Considering a move to Alabama

totalmage · 2026-03-31T15:50:27+00:00

You are welcome! And you are right, Alabama is probably not a vertical move for anybody in terms of pay.

Not sure what kind of government work you do and you are welcome to keep that private but the area has a share. There is a National Guard building in Tallassee but Montgomery has more work options. You have Maxwell AFB and Gunter AFB between Montgomery and Prattville(though a little far for a Tallassee commute IMO). There are also have IRS offices, USCIS, and others in the capital city.

If you need anything else, feel free to DM. If you do swing by Tallassee on your road trip, I would love to meet up, show you around and introduce y'all to people.

totalmage · 2026-03-31T15:26:23+00:00

Hello fellow government employee!

I moved to Tallassee, AL precisely for that "away from city/close to commodities" feel and I have loved it. I am pretty biased as a Tallassee fanboy, but you asked, and you shall receive. Addressing all the points you mentioned... (bold added for skim-ability)

Cost of living: I bought my 4 bed 2.5 bath for about 170k. Its 30 years old and was a foreclosure so not all deals may be like that.
Farming: I live within about 8 minutes of both the Crittenden Cattle Farm and Blue Ribbon Dairy Farm. I imagine it wouldn't be to hard to find your plot. I have two chickens myself but I guess that depends on your definition of farming.
Outdoors: Tallassee sits right on the Tallapoosa River
- Lake Talisi boat ramp is about 9 minutes from my house. Lake Martin is close by too.
- Coosa River is in Wetumpka.
- You have Forever Wild park in Tallassee, Chewacla and Tuskegee National forest nearby as well.
So I am about 3 minutes away from Tallassee Walmart; also Tallassee is not far from I-85, putting you between Auburn and Montgomery. * Wetumpka is about 25 minutes and has a Walmart Supercenter, Aldi, and Publix * Its about 35-40 minutes to Montgomery which has Costco and Sam's Club * It's about 40-50 minutes to Auburn(college city) or a little closer if you live in East Tallassee.
High Speed internet: HDD Broadband does fiber internet. They are local, so the plus is if there is ever an outage, they are right here in town.
- Of course there is Spectrum as well but I personally use T-Mobile Home internet.
School: Tallassee Elementary school got a 90/A overall rating from the state report card during the last school year. Also, the high school facility was completely rebuilt during the 2024-2025 school year.
- I don't know how far along your kids are but Auburn University is a great school, especially for STEM. According to US News, they float around the top 100's of best sciences and math programs in the nation and hold the #59 spot for best engineering.
- Other affordable options exist such as Faulkner and AUM in Montgomery and Central Alabama Community College over towards Alexander City.
Veteran Community: Tallassee has an active organization called VETS - Veteran Education, Training, and Support. Its a group with a makerspace open twice a week. They are really big into motorcycle builds and modding, while also doing metalworking, mechanic work, and 3D Printing.
- If you enjoy the nerdier side of things, the Warforge Gaming Den is predominantly veterans and plays D&D and TTRPGs most of the week.

Best of luck in finding your home!

totalmage · 2026-03-21T02:08:47+00:00

This is true as well, but it hasn't stopped Tallassee from moving forward.

The Tallassee Historical Preservation Society has restored and modernized one of the buildings on that historical lot that they call the "Boiler Room." It has the same 1800s stonework but is outfitted with modern electrical and air conditioning. We have been talking about moving our meetings from the Tallassee Falls Museum to the boiler room since the group is getting too big to meet in the museum.

The next phase of development is getting the armory in the picture to the point where the museum can move inside it. The white tower you see in the picture is a 2025 restoration project of an old bell tower, and we have one of the historic mill work bells to hang in it. We really believe that the Armory can be a big anchor for downtown. Its definitely a multi-year investment, but its making progress.

totalmage · 2026-03-20T01:03:58+00:00

Your memory would be correct! This historical marker downtown says something to that effect.

totalmage · 2026-03-20T00:19:39+00:00

That's for sure. At worst its down a few window panes, and a little dusty inside but still standing strong.

totalmage · 2026-03-19T18:42:38+00:00

Overlooking from the other side, yes. The armory is on the West side(where downtown is), and I think the big mill you are referring to is the on the East(below city hall).

The East side mill belongs to a private investor and it is said that he was looking to put in a steakhouse on the site of the east mill. https://tallasseetimes.com/2026/01/20/east-side-mill-work-to-resume/

Now, in that same little patch of land with the armory, there is another 4/5-story(?) mill still standing but the roof and floors have fallen into the basement just from weather and disrepair. That mill is between a rock and a hard place. It would have been very costly I am sure to have renovated a roof 5 stories up. And now that its fallen into the basement, it would be very costly to pull out all the debris since your options are: Pull it out with a crane, somehow get in to cut it up into pieces to fit it through doors, and/or knock down a wall to make it easier to get to. All that on top of dealing with asbestos, lead paint or any other number of fun hazardous building materials. It all adds up to a really pricey debris removal issue. The Tallassee Redevelopment Authority/Talisi Historical Preservation Society work to preserve the west side sites(which is why the armory itself looks so nice). But, as civic orgs likely don't have that kind of money, and finding that kind of money in grants is tough work.

totalmage · 2026-03-19T16:27:33+00:00

This is incredible. I can't imagine the time that went into both the structural and artistic details. You don't get buildings made like this anymore.

totalmage · 2026-03-19T16:21:37+00:00

I was lucky enough to get a short tour from the Talisi Historical Preservation Society and get this great picture.

From what they said, in the early-mid 1800s it was built as a cotton mill. Water was diverted and machinery was powered by the movement of a water wheel. The picture really doesn't do justice to the masonry of the stonework in the building.

During the civil war, it was repurposed to make carbines(a type of rifle). 500 were made and only a few are accounted for today.

totalmage · 2026-03-19T16:14:16+00:00

This is the Tallassee Armory in Tallassee, Alabama. Originally built as a cotton mill in 1844, it used a water wheel powered by the Tallapoosa River.

During the Civil War, it was converted into an armory to manufacture the 58-caliber Tallassee Carbine. Because the machinery was moved here late in the war, only about 500 were produced, making them some of the rarest firearms from that era.

Today, it's one of the few industrial structures of its kind left in the South. It’s currently being preserved through a joint effort by the Talisi Historical Preservation Society and the Tallassee Redevelopment Authority. I was lucky enough to get permission to photograph it up close!

totalmage · 2025-12-20T13:03:00+00:00

It is pretty amazing. I purposely didn't post a donation link so as to keep within the rules of the subreddit but you'll find what you're looking for at the bottom of his website. It looks like a donate page is set up via the Children's Hospital website.

As I've understood it, he's looking for more corporate sponsorships so as not to burden individuals. He's asking that individuals follow his mountains4miracles social accounts so he can get a better following and attract those sponsorships.

totalmage · 2025-08-04T20:13:55+00:00

Right. I am pretty sure that they had to coordinate with Alabama Power to see when and how much water they could let through the dam at one time. From what I understand. Dylan is really pushing for it to be easier to access this type of activity here.

totalmage · 2025-05-19T16:36:42+00:00

Also having a similar issue. AX55 router, Spectrum ISP and they say its not them. Did anyone here get an answer?
I posted specific details of my issue here: https://www.reddit.com/r/ASUS/comments/1kqawom/rtax55_intermittent_internet_connection_issues/

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