals a strong economy and an increase in the potential for your housing options.
Montgomery has just over 200,000 residents as of the 2020 Census. Only Huntsville, AL, had more people living in it. The entire metropolitan area ranks as Alabama’s fourth-largest population center. So it’s a city, but nowhere near as dense as other southern metropolises like New Orleans or Atlanta.
Zooming out statewide, projections have Alabama at 5.3 million residents by 2040, an 11% increase in its population from 2010. Montgomery County is projected to add 9.3% more people, for 21,000 more residents by 2040.
Heat, Humidity, and More Heat
This is the South, so you should expect a combination of mild winters and hot, muggy summers. That doesn’t mean you’ll be as hot as tropical Florida, but it can still get so sticky your shirt will cling to your back in July when you walk out the door.
Montgomery’s hottest months post an average 92°F high, and that’s for July and August. The latter happens to be one of the wettest months of the year, too, along with February and March. Montgomery gets washes of warm, moist air pushed in from the Gulf of Mexico, especially along seasonal frontal boundaries.
Those same frontal boundaries create strong tornadoes that are definitely a risk factor in this part of Alabama. So you’ll need to stay alert during the fall and spring months when the weather changes.
Home to a Nationally-Ranked Public School
Montgomery Public Schools is the local system for public K-12 education. This large school district with 28,000 students operates 53 different schools, with a few being among Alabama’s top-ranked. In fact, Loveless Academic Magnet Program High School also ranks nationally.
Unfortunately, that same high level of quality is not uniform across the school district. On the whole, Montgomery Public School District is not among the state’s best. However, some surrounding suburbs have top-ranked and consistently high-performing Alabama school districts.
As for your higher education choices, Montgomery has about six options. Perhaps the best-known is Huntingdon College, a private, small university offering Methodist education. It ranked no. 8 in the 2022-2023 Best Colleges is Regional Colleges South.
Government Employment Dominates the Job Market
Agribusiness remains vital to the greater Montgomery area. Indeed, numerous manufacturing businesses directly serve this sector. However, Montgomery’s status as the political center means work in government has been key to the city’s economics. Today, 24% of local jobs are in government roles, both at the state and federal level, thanks to the nearby Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base.
The economy has broadened to hit upon every industry. Manufacturing is dominant, with two automobile plants in the Montgomery Metro. Retail, hospitality, and education are also top-employing local industries.
Sales Taxes Are High
New Montgomery residents may find the 10% sales tax rate especially high. Alabama has been challenged to improve the quality of its schools, which have been funded through property taxes. The problem is Alabama has one of the nation’s lowest property tax rates, and homeowners have been reluctant to raise funds through increased property taxation. The result is sales taxes are being used to try and fill the funding gap.
Getting Around
It is a central Alabama city, and it’s much easier to get around to the other destinations, thanks to the interstate system running through Montgomery. Having a car will definitely make it easier to get where you want to go. While there is a public transportation system, it only operates around 15 bus routes.
The Montgomery Regional Airport, located about seven miles southwest of the city, does have connecting Delta and American Airlines flights. But your options are more limited with days and times than other regional airports.
Real Estate and Neighborhoods
Montgomery is a historic city, resulting in neighborhoods with lots of character. But newer options are there, too, reflecting the city’s modern growth and demand for contemporary housing.
So where should you live in the city? Check out the best neighborhoods in Montgomery, including:
- Cottage Hill – an expansive historic district with iconic cottage-style homes going back to Montgomery’s earliest days.
- Cloverdale – another historic district near Norman Bridge Road.
- Capital Heights – a development from the mid-1910s built on former plantation land.
- Garden District – a National Register of Historic Places neighborhood with eclectic stylings.
Bucket List Attractions
As you settle into your home, why not start learning about the history and culture by checking out key attractions that make Montgomery unique? Here are a few must-see things to do in the city:
- Shakespeare Alabama Festival – Alabama Shakespeare Festival is world-renowned for Romeo and Juliet performances on the Blount Cultural Park grounds.
- Riverfront Park – revitalized entertainment district with a minor league baseball team, splash pad, and historical riverboat.
- The Rosa Parks Museum – educating visitors about Alabama’s complex history, the Montgomery Bus Boycotts, and its role in the Civil Rights Movement.
- Old Alabama Town – over 50 historic homes restored to their original state, offering a glimpse into life from a century ago.
The Crime Rate Is High
Call one thing to be aware of living in Montgomery: it has a higher crime rate than other similarly sized communities. Violent crime was indexed at 33.9, and property crime was 61.7. That’s almost double the US average.
It doesn’t mean every neighborhood in the city has a high crime rate, but you definitely want to investigate where you want to live and what’s going on for safety near you.
