Pleasant Grove, AL 162 Apartments for Rent

Pleasant Grove, Alabama, carries the distinction of being the "Good Neighbor City." That's nuanced homegrown talk for "We're small, but we're friendly."

Smack dab in the middle of Alabama is Pleasant Grove, a small city the U.S. Census Bureau says had 10,110 people in 2010. It's a mere 8.8 square miles, so don't blink while driving through. It's tucked away approximately 10 miles east of Birmingham. To get there, take the Pleasant Grove exit off Interstate 20/59, and follow Park Road to the west. Eventually, you'll end up in the heart of Pleasant Grove, but don't look for any tall buildings. There are none! Zilch! The residents like it that way too, so don't bring any New York real estate developers with you. This is Hometown America, and its residents don't take a fancy to replacing trees with concrete.

Moving to Pleasant Grove

The yin of the yin-yang is that Pleasant Grove is affordable. The median real estate prices and median property taxes are lower than the national averages. The yang of the yin-yang is that the rental market is tight because of its small size.

Don't Be a Procrastinator

Fortunately, this is the South, so moving is possible any time of the year. However, approximately 83 percent of the residences are single-family homes, and only 13 percent are apartment complexes. Most of the other places to rent are townhouses. It may be challenging to find city apartments, so plan ahead! Better yet, use a rental locator to save yourself grief.

Getting There, and Checking It Out

Running east to west, Park Road is a main access road where at some point in the middle of Pleasant Grove, you can decide which road to take to the various neighborhoods. Fifth Avenue goes north-south, and Ninth Street goes east-west. Pleasant Grove Road (Highway 57) runs from north to south. Keep driving south, and you'll end up in Hueytown, two miles down the road. In north Pleasant Grove, take a left off Pleasant Grove Road onto Fourth Street to gain access to the north neighborhoods.

Get Ready to Move Before You Move

Most apartment buildings in Alabama include water and sewer in the rent, but you will have to pay your own deposit to get the water turned on. There's always a catch. There's always an application fee too. If the landlord decides you are an okay-kind-of-person, be prepared to fork over the first month's rent and a security deposit. Sure, sure. It's always about money.

Pleasant Grove Neighborhoods

One of Pleasant Grove's attractions is that it is not densely populated. But look at a zoning map of Pleasant Grove, and there is something in short supply -- zoning for multi-unit residential. Most of Pleasant Grove is single-family residential, and the neighborhoods fan out from the Downtown Village area to the north, northeast and south.

Manila, North Field and Big Spring: In the northernmost section are widely dispersed residential areas. If the sound of chirping birds helps you find your happy spot, find a home for rent in this area.

Mud Hole, Little Denmark, Monkey Town and Grove Creek: This band of neighborhoods runs across the center of the city from west to east. There are usually two-bedroom apartments available in Brooke-Lyn Apartments on Brooke Lyn Drive, the largest apartment complex in the city.

The Grove (Sam White's Lane): This neighborhood is zoned for mixed housing and is a good place to look for places for rent in Pleasant Grove. This area is sure to blossom with places for rent in Pleasant Grove.

String Town, Scratch Grave, and Battle Creek: The three neighborhoods form a large portion of the south boundary of Pleasant Grove. Most rentals are houses or town homes. If you have trouble renting an apartment in Pleasant Grove, these are the neighborhoods closest to Hueytown.

Living in Pleasant Grove

What can you say about a city listing the Jefferson County Public Library as a tourist attraction? Here's an imaginary conversation: "You doing anything? No? Let's go read a book!" There are banks, so you could go count your money. It's nice to know that you don't have to leave town to find a grocery store, florist, insurance company, Fred's discount retail store, barber or beauty shop, hardware store or auto repair business.

What you do in Pleasant Grove is live and attend a few local events each year, like the annual holiday parade. The large Pleasant Grove Athletic Complex for youth is popular. The Pleasant Grove Park is nice too with shade trees and large grassy areas. If you are feeling wild one day, there are monkey bars, so you can find your inner child again. The park also has several covered pavilions where the summertime scent of hamburgers and ribs cooking makes the stomach rumble with joy. At least we hope that's the sound of joy!