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HUNTSVILLE, ALABAMA
Huntsville is the fourth-largest city in Alabama, lo- cated in the northern part of the state. Founded in 1811, Huntsville is known for its rich Southern heritage and a legacy of space missions. Huntsville actually earned the nickname “The Rocket City” during the 1960s when the Saturn V rocket was developed at Marshall Space Flight Center. It was a Saturn V that carried astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin to the moon. Today, Huntsville is one of the most well-known cities in the Southeast. In fact, USA Today touted Huntsville as “one of the top communities leading the economic recovery,” while Money magazine named it “one of the nation’s most affordable cities.” JOB GROWTH Huntsville is well-known for its technology, space and defense industries. The
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JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA
Jacksonville is geographically the largest city in the nation, and with 850,000 residents, the area is expanding rapidly. Yet the cost of living is still below the national average. And with its business-friendly environment, Jacksonville is one of the strongest real estate markets in the country today. JOB GROWTH Due to its convenient location, warm climate, lower-than-average cost of living and busi- ness-friendly atmosphere, Jacksonville has become a popular destination for expanding and relocating corporations. The expansion of the Panama Canal is also helping to bring jobs into Tampa-area ports, which is likely to lead to even more population growth. The number of jobs in Jacksonville is predicted to increase by 39.21 percent in the next 10 years.
top employer is the military, with more than 31,000 jobs at Redstone Arsenal. NASA Marshall Space Flight Center is among the next largest employers. The city is also home to several Fortune 500 companies, which provide a broad base of manufacturing, retail and service industries to the area. POPULATION GROWTH Huntsville leads
POPULATION GROWTH In the past 10 years, the Jacksonville metro area has grown by a whopping 20 percent. To date, there are 1.3 million people living in this area, and more continue to come every year at an average rate of 2 percent. AFFORDABILITY In Jacksonville, the median home price is about $153,400, which
population growth in Alabama, according to recently released Census estimates, adding more than 10,000 residents since 2010. This is more than any other city in Alabama. AFFORDABILITY Huntsville enjoys low tax rates and high rents, which increase ROI. And since the average home price is approximately $125,000, investing in this area won’t break your bank account, either. With distressed homes selling at a 44 percent discount, this is a great environment for flipping or a buy-and-hold strategy.
is 23 percent less than the national average. A typical $100,000 home will also rent for 20.31 percent more than the national average. These factors show us that there’s a strong opportunity for cash flow in the Jacksonville metro.
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