Decatur, AL is a charming city nestled in the heart of northern Alabama. It offers visitors many activities and attractions to explore and enjoy. From outdoor trails, to historic sites, to museums, there is something for everyone in Decatur. One of the top features of Decatur is its local cuisine which showcases items from locally sourced ingredients with a southern flair. Shopping opportunities abound in Decatur as well, with both small boutique shops and larger retail chains. Visitors can also take part in events held throughout the year such as art shows, music festivals, and farmers markets.
Decatur has been highly rated by those who have visited. Many rave about the wonderful hospitality found here and say that it felt like home away from home. People love the variety of activities available as well as all of the nice restaurants they have access to during their visit. The locals are very friendly and welcoming, making any visitor feel at ease while exploring this beautiful city in Alabama. With its warm climate and great amenities, it's no surprise that so many people give Decatur glowing reviews!
based on 12 ReviewsGet to know Decatur with the latest comments and reviews from people who live in or have visited Decatur
Decatur, a Hidden Gem - 7/10/2021
I moved to Decatur from Huntsville about 6 months ago. I love it! Traffic is mostly light, even at rush hour. You have enough shopping amenities here you rarely have to go out of town. Decatur is a city of parks and greenery, plus it is surrounded by Wheeler Refuge. You can get good river views from Ferry Park and Point Mallard. Downtown has a gorgeous historical district. Overall, Decatur has a blue-collar vibe to it; if that isn't your thing, you will not like it here. My utility bill dropped 25% from what I was paying in Huntsville so I don't know what other reviews are talking about. The only (mildly) negative thing I can mention is that I have never lived in a place where long-term residents are so aggressively critical of their
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Decatur, a Hidden Gem - 6/30/2021
I moved to Decatur three months ago from Huntsville and I am very satisfied with the city. Decatur boasts many amenities: on the river, surrounded on two sides by Wheeler Wildlife Refuge, a charming downtown, a beautiful historic area, and an extensive park system, plus it has an art college and the Princess Theatre. Most routine shopping can be done in city limits. People get concerned because Decatur is a blue-collar city with older housing stock and a stagnant population and the crime is high for a city this size. Personally, I like the blue-collar feel and crime, as in most cities, is confined to certain areas and concerns people who know one another. Outside of that, the cost of living is low and quality of life excellent. Decatur residents, however, are very down on their city and you have to factor this in with evaluating
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Decatur is Decatur - 6/25/2019
I moved to Decatur from Huntsville a little over a year ago. I'm just not a big fan for a few reasons. #1 Brownsferry Nuclear Power Plant is exactly 10.43 miles from my home and I am downwind. Most of Decatur is downwind, unfortunately. The air quality here is already terrible due to all the manufacturing. Together it all adds up to one of the highest cancer rates in the country. #2 reason I'm not a big fan, water quality is horrendous. Absolutely horrendous. Everything will rust , but the rust and lead in water is only the tip of the iceberg. Put it this way, it's impossible to fix. Redstone Arsenal was a chemical munitions facility back in the day. Produced more chlorine? Gas in one day( during WW2 ) than was used during all of the Great War. Decatur is just downriver. Lord knows nothing was ever dumped in the river... Oh wait, it's so bad, they had to warn the people not to eat the fish. It's well understood that the government wasn't concerned of potential problems caused by
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I wouldn't even visit but my family is still there - 6/24/2019
People are church associated, fun and cordial. I don't know why Best places have them listed as 56 for Comfort Zone but no way! And my high electric bill for at least 4 months of air conditioning. Who wants to spend summer indoors? You have to get everything done by 10 am or you could stroke out. Poor healthcare but clean hospitals. Plenty of places for fine dining, or quick meals. Congested streets and highways. Good schools, fair parks, nice Point Mallard activities. Evening entertainment at various places, when it cools down. High
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Point Mallard and Parkway waterway nice - 6/7/2010
I should clarify that the "lovely houses by the river" are near the Point Mallard Parkway water way and in Point Mallard itself. Downtown, Point Mallard Parkway, Point Mallard - very nice area. Burningtree mountain itself -dark, gloomy, dated homes. Maybe in time they will fix it up
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Decatur beautiful, not Burningtree Mountain howeve - 6/7/2010
All of Decatur is just beautiful, people are very sweet, like the sweet tea there! Houses are homey and well kept everywhere. The only place not so bright and pretty is Burningtree Mountain, in Decatur. We lived on the mountain for a bit and did not like it there. It is dark and gloomy up on that hill. The area right below the hill is not well kept either now. We moved to one of the newer housing areas by the river. This housing area is just lovely and the downtown houses and downtown area in Decatur is just magical, as there are many trees there and lots of rich history there. Lots to do in near by Huntsville. Downtown area will be even more charming, in Decatur, when Fine Arts Center is built. The schools are pretty good in Decatur. All in all, Decatur is a nice town to raise a family in.
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The City will rob you blind - 11/17/2009
I've lived here for over 20 yrs mostly due to a divorce decree by a judge that later resigned to keep from being impeached for taking bribes. The property taxes are lower due to the fact that the natives here own alot of property and they don't want to pay for it. But they charge higher sales tax on everything including food and medicine than even the other nearby and bigger city's. There is nothing to do here-no amenities of any kind because that would take money out of the pockets of the corrupt city council-all of which leave there positions wealthy regarless of their circumstances when they got the position. The police are completely corrupt and unless you are among the wealthiest natives here theives can rob you blind and they won't do anything about it. The people are not friendly unless you like people that smile at your face and stab you in the back when you turn around. You will be highly disappointed if you come here unless your idea of a good time is staying locked
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Do you not want my business? - 10/20/2009
My experience in Decatur has been a rather odd one. I have meet some really nice people, however I have wondered how anyone stays in business in this town. Here's a quick run down of my encounters:
1. Needed floors redone in my RV, Called a flooring company, to come and measure... they never showed.
2. went into an Rv Store to inquire about purchasing a table for my RV that was made of wood: The response; "Well..... they are really expensive, you can probably find one cheaper if you look around...." I told him that I had and that a table that size was hard to find. He continued to discourage me. Now, I really did not want to look around,but he talked me right out of the sale.Not because I did not want to spend the money, but because I was becoming annoyed with his "no sale" sale's tactic
3. Finally got a flooring company to do the floor, They did not return calls, got the details wrong, when I said something to them, they acted as if I was being difficult with
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Crappy Town - 4/11/2009
While reviews of this place may seem great this place has all to readily adopted a new name. "Decatur - The Place Where Dreams Go To Die". While there is a low crime rate, there is more than enough crime to make people a little leery about leaving their doors unlocked. The commerce industry here is not good. It is like pulling teeth to get any kind of new business in this town and if we do get anything it's usually only going to be industrial related jobs at the factories that spring up along the river (3m, solutia, boeing etc). And on that note don't forget that this particular part of the Tennessee River (at last testing 4 years ago) was 4x more polluted than EPA regulations. There is a strong religious streak here that while it's great for CHRISTIANS ONLY doesn't leave a lot of room for other faiths or cultures, especially since the primary people here are white or black Baptists. Hispanics have started to flood the town and it has created a rift between races, with new "ghettos"
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