Artsy, Friendly and Picturesque, the Village of Fairhope, Alabama Boasts Waterfront Charm, a Gentle Spirit and Old Fashioned Southern Hospitality

Cost of Living:  Meets the National Average

The median home price of $269,000 is well above the national median (but down 10% from last year).  This price is due in part to Fairhope having been a resort destination over the years, attracting not only artists and intellectuals but also wealthy northerners in search of warmer winter weather.   Today Fairhope may be one of the prettiest towns in the South with a delightful tree-lined downtown packed with delicious restaurants, cozy coffeeshops, galleries and fun retail shops and boutiques.

There are some lovely older homes here, many overlooking the Bay, and some neighborhoods in particular draw retirees.   One such neighborhood is Hollowbrook where comfortable brick single family homes are for sale in the mid- to high-$100,000s.   Miller's Crossing is a new neighborhood that attracts all ages but has homes from the mid-$100,000s.  Gayfer Court is an older-style condominium community within walking distance of downtown and has two-story, 1,340 sq. ft units from $179,900 (rentals from $975 per month).     Key Allegro Villas is a manufactured community that caters to seniors and has mobile homes from less than $20,000.  Arbor Gates is an attractive all ages apartment complex with one bedroom units from $675 per month.

Fairhope also has a number of more expensive subdivisions.    Deep Tree Forest has single family homes from the low-$200,000s.  Rock Creek is a master-planned golf community with homes from the high-$200,000s.   Woodlands at Fairhope may be one of the most exclusive neighborhood with homes from the $600,000s.   Million dollar homes are available, too.   It also worth noting that people who purchase a house on “colony land” secure ownership of the house but only receive a leasehold on the land and pay rent to the Single Tax Corporation (which has 1,800 such leaseholds).

 This is an interactive map.  Click on the arrows in the upper left hand corner to move the map to the East, West, North or South, and click on the +/- signs (more than once if necessary) to zoom in and out.

Alabama has some of the nation's lowest property taxes, and in Fairhope, real estate taxes are charged at approximately $42 per $1,000 of assessed value, and homes are assessed at 10% of fair market value.    All owners receive a homestead exemption of $5,000, and owners age 65 and better are exempt from all state property taxes.   Without exemptions, the annual taxes on a $269,000 home are $1,130.   Homeowner insurance is expensive, though, averaging $2,500 to $3,000 a year.  Social Security is not taxed.

Fairhope has been experiencing some growing pains but has instituted strict zoning laws to ensure that it retains its gentle charm.   Each year, 200 trees are planted throughout town, and colorful flower baskets hang from nearly every street lamp giving the town a storybook quality.   The waterfront is a busy spot, and the Fairhope Pier, originally built in the 1920s, is a town highlight with duck ponds, a water fountain, rose gardens and a picnic area.   Boating enthusiasts will love that there are so many marinas so close by and home to every kind of sailing and power boat imaginable.  Charters are available for fishing or just for taking a sail along the shore.  Evening cruises are especially romantic!  Sunsets over the Bay, with Mobile (population 190,000) twinkling in the distance, are amazing.

Golfing is a year-round pleasure thanks to the area's mild climate.  Quail Creek is an 18-hole public course with green fees from $39 to $45 for 18 holes. The Marriott's Lakewood Golf Club is open to the public as well as to hotel guests.  Rock Creek Golf Club is a beautiful semi-private club.  

Fairhope has its share of fun festivals.  The biggest annual event, the Arts and Crafts Festival, occurs the third weekend in March and is one of the oldest and largest festivals of its kind in the South.   Each year, hundreds of artists and fine craftsmen from around the U.S. and overseas come to this prestigious three-day event to show and sell their wares to crowds estimated to be 150,000 strong.  The nation's largest one-day sailing regatta takes place the third weekend in April on Mobile Bay, and the yearly Jubilee, when bottom-dwelling fish, shrimp and crabs rush en masse to the shore to meet eagerly awaiting residents with scoops and buckets in hand, should not be missed.

Shopping is limited, but there is now a Wal-Mart on the outskirts of town (residents successfully fought to keep it from locating downtown).   Mobile is close enough for more in-depth shopping excursions as needed.  

The Fairhope Public Library has been around since the early days when books from London, Amsterdam and Paris were brought to the fledging colony by book lover, intellectual and world traveler Edward Howland.   Many of the library's first books are on display, and today a robust lecture series, book review groups and online classes make FPL a welcoming place to gather.   Computers with internet access are available.

The beautiful Nix Center is a senior activity center that provides daily activities for those 50 and better.  It has 1,800 members, and programs offered include sailing events, potluck lunches, dominos, pool & billiards, ballroom dancing lessons, support groups, ice cream socials, birthday parties, blood pressure screening, cooking classes and much more.

Health care services are quite good.  Thomas Hospital is a 129-bed facility with a new addition and has been named by Thomson Reuters as a Top 100 Hospital for cardiovascular care for four years in a row.   It has also won Healthgrade.com's Outstanding Patient Experience Award for 2010/2011.   Medicare and Medicaid are both accepted.  Further medical options are available in Mobile.

Fairhope has a humid, subtropical climate, meaning hot, humid summers and generally mild winters.  Summer high temperatures reach into the low-90s, and winter temperatures are in the 40s, 50s and 60s.   The comfort index number, a combination of temperature and humidity, is well below the national average.  The sun shines 221 days of the year, and it rains 114 days of the year.  The air quality is below the national average, but the water quality is above the national average.   

Picturesque and quiet, Fairhope is an idyllic waterfront village , but it has some drawbacks.   There is no public transportation.   The chance of a tornado is 77% above the national average.   There are some tensions regarding growth, with not everyone agreeing about how to maintain Fairhope's quality of life.   The town has been negatively affected by the BP oil spill, with businesses suffering tourist cancellations over the past summer.

Even with these downsides, Fairhope has an allure that is hard to resist.   The original colonists may not have created their utopia, but they came close and in the process planted the seeds of this thriving, modern day Southern gem.    So, in a way, they really did succeed after all.

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