Neighborhood: Town Madison
Neighborhood: Clift Farm
Working in Aerospace & Defense: A Guide to Living in Huntsville
First known as Madison Station, the town of Madison was incorporated in 1869. Today, the city is celebrated for its quaint downtown, high-quality schools, and highly educated workforce.
Those living in or moving to Madison have a wide range of choices for their residences, including single-family homes, townhomes, lofts, condos, and luxury apartments. Downtown Madison, also referred to as the Madison Station Historic District, offers a mix of shops and homes. Town Madison is a walkable community that features both apartments and houses across four districts, as well as shopping and dining. Clift Farm is a similar Southern-style, mixed-use residential community, while Bradford Station is a community of new single-story townhomes. Rockhouse Landing is considered to be one of the most high-end neighborhoods in Madison.
Madison’s youngest students can attend Madison, Midtown, Heritage, Horizon, Legacy, Rainbow, Discovery, Mill Creek, and Columbia elementary schools. Older students can attend Liberty, Journey, and Discovery middle schools and Bob Jones and James Clemens high schools. Several private schools, including some of Alabama’s top-rated private schools, are nearby. The University of Alabama in Huntsville, Calhoun Community College’s Huntsville campus, Oakwood University, and Faulkner University – Huntsville are a short drive from Madison.
Opened in 2012 to meet the needs of a growing city, Madison Hospital is a 90-bed hospital offering a variety of nationally recognized services. Huntsville Hospital and Crestwood Medical physician groups are additionally located in Madison. Madison residents can reach Huntsville’s Medical District in less than 30 minutes.
Madison residents can take advantage of a wide range of shops and specialty food stores. Among the most popular shopping areas are The Shoppes of Madison and nearby Bridge Street Town Centre. Big-box stores such as Walmart Supercenter and Costco Wholesale are close by. Favorites for locally grown foods include Madison City Farmers Market and The Providence Market.
Supported by the Madison Arts Alliance, the visual and performing arts are popular in Madison. Free concert series Sounds of the Summer, Battle of the Bands, artist exhibitions, and Holiday Card Lane are just a few of the events the alliance sponsors. Just a short drive from Madison are The Orion Amphitheater and other offerings in Huntsville’s MidCity District.
Residents of Madison enjoy several outdoor amenities. Among them are the Mill Creek Greenway, Bradford Creek Greenway, and Rainbow Mountain Nature Preserve. Just south of Madison is the Beaverdam Swamp Boardwalk and Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge – a 35,000-acre refuge popular for bird-watching, fishing, hiking, and boating. Several parks and playgrounds dot the city of Madison, as well as golf courses, tennis courts, and pickleball courts.
Close by is the Huntsville International Airport and Port of Huntsville, as well as Cummings Research Park, Redstone Arsenal, and NASA. The Mazda Toyota Manufacturing facility resides in Madison and employs approximately 4,000 people.
Whether in search of fine dining, farm-to-table dishes, a quick bite, or a sweet treat, Madison has it all. Restaurants in historic downtown serve up Southern cuisine, local beer, and Alabama Gulf seafood, and around town, many well-known fast casual joints offer comforting favorites.
