School me on Central/North Alabama Land

I'm looking to purchase 50+ acres (the more the better) of "recreational" land. I want hills and shit. I'm from the flat swamp, tired of it. I want to be able to hunt, ride dirt bikes/atv's, and build a cabin. Might even build a forever home on it someday. Not concerned about schools at this point, but I want it to be in a county that's politically friendly to shooting/hunting. Being remote would be ideal, but still need access to power.

So, what areas might one begin to look for such a place?

 

East north Alabama has Sand Mountain which is huge. North of B'ham is hilly around the Dodge City area. Northeast flattens out a lot as does central west except the end of Sand Mt. Mid Central is B'ham so fails your test.

Maybe Section or Henneger area but you would have to see it. Sand Mt is HUGE so sometimes when you are on it you don't even know.

 

Wherever you end up, just make sure you have a vehicle with posi-traction and independent rear suspension.

Pontiac Tempest is a good choice.

 

I do love metallic mint green.

 

I’d consider hopping just over the state line, into TN. Almost anywhere along the line, east of I-65, is pretty nice. The further toward I-24, the better.

 

No doubt there is beautiful land in TN, but TN is a non-starter. I work in Baton Rouge, and my family is here. Making it up to TN is just too far for weekend getaways, and the price per acre means I can't have as much as I want.

 

That’s what I was thinking!

 

You two Utes knock it off.

 

Also you might look into the area around the Sipsey Wilderness Area aka Bankhead National Forest. Not mountain but might make you happy given your goals. Closer also.

 

Well he did say just across the border, which isn't much further from "North Alabama". I'm in Huntsville and it's absolutely booming right now, so you are going to have to stay far away from here. Several of my coworkers commute from across the TN line, it's less than an hour drive. On the East side of 65 Birmingham and Huntsville are close enough together that even land in the middle isn't "cheap". Blountsville/Cleveland area is where you would want to look for a nice rural 50 acres.

Not sure how close to civilization you care to be, but if that's a low priority then West of Bankhead national forest is a nice area and out in the middle of nowhere. Your other good option will be to buy the side of a mountain. There are lots of pieces of land for sale that are much cheaper per acre because most of the land is unbuildable without a massive amount of work. If you want a cabin and atv trails, it would probably work great.

 

I'm near Huntsville also and things are crazy here currently. We have thought about selling and moving a little further out, but anywhere within an hour of Huntsville has ridiculous land prices right now.

 

Honestly the further south, the better (shorter drive). I only want to be as far north as necessary to find some rolling, unflat, land at a reasonable price. I'll keep my eye out around that national forest.