JasonS2

I was born in Huntsville and lived in or around it for about 90% of my first 40 years. In the past few years, there seems to be a big push to provide access to big city shopping and recreation, although the night life still suffers, unless you're looking to hang out at a bar. There is a large Christian presence in the city, most notably Southern Baptist, Methodist, and Church of Christ for Protestant and Catholic churches closer to the heart of the city. For those seeking places of worship or a family church to raise a child, Huntsville has you covered! If you're seeking access to secular activities (especially as a youth) then you'll be hard-pressed to find much. There isn't much culture outside of the traditional Southern U.S. stereotypes, although more and more activities and recreation are being added with each year. For those seeking rural scenes, Huntsville has a range of options within an hour of the city, including Hazel Green to the north and Culman to the south. If you desire to be more remote and have access to the water, Guntersville sits on a large lake and offers plenty of rural options for a commute of about 90 minutes.

I relocated up here from Huntsville, AL through my work about a year ago. Most of the available housing options are horrific (the houses are old and in various states of disrepair). There is a high level of mold and other airborne antagonists. Mixed with the high levels of humidity and the wet nature of the area due to the river (read "mosquitoes-a-plenty"), the general air quality for this area is very poor. The cost for most of the housing options is also well above what should be expected of comparable conditions in other comparable cities. A 2-3 BR home with 1.5-2 baths (< 1000 sq. ft.) can run between $850 and $1000 a month. The utility costs are astronomical, compared to other utility providers (including the over-priced Tennessee Valley Authority, which only costs around 75% of the average costs in Evansville). Cell phone and high-speed (non-satellite) internet access is very limited unless you live close to the inner city, where the crime rate seems to be climbing (although not necessarily inordinately high for this size of a city).