Located in the state of Alabama, Opelika is a mid-sized city with a population of 29,030 people. Individuals of White (52%) and Black or African American (41%) backgrounds make up a significant portion of the population of the city. Not a fan of sitting in traffic? One big advantage of living in Opelika is the reasonable commute times to work. With an average one way commute time of 19 minutes, getting to work is faster than the national average of 26 minutes.
Without the right tools, relocating to any new town can be very stressful and challenging. Living in Opelika, Alabama could be a great experience for anyone who puts in the time to do the research required. With useful information like amenities, crime, cost of living and other key data points, finding the best places to live in Opelika and in the areas around Opelika is a much easier task.
The livability score in Opelika is 60/100 and the city is ranked in the 19th percentile of all cities across America. Compared to the United States average, this city has a score which ranks among the lowest in the nation, and it is not considered a very livable city. Based on the scores for each individual category, Opelika has been rewarded with high marks for amenities (B+), cost of living (B-) and weather (B). There are some categories that Opelika ranks poorly for, including: crime (F), education (F) and housing (F). It might be worth taking a closer look to figure out why.
Location, location, location - possibly the three most important words in your search for a new place to live. Fortunately, in Opelika, there is no shortage of amazing local amenities and interesting things to do. Here are some of the more popular things to do in Opelika: Grand National Golf Course, Angel's Antiques and Flea Mall, and Museum of East Alabama.
Being close to public transportation, grocery stores, parks and other conveniences are all important when weighing your options for a new home in Opelika. Before you determine if any of these amenities are available in the area, you will also want to know if the real estate prices in Opelika are affordable. The median home price for Opelika homes is $153,400, which is 19.4% higher than the Alabama average. If we take a closer look at the affordability of homes in Opelika, we’ll see that the home price to income ratio is 3.7, which is 27.6% higher than the Alabama average. Year over year appreciation rates for homes in the Opelika area were 3.8% and the 5 year appreciation rates came in at 3.3%. Why is this important? Knowing the appreciation rates for any area is a quick and easy way to determine if you will see a solid return on your investment.
| Statistic | Opelika | Alabama | National |
| Average one way commute | 19min | 25min | 26min |
| Workers who drive to work | 85.4% | 85.7% | 76.4% |
| Workers who carpool | 9.2% | 8.8% | 9.3% |
| Workers who take public transit | 0.1% | 0.4% | 5.1% |
| Workers who bicycle | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.6% |
| Workers who walk | 0.5% | 1.1% | 2.8% |
| Working from home | 3.6% | 2.9% | 4.6% |
| Walk | Bike | Compact | Car | S.U.V. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Distance | |||||
| Duration | |||||
| Cost/Month |
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