Welcome to Smiths Station
By BethSnipes
Location, location, location.
Whether you’re buying a house or picking a city to raise your family, location is a top selling point and has it. Just a tad north of Phenix City and Columbus and Smiths Station and a short drive south of Opelika, it’s a perfect spot for families that work in nearby cities but want raise their children in a small town atmosphere.
This isn’t a town with an identity crisis, but you may know it by two different names. Smiths Station was known as “Smiths Station” until, according to legend, the 1960s. The story is that the postmaster at the time was tired of writing the town’s name over and over again, so he just stopped adding “Station” to the name, saving ink and time. Maybe residents got tired of saying it, too because, true or not, the name Smiths stuck. It wasn’t until the town incorporated in 2001 that “Station” was added back to its name.
Location isn’t the city’s only draw. Opelika resident Heather Dees, a realtor with Coldwell Banker and graduate of Smiths Station High School, knows first hand that the school system attracts new residents every day. Dees mother, Kathie Ledbetter, is the high school’s principal so she has more than a passing interest in how the schools are doing. “Smiths Station revolves around the schools. “ says Dees “It’s the 5th largest in the state.” Sperling’s Best Places, a firm that gathers fact and figures and rates the best places in America, reports there are 1,600 students enrolled in the high school. Students don’t get lost in the numbers, though, seniors are passing the Alabama High School Graduation Exam at a rate above the state average.
In 2006, 99 percent tested passed in science. Visit Sperling’s website at www.greatschools.net to find out even more.
The combination of location and good schools is getting the attention of home buyers. “There’s been a tremendous leap of growth.” says Dees. “The first subdivision with sewer and curbing is going in.” Buyers are also discovering the pretty countryside. New homes are springing up in the woods just outside of town.
Growth won’t ruin Smith’s hometown feel, though. It’s been a friendly community for too long to get off track. “It’s a cozy little town.” explains Dees. “When you’re there, you know everyone. I’ve made friendships that I will always have.”
That is what Smiths Station is all about, families and community. If you’re trying to find a great spot to have it all, explore Smiths Station and you may just find it.
Beth Snipes is a freelance writer living in Auburn. She can be reached at bsnipesatl@mindspring.com.
|
|
