The Shoals is a two-county region in Northwest Alabama that is home to an incredible musical heritage, stunning downtown areas, and many other fascinating attributes. Many people call The Shoals home for different reasons. Maybe they grew up here, have a job in the community or want to be a part of our music scene. No matter the reason, those living and moving here often talk about finding their place and falling in love with The Shoals. Why might that be? What about The Shoals makes it such a great place to live? We're here to share five reasons why you should consider moving to and calling The Shoals home!
1. Weather
The Shoals location in Northwest Alabama provides for excellent weather. Looking for four distinct seasons? We've got it. Tired of shoveling snow? We typically get a significant snow about once every ten years. (This is where we add that significant snow for us is anywhere from 6 inches to maybe a foot.) Our summers get a bit warm with average highs around 90°F in July and August, but this makes our springs and falls that much sweeter!
2. Outdoor Recreation
Speaking of summer, it is one of the best seasons in The Shoals to enjoy our plethora of outdoor recreation. The Tennessee River runs right through our two counties and provides ample amounts of recreational opportunities. Hanging out on the boat, water skiing, inner-tubing- it all is a blast! Fishing is another popular activity in The Shoals as we are home to Lake Pickwick, Lake Wheeler and Wilson Lake. These lakes are very esteemed fishing spots where you might find smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, catfish, crappie, striped bass and more. If you are looking for another type of water activity, Cypress Creek is a great place to kayak and paddle board. Our community also has plenty of splash pads for the kids (and adults too!). If water activities aren't your preference, we have other options for you too. The Shoals has many parks in our community with walking trails, playgrounds, picnic tables and more. Popular options are Spring Park in Tuscumbia, Gattman Park is Muscle Shoals, Deibert Park in Florence and Riverfront Park in Sheffield. Wanting something a bit different? Check out the Tennessee Valley Authority's walking and jogging trails in Muscle Shoals or Cane Creek Preserve which is a great hiking option in Colbert County. There is something outdoors for everyone in The Shoals!
3. Food
When you think of a foodie city, The Shoals might not come to mind, but we do have some exceptional restaurants. Farm-to-table fare? Odette in Downtown Florence. One of the greatest steaks you may ever eat? George's Steak Pit in Sheffield. Thai, Italian or a bistro with great cocktails? Try Yumm Thai Sushi and Beyond, Ricatoni's Italian Grill or Jack's Place Bistro. For something a bit quicker with smaller portions still packed full of flavor, try Cheesy Bob's buffalo chicken grilled cheese, Chicago Café's sweet-heat dog or Smokin' Jalapeno's fried avocado taco. And for a carb filled breakfast, you can't miss Superhero Chefs' banana pudding French toast. Don't even get us started on the best BBQ spots around The Shoals. That might have to a be a stand-alone blog!
4. Cost of Living
Everything we've mentioned so far is truly wonderful, but if the majority of your income is going towards cost of living, such as housing costs, it can be harder to enjoy these assets of a community. The Shoals cost of living is a driving factor for many as to why they choose to move to The Shoals. Our cost of living is 20.4% lower1 than United States average. The average monthly rent for a 2-bedroom living space is $6752. That is 13% percent less than the Alabama average and 41% less than the U.S. average. With a median home price of $160,6883, our housing prices are pretty competitive. Living in The Shoals allows you to lower your costs and focus on the more important things in life. Whether that be your children, that project/business you've been dreaming about for years or maybe pulling the trigger on purchasing a boat to spend your Saturdays on the Tennessee River.
5. Community
We saved one of the best reasons to move to The Shoals for last. This last part encompasses everything mentioned so far, plus some. The Shoals community as a whole is unlike any other. One definition of a shoal is a large number of fish swimming together. We believe that is very symbolic of our community. We have a strong sense of community where everyone wants to see each other succeed. Events like First Fridays in Downtown Florence are a great example. Downtown Florence's main street is blocked off for vendors to set up and sell their goods, musicians have a chance to showcase their art, local artisans can show off and sell their crafts, and the community comes out to rally around them. This is a time of gathering for our community members and is only one of these kinds of events. We could go on and on about our community and what it has to offer. But we believe hearing it from someone else solidifies our point. The Kuykendall family moved to The Shoals from Orlando, FL, as part of our Remote Shoals program. They are an amazing asset to our community and have found that they know people, and people know them, here in The Shoals. Hear directly from The Kuykendalls about their experience so far in The Shoals.
If any of these reasons have resonated with you, we encourage you to think about making a move to The Shoals. And if you are a remote worker making at least $52,000/yr, check out our Remote Shoals program where you could get up to $10k to call this remarkable community home
1.https://www.bestplaces.net/metro/alabama/florence-muscle_shoals
2.https://www.bestplaces.net/cost_of_living/metro/alabama/florence-muscle_shoals
3.https://d1ambw9zjiu0uw.cloudfront.net/market_annual/40.pdf?1611785989