Why Alabama?

November 16, 2024

I no longer sound like the Southern woman that I am. My Southern accent has disappeared after living in Colorado for so long. Since we’ve moved here, I have had so many people ask, “Where are you from?”

Then after hearing, “I was born and raised in South Mississippi. We lived in the Huntsville area for 5 years, then we lived in Colorado for 27 years. We went full-time RVing for 2 1/2 years and saw a lot of the country. We just bought a house in the Ford City community.”

I can see the thought, “Ah, Colorado! That’s her accent!” go through their minds. Then, they ask, “Why here?” Or “Why Alabama?”

Why Alabama? We lived in North Alabama for five years when we were in our 20’s. We love the Alabama mountains, waterfalls, the Tennessee River and the lakes the Tennessee River makes. I love gardening and the climate of North Alabama means I can grow so much here.

The land is cheaper here than in Tennessee and North Georgia.

The Alabama State parks are gorgeous! The hiking and the views are spectacular.

While I don’t do caving like my friend, Marty, I enjoy cave tours. Marty explores caves and she is a leader in the cave rescue community. Me, I like a guide who explains the cave ecosystem while walking on easy paths. Alabama has a lot of caves and several cave tours.

“Why here?” We found the quad cities have some great restaurants. The Tennessee River is beautiful here and we live 2 miles from a great boat ramp. We are close to several state parks.

The area is has the small town feel with a lot of the big city options.

Florence has the University of North Alabama and the area has several community colleges. I plan to see what classes might be offered that I would enjoy as continuing education.

The area has a vibrant artist community, which I plan to join.

I also plan to join the local garden club. They maintain the Welcome to Ford City sign. There is a local bee keeper association that would be good to join since we plan on keeping bees.

Yes, the summers here are hot and muggy. The heat and humidity is a real force.

We’ve found hot and muggy summers to be common in our travels. The deserts, high plains and Rocky Mountains being the exception. They don’t have humid air.

North Alabama doesn’t really worry about hurricanes; tornadoes are a different story.

It’s not perfect, but it is lovely. I look forward to living here for a long time.