Foley, Alabama - Community Guide

The following information is brought to you by Jeff Nelson of IXL Real Estate – Eastern Shore. If you have any questions about Foley real estate or the community, please get in touch with me. I live in Gulf Shores and have been selling homes and condos for nearly 12 years.

Incorporated in 1915, the city of Foley is located in the southern section of Baldwin County or "lower Alabama" and bordered by Magnolia Springs to the west, Elberta to the east, Summerdale to the north, and Gulf Shores to the south. It is serviced mainly by Route 59, which runs from north to south from Loxley to Gulf Shores, and the new Beach Express that connects interstate 10 at exit 49 to Orange Beach. Not only is Foley conveniently located just minutes from the beach, Pensacola is only 30 miles away and you can get to New Orleans in about 2 1/2 hours.

According to the United States Census Bureau the population is 17,386, compared to that of 17,386 in Fairhope and 10,765 in Gulf Shores. The city has a total area of 25.89 square miles with, of which 25.76 square miles is made up of land and .13 square miles is made up of water.

The zip code for Foley, Al. is 36535.


Although the city is largely recognized as the town that most people drive through to get to Gulf Shores or Orange Beach, Foley has a lot to offer and is attracting businesses and residents alike at a great pace. There are literally hundreds of businesses that line Route 59, which are there to supply the hundreds of thousands of visitors to our beaches each year. While Gulf Shores and Orange Beach are not widely commercialized, Foley is not too far to travel if you need some updated furniture for your condo, a cup of Starbucks coffee, or just a new Salt Life T-shirt. As we see new commercial outfits opening their doors, like Academy, Hobby Lobby, Big Lots, and Shoe Station, the industrial and retail industries in Foley are expecting to climb even more to support an already flourishing city economy.

The Largest Employers in Foley are:

• UTC Aerospace
• Vulcan, Inc.
• Ascend Performance Materials
• Starr Textile Services
• South Baldwin Regional Medical Center
• AZEK Decks
  

Points of Interests

• Tanger Outlet Mall is located in the heart of Foley which operates 600,000 square feet of retail space and 120+ specialty retail stores. Tanger is one of the largest and most successful retail outlets in the Southeast.
• The Antique Rose Trail has over 500 varieties of fragrant roses.
• City of Foley Museum and Archives/ Model Train Exhibit
• The Holmes Medical Museum
  

Foley, AL. Real Estate

If you are considering purchasing real estate here, you’ll find that there are many residential options to choose from. I am a Foley Realtor that can help you find exactly what you are looking for, whether it’s waterfront condo as a second home/investment property or a golf course retirement home.

Real estate in Foley is much different than it is in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach. While most of the property selections that are on the beach are condos, the majority of the choices here are single family. After a search to see what was currently on the market I found that there were 272 single family homes that were available. About 80% of those homes were less than $300,000 and the majority of that list were between $100,000 and $200,000. So, affordability is definitely achievable in Foley.

Search all homes for sale in Foley here

To give you an idea of the difference between the single family home vs. condo selection, there were only 17 condos that were available between $85,000 and $240,000.

Our market in lower Alabama is strong and I believe that there are 2 main factors that attract people to Foley to purchase real estate: the proximity to the Gulf (and beaches) and the lower prices of real estate in Foley. Our area needs no real introduction in regard to its popularity across the country. The droves of visitors and the hundreds of millions of dollars that are spent each year are proof of the flourishing market in which we live. Real estate pricing, however, in Foley is a lot less per square foot even though it's not that far from the beach at all. Furthermore, many full time residents actually prefer to live away from the beach as to not be in the mix of all our guests.

Whatever you're looking for, you can find it at www.livegulfshoreslocal.com.

Popular Neighborhoods and Subdivisions

• Bay Forest Estates
• Bella Vista
• Cambridge Parke
• Ashford Park
• Carnoustie Gardens
• Graham Creek Estates
• Ashland Place
• Aspen Creek
• Cape Fear

Economy

With such a strong attraction from our beaches to the multitude of visitors every year, the city of Foley sees nearly $600,000,000 of retail sale each year. Although, retail is obviously a factor, Foley has attracted other large industries in manufacturing and entertainment that are sure to make the economic future even brighter. Furthermore, the newest crown jewel, Owa Theme Park, has opened with a bang and is expected to bring an addition 1,000,000 visitors to the area each year. Foley's economy is strong and slated to only get better.

The unemployment rate is 5.20% with the future job growth sitting at 36.80% over the next 10 years. The sales tax rate is 9% and the income tax rate is 5%. The income per capita is $22,209, which includes all adults and children. The median household income is $41,370. "Cost of Living" is 9.9% less compared to that of the rest of the country

Population by Occupation

• Sales, office, admin support 30.01%
• Management, business, finance 14.68%
• Construction 12.82%
• Food prep, serving 7.99%
• Building Maintenance 4.83%
• Healthcare practitioners 4.70%
• Healthcare support 4.16%
  

Climate and Weather

Gulf Shores has a warm and humid climate with no dry season and hot summers. Precipitation is fairly consistent throughout the year with about 84 days of measurable precipitation. Its “warm” season runs from May 26 until September 23 with an average high temperature of 85 degrees. The warmest month of the year is July with an average daily temperature of 90 degrees. Its “cold” season runs from November 25th until March 5th with an average high temperature below 67 degrees. The coldest month of the year is January with an average temperature of 39 degrees. During the “warm” season, there is over a 50% chance that there will be some kind of precipitation that occurs on any given day. Most of the time these pop-up showers happen during the afternoon and they come/go fairly quickly. The average amount of rainfall per year is 57 inches and the average amount of snow is 0.

Hospitals and Medical Centers

• South Baldwin Regional Medical Center
• Sacred Heart Medical Group
• Medstar Emergency Medical Service
• Fresenius Medical Care
• Gulf Coast Behavioural Medicine
• Shoulder of Central Gulf Coast
• Gulf Coast Occupational, Sports, and Pain Medicine
• Baldwin Family Health Center
• Emerald Sands Medical Center
• South Baldwin Medical Partners
  

Public Schools

Greatschools.org gives the high school a rating of 4 out of 10. There is a 14:1 student to teacher ratio.

• Foley High School - 1 Pride Place
• Foley Middle School - 200 N. Oak Street
• Foley Elementary School - 450 N. Cedar Street
  

Colleges and Universities

• Fortis College
• Capps College
• South Alabama Beauty College
  

Educational Statistics

• High School Graduate 32.74%
• Some College 27.11%
• Associates Degree 7.94%
• Bachelors Degree 15.37%
• Masters Degree 4.41%
• Doctorate Degree 1.09%
  

Transportation and Commute

Jack Edwards National Airport is located in north Gulf Shores, adjacent to the Intracoastal Waterway. Foley uses BRATS and taxi cabs for public transportation.

• Drive 79.56%
• Carpool 16.49%
• Walk 2.42%
• Work from Home 1.07%
  

Restaurants

Foley is full of restaurants with many types of cuisines. You can also go to the restaurant page to find other great places to eat in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach. Here are just a few to try:

• Lambert's Cafe III
• Portabella's
• Down South Barbeque
• Fish River Grill #2
• Wolf Bay Lodge
• Gelato Joes
• El Paso Mexican Grill
• Ichiban Hibachi & Sushi
  

Important City Websites

• City of Foley
• Baldwin County Public Schools
• Tax Assessor
• Building and Permits
• Health Department
• Public Works
• Planning and Zoning
• Public Library
• Police Department
• Fire Department
• Animal Control
• Water and Sewer Department
• Power Company
  

Foley, AL. Realtor

If you have been thinking about selling your condo, home, or other Foley, AL. real estate, give me the opportunity to help make your experience stress-free and painless.

When you hire a Realtor to work with you to sell your home, there should be a number of important items to consider first: the availability and interpretation of up to date statistical data such as days on the market and sales price/list price ratios, communication and marketing skills, and past experience/success of the agent.

You may be new to the area and moving here from out of town. Maybe you've lived here your whole life and looking to buy your first home. Whatever the case may be, I can help you find the place you're looking for. You can call me from the information below or send me a message from the upper right portion of your screen. I would love to go to work for you!

Jeff Nelson
IXL Real Estate – Eastern Shore
Cell: 251-654-2523