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You've seen these lists before: Best places to live in Alabama, Most Beautiful Downtowns, etc., etc. But all of them focus on major cities and towns in the Heart of Dixie and no one pays attention to the little guy.
Well, that's all about to change as we put together a list of the best small towns in Alabama based on numbers--not opinions or hearsay.
We'll dive right into our methodology in the next section; but first, we thought you might just want to know which places in Alabama ranked the based--you know, based on science.
Before we get to the top 15, here's a look at the 10 Best Small Towns To Live in Alabama for 2022.
The 10 Best Small Towns To Live In Alabama For 2022
- Indian Springs Village
- Blue Ridge
- Morris
- Priceville
- Springville
- Kimberly
- Lake View
- Magnolia Springs
- Trinity
- Shoal Creek
What's the best small town in Alabama? Indian Springs Village is the best small town in Alabama based on the most recent Census data. If you live in one of these small towns like Indian Springs Village, chances are, you're not surprised. After all, you know how great you have it.
But for the rest of you--keep reading and we'll get to just why these small towns made our list.
For more reading on the Heart of Dixie check out:
The 15 Best Small Towns In Alabama For 2022
/10
Population: 2,618
Median Income: $120,313 (1st Best)
Median Home Value: $400,000 (3rd Best)
More on Indian Springs Village: Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 1,353
Median Income: $103,083 (6th Best)
Median Home Value: $268,900 (6th Best)
More on Blue Ridge: Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 1,999
Median Income: $84,000 (12th Best)
Median Home Value: $198,400 (15th Best)
More on Morris: Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 3,682
Median Income: $92,594 (9th Best)
Median Home Value: $187,600 (18th Best)
More on Priceville: Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 4,430
Median Income: $82,662 (13th Best)
Median Home Value: $193,500 (16th Best)
More on Springville: Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 3,551
Median Income: $93,772 (8th Best)
Median Home Value: $211,100 (12th Best)
More on Kimberly: Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 2,569
Median Income: $81,332 (14th Best)
Median Home Value: $215,100 (10th Best)
More on Lake View: Data | Homes For Sale
8. Magnolia Springs
Population: 1,129
Median Income: $78,897 (16th Best)
Median Home Value: $283,100 (5th Best)
More on Magnolia Springs: | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 2,593
Median Income: $70,288 (23rd Best)
Median Home Value: $162,700 (26th Best)
More on Trinity: Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 1,231
Median Income: $116,346 (2nd Best)
Median Home Value: $494,800 (2nd Best)
More on Shoal Creek: Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 4,253
Median Income: $53,920 (60th Best)
Median Home Value: $149,500 (41st Best)
More on Hokes Bluff: Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 1,575
Median Income: $64,863 (29th Best)
Median Home Value: $144,800 (46th Best)
More on Concord: Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 3,072
Median Income: $106,094 (4th Best)
Median Home Value: $248,800 (8th Best)
More on Emerald Mountain: Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 1,685
Median Income: $57,273 (50th Best)
Median Home Value: $184,600 (19th Best)
More on Grant: Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 4,185
Median Income: $85,126 (11th Best)
Median Home Value: $124,500 (73rd Best)
More on Alexandria: Photos | Data | Homes For Sale
Methodology: How We Determined The Coolest Towns In Alabama
We threw a lot of criteria at this one in order to get the best, most complete results possible. Using the most recent data from the Census's 2016-2020 American Community Survey and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, this is the criteria we used:
- Population Density (Higher is better)
- Lowest Unemployment Rates
- Housing costs (Higher is better. More demand.)
- Adjusted Median Income (Higher is better)
- Highly Educated Adults (Higher is better)
- Insurance Rates (Higher is better)
- Commute Times (Lower is better)
We looked at places with populations lower than 5,000 people and greater than 1,000, of which, there were a lot - 195 to be exact.
We then ranked each place in each category with scores from 1 to 195, averaged them out, and the lowest scores went to our Best Small Towns in Alabama. Top of that list -- Indian Springs Village. You can download the data here.
Keep reading to find out more about our top 15 best small towns in Alabama.
Summary: Science Can Tackle Any Issue, Even Small Ones
We said it once and we'll say it again -- this list: it's just science. We did the research, we crunched the numbers, and it turns out, these 15 small towns in Alabama are the best, in which to live.
And who can argue with that?
If you're curious, here are the worst small towns in Alabama:
- Clio
- Frisco City
- Webb
For more Alabama reading, check out: