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Big small town

Living in Rainbow City, AL

Rainbow City is a big small town of 10,284 people in Etowah County, Alabama. It's about 7 miles from Gadsden, AL and 49 miles from Birmingham, AL, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 91°F and winter highs 53°F, with almost no snow. The typical home is valued around $223k and rent runs about $1k a month.

10,284people
$223kTypical home
$1,048/moRent
91° / 53°Summer / winter
1"Snow
244Sunny days
106Rain/snow days

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Size & setting

  • Big small town of 10,284
  • Part of a metro area
  • About 401 people per sq mi
  • 49 mi to Birmingham, AL
  • 7 mi to Gadsden, AL
  • Has its own stores and services

Money

  • Typical home $223k (≈$1,406/mo)
  • Median rent $1,048/mo
  • Median household income $56k
  • Property tax about 0.4% of value
  • 10.0% unemployment

Weather

  • Summer highs around 91°F
  • Winter highs around 53°F
  • Muggy summers (dew point 68°F)
  • 244 sunny days a year (106 totally clear)
  • 121 cloudy days a year
  • 39 of 90 winter days are gray
  • 106 days a year with rain or snow
  • Basically no snow
  • Snow days are rare
  • 2 days a year over 100°F
  • Rarely drops below 10°F
  • Usually calm

Safety

  • Very low violent crime (96 per 100k)
  • Very low property crime (856 per 100k)

People

  • Median age 42
  • 33% of households have kids
  • 19% are 65 or older
  • 21% have a college degree
  • Mixed community
  • 5% of residents are college students

Getting around & homes

  • Average commute 30 min
  • 1% walk or take transit to work
  • 46 mi to BHM airport
  • 46 mi to BHM (major hub)
  • 51 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
  • 68% single-family homes
  • Typical home built around 1990
  • 90% of homes have broadband

Outdoors

  • Gently rolling terrain
  • Elevation 587 ft
  • 236 mi to the ocean
  • 24 mi to a big lake
  • 19 mi to the nearest trailhead
  • 152 mi to the nearest ski area
  • 5 mi to the nearest campground
  • 12 golf courses within 25 mi

Things to do

  • 152 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
  • Few or no bars within 25 mi
  • 12 coffee shops within 25 mi
  • No music venues & clubs within 25 mi
  • 11 museums within 25 mi
  • 2 breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
  • 10 mi to the nearest farmers market

Everyday

  • Schools in the top 36% of Alabama districts (reading)
  • 3 mi to the nearest grocery store
  • 12 mi to the nearest ER hospital
  • 52 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
  • 21 mi to the nearest vet
  • 6 mi to the nearest dog park
  • 12 congregations per 10k people
  • 20 mi to the nearest college

Politics

  • Etowah County: R+56 in 2024
  • Alabama: R+31 in 2024

Natural hazards

  • Low hurricane risk
  • High tornado risk
  • Low wildfire risk
  • Low earthquake risk
  • Low flood risk
  • Moderate drought risk
  • Low winter storm risk
  • Low heat wave risk
  • Very low volcano risk

Places near Rainbow City

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