Riverside, AL


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Riverside, AL

About Riverside, AL

Living in Riverside, AL is a pleasant experience. The area is full of lush greenery and wildlife, and the nearby river provides a scenic backdrop for those who enjoy spending time outdoors. Shopping, dining and entertainment are all readily available in the town's downtown area, making it easy to find something to do regardless of the season. Residents can easily access nearby cities via car or public transportation, allowing them to explore outside of their comfort zone when desired. All in all, Riverside provides a great quality of life that many people appreciate. Mid-sized city - North-central Alabama, about 300 miles north of the Gulf of Mexico.

State: Alabama
County: St. Clair County
Metro Area: Birmingham-Hoover Metro Area
City: Riverside
Zip Codes: 35135
Cost of Living:
Time zone: Central Standard Time (CST)
Elevation: 618 ft above sea level

Birmingham is one of the South’s most misunderstood cities. A former steel and manufacturing center once known as the “Pittsburgh of the South,” Birmingham is still thought by many outsiders to combine the grittiness of this legacy with some of the other more unsavory images of the old South. But the truth is far different: Birmingham has experienced a major economic turnaround, and while not quite as far along as noted Southern stars like Charlotte, Raleigh Durham and Atlanta, the area has come a long way.

The steel industry is still evident but has transitioned into higher value-add manufacturing enterprises supporting the South’s growing automotive assembly industry, which surrounds the city in a few-hundred-mile radius in places like Tuscaloosa (Mercedes) Lincoln, AL (Honda), Montgomery, AL (Hyundai), and Spring Hill and Smyrna, TN (Saturn and Nissan). Beyond this industry, the economy has moved decidedly towards more new-economy enterprises in research, medicine, banking, finance, and technology. The area has become a magnet for young educated workers and their families looking for alternatives to Atlanta and other booming Southern centers. Nice older (and some newer) suburban neighborhoods have grown mainly south of the city towards Vestavia Hills and Hoover. The area scores relatively well in healthcare, arts, and the economy, and poorly in air service and climate.

Birmingham is located in a valley within a hilly area in the Appalachian foothills. Ridges rise to 600 feet above the valley floor, with a mix of open land and forest. The climate is decidedly southern, humid subtropical with a modifying influence from the Gulf of Mexico. Summers are long, hot, and humid with frequent thunderstorms. Winters are mild. Total annual rainfall is among the highest in the United States.

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Riverside Cost of Living

Arts and culture, diversifying economy, and mild winters make Riverside a great place to live.

$286,600
-18.0% lower than avg
$55,417
-24.5% lower than avg
6.1 / 6.9
Comfort Index
summer/winter
Riverside Crime
46.1 / 100
Crime is ranked on a scale of 1 (low) to 100 (high). US average: 35.4
Minimum annual income
To live comfortably in Riverside, Alabama
$55,080
for a family
$36,000
for a single person
Pros & Cons of Riverside
   Arts and culture
Air service
   Diversifying economy
Crime rates
   Mild winters
Summer heat and humidity
Cost of Living