IntelliMoveTake the quiz →Living in Fort Payne, AL
Fort Payne is a big small town of 14,927 people in DeKalb County, Alabama. It's about 32 miles from Rome, GA and 87 miles from Atlanta, GA, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 89°F and winter highs 51°F, with about 4 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $157k and rent runs about $679 a month.
14,927people
$157kTypical home
$679/moRent
89° / 51°Summer / winter
4"Snow
235Sunny days
137Rain/snow days
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Size & setting
- Big small town of 14,927
- A standalone small town, not a suburb
- About 265 people per sq mi
- 87 mi to Atlanta, GA
- 32 mi to Rome, GA
- Has its own stores and services
Money
- Typical home $157k (≈$990/mo)
- Median rent $679/mo
- Median household income $47k
- Property tax about 0.3% of value
- 5.0% unemployment
Weather
- Summer highs around 89°F
- Winter highs around 51°F
- Muggy summers (dew point 67°F)
- 235 sunny days a year (99 totally clear)
- 130 cloudy days a year
- 43 of 90 winter days are gray
- 137 days a year with rain or snow
- 4" of snow a year
- 1 days a year with 1"+ of snow
- 1 day a year over 100°F
- 1 night a year below 10°F
- Usually calm
Safety
- Very low violent crime (170 per 100k)
- Low property crime (1,386 per 100k)
People
- Median age 37
- 33% of households have kids
- 16% are 65 or older
- 17% have a college degree
- Mixed community
- 3% of residents are college students
Getting around & homes
- Average commute 20 min
- 1% walk or take transit to work
- 49 mi to CHA airport
- 87 mi to BHM (major hub)
- 92 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
- 75% single-family homes
- Typical home built around 1977
- 87% of homes have broadband
Outdoors
- Gently rolling terrain
- Elevation 1,276 ft
- 275 mi to the ocean
- 67 mi to a big lake
- 4 mi to the nearest trailhead
- 110 mi to the nearest ski area
- 4 mi to the nearest campground
- 6 golf courses within 25 mi
Things to do
- 79 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
- Few or no bars within 25 mi
- 11 coffee shops within 25 mi
- 1 music venue or club within 25 mi
- 6 museums within 25 mi
- No breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
- 18 mi to the nearest farmers market
Everyday
- Schools in the top 40% of Alabama districts (reading)
- Grocery store in town
- 6 mi to the nearest ER hospital
- 25 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
- Vet in town
- 24 mi to the nearest dog park
- 8 congregations per 10k people
- 14 mi to the nearest college
Politics
- DeKalb County: R+74 in 2024
- Alabama: R+31 in 2024
Natural hazards
- Low hurricane risk
- High tornado risk
- Moderate wildfire risk
- Low earthquake risk
- Low flood risk
- Moderate drought risk
- Low winter storm risk
- Low heat wave risk
- Very low volcano risk