Potential move to Fairhope Alabama, need help have kids (Mobile: sale, rentals)

[humacaena]

http://www.cofairhope.com/





RECREATION CENTER & MUNICIPAL POOL MEMBERS:
Municipal Pool Repairs Completed: The Municipal Pool reopened on Monday, February 7, 2001. Please come by and check out the refurbished locker rooms. Fairhope Recreation Center
Hours of operation

Monday - Thursday 5:00 am to 7:00 pm
Friday 5:00am - 6:00pm
Saturday 8:00 am to 2:00 pm
Sunday 1:00 pm to 5:00pm
Fairhope Municipal Pool
Pool Fee Schedule, Membership Application & Rules of Conduct


GIFT CARDS NOW AVAILABLE:

What better way to show a loved one you care than a gift of good health and wellness.
The Fairhope Recreation Center has gift certificates available for memberships, fitness evaluations, and personal training sessions. The staff at the Membership Desk can assist you with the purchase of any type and number of gift certificates.
The Recreation Center can now also accept Visa, Mastercard, and Discover cards.
The Rec Center is adjacent to the Municipal Pool at Volanta Park, the street address is 803 N. Greeno Rd. The phone number is 928-7270
WHAT ARE YOUR RATES?
Our Rates are extremely competitive and offer value for the entire family. To see our rate schedule, view the link at the top of the page entitled "FRC Fee Schedule..":
We accept Visa, Master Card, and Discover

IS CHILDCARE AVAILABLE?
The Fairhope Recreation Center’s Nursery Hours and Rates are:
M – Fri. 8:00 am to 11:00 am and M-TH 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm. Child care is not available Friday Evenings.
The cost for Child Care is $3.00 for the first child and $2.00 each for other children. The child care is limited to one hour.
Nursery Schedule
Summer of Fun Daycamp
Summer of Fun Day Camp Information

PHOTO GALLERY




WHAT ACTIVITIES DO YOU HAVE?
Information on the various sports league programs that are offered through the Fairhope Recreation Department is listed below. Other activities of the Recreation Department include:

• Fairhope Recreation Center Is now offering Group Fitness. Click here to see the flyer.

[RIGHT] [/RIGHT]

City of Fairhope P.O. Drawer 429 Fairhope, AL 36533 | Phone(251) 928-2136 | Fax (251) 928-6776
Additional Information: info@cofairhope.com | Comments/Suggestions: webmaster@cofairhope.com

[hokie98]

Originally Posted by thepelaks

Folks,

My wife did a bit of research on the web regarding potential cancer clusters and rare childhood diseases in the bay area. We already have one chronic disease in the family.

Can anyone shed any light on this subject or is it heresay at this point?

Thanks.

Scotty - I don't know if you're even still interested in the area, but we've been here (Fairhope) for 3-1/2 yrs, after living in VA my entire life. I found out about the cancer cluster in the paper AFTER we moved. We have a 5-1/2 yr old and while I am alarmed, I have to admit, as a stay-at-home mom, I am pretty active with other SAHM's and in the community. I don't find there to be an alarming number of cancer/diseases. As a previous poster mentioned, there were some articles in the paper, and testing, but nothing has ever been confirmed. Believe, I pay attention to such things - I was nervous all summer about the oil spill effects, etc. I don't take it lightly, but in my opinion from the other moms & kids I've met, I think it's a coincidence thing (i.e. if you throw a bag of M&M on a board, there will naturally be more of one color areas than in others). Again, in my time here, I haven't found there to be what I consider an abnormal amount disease/cancer, and some of our closest friends are MD, and they chose to live here with their young children.

I will admit, I was on this forum looking at other cities where my husband has interviewed recently. My husband's job has hit a stalemate here, and we are ready to move on. Fairhope is a delightful little city, and absolutely beautiful, but again, we are ready to move on. My biggest gripes with the area is (a) the weather - I hope you LOVE it hot & humid. I don't...I really miss the 4 season. It's the duration of the heat & humidity - from April on through until mid-Oct - even at 5am in the morning you can't catch your breath for the humidity. (b) I miss being near a large city - we moved from the NoVA area. We quickly became bored with the restaurants here (if you like fried seafood, you're in business), and I miss some big retail shopping. However, Fairhope does have alot of really neat boutique shops. (c) See the part about the big city - I miss cultural events. Having a young daughter, I wish there was more to do with her, such as museum, childrens theater, etc. If going to the beach, boating, and fishing are up your alley, then you are in luck. I'm not a big beach person, so candidly, I find there isn't much to do here. (d) Be prepared for a bit of a culture shock too - did you say you're in NJ? It's different here...not saying it's bad, just different. College football, specifically Alabama & Auburn, plus the rest of the SEC, rules in the fall (and the rest of the year). Something that took some getting used to. If you haven't visited already, and do, just go to the local Walmart to check it out (yes, this is more Walmart world than Target world).

Personally, I found it a little difficult to find my way when we first moved here, and believe me, I was putting myself out there every day to meet people. But this was my first experience with a major move, so maybe this happens everywhere.

As for insurance, yes, that's a real consideration. I hear anything above I-10 is cheaper. We live about 8 miles inland from the bay. Farmers was the only one that would insure us 3-1/2 yrs ago, and they dropped us when it came time to renew back in Dec. We now have Lloyds of London, which is about the only company still writing wind & hail in our area, and pay $3600/yr. For that amount, we have a 5% deductible on any wind & hail damage....yes, 5% of the value of our home. Yes, real estate taxes are cheap, but we've seen the sales tax go from 6% to 9% in Fairhope in the short time we've been here. Since RE taxes are so cheap, they keep tacking on a 1 cent tax here for the schools, another 1 cent for this, and another 1 cent for that....in my opinion, you're going to pay it one way or another.

Anyway, if you're still contemplating a decision, best of luck to you. Again, it is a great area, but just not where we want to stay long term.

[mimpdaddy]

That's a nice facility.

[humacaena]

hokie98,
I am sorry that Fairhope is not your kind of place, and that you're anxious to move on. I guess since it was your first move away from Virginia, I can understand you want more than our area offers. It is not for everyone for sure.

While enjoying the sounds of Roman Street, a wonderful local band (classical guitar,violin) last night on Delamare, I realized how many families with children of all ages enjoy Art Walk and other free activities that our town has to offer. Kids love to dance to this music, while parents visit with friends without having to fret about their safety.

This has been a spectacular week weather wise...40's and 50's at night, (and last night was not much different) and 70's during the days. I guess this has been a gift reminding us that we do have a spring...even though not as pronounced as up north...we do have spring. Blooming trees, and yards full of flowers prove spring is here. Yes, our summers are hot and humid, but so are many other towns in Northern states. Our semi tropical weather is not for everyone but more people are moving our way than moving out.

We moved here from Atlanta, mecca for awesome restaurants and stores. It was hard to get used to not having all of those, but we traded for a more pleasant lifestyle. The restaurant situation has improved and we have more than fried food...believe me. There is 3 tapas restaurants...very eclectic and avant garde,(Auroras, The Attic and Dragonfly), 2 awesome sushi places (Master Joe's and Shanghai Cottage), Tokyo Hibachi, Tamara's Downtown, Camellia Cafe, Fairhope Inn, Wash House serve much more than just fried foods for sure. For lunch choices there are many, Panini Pete's tops the list of great sandwich type places...and several pizza places...and not the chain kind. Guido's and Cousin Vinnies in Daphne, a 10 minute ride are also great. So again, these might not be for everyone, but enough for most. BTW, when I moved to Atlanta in 1975, the restaurant choices were not many, and today Atlanta is food mecca. I do no expect Fairhope to achieve the Nirvana stage, but it sure has improved in the last 8 years.

There is a Target in Daphne, again, no more than 10 minutes,not expressway ride, from most anywhere in Fairhope. Yes, our Wal Mart is here, but there are other options.

Again, sorry Fairhope does not fit your needs, and hopefully you can find that perfect place for you. For us who wish to remain here, we will continue enjoying this town and all it to offer. Good luck in your search.

[nuhall]

I lived in Morristown, NJ for several years and met my wife there. Alabama is definitely different. Fairhope is nice and quaint but you will likely miss many cultural benefits of living in the more progressive Northeast with larger cities and a more diverse population. Schools are not as good down here, mediocre at best compared to northern NJ schools. But, cost of living is cheaper here and there are nice beaches. Fairhope has a nice little arts community and it seems very family friendly. Also, from the sound of it, Fairhope would be the best spot for you considering the sales territory.

[Southlander]

Re: schools....There are plenty of excellent school systems in Alabama. Overall, the state gets bad scores but that's because all of them, from the most rural to the most urban, are averaged together. You have to look at the individual system, and sometimes, schools within that system.
Fairhope schools are excellent.

[Movingsouth19]

Scotty,

Did you ever wind up making the move? I am looking at a similar one from the Central NJ area. We are fed up with the weather, cost of living, toll increases, people, and everything else that comes with NJ. We want to live in Baldwin Co and I'd be working in the downtown Mobile area. We are looking at Spanish Fort, Daphne, Fairhope, Loxley areas.

Our big questions are is there a difference between any of those schools? How much are property taxes and insurance? Where is our best bet to find a 4 br house in the $150k range?

We found the Old Field development in Daphne to be interesting, but it looks like a lot of the construction has stalled. Does anyone have any info on this?

Thanks

[humacaena]

I know a lot about Old Field...knew original developers and agents. They had big dreams and high hopes, and it never panned out. DR Horton came in across the street and they are doing great....but you won't find a home there in your price range w/ 4 bedrooms.

Adams Homes builds a nice home in Daphne and Fairhope. Colony will build on your lot for $79 a sq ft...and there are leftover lots all over in nice subdivisions.

I lived in NJ back in the 60's...14 LOOOOONG months...my daughter was born during a snowstorm in January...Oh, yes...it's 66 degrees at 10pm in Fairhope!!!

Good luck finding a place!

[Movingsouth19]

Thanks for the info, the houses that are for sale in Old Field look pretty good, but I just didnt know what the state of it was. I can prob stretch to 175 on the house, but we are coming down on 1 income to start.

I can't wait for the move, so excited. NJ is an awful place 9 years has been enough.

[Movingsouth19]

Originally Posted by humacaena

I know a lot about Old Field...knew original developers and agents. They had big dreams and high hopes, and it never panned out. DR Horton came in across the street and they are doing great....but you won't find a home there in your price range w/ 4 bedrooms.

Adams Homes builds a nice home in Daphne and Fairhope. Colony will build on your lot for $79 a sq ft...and there are leftover lots all over in nice subdivisions.

I lived in NJ back in the 60's...14 LOOOOONG months...my daughter was born during a snowstorm in January...Oh, yes...it's 66 degrees at 10pm in Fairhope!!!

Good luck finding a place!

Any idea on how much HOA fees are in Oldfield and Bay Branch? I heard Lake Forrest is $42/mth.