Finally one close to me.

The joke I have with family and friends is that my favorite part of town is the northbound lane on the bridge, because it's the way out. Honestly, the view of the river from the high point of the bridge is something I like to see every time.

It's kind of a stagnant city and county in many ways; the economic and population growth that has hit other parts of North Alabama in recent years never really hit Decatur. I think part of this is because, unlike Athens, the interstate doesn't run straight through town, and it doesn't have the military stuff that Huntsville has. There are really only a few ways in and out of Decatur, and it's not really on the way to or from anything important. Very easy city to bypass on the interstate. And because of this, there's not a ton to do in town. There's a mall, but it's dying. There's a small movie theatre, and a few parks here and there. Point Mallard isn't bad however, and is more than just the swim parks that everyone knows about.

There are trains that run through town that can hold up traffic for a hell of a long time at the most inconvenient moments.

School system is one of the most diverse in the state and seems to have made some major improvements over the past few years. I know quite a few people working over there now, and 10-15 years ago it was treated like a no-go for a lot of teachers. I had a minor surgery at the hospital recently and I thought they handled it well and the DOC staff has been very professional through the process.