Rainsville is an active city on northeast Alabama's Sand Mountain
For a city of around 5,500 people, Rainsville offers plenty to do and see. The northwest Alabama community is on Sand Mountain, a sandstone plateau with plenty of good views. It's also home to sports complexes and a country club, and is close to popular hunting spots. Yet its recreation is not the main draw for everyone who moves to town.
“It’s about location and price for a lot of people,” says Joli Palmer, an assistant librarian at the Henagar Public Library who has lived in DeKalb County for nearly 30 years. “You can commute to bigger cities, and the mountains are beautiful, some of the best in the state.” The community offers those conveniences while carrying lower prices than Huntsville, where many residents work.
New Traditional and ranch-style homes sit along narrow streets
Several New Traditional homes have been built recently, though older ranch-style houses and traditional properties are also available. The median sale price is around $235,000, well below the national median. Homes typically stay on the market for more than 100 days, far above the U.S. average. While some Rainsville neighborhoods have grid-like streets, others snake through town with no pattern. The city’s asphalt roads are usually narrow, and residents mainly use their driveways instead of parking along the street. Yards are grassy and can feature tall trees and small bushes.
Main Street is filled with restaurants, and Bruce's Foodland is close
Most city restaurants are along Main Street, including Kelly’s Kitchen, a Southern breakfast and lunch spot. “A lot of people go there after church on Sundays,” Palmer says. 50 Taters offers steaks and rotating specials. Katy’s Katfish is a seafood restaurant inside a log cabin, while Topher’s Wings decorates its walls with sports memorabilia from local athletes and the University of Alabama football program. Bruce’s Foodland carries groceries, and Dollar General has essentials. Gary’s Custom Retail Meat Market has been open for two decades.
All grade school students are zoned for Plainview High
Students are served by DeKalb County Schools. All kindergarten through 12th-grade students can attend Plainview High School. Plainview offers Advanced Placement and dual enrollment classes to its high school students. It earns an A Niche score. Cornerstone Christian Academy, a private prekindergarten through 12th-grade school, receives a C-minus score.
Athletic facilities for kids and adults, plus a hunting preserve
Rainsville City Park has tennis courts, playgrounds, picnic spots, walking trails, and a pool open from Memorial Day to Labor Day. The Rainsville Sports Complex, known locally as the “Field of Dreams,” has five turf baseball and softball diamonds, a disc golf course and soccer and flag football fields. Topspin Pickleball Club is an indoor facility with various membership options. Rainsville Golf & Country Club takes public tee times for its nine-hole course. Around 5 miles west is the Northeast Alabama Hunting Preserve, where visitors can hunt quail, pheasant and duck.
Professional races, October scares and Rainsville Freedom Fest
Rainsville Freedom Fest, held each summer, combines car, truck, and motorcycle shows with live music and fireworks. Horror fans can visit PV Slaughterhouse each Halloween season to get a scare. The immersive haunted house sits within an actual slaughterhouse built in 1964 for Rainsville Quality Meats. Fort Payne Motor Speedway sits a few miles outside the city and hosts races on Saturday nights.
Access to major highways and Huntsville International Airport
Alabama state highways 35 and 75 cross each other in the center of town. Rainsville is around 60 miles from Chattanooga and Huntsville, and close to 70 miles from Huntsville International Airport. Palmer says tornadoes can impact the area, especially between March and May. Rainsville has a community storm shelter, and newer homes often include personal ones. The city's Sand Mountain location gives it a cooler climate than much of Alabama.
