Living in Florala, Alabama: homes, schools and costs

The book's checklist

Lower cost of livingEveryday prices run 16.8% below the U.S. average in the parts of Alabama outside metro areas.
More house for the moneyThe Census survey didn't reach enough homes in Florala to say.
A safer neighborhood3 violent crimes were reported in 2025, about 1.6 per 1,000 people (U.S.: 3.3). Property crime: 3.6 per 1,000 (U.S.: 15.3).
Schools in town2 public schools: 1 elementary and 1 high school.
A hospital close byMizell Memorial Hospital in Opp, about 19 miles away, has the nearest emergency room.
Within reach of a big cityBirmingham is about 175 miles away as the crow flies. The book suggests staying within about 60 miles if you'll miss big-city sports, concerts and theater.

A check means Florala meets the rule of thumb from Frank and Dave's book. An empty box isn't a deal breaker: it's something to weigh for your family. A question mark means there isn't enough data.

For a lifetime

Homes and money

Typical home value, as owners valued them in 2020-2024: $91,600U.S.: $332,700
Home prices since then: Up 20%Covington County, 2022 to 2025
Typical rent, with utilities: $706 a monthU.S.: $1,413
Homes owned by the people living in them: 54%U.S.: 65%
Typical property tax bill: $259 a yearAlabama: $788
Homes built before 1940: 17%U.S.: 12%
Homes built since 2010: 2%U.S.: 11%
Vacation and seasonal homes: 1%U.S.: 3%
Everyday prices: 83.2U.S. average = 100 (the parts of Alabama outside metro areas)

Home values and rents are what households told the Census Bureau across 2020 to 2024, so they trail today's market: county prices have moved up 20% since 2022. Everyday prices are the government's average for the parts of Alabama outside metro areas, not Florala alone. Check current listings before you budget.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates; Federal Housing Finance Agency, House Price Index for counties (all transactions); U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024.

The people

Population, 2025 estimate: 1,9632020: 1,929
Median age: 46.8 yearsU.S.: 38.9
Age 65 and older: 28%U.S.: 17%
Under 18: 17%U.S.: 22%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or more: 8%U.S.: 36%
Moved here from another county or state in the past year: 5%U.S.: 6%
College students: 6%share of all residents

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates (Vintage 2025); U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Work

Biggest lines of work: Construction (12%); professional and business services (12%)
Unemployment rate: 3%U.S.: 5%
Work from home: 3%U.S.: 15%
Below the poverty line: 16%U.S.: 12%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Health care

Nearest emergency room: Mizell Memorial Hospital, Opp, AL, about 19 miles away. It's a general hospital. Medicare gives it 1 of 5 stars.

Look up doctors, clinics and the hospitals themselves on Medicare's Care Compare. Ask where the most serious cases are sent.

Sources: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital General Information.

Schools

2 public schools in Florala, run by Covington County.

See each school on the federal school search, then check test scores and graduation rates on Alabama's school report card.

Sources: National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data, 2023-24 (via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal); National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS institution directory, 2024.

Internet

Homes with cable, fiber or DSL internet: 45%U.S.: 76%
Homes with any internet subscription: 68%U.S.: 91%

Before you buy, look up the address on the FCC's National Broadband Map to see which providers serve it.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Weather

January average low: 40°F
July average high: 92°F
Days 90°F or hotter: 97 a year
Nights at or below freezing: 21 a year
Rain and melted snow: 60.3 inches a year
Snow: 0 inches a year
Elevation: 242 feet

Weather stations: Florala Muni Ap (1 mile away) and Andalusia 3 W (23 miles away, rain and snow). Averages for 1991 to 2020.

Sources: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020; U.S. Geological Survey, 3D Elevation Program.

Getting around

Mizell Memorial HospitalEmergency room19

Dothan, ALCity of 72,00056

Birmingham, ALMetro of 1.2 million175

Straight-line miles. The road is always longer, and as the book says, an interstate at 70 is a different trip from a farm road at 45. Check the real drive: Mizell Memorial Hospital, Dothan, Birmingham.

Covington County is outside any metro area, with 5,000 to 20,000 people in its towns, next to a metro area (USDA rural-urban code 6, on a scale where 1 is the biggest metro areas and 9 the most rural counties).

For a day

1 place on the National Register of Historic Places, including the Florala Historic District.

National Park Service sites within about an hour:

Gulf Islands National Seashore44 miles

Read about Florala's history on Wikipedia.

Know Florala?

Tell us what a visitor shouldn't miss, and what living there is really like. Write to Main Street at mainstreet@smalltownguide.com. The best notes from people who know the town will be added here.

Nearby

Straight-line miles.

Small towns

Samson, AL1,900 people, 17 miles
Opp, AL6,700 people, 18 miles
Andalusia, AL8,800 people, 22 miles
Crestview, FL31,000 people, 24 miles
DeFuniak Springs, FL7,300 people, 25 miles
Geneva, AL4,300 people, 26 miles

Smaller places

Lockhart, AL444 people, 2 miles
Paxton, FL695 people, 3 miles
Laurel Hill, FL563 people, 9 miles
Onycha, AL174 people, 14 miles
Horn Hill, AL207 people, 15 miles

Sources

Census survey figures are estimates with a margin of error; we leave out any figure whose margin is too wide to be useful. Data last gathered October 5, 2026. See something wrong? Write to mainstreet@smalltownguide.com.