These Are The 10 Snobbiest Places In Alabama


We analyzed over 80 places in Alabama to identify the ones that probably think they’re better than you.

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This article is an opinion based on facts and is meant as infotainment. Don’t freak out.

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When it comes to being a snob, you’ve got all types. You’ve got your wine snobs, beer snobs, and food snobs. There are book snobs, movie snobs, and theatre (yes, with an re) snobs. These days, you’ve probably even got snob snobs—people who think their type of snob is better than yours.

Down in the south, you might not think of folks as ‘snobby’ as those in the northeast. But, they’re out there, for sure. Especially in certain areas of Alabama, where you can call these true southerners snooty or even just plain loaded if you will.

In fact, in these 10 places, it’s downright snobby:

  1. Mountain Brook (Photos)
  2. Madison (Photos)
  3. Vestavia Hills (Photos)
  4. Gulf Shores (Photos)
  5. Daphne (Photos)
  6. Fairhope (Photos)
  7. Hoover (Photos)
  8. Helena (Photos)
  9. Pelham (Photos)
  10. Auburn (Photos)

Now we’re not so full of ourselves as to just come up with this list from nowhere. We actually analyzed 85 places in the state. And we’re not saying there’s anything wrong with these cities.

Actually, if we had their wealth and lifestyle, we’d probably be a little snobby, too.

For more Alabama reading, check out:

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How we determined the snobbiest places in Alabama

You think we’d just come up with this list willy nilly? Not a chance.

What we did is, we gathered up all of the places in Alabama with populations of 5,000 people or more. This left us with a total of 85 places. Then, we looked at each place in terms of these snoot-er-iffic criteria: (And no, it’s not a word. English snob.)

  • Median home price (Higher is snobbier)
  • Median household income (Higher is snobbier)
  • Percent of population with a college degree (Higher is snobbier)
  • Private schools per capita (Higher is snobbier)
  • Theaters per capita (Higher is snobbier)
  • Art galleries per capita (Higher is snobbier)

From there, we ranked each of our 85 places in each category with scores from one to 85. We then averaged each place’s ranking into one overall score, where the lowest score went to the snobbiest place in Alabama. So let’s all flip a table in honor of Mountain Brook (with our pinkies up, of course.)

Now before you get upset and ruin your blowout or something drastic here, let’s remember that this is all in good fun. Would we live in one of these 10 places if we had the chance? Of course we would!

Now, let’s put on your monocle and take a look at what make these places so snobby; for a more complete list, just hop down to the end of the post.

1. Mountain Brook

Population: 20,938
Median household income: $135,242
Median home price: $538,700

The folks in Mountain Brook are just about the richest, smartest, and live in the largest homes in the state of Alabama. Are we jealous? Yes. But that still makes them snobs.

Right outside of Birmingham, you’ll find a place where homes are about three times as expensive as the state average, and where residents earn far, far more than most people make in two or three years.

Frankly, if you’re from the general area, it would be hard to argue with Mountain Brook not topping this list.

2. Madison

Population: 42,503
Median household income: $92.454
Median home price: $230,404

These Huntsville suburbanites are certainly not slouches when it comes to the amount of money they make each year. At nearly 100K, it really puts into perspective how ‘rich’ the folks in Mountain Brook truly are.

Homes are the 5th most expensive in the state, and more than 1 in 3 residents has a college degree. We think intellectual intelligence and snobbery are a distant cousins.

3. Vestavia Hills

Population: 33,534
Median household income: $85,017
Median home price: $330,605

This Birmingham suburb definitely has it ‘made’ as well, at least financially. The homes here are the 2nd largest in Alabama, and nearly 4 in 10 residents has at least a bachelor’s degree. That’s also the 2nd highest rate in the Yellowhammer State.

It’s a smallish place, but there are still a couple of private schools and art galleries to keep the folks here entertained.

4. Gulf Shores

Population: 9,761
Median household income: $47,484
Median home price: $189,304

You figured you’d see Gulf Shores somewhere on this list, didn’t you? While the residents certainly aren’t the wealthiest among their Alabama peers, there are a ton of snob-tastic things to do here – everything from art galleries to theaters and other ‘high brow’ amenities.

Plus, you can say you live in Gulf Shores.

5. Daphne

Source: Public domain

Population: 21,911
Median household income: $63,500
Median home price: $188,303

Across the bay from Mobile is the fairly wealthy community of Daphne, where the residents are in the top 10 in the state when it comes to income levels, home sizes and education.

Did you know Alabama running back T.J. Yeldon is from Daphne? Is he a snob? We haven’t met him before, but he seems pretty down to earth.

6. Fairhope

Population: 15,902
Median household income: $58,882
Median home price: $241,303

Just down the bay from Daphne is the smallish city of Fairhope. What makes them such snobs? They rank number one in the state for art galleries per capita. Plus, this cute little community was once named as the second best small town in America by Southern Living Magazine.

Does that make you snobby? Only when you brag about it.

7. Hoover

Population: 81,938
Median household income: $76,713
Median home price: $266,404

Another wealthy Birmingham suburb, Hoover is definitely living the high life. The city ranks in the top 5 for income levels and home prices. Plus, more than a third of the population finished college, which is really high for Alabama.

While the number of snobberific amenities aren’t as high in Hoover as they are in other places, there are plenty of snooty of places to shop at nearby Riverchase Galleria.

8. Helena

Population: 16,504
Median household income: $84,280
Median home price: $178,505

Well, it’s pretty much official. Our snob sniffers have indicated that if you live in a south Birmingham suburb, you might be a snob. This is where most of the big earners in the state live, and where the homes are much, much more expensive than those in the rest of Alabama.

Businessweek named Helena the 13th best place to raise your kids in 2007, and Money Magazine bestowed upon Helena the title of ‘one of the best places to live in 2007′ – monikers that the city is very quick to remind you about. They’ve won many other awards that they brag about, too.

9. Pelham

Population: 21,304
Median household income: $69,091
Median home price: $167,600

Right next door to Helena is Pelham, which not only has some pretty wealthy families, but one of the highest concentration of small art galleries in the state.

Did you know Dabo Swinney, the coach of Clemson’s football team, grew up in Pelham? You do now.

10. Auburn

Source: Public domain

Population: 53,109
Median household income: $37,039
Median home price: $215,203

This just added a little bit of fuel to the whole Bama-Auburn rivalry. Turns out, the snobs in Auburn might be a lot more pretentious than their peers down in Tuscaloosa.

While they certainly aren’t the wealthiest of their Alabama peers, Auburnians are just about the smartest (30% have a college degree). Plus, there are far more snooty-type amenities in Auburn than in most other places in the state.

And as we’ve learned in life, snobs enjoy the finer things in life.

Summing Up The Humble Pie

Sure, we might have poked a little harmless fun at these 10 snobby places, but hey, it’s only because we’re jealous. High incomes, expensive homes, and excellent educations? That sounds pretty southern charming to us. Who wouldn’t want that?

If you’re interested, here are the least snobby places in Alabama: Prichard, Lanett, Tarrant, Chickasaw and Gadsden.
Desktop users, there’s a chart below with all snobby cities in Alabama ranked from first to last.

City Home Prices Rank
Mountain Brook $538,500 1
Madison $230,500 2
Vestavia Hills $330,200 3
Gulf Shores $189,400 4
Daphne $188,100 5
Fairhope $241,800 6
Hoover $266,800 7
Helena $178,700 8
Pelham $167,600 9
Auburn $215,200 10
Northport $162,800 11
Foley $166,600 12
Huntsville $155,700 13
Alabaster $164,000 14
Enterprise $157,900 14
Muscle Shoals $130,100 16
Cullman $128,600 17
Troy $159,800 18
Tuscaloosa $161,600 19
Prattville $149,300 20
Pleasant Grove $155,200 21
Irondale $136,200 22
Mobile $125,800 23
Athens $143,900 24
Dothan $137,900 24
Millbrook $143,900 26
Rainbow City $151,500 26
Leeds $138,500 26
Gardendale $167,800 26
Arab $143,500 30
Montevallo $160,800 31
Wetumpka $138,300 32
Pell City $159,200 33
Scottsboro $116,100 34
Glencoe $116,600 35
Southside $152,700 36
Hartselle $128,000 37
Opelika $135,000 38
Florence $114,200 39
Robertsdale $127,100 40
Decatur $126,000 41
Demopolis $139,100 42
Jackson $93,500 43
Birmingham $87,200 43
Jasper $136,800 43
Jacksonville $141,000 46
Andalusia $97,200 46
Ozark $95,500 48
Greenville $91,400 48
Satsuma $150,600 50
Lincoln $89,600 51
Sheffield $83,400 52
Moody $142,100 53
Daleville $98,800 53
Childersburg $125,300 55
Saraland $130,000 56
Oxford $120,300 57
Guntersville $160,900 58
Brewton $104,200 59
Monroeville $92,100 60
Anniston $96,300 61
Tuscumbia $87,700 62
Sylacauga $118,600 63
Alexander City $98,100 64
Phenix City $116,600 64
Bay Minette $106,600 66
Midfield $78,000 67
Eufaula $129,700 68
Oneonta $115,200 69
Hamilton $86,400 70
Hueytown $111,200 70
Tuskegee $84,700 72
Russellville $92,500 73
Atmore $91,500 74
Clanton $104,000 75
Bessemer $88,400 76
Selma $83,500 77
Fairfield $94,000 78
Valley $78,300 78
Talladega $84,300 80
Gadsden $71,400 81
Chickasaw $83,800 81
Tarrant $73,300 83
Lanett $75,000 83
Prichard $67,400 83

About Nick Johnson

Nick Johnson earned his masters in Business Administration from the Drucker School At Claremont Graduate University. He has written for 39 publications across the country and ran the media relations department at Movoto, a real estate portal based in San Francisco. He has been featured in over 500 publications as an expert in real estate and as an authority on real estate trends.

Nick's the creator of the HomeSnacks YouTube channel that now has over 260,000 subscribers and is an excellent source to learn about different parts of the country.